I just bought myself an Android phone and it’s terrific, with a great camera and bright, colorful screen. What I can’t figure out is how to add a new person to my address book in Android? Can you step me through the process, Dave?
Congrats on your new Android phone; Android has gone through quite a few major iterations – the latest is Android 12! – and it’s become a splendid operating system for both phones and tablets. A different version also powers AndroidTV and yet another version is Android Auto. It’s popular! But you’re right, some things that seem like they should be pretty basic end up requiring some training or experimentation to figure out.
Chief among these is one of the most common Android questions: How do I add someone to my Contacts or Address Book?Â
Once you’re in the Contacts app, it’s not too hard, but did you know that there was a separate app for the task? No worries, let’s have a look…
HOW TO ADD SOMEONE IN CONTACTS FOR ANDROID
The first step is to launch the Contacts app. It’s probably not on the home screen by default, so hopefully, you have long since learned that if you swipe up on the home screen you get to an “all apps” view (just like in Windows):
You might have different apps or even different icons (since Android is infinitely flexible) but notice in the above the “Contacts” app. That’s what you want; tap on it!
I have quite a few contacts – over 700! – as you can see.
Note: I have first name and last initial for their privacy, it’s not an option in the Contacts program itself. If only.
Anyway, ready to add a friend, family member, or colleague to your own Contacts list? Tap on the “+” in the lower right corner. That’s it.
HOW TO FILL OUT A CONTACT IN ANDROID 12
First step is to enter their name. I just use proper names, but you could enter a nickname or even append emoji if you want. My kids do that with a delightful effect on their message and call notifications!
We’ll look at the photo in a bit, so for now, just focus on first name, last name, and some sort of memo about what company they work for, how you met them, or similar. I find this useful to help me remember who they are in five years when I go through my jam-packed contacts to winnow out people I don’t call anymore.
For this demo, I’m entering Harry Potter from Hogwarts School of Wizardry:
Next up is to enter a phone number:
Harry asked me to hide his phone number so people don’t call him at all hours, but you can see above, it’s pretty easy. I highly encourage you to click on “Mobile” and ensure that the category of phone number – main, work, home, mobile, etc – is accurate. It will be very helpful later.
Want to add a field that’s not included? At the bottom of the screen is a link “More fields”. Tapping on it reveals even more items of information you can specify:
The phonetic name can be a lifesaver if you later find that when you use Google Voice it picks the wrong person or just doesn’t work properly. Go back into the Contacts address record, tap on Phonetic last name, then use voice to speak their name. Don’t worry if it’s then spelled incorrectly or the wrong word: it’ll help the voice system recognize that the sounds you are making are the name of this person.
Note: Further down in More fields is the very important “Address” box, one you’re sure to want (and one that’s inexplicably not on the main set of options when entering a contact).
Done? Tap on “Save” on the top right and you have a new Contact!
HOW TO ADD A PHOTO FOR YOUR ANDROID CONTACT
I like having photos for each of my contacts. They show up in mail, text messages, and even the notification that pops up when they call me. Without one, it’s just the first letter of the first name:
Let’s fix that! Tap on “Edit contact“, then tap on the circle icon near the top (the “H”). You’ll be able to either take a photo if they’re standing in front of you or choose an image from your photo gallery. Since Harry wasn’t with me, I opted to use a lovely painting of him by Mary GrandPré. Once chosen, I can zoom and crop to my heart’s content:
Once I like how it looks, a tap on “Done” and suddenly the contact looks terrific:
And that’s it. Now you know how to find the Contacts app, add a new contact, specify their phone number and address, and even add a photo so you remember who they are!
Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about Android since the beginning of the OS! Please check out my extensive Android help area for lots more tutorials while you’re visiting my site! Thanks.