Google Contacts vs Samsung Contacts: Which App Is Best for Saving and Managing Contacts

Apart from phones running Stock Android, all other Android phones have their own set of basic apps. Take the example of Samsung Galaxy phones. Samsung has a whole bunch of its own apps for Galaxy smartphones. These include the Phone app, messages, browser, files, notes, and even contacts. If you are used to Google apps, you might not like Samsung apps. But before you jump into the Google apps, you might be wondering if you are missing something. Here we provide a comparison between Google Contacts and Samsung Contacts apps to help you make your decision.

We have covered the differences between the Samsung Contacts app and the Google Contacts app in terms of availability, UI, and expected features of a Contacts app.

Let’s start the comparison.

Availability

One of the main factors that differentiate the two apps is uptime. Samsung Contacts app is limited to Samsung Galaxy phones only. You cannot install it on other Android phones. Fortunately, you can install Google Contacts on any Android phone. Whether from Samsung, Google, Motorola, LG, Nokia, OnePlus, Xiaomi, etc. So if you change your phone in the future, it would be easy to adapt to the Google Contacts app.

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User interface

Both apps have a typical user interface available in Contact apps. Contacts are displayed in the list format with Favorites at the top, followed by contacts in alphabetical order. The Add New Contacts button is available in the lower right corner.

You can use the search bar in Google Contacts or the search icon in Samsung Contacts available at the top to find the contact. You can also use the scroll bar on the right side to find the contacts from a particular letter. Tap the contact to open the contact details. You can access settings and other features from the left sidebar in both apps.

Point: Google contacts not syncing to your Samsung phone? Discover 13 tips to fix contacts not syncing on Android.

Support for gestures

The Google Contacts app does not support gestures. You will need to tap the contact to perform an action on it. On the contrary, gestures work perfectly in the Samsung Contacts app. Swipe right on the contact name to call a person and left to send them a message.

Point: Check out 13 tips for call settings on Samsung phones.

Merge and correct contacts

Over time, several contacts duplicate themselves. It is not an easy task to go through each contact manually to find duplicate contacts. Fortunately, both apps let you find duplicate contacts and offer the option to merge those contacts.

In Google Contacts, you will find the Merge and Correct option in the left sidebar. Here you will find various other ways to correct your contacts.

On the Samsung Contacts app, open the left sidebar. Tap Manage Contacts, then tap Merge Contacts on the next screen.

Customize the contact list

Over time, your phone collects contacts from different sources like Google, Samsung, Outlook, WhatsApp, etc. You can either show all contacts or customize the view and show contacts from certain sources only. Fortunately, the ability to customize the contact list is available in both apps. At any time, you can switch to other accounts or view all contacts. With this feature, you can organize your contacts in both apps.

In the Samsung Contacts app, open the left sidebar. Tap the All Contacts option to view other accounts. Tap any other account if you want to view only contacts from that account or keep All Contacts selected.

In the Google Contacts app, tap the profile picture icon at the top. Registered accounts will be displayed. Tap the account to view its contacts, or select Contacts from all accounts.

Organize contacts

To organize your contacts, you can group them under different categories. Both apps offer the functionality. Although it is named after groups in Samsung Contacts, Google Contacts has labels for the same purpose. You can then message or email all contacts in the group / tag with just one click.

Point: Check out our guide on creating and managing contact groups on Samsung phones.

Restore deleted contacts

In case you accidentally delete a contact, don’t worry. You can restore deleted contacts from both apps. However, contacts stored on any service can be restored from Samsung Contacts app using Recycle Bin. Suppose you delete a contact from a Google account using the Samsung Contacts app. It will go to the Samsung Contacts recycle bin, from where you can recover it.

The same is not possible with Google Contacts. You can only restore deleted Google contacts. But luckily, any contact you delete from Google Contacts app (Samsung, Outlook, etc.) can be restored using Samsung Contacts Recycle Bin.

Point: Find out how to restore deleted contacts from Google.

Dark mode

Both apps support the popular dark mode. While dark mode on Google Contacts can work independently of dark mode on the device, the same is not true for Samsung contacts. It takes the dark mode behavior of your phone’s global setting.

Where to save contacts

The comparison above was between Google Contacts and the Samsung Contacts app. You can use both to view contacts from the other service. Now you might be wondering where to save the contacts – Google or Samsung?

We suggest you save them in Google Contacts. You can access contacts saved on Google Contacts from any platform – Android, iPhone / iPad and web. There is no restriction. This makes it easier because you don’t need to transfer or move contacts if you switch to another device.

The best way is to turn on Google Contacts sync on your Samsung phone and access it from the Samsung Contacts app. However, if you like Google Contacts on Samsung Contacts, you can also use this app.