Learn how to disable sync on your Android device to enhance your privacy and security. Follow our step-by-step guide for a secure digital experience.
Nowadays, Android smartphone users can transfer information very comfortably and safely using synchronization. This allows you to save all applications, photos and contacts from your old phone. All you need to do is link your Google account for services: Gmail, YouTube, Drive. The main thing is to remember the password and log into accounts on subsequent devices using the same account.
There are pros and cons to syncing devices, including pulling all contacts to a new phone, even old numbers. What if you end up in the Contacts show and your phone has more than 1,000 subscribers? Sometimes it’s useful to clear your device of unnecessary numbers.
How to Disable Sync on Android
Why do you need synchronization on your phone?
This feature allows you to save time when transferring all your data, but it can happen that malware can “fly in” and read your information. If you have a large number of contacts on your phone, then transferring them can take a very long time, and if you do it manually, then even longer. It is worth remembering about photos and videos, emails and addresses, which can weigh a lot. But Google stores all this content on its servers, which is why it will be easy to transfer them by simply connecting to the Internet and logging in.
Disabling synchronization on Android is easy and takes a little time, but if you need the function again, turning it back on is just as easy. It is available on all versions of Android, which simplifies this procedure.
How to Disable Sync on Android.
Via account login
When you first sign in to your Google profile, it will prompt you to enable synchronization. To do this, you will need to move the slider to the left and the data will begin to transfer to the device. But this method has a downside, it disables backup. If you need this function, you should use another method.
Through phone settings
A simple method that will work on all versions of the operating system. The only difference is the interface. Something may be called differently, but it will be easy to figure out.
Go to Settings → Find the “Accounts and Backup” section → Click on “Manage Accounts”.
Select a Google account: if there are several, click on the one in which everything is saved → Go to “Account sync” → Among the items “Contact data” and “Contacts” you need to move the toggle switch to the left.
If you are interested in other features that are here, such as those related to calendar or email, you can turn them on and off in the same way.
Via the Contacts app
It is difficult to imagine a phone without the “Contacts” section, which allows you to view information for contacting subscribers. In addition to the number, you can add additional phones, email or photos to each one. All recorded data is stored in the profile. Therefore, import and export can be easily disabled.
The application interface may vary depending on the operating system version: sometimes the numbers are combined with the “Phone” section, so this is worth considering. Here are a couple of options:
Through the dialog box
To set it up, you need to do several things:
Open “Contacts” → The menu that appears will offer to enable auto-sync → Select “Cancel”
Through settings
If your phone does not prompt you to transfer information automatically, follow these steps:
Open the menu → Click “Manage contacts”.
Go to “Contact Sync” → Disable this feature for your account.
If there are several profiles, you will have to perform this manipulation for each. It is also worth remembering that in addition to Google, there may be built-in services, for example, Samsung Account.
All the parameters presented here will match the smartphone settings. If you turned off synchronization using the previous instructions, you will not have to do this here.
Change account for synchronization
Another handy feature is moving data from one account to another. This is useful if you have multiple Google accounts. For example, it’s easy to import contacts from your work profile to your personal profile or vice versa. Also, if you accidentally created a second account, to avoid having to manually sync your data, follow these steps:
“Settings” → “Accounts” → “Add account” → “Google”.
Enter your login → Enter your password → Accept the terms of use.
Launch Contacts → open Manage Accounts → Use Move Contacts → Select the account from which you will transfer data.
Select the contacts you need or click “All” → “Done” → the profile where you want to transfer the data. You can select sever
Click “Move” → after the window appears, you can close the application.
If you want the data to be linked to only one profile in the future, follow these steps: “Settings” → “Account Management” → “Account Sync”. Allow syncing for the selected account and prohibit it for the others.
Problems and solutions
Data transfer takes too long
It’s not a problem if the list contains many entries. As mentioned earlier, there may be other information besides the phone number, including notes. To simplify the process, you can manually get rid of less used contacts before exporting. If this doesn’t help, you can try saving the file as a vCard and opening it on another device (or the current one, if you want to transfer the data to another account).
A useful feature is the cleaning of duplicate entries:
“Manage contacts” → “Merge contacts” → if there are duplicates, you can delete them by clicking “Clean”.
Can’t sign in to Google profile to transfer contacts to another account
If you are having trouble logging in, you should regain access. To do this, simply tap the “Forgot your email?” or “Forgot your password?” option on the login screen. You will then be asked to confirm your phone number, a recovery email address, or enter your full account details if contact information has not been provided previously.
To synchronize, you need to have access to the Internet. Use Wi-Fi or a mobile network for easy transfer of information between devices and profiles. If there is no connection at the moment, save contacts on your phone or SIM card and then, when you have access to the network, follow the instructions in the text.
Some manufacturers offer their own ecosystems (for example, Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung and others), so you may need to perform similar steps for them as well.