Restoring contacts after a factory reset on Android 6.0 Marshmallow needs a little forethought before you wipe that device. You must back up those contacts before performing your factory reset. If there is no record of them, you can’t restore them!
Before you wipe the device, you need to make sure all your contacts are synced with your Gmail account. We no longer have the option to save them all to the SIM, so syncing to the cloud is key. Most Android phones will have this enabled by default when you first sign into the handset with your Gmail account. However, it’s best to check. Here’s how.
Sync contacts with Gmail
1. Navigate to Settings, Accounts and then Google on your device.
2. Toggle the switch next to Contacts to the on position.
3. Wait for the process to complete and you should see a message ‘Last synced on…’ Your contacts are now synced with Gmail.
4. Log into Gmail and make sure everything is present and correct.
Once you have verified your contacts have been backed up, you can now perform your factory reset.
Restore contacts after a factory reset with Android Marshmallow
Once you have performed your factory reset, it’s time to bring those contacts back. Fortunately, most of it is automatic and all we do is confirm that it’s done or give it a gentle nudge if it isn’t.
1. Navigate to Settings, Accounts and then Google on your device.
2. Add your account and sign in.
3. Log into Gmail from a PC and click ‘Gmail’ on the left under Google to access Contacts.
4. Click More, then Restore Contacts.
Or just repeat the steps above to enable syncing.
1. Navigate to Settings, Accounts and then Google.
2. Toggle the switch next to Contacts to on.
3. Wait for the process to complete and you should see a message ‘Last synced on…’ Your contacts have been downloaded onto your phone.
4. Navigate to Contacts and make sure everything is present and correct.
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