how to deleted Contacts On Samsung Galaxy

Contacts Deleted On Samsung Galaxy 

I have already written about ways to recover deleted contacts on Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The problem that I would like to address in this post, while it’s somewhat related, is a bit interesting. It could happen to anyone who has two Android phones.

Our reader said in his email that his contacts on the Note 2 disappeared after his other phone was stolen. He was asking if it was possible both phones were connected.

Here’s the actual email we received:

“Hi guys,

I had two phones, a Samsung Galaxy S2 and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

I bought the S2 first and when I got the Note 2, my wife continued using the S2. All the email accounts and most of the data were maintained.

Now last week the S2 was stolen.  And in a matter of hours all my contacts on the Note 2 disappeared too! Now the contact list shows unknown.

I would like to know how this happened. .. is there connection between the S2 being stolen and Note2 contacts disappearing?

And is there a way for me to recover my contacts again?

Regards

Baldwin”

The Connection

There was probably a connection between our reader’s Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note 2. He said that both of the phones were his so probably, he used the same Google account on both devices. All emails he received on his new phones are also received on the older one. If all syncs were turned on, both devices should have the same contacts.

So, as far as connection between the two devices is concerned, there is a high possibility both were setup with the same Google account.

Disappearing Contacts

Android was deeply integrated into Google Accounts that once setup, the users wouldn’t be asked for his credentials again. Basically, when an Android phone falls into the hand of someone who knows how to manipulate it, the account bound with the phone can easily compromised. In the case of our reader, all his contacts were lost just hours after the Galaxy S2 was allegedly stolen.

It means one thing, the person who now has possession over the device didn’t setup another account on the phone. Rather, he / she just deleted all contacts and continued using the account that was already bound with the phone.

When you create a new contact, you will be prompted where you want to save it. Two of the most common options is either “Phone only” (which means the contact will saved locally) and “Google” (meaning the contact will be integrated into the Google Account setup on the phone). Since our reader said that all his contacts were gone, it could be because they were saved via the Google account; once deleted from the other phone, they will also be delete d on the other.

How To Recover Them

The account has already been compromised but one good thing about the Android phone is that the password is never shown. So, the best advice we could give our reader is to log into the Google Account that was setup on both phones and change the password. This is one way to salvage what’s left of it.

Once the password was changed, try to go to Gmail (http://mail.google.com/) and see if the contacts are still there. If they are, you can easily export them as .csv file to the Galaxy Note 2. However, if they’ve been deleted already, there’s no way to recover them.

Moreover, by changing the password, the lost Galaxy S2 would start prompting the new owner for the credentials and would stop the syncs.

What To Do In Cases Like This

For people who may also have two Android phones with the same Google Account, here’s what you need to do in case the other device got lost:

1. Change your password immediately. The moment you realized your phone may have been fallen on the wrong hands, secure your account immediately.
2. Have your SIM locked. Call your carrier and report the incident and request for the blocking of your SIM. This will prevent the new owner from using the phone to make some calls or send messages.
3. Remote wipe your phone. It is always advised you invest in security apps like Where’s My Droid or Lookout Mobile, which has an option to wipe your phone and your SD card remotely.

Having problems with your phone?

Tell us about them by emailing us at mailbag@thedroidguy.com. Make sure to include as much details as possible so that we could understand the problem well and find the best solutions for you. If you can share a screenshot or two, that would be better.

We may not be able to respond to every email we receive but rest assured we do read them… yes, all of them even if some do look like spams.

Read more at http://thedroidguy.com/2013/08/contacts-deleted-on-samsung-galaxy-note-2-after-galaxy-s2-was-stolen/#tXMMTCdLmrYSlqu9.99