How do I add individual contacts?

As users begin to feel comfortable with their phones, one of their first major tasks is to add contacts, a list of names, phone numbers, and email addresses to their devices. Contacts can be added from the Call Log, the text messenger, or the contacts app. At this time, adding the sender of an email to contacts is not accessible in K-9 Mail.

The information in this post covers adding individual contacts from the Call Log, the text messenger, and the contacts app; it also covers a few basic management tasks.

For information on working with electronic business cards (VCards), on using VCF files stored on the phone's SD card, or on importing contacts from the Google cloud, refer to the next post.

Users coming to Android from Nokia may be interested in J.J. Meddaugh's post on transferring contacts from Nokia to Android.

Users working with the Motorola Motoblur UI may find more helpful information about adding and managing individual contacts in Motoblur in the post by Chris Gilland.

Users working with the Samsung Touchwiz UI may find more helpful information about navigating the Touchwiz Call Log in the post by John J. Herzog.

Adding Contacts from the Call Log

The simplest way to add a contact is by using the Call Log. This is a list of recent incoming and outgoing calls. It opens automatically after each call, including calls to voicemail, and it can be accessed from the Contacts and phone apps.

1. Access the Call Log using one of the following methods:
a. Make or receive a call; then hang up.
b. Go to contacts from the Home screen and open the app; then left/-right arrow to Call Log. You must be at the very top of the screen for this to work.
c. Go to the Phone app from the Home screen and open it. Up-arrow from the number edit field to Phone; then left/right-arrow to the Call Log.
2. Arrow up and down through the list of calls, stopping at the one you wish to add to Contacts; then press the selector.
3. Navigate to and press the selector on Add to Contacts. Available options vary, depending on how the Call Log is entered, but they include Call/return call, Edit number before call, Send Text Message, Add to Contacts, and Remove from Call Log.
4. Create or edit the Contact.
a. If the contact is not in your address book, press the selector on Create New Contact.
b. If the contact is in your address book, but you do not have a phone number for him or her, arrow to the name and press the selector.
5. Fill out the contact details, typing in as many or as few of the following fields as desired. Notice that the phone number has been added automatically.
a. Contact photo image—press the selector to take a picture of the contact or select an image from a gallery.
b. First name—type in the provided edit field.
c. Last name—Type in the provided edit field.
d. Phone (include area code with or without hyphens)—The phone actually announces, "Home," which is the label of the first available edit field for a telephone number. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Mobile, Work, Work Fax, Home Fax, Pager, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type a number. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Phone icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, Mobile being second from the top, Work being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of a phone number, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Phone edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new number, arrow once to the right from the Phone edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
e. Email—The phone actually announces, "Home," again, which is the label of the first available edit field for an email address. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Work, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type an email address. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Email icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, work being second from the top, Other being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of an email address, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Email edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new email, arrow once to the right from the Email edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
f. Postal Address—press the selector to enter details.
g. Organization —press the selector to enter details.
h. More—press the selector to provide additional information: IM, notes, nickname, and website, . If an edit field isn't available for an item, press the selector on the icon to bring one up.
6. Press Menu, then Done, or simply press Back when finished.

Adding contacts from Messaging

Contacts can also be added from the stock text messenger.

1. Go to Messaging from the Home screen and open the app.
a. From the Eyes-Free Shell, down-stroke to Applications, type the letter M, arrow down to Messaging, and press enter.
b. From the stock Home screen, arrow to and press the selector on Applications, then on Messaging.
2. When the app opens, focus moves to “New message: Compose New Message.” Arrow down to a message that comes from someone whose phone number is not in your address book. Do not open the message.
3. Long press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector on the message; then arrow to Add to Contacts or View Contact if the former is not available. Options may be View Thread, Add to Contact, View Contact, and Delete Thread.
4. Create or edit the Contact.
a. If the contact is not in your address book, press the selector on Create New Contact.
b. If the contact is in your address book, but you do not have a phone number for him or her, navigate to the person's name and press the selector.
5. Fill out the contact details, typing in as many or as few of the following fields as desired. Notice that the phone number has been added automatically.
a. Contact photo image—press the selector to take a picture of the contact or select an image from a gallery.
b. First name—type in the provided edit field.
c. Last name—Type in the provided edit field.
d. Phone (include area code with or without hyphens)—The phone actually announces, "Home," which is the label of the first available edit field for a telephone number. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Mobile, Work, Work Fax, Home Fax, Pager, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type a number. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Phone icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, Mobile being second from the top, Work being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of a phone number, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Phone edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new number, arrow once to the right from the Phone edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
e. Email—The phone actually announces, "Home," again, which is the label of the first available edit field for an email address. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Work, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type an email address. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Email icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, work being second from the top, Other being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of an email address, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Email edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new email, arrow once to the right from the Email edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
f. Postal Address—press the selector to enter details.
g. Organization —press the selector to enter details.
h. More—press the selector to provide additional information: IM, notes, nickname, website, . If edit fields aren’t available for an item, press the selector on it to bring one up.
6. Press Menu, then Done, or simply press Back when finished.

