Have you accidentally deleted your important contacts and have no idea how to get them back? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. This is a full guide on how to recover deleted contacts in Android for both Rooted and Non-Rooted devices.
There are various reasons you can lose your contacts, including a software update. While the official updates are safe from the companies, you can never second guess as it is a machine. There’s no guarantee that it can break down without notice. You cannot stop the inevitable but prevent yourself from losing your data.
Everything about protecting data will be in the end but let’s get straight to the point as to how you can recover your lost contacts on Android.
Did You Actually Lose Your Data?
One can always make a mistake in understanding the application they use and they might have changed some settings due to which contacts might not be visible.
The latest updated smartphones these days are equipped with all the high-end features including the contacts app which in some cases will be optimized by Google if you’re using a stock Android.
Using the SIM memory to save contacts is not ideal and is not suggested in 2024. When you have options like cloud storage which can transfer all your data within minutes, why would you use a service that takes more of your time and has limited resources (Yes, SIM cards have low space)?
If your device is outdated and you still aren’t able to view all the contacts that disappeared suddenly, you can follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open the Contacts application on your device.
Step 2: Click the three dots on the top right corner of the app and then click on “Contacts to Display”. Different devices can have other alternatives.
Step 3: Select all contacts.
All the hidden contacts which were not displayed will be shown. If you’re still not able to figure it out, you can try other methods below.
Methods to Recover Deleted Contacts in Android
There are two methods on which you can operate to recover the data you lost – Root and Non-Root. To root your device, you can download a particular tool for your device and go ahead. We do not take the risk of anything that happens to your device while rooting.
Non-Root Method
How to Recover Deleted Contacts Using Gmail
If you do not have a smartphone with a Google account, it’s useless. You cannot have the full benefits of your device without a Google Account as all the applications require an account to log in. If you set up your device properly along with a Google Account, the chances are 100% of recovering your contacts on Android.
The recovery process is quite simple and all your contacts will be back in the blink of an eye.
Considering you have properly set up your account with your device, follow the steps below you recover all your contacts through Gmail.
Step 1: Go to settings on your device.
Step 2: Scroll down and look for Google.
Step 3: Click on the All Services option from the top and scroll down to select “Restore Contacts.”
Step 4: Click on the Restore button.
This is one of the easiest methods to recover your contacts as all the devices use Android backed by Google recovery. All your contacts are backed up on Google by default unless you’re not connected to the internet.
There is no other method to recover contacts on a non-rooted device as proper scanning of the internal files requires root access. A detailed guide as to how you can root your Android will be shared soon. If your device is rooted, check the guide below about how you can recover contacts with root.
Recovering contacts from Android Phone Memory(Root Method)
Two root methods can be used to recover data from the storage of your device. You need to dig up the internal files in your device which may be saved after contacts were deleted from your device. One of the methods is using an external recovery tool in the market.
Mobikin Doctor For Android
This is one of the most effective applications that can be used to recover your data from your device’s memory. It supports thousands of devices and Android versions and helps you recover multiple types of data on your device. According to the website, this tool has a 98% recovery chance that can recover any kind of data you accidentally deleted from your device.
To use this application, you need to have Root access and enable USB debugging on your device.
Follow the steps below to enable USB debugging.
Step 1: Go to the settings of your smartphone.
Step 2: Click on About Phone.
Step 3: Look for “Build Number” and click on it several times. The clicks range from 5-7 times depending on the device you’re using. Developer Options are now enabled.
Step 4: Go into the developer options section.
Step 5: Search for USB Debugging and enable it.
Coming to Mobikin, you can follow the easy steps below to recover your data.
Keep in mind that this is a premium software so you need to pay for full access. You can try the free version to scan the data that was recovered from your device but to preview and recover it, you need to purchase the premium version which costs about $50 for the lifetime plan.
Considering you have the premium plan, here’s how you can recover contacts using Mobikin.
Step 1: Download, Install, and Run Mobikin for Windows or Mac from the links above.
Step 2: Connect your Android device to your PC. If you’re on the latest Android version, you will be asked to grant permission on your smartphone. Wireless connection to the software will not work and you need a proper USB cable to connect your smartphone to your PC.
Step 3: Select the type of data you want to recover. Mobikin supports all types of files to recover including Audio, Video, Contacts, etc. Click on Recover after you have selected everything.
Step 4: After scanning, you’ll see all the recovered files from your device. You can filter the “Only display deleted items” to view how many files were retrieved out of the deleted ones.
Step 5: After selecting the files you need to recover. Now you can open the folder where you saved all the recovered files.
The process of recovering from this software is quite simple. You can ask questions below if you have any regarding any issue you face using the application. You can also raise queries directly from the developers at Mobikin as they are quite active.
Contact2.db File
This method is a little complex and you need to put in some effort. This is useful when applications like Mobikin don’t work and as there’s a 2% chance of the application not working. Hence, manual work is required.
Again you require root access so make sure your smartphone is rooted and follow the steps below.
Step 1: Download and install Root Explorer to access all the internal files of your device.
Step 2: Locate the “Database” folder in “/data/data/android.providers.contacts/databases” and copy it to the SD Card.
Step 3: Connect your device to your PC and move the “Database” folder on your PC.
Step 4: Use Firefox and SQLite to access the contact2.db file.
Note: All your data will not be recovered through the contact2.db file. Only the latest data will be recovered. There is no guarantee and a very less chance of old data getting recovered by this method.
Hence you have some of the best methods that can be used to recover your contacts on Android. But you don’t want to make the same mistake again, right?
Here are some of the best practices to make sure data recovery is much easier for you in the future.
How to Backup Contacts in Android
Google Backup
Setting up a Google backup on your smartphone is one of the most important things you need. Backing your data on the cloud is fast and the most efficient recovery method in Android.
Follow the steps below to make sure you get all your data the next time you lose your device.
Step 1: Go to settings in your device and locate Google.
Step 2: Search for “Backup” in Google Settings. All the backup details will be visible of your device. You can open and look at what data is being backed up on the cloud.
Step 3: If the option was disabled, you can click on backup to start the backup process on your Google Account.
Google Cloud is one of the best and most efficient ways to make sure your data is secure. You can recover or back up anytime you want on the cloud servers.
Let’s have a look at another backup method.
Exporting to SIM Card
If your data is currently stored in the phone storage of your device, you can simply move it to the SIM Card storage and secure it. This process is helpful even when you’re swapping devices.
This process is available on devices running the lower versions of Android. We were not able to spot this feature in Android Pie. This was a quite popular method in the keypad phones which were seen in the old age of mobile phones.