How to transfer contacts from phone to SIM card on Android

2022-10-12

Moving contacts from phone to sim card is possible in several ways:

1. Moving contacts to:
   1. Android 9
   2. Android 8 and below
   3. Android 4
   4. Video guide
2. Moving contacts from sim card to phone
3. Export applications

Moving contacts to the sim card is very useful: After you change your mobile device to another one, there will be no problem to transfer the numbers to your Android address book.

Most of the times the built-in tools of the smartphone are sufficient: no additional software has to be installed. The methods for transferring contacts to the SIM card may vary depending on the version of Android installed on the phone. We'll take a look at the variant with Android 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 phone. Methods for Android 8 and below are also described.

Please tell us in the comments if you were able to transfer contacts to your sim. Also, if the above methods of contacts transfer are not available on your phone, please indicate the device you are using and the Android version installed.

Technique: How to transfer contacts to SIM card in Android 9

Make the following transfers in Android 9:

1. From the main screen you have to access your address book using the special icon or through the "Settings - Contacts".

   

2. Go to the Android settings menu, simply click on the 3 points icon.
3. A menu appears with several options, among these select "Manage contacts".

   

4. A window appears where the available functions are proposed (merge, import/export, synchronization, change of default storage location). Choose the item "Import/Export contacts".

   

5. If you wish to transfer contacts from the phone to the SIM, you would select "Export" - SIM card.

   

6. Select the contacts to be copied.
7. If you wish to copy all contacts from the address book to the SIM card then simply click on "Copy All".
8. Conclude the procedure by clicking on "Yes" in the dialog box displayed.

Be aware that only the phone number and contact name are copied to the SIM card. It is not possible to copy the contact's photo, e-mail address or other data because of the SIM card limitations.

Tip : It is possible to do something different: you can either restore the contacts from the backup or synchronize the new phone with your Google Account. Read here how to do it. In doing so, you will have no limitations: you can copy the email, address, and other data of the contact.

Video Tutorial :

Tip . It's convenient for Android users to export contacts to the Google Contacts cloud instead of a SIM card. Pros:

• contacts will always be available to sync for any device,
• address book data will be protected from accidental deletion.

Instructions on how to synchronize contacts with Google

Moving contacts in Android 8, 7, 6, 5 and below

In older Android versions the copying of contacts to the sim is different from the above described. In order to have the information about the numbers on the sim card available on the new phone you should:

1. Go to your phonebook using special icon "Contacts" on the home screen.
2. In the upper right corner click on the "Options" item (In some OS the "Options" item is represented by an icon with three dots).
3. In the menu opened, select the "Settings" item.
4. Select the contacts and in the menu opened click on the "Import/export contacts" item.
5. Click the "Export" button. Android will prompt you to select the location you would like to transfer your contacts to. Use the command "Copy contacts from phone to SIM card".
6. Confirm your intention to copy your contacts by clicking on the "Yes" in the opened window.
7. Select the contacts you wish to transfer. The further steps will be done automatically.

Mosage contacts on sim card in Android 4

To transfer contacts from the phone to the Samsung sim card (or to any other brand of device) having the Android 4 version the following steps are required:

1. Go to the contacts section using the special icon on the home screen or in the menu.
2. Go to the settings. To do this press the "Menu", "Options" or "..." button depending on the phone model.
3. In the window that opens select "Export/Import contacts".
4. Select the "Export to SIM" option. You may click on "Select All" if you wish to copy all contacts from the phonebook.
5. Read carefully and agree to the conditions to perform the copy from phone to SIM card.

In common with other OS, only the contact name and phone number are saved when copying.

How to transfer contacts from SIM card to phone

After the import/export of the contacts has been performed, the card can be transferred to another phone, all the phone numbers will be immediately available.

For the new contact information to be stored in the phone memory also, the data transfer from the SIM card to the smartphone should be performed. To do this:

1. Go to the contacts via the icon on the home screen.
2. In the menu (opens after clicking on "Menu", "Options" or "..." depending on the OS version installed on the smartphone) select the "Settings" item. In the newer Android versions the item "Manage contacts" should be selected.
3. Select the "Export/Import contacts", then "Import".
4. Select where you wish to copy the information (in this case the SIM card).
5. Select the contacts, finish the import.

After these actions the contacts will be saved in the phone. If you replace the SIM, the numbers will still be available to view.

Best applications for SIM contacts transfer

Map your contacts to your SIM using not only the built-in phone tools but also third party software. There are also programs that allow you to make a backup of your contacts. The advantage of a backup over a regular copy is that you can often save not only the name and number, but additional information as well.

1. Titanium Backup. The application creates a full backup of your address book, so no additional information about your contacts is lost. With the application, contacts can be saved on a memory card or uploaded to the cloud for easy access later from any mobile device. Disadvantages of the application: the application is distributed on a paid basis and requires administrator rights.
2. Dropbox. The app allows you to sync your contact information and save them to the cloud. To ensure you do not lose your contacts when you change phones or firmware, just go to the application settings and click "Save contacts".

Important ! Detailed instructions on how to back up your contacts.

Dear readers! Share in comments, did the described ways help you or not? We will try to improve the article if suddenly some methods do not work on other versions of Android.