Adding Contacts from the Contacts App

The most obvious way to add contacts to an Android phone is by going into the Contacts app and typing the new contact’s details manually. The steps are as follows:

1. From the Home screen, go to Contacts and open the app.
a. From the Eyes-Free Shell, down-stroke to Applications, type the letter C, arrow down to Contacts, and press enter.
b. From the stock Home screen, arrow to and press the selector on Contacts.
2. Press Menu.
3. Arrow to and press the selector on New Contact.
4. Fill out the contact details, typing in as many or as few fields as desired.
a. Contact photo image—press the selector to take a picture of the contact or select an image from a gallery.
b. First name—type in the provided edit field.
c. Last name—Type in the provided edit field.
d. Phone (include area code with or without hyphens)—The phone actually announces, "Home," which is the label of the first available edit field for a telephone number. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Mobile, Work, Work Fax, Home Fax, Pager, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type a number. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Phone icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, Mobile being second from the top, Work being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of a phone number, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Phone edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new number, arrow once to the right from the Phone edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
e. Email—The phone actually announces, "Home," again, which is the label of the first available edit field for an email address. Press the selector on that icon and arrow down to select a different label for the number. Label options include Home, Work, Other, and Custom. Press the selector on the option you want. Once the label has been selected, focus moves to the edit field where you type an email address. If you simply press the selector repeatedly on the Email icon, a new edit field appears for each label, Home being at the top, work being second from the top, Other being third from the top, and so on. To change the label of an email address, arrow left to the Label dropdown list from the Email edit field, press the selector, arrow to the correct label, and press the selector again. To clear the edit field for a new email, arrow once to the right from the Email edit field and press the selector on a minus image button.
f. Postal Address—press the selector to enter details.
g. Organization —press the selector to enter details.
h. More—press the selector to provide additional information: IM, notes, nickname, website, . If edit fields aren’t available for an item, press the selector on it to bring one up.
5. Press Menu, then Done, or simply press Back when finished.

Doing More with contacts: Contacting, Viewing, Editing, and Deleting

Once contact details are on the phone, they can be used to communicate with someone, and the contacts themselves may be reviewed, modified, added to a list of frequently used contacts, or removed altogether.

