Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
answers, none of them worked.[2]

MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
the default Samsung-supplied Phone app. I don't like the UI in the
default Contacts app, so I downloaded the Google Contacts app from
the Play Store, since that's what I used and liked on my old phone.
It works just fine, and can connect to the Samsung Phone and Messages
apps to make calls and send texts.

MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
opening Samsung's default Contacts app? I looked at the various
places for default apps in Settings and in the Phone app itself, but
couldn't find anything to do this.

Please note: the question is not how to access my Google contacts
list through the Samsung Contacts app; I know how to do that but I
don't want the Samsung Contacts user interface.

[1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]

[2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
a false lead.

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

On 9/27/2023 at 2:33 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
> Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
> people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
> of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
> answers, none of them worked.[2]
>
> MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
> the default Samsung-supplied Phone app. I don't like the UI in the
> default Contacts app, so I downloaded the Google Contacts app from
> the Play Store, since that's what I used and liked on my old phone.
> It works just fine, and can connect to the Samsung Phone and Messages
> apps to make calls and send texts.
>
> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
> opening Samsung's default Contacts app? I looked at the various
> places for default apps in Settings and in the Phone app itself, but
> couldn't find anything to do this.
>
> Please note: the question is not how to access my Google contacts
> list through the Samsung Contacts app; I know how to do that but I
> don't want the Samsung Contacts user interface.
>
> [1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
> creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
> to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
> several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
> Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]
>
> [2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
> settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
> there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
> a false lead.
>

I don't have that, but I do have a Samsung S21 FE. On my phone I do not
need to do anything. Since it runs Google Android it just picks up the
Google Contacts automatically. I am using the stock phone app and
Google Contacts.

Have you tried contacting the cell provider you use? I use T-Mobile and
the folks in the stores have been very helpful in the past for questions
on how to do things on my phone.

Bill

On 9/27/2023 at 2:54 PM, Bill H wrote:
> On 9/27/2023 at 2:33 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
>> Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
>> people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
>> of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
>> answers, none of them worked.[2]
>>
>> MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
>> the default Samsung-supplied Phone app. I don't like the UI in the
>> default Contacts app, so I downloaded the Google Contacts app from
>> the Play Store, since that's what I used and liked on my old phone.
>> It works just fine, and can connect to the Samsung Phone and Messages
>> apps to make calls and send texts.
>>
>> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
>> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
>> opening Samsung's default Contacts app? I looked at the various
>> places for default apps in Settings and in the Phone app itself, but
>> couldn't find anything to do this.
>>
>> Please note: the question is not how to access my Google contacts
>> list through the Samsung Contacts app; I know how to do that but I
>> don't want the Samsung Contacts user interface.
>>
>> [1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
>> creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
>> to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
>> several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
>> Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]
>>
>> [2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
>> settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
>> there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
>> a false lead.
>>
>
> I don't have that, but I do have a Samsung S21 FE. On my phone I do not
> need to do anything. Since it runs Google Android it just picks up the
> Google Contacts automatically. I am using the stock phone app and
> Google Contacts.
>
> Have you tried contacting the cell provider you use? I use T-Mobile and
> the folks in the stores have been very helpful in the past for questions
> on how to do things on my phone.
>
> Bill

Sorry Stan, I misread your post. I use the stock contacts rather than
the Google Contacts app.

Bill

On 9/27/2023 at 2:59 PM, Bill H wrote:
> On 9/27/2023 at 2:54 PM, Bill H wrote:
>> On 9/27/2023 at 2:33 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
>>> Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
>>> people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
>>> of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
>>> answers, none of them worked.[2]
>>>
>>> MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
>>> the default Samsung-supplied Phone app. I don't like the UI in the
>>> default Contacts app, so I downloaded the Google Contacts app from
>>> the Play Store, since that's what I used and liked on my old phone.
>>> It works just fine, and can connect to the Samsung Phone and Messages
>>> apps to make calls and send texts.
>>>
>>> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
>>> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
>>> opening Samsung's default Contacts app? I looked at the various
>>> places for default apps in Settings and in the Phone app itself, but
>>> couldn't find anything to do this.
>>>
>>> Please note: the question is not how to access my Google contacts
>>> list through the Samsung Contacts app; I know how to do that but I
>>> don't want the Samsung Contacts user interface.
>>>
>>> [1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
>>> creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
>>> to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
>>> several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
>>> Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]
>>>
>>> [2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
>>> settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
>>> there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
>>> a false lead.
>>>
>>
>> I don't have that, but I do have a Samsung S21 FE. On my phone I do not
>> need to do anything. Since it runs Google Android it just picks up the
>> Google Contacts automatically. I am using the stock phone app and
>> Google Contacts.
>>
>> Have you tried contacting the cell provider you use? I use T-Mobile and
>> the folks in the stores have been very helpful in the past for questions
>> on how to do things on my phone.
>>
>> Bill
>
> Sorry Stan, I misread your post. I use the stock contacts rather than
> the Google Contacts app.
>
> Bill

I didn't even know there was a Google Contacts app. I downloaded the
Google Contacts app and I really like it as well. If you figure out how
to have it display when you select "Contacts" in the Samsung Phone app,
I would love to know how as well. It looks from the screenprints I see,
that maybe Samsung removed the option to "Add a contact" from the menu.

