Syncing your Facebook contacts to your Android phone can be a great way to consolidate all your contacts in one place. Here are some tips on how to sync Facebook contacts to an Android device.
Why Sync Facebook Contacts to Your Android Phone?
There are a few key reasons you may want to sync your Facebook contacts to your Android phone:
- Consolidate contacts in one place – Rather than having to jump between apps and sources to find someone’s contact info, syncing Facebook merges all contacts into your phone.
- Easily message Facebook friends – You can quickly find Facebook friends in your phone’s contacts and message them via SMS/text, phone call, email etc.
- Avoid duplicate entries – Syncing prevents duplicate contact entries from being created as you connect with Facebook friends.
- Always up-to-date info – As friends update their contact info on Facebook, syncing will automatically update their info on your phone.
Requirements for Syncing Facebook Contacts
Before syncing your Facebook contacts, you’ll want to make sure:
- You have an Android phone running Android 4.0 or later.
- You have the latest version of the Facebook app installed.
- Your phone has an active internet connection (WiFi or mobile data).
- Your contacts list and Facebook friend list both contain the connections you want to sync.
- Your phone contacts and Facebook are set to sync (instructions below).
How to Sync Facebook Contacts to Android
If you meet the requirements above, syncing Facebook is a breeze. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Facebook app on your Android device.
- Tap the three line “hamburger” menu icon in the top right.
- Select “Settings & Privacy” then choose “Settings”.
- Tap “Contacts Sync” under the “Preferences” heading.
- Toggle the slider for “Continuous Updating” to the “On” position.
That’s it! Facebook will now continuously sync your Facebook friends as Android contacts whenever changes are made in either place.
Initial vs Continuous Sync
The first time you enable contact syncing, Facebook will do an “initial” sync, bringing in all your Facebook friends as new contacts on your Android device. This initial sync may take a few minutes depending on the number of Facebook friends you have.
Once the initial sync finishes, Facebook enables “continuous updating” to automatically sync contacts in the background whenever changes occur in the future.
Where Facebook Contacts are Saved on Android
When Facebook contacts sync to your Android device, they are saved directly into your main contacts list along with any other contacts.
You can find these Facebook contacts in:
- The Contacts app
- Phone dialer
- Messaging apps like SMS or WhatsApp
- Gmail contacts
- Other apps that access your contacts list
Facebook contacts will appear mixed in with your other contacts. However, synced Facebook contacts can be identified by looking for the Facebook logo icon next to their name.
Managing Synced Facebook Contacts
Viewing Synced Contacts
To view contacts synced from Facebook:
- Open the Contacts app.
- Tap the menu icon (three vertical dots).
- Select “Contacts to display”.
- Check the box for “Facebook”.
This will display only contacts synced from Facebook.
Unsyncing Contacts
If you wish to remove Facebook contacts from your Android phone:
- Go to the Facebook app Settings.
- Tap “Contacts Sync”.
- Turn the toggle Off for “Continuous Updating”.
This will prevent any new syncs from Facebook, but does not remove current contacts. To also remove current Facebook contacts:
- Open your Android Contacts app.
- Tap the menu icon (three dots).
- Choose “Contacts to display”.
- Uncheck the box for “Facebook”.
This will hide all synced Facebook contacts from your contacts list.
Troubleshooting Facebook Contact Sync
If you are having issues getting your Facebook contacts to sync properly, try these troubleshooting steps:
- Force close and restart the Facebook app – This clears any sync issues.
- Check Facebook app permissions – Ensure Contacts permission is enabled for Facebook.
- Restart your Android device – A reboot can clear up system issues preventing sync.
- Remove and re-add your Facebook account from your Android device – Start the sync process fresh.
- Clear app cache and data for Facebook app – Deletes temporary files that may be corrupted.
- Update Facebook app and Android OS to latest versions – To fix known bugs.
- Toggle Airplane mode On and Off – Resets connections which may resolve sync failure.
In most cases, the steps above will get syncing working again. Be sure to also check Facebook Help Center for any latest troubleshooting tips.
Conclusion
Syncing Facebook contacts provides a great way to have a unified contacts list across the leading social network and your Android device. With just a few taps in the Facebook app settings, you can enable automated syncing anytime contacts are updated or added on Facebook or your Android phone.
While syncing is usually straightforward, you may encounter occasional issues that can be resolved by troubleshooting steps like app restarts, permission toggling or OS updates. Overall, keeping your Facebook friends’ details consolidated and accessible on your Android device is a useful time-saver for messaging, calling and staying in touch.
| Android Version | Facebook App Version Required |
|---|---|
| Android 4.0+ | Latest version |
| Android 5.0+ | Latest version |
| Android 9.0+ | Latest version |
| Android 10.0+ | Latest version |
| Android 11.0+ | Latest version |
This table shows the Android OS versions capable of syncing Facebook contacts and the required Facebook app version.
| Troubleshooting Step | Details |
|---|---|
| Force close Facebook app | Completely shut down and restart the app to clear any sync issues. |
| Check Facebook app permissions | Make sure Contacts permission is enabled under app Settings. |
| Restart Android device | Rebooting the device can help clear up OS issues preventing sync. |
| Remove and re-add Facebook account | Removes account completely and sets up sync again from scratch. |
| Clear Facebook app cache/data | Deletes temporary files that could be corrupted and interfering. |
This table outlines common troubleshooting steps to resolve Facebook contact syncing problems.
5000 Words Summary
Syncing Facebook contacts to your Android phone consolidates your connections in one place for easier messaging and calling. Before syncing, you need an Android phone running 4.0+, the latest Facebook app version, an internet connection and populated friend lists. To sync, enable the “Continuous Updating” toggle in the Facebook Settings. Initial sync will bring in all Facebook friends as Android contacts with the Facebook logo identifier. Synced contacts are saved directly to your main contacts list. You can view only synced contacts or unsync any time. Troubleshoot issues by restarting Facebook app, checking permissions, updating software, removing/re-adding account or toggling Airplane mode. Overall, syncing Facebook to Android makes it seamless to access your social network contacts across devices and apps.