1. To call or email a contact while in the Contacts app, do one of the following:
a. Find the contact's name.
b. Short press (1 second) the selector on the contact name.
c. On the new screen that opens, which has options like Call Home, Call Mobile, or Email, arrow to and press the selector on the desired item.
1. If you short-press on either of the calling options, the call is sent.
2. If you short-press on email, an email message opens up. Focus is in the To field, which is already filled in. Down-arrow to move to the Subject field, and continue with your message.
2. To text a contact from the Contacts app or Call Log, do one of the following:
a. While in the Contacts app, arrow to and short-press the selector on the person's name. A new set of options appears, which includes Call Mobile if a cell number is listed with the name. Arrow to and long-press (2to 3 seconds) the selector on Call Mobile. The new screen lists options for calling the contact, texting him or her, and making the number the default. Arrow to and press the selector on Text Contact. . A text message opens, and focus is in the message body. Continue with your message.
b. While in the Call Log, arrow to and press the selector on the name of the person you wish to text. A new set of options appears: Call Contact, Send Text Message, and View Contact. Arrow to and press the selector on Send Text Message. A text message opens, and focus is in the message body. Continue with your message.
3. To view the contact details, do one of the following:
a. While in the Contacts app, long press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector on the contact name. A new list of options appears: View, Add to Favorites, Edit, and Delete. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
b. While in the Call Log, arrow to the person's name and short- or long-press the selector. A new set of options appears. For a short-press, they are Call, Send Text Message, and View Contact. For a long-press, they are Call, View contact, Edit Number before Call, Send Text Message, Remove from call Log. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
c. While in Messaging, arrow to the text from the person whose details you're interested in. Then do one of the following:
1. Short-press (1 second) the selector to open the message, and press Menu for additional options. They are View Contact, Add Subject, Attach, Insert Smiley, Delete Thread, and All Threads. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
2. Long-press (2-3 seconds) the selector on the closed thread for additional options. They are View Thread, View contact, and Delete Thread. Arrow to and press the selector on View. Then arrow through the details for that contact. Press Back when finished.
4. To make changes or add information to the contact details, do one of the following:
a. While in the Contacts app, arrow to the person's name and
1. Either short-press (1 second) the selector on the contact name, press Menu, then press the selector on Edit, arrowing through the following fields to provide new or revised details as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector.
2. Or long press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector on the contact name. A new set of options appears: View, Add to Favorites, Edit, and Delete. Arrow to and press the selector on Edit. Then arrow through the following fields to provide new or revised details as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector. Press Back when finished.
b. While in the Call Log, arrow to the person's name. Then either short- (1 second) or long-press (2 to 3 seconds) the selector. A new set of options appears. For short-press, they are Call, Send Text Message, and View Contact. For Long-press, they are Call, View contact, Edit Number before Call, Send Text Message, Remove from call Log. Arrow to and press the selector on View Contact, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Then press the Menu button, arrow to and press the selector on Edit, and down-arrow to provide new or revised details for the following fields as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector. Press Back when finished.
c. While in Messaging, arrow to the thread from the contact. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Then press the Menu button, arrow to and press the selector on Edit, and down-arrow to provide new or revised details for the following fields as described in previous sections of this post: the contact's photo, first name, last name, phone numbers, email, postal address, organization , IM, notes, nickname, and website. To clear an edit field that already contains text, right-arrow from the edit box to a minus image button and press the selector. Press Back when finished.
5. To delete a contact, do one of the following:
a. Go into the Call Log. Arrow to and press the selector first on the person's name, then on View Contact. Press the Menu button, and arrow to and press the selector on Delete. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
b. Open the contacts app, arrow to the person's name, then do one of the following:
1. Press the backspace button on the physical keyboard. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
2. Short-press as if to call or email the contact. Then press Menu and arrow to and press the selector on Delete. Options are Edit Contact, Share, Options, and Delete Contact. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
3. Long-press (2 to 3 seconds); then arrow to and press the selector on Delete. Options are View Contact, Add to Favorites, Edit, and Delete. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.
c. Open Messaging, and arrow to the thread from the contact. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Then press the Menu button. Options are Edit Contact, Share, Options, and Delete Contact. Arrow to and press the selector on Delete Contact. A confirmation screen appears, asking if you're sure you want to delete the contact. Press the selector on OK.

Working with Favorites: Finding Favorites, Adding to Favorites, and Removing from Favorites

Since contact lists can get very long very fast, users find it convenient to separate frequently used contacts into a shorter list they can scroll through quickly. This list behaves exactly like contacts, and the items found in it remain in Contacts, even after they are removed from favorites.

To find Favorites, do the following:

1. Open the contacts app, navigate to the top of the list, and up-arrow one more time. This moves focus to a set of four tabs--Call Log, Contacts, Favorites, and Phone—though the order varies from handset to handset.
2. Navigate to Favorites; then down-arrow or press the selector.

Note: Some handsets do not allow users to reach these tabs with the navigational control. If this is the case, touch the top of the screen to move focus to any one of the tabs; then arrow left or right.

To include a contact in Favorites, do the following:

1. While in the Contacts app, arrow to the person's name. Then either short- (1 second) or long-press (2-3 seconds) the selector. A new list of options appears. For short-pres, they are Favorite and options to call or email if those details are part of the contact. For long-press, they are View Contact, Add to Favorites, Edit Contact, and Delete Contact. Arrow to and press the selector on Favorite or Add to Favorites to check the item. Press Back when finished.
2. While in the Call Log, arrow to and press the selector on the person's name, then on View Contact, and finally on Add to Favorites to find and check that item. Press Back when finished.
3. While in Messaging, arrow to the thread from the person whose details you're interested in. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Arrow up and down through the list of information for the contact. At the top of the list is a Favorites checkbox. Arrow to and press the selector on it to check the item.

To Remove someone from Favorites, but not from the general Contacts list, do either of the following:

1. While in the Call log, arrow to and press the selector on the person's name, on View contact, then on Favorite. Press the selector to clear the Favorite checkbox. Press Back when finished.
2. While in the Contacts app, go into Favorites. Use the arrow keys to find the person you want to remove from the Favorites list, short- or long-press the selector to open additional options, and uncheck the Favorites item by navigating to it and pressing the selector. Press Back when finished.
3. While in Messaging, arrow to the thread from the contact. Then either press Menu on the open message or long-press on the closed thread, navigating to and pressing the selector on View, as if you were simply going to review the person's details. Arrow up and down through the list of information for the contact. At the top of the list is a Favorites checkbox. Arrow to and press the selector on it to uncheck the item.