Billl

Bill

On 27 Sep 2023 14:33:39 -0700 Stan Brown wrote:
>
>[1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
>creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
>to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
>several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
>Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]
>
>[2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
>settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
>there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
>a false lead.
>

You could ask in comp.mobile.android.

--
(Remove numerics from email address)

Am 27.09.23 um 23:33 schrieb Stan Brown:
> Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
> people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
> of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
> answers, none of them worked.[2]
>
> MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
> the default Samsung-supplied Phone app.

Where is the connection to the FOSS Thunderbird?

--
De gustibus non est disputandum

Am 28.09.23 um 08:17 schrieb Dave Royal:
> On 27 Sep 2023 14:33:39 -0700 Stan Brown wrote:
>>
>> [1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
>> creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
>> to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
>> several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
>> Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]
>>
>> [2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
>> settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
>> there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
>> a false lead.
>>
>
> You could ask in comp.mobile.android.

+1

--
De gustibus non est disputandum

On 9/27/2023 5:33 PM, Stan Brown wrote:
> Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
> people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
> of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
> answers, none of them worked.[2]
>
> MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
> the default Samsung-supplied Phone app. I don't like the UI in the
> default Contacts app, so I downloaded the Google Contacts app from
> the Play Store, since that's what I used and liked on my old phone.
> It works just fine, and can connect to the Samsung Phone and Messages
> apps to make calls and send texts.
>
> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
> opening Samsung's default Contacts app? I looked at the various
> places for default apps in Settings and in the Phone app itself, but
> couldn't find anything to do this.
>
> Please note: the question is not how to access my Google contacts
> list through the Samsung Contacts app; I know how to do that but I
> don't want the Samsung Contacts user interface.
>
> [1] Samsung's support method is through Samsung Members, which means
> creating an account and getting into a whole ecosystem I don't want
> to mess with. And getting actual help that way seems unlikely anyway:
> several of my Google results were from answers to my question in
> Samsung Members, but they didn't work for my phone.[2]
>
> [2] "Didn't work" means that the directions told me to tap menu
> settings that existed in their screenshots but not on my phone. Where
> there was a possibly similar wording, I tried it but that was always
> a false lead.
>
I have T-Mobile service and a Samsung Galaxy A52 5G phone. I didn't
like the way the default (Samsung) phone app was working right from the
start. Hard to answer an incoming call, the keypad screen kept
disappearing when I wanted it open, etc.

I'm also used to using Google contacts on both my Windows PC and on my
Android tablet. I found the solution I like. I downloaded the Google
phone app as well as the Google contacts app and made both my default
apps instead of using the default Samsung apps. Did it almost 1 year
ago and can't recall what I did except that it seemed intuitive and easy
to do. If after installing those apps you don't see a default
configuration option on any of the settings choices from within the app,
try going to Android settings > apps and look at all the configuration
choices for both the google phone and the google contacts apps. I'm not
a techie but recall that whatever I did, it wasn't hard and didn't take
long. If you can't make them the default, chances are you could get
help at a T-Mobile store. Worse comes to worse, just delete the google
phone app if either you don't like it or can't make it your default
phone app. I do know that for convenience, I banished the Samsung phone
and contacts apps off my home page and into the Samsung app group on an
inner page of apps. I added both the Google phone and contacts apps to
my home page as replacements for their removed Samsung counterparts.

Good luck!

(followups set to comp.mobile.android)

On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 08:03:18 -0400, Retirednoguilt wrote:
> I'm also used to using Google contacts on both my Windows PC and on my
> Android tablet. I found the solution I like. I downloaded the Google
> phone app as well as the Google contacts app and made both my default
> apps instead of using the default Samsung apps. Did it almost 1 year
> ago and can't recall what I did except that it seemed intuitive and easy
> to do.

That may be a change in later updates, because there doesn't seem to
be a way now to change the default Contacts app in Settings > Apps,
nor in Settings within Samsung's Phone app or Google's Contacts app.
There is still a setting in Settings > Apps for default Phone app.

The Samsung Phone app doesn't (yet) bother me as much as it bothers
you, but if the solution is to install Google Phone and make it the
default I'm willing to try that.

> If you can't make them the default, chances are you could get
> help at a T-Mobile store.

I wouldn't have thought of that, because my carrier is Visible (a
Verizon subsidiary). But I guess it couldn't hurt to ask. I was
rather amazed to see that my small town actually has a T-Mobile
store.

> I do know that for convenience, I banished the Samsung phone
> and contacts apps off my home page and into the Samsung app group on an
> inner page of apps. I added both the Google phone and contacts apps to
> my home page as replacements for their removed Samsung counterparts.

I've already done that for Contacts and Messages, and if I end up
using Google's Phone app I'll do it for Phone as well. Samsung sure
ships with a lot of junkware!

--
Stan Brown, Tehachapi, California, USA https://BrownMath.com/
Shikata ga nai...

Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote

> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
> opening Samsung's default Contacts app?

I don't know the answer... but... this quick debug on a Samsung may help.
<https://i.postimg.cc/s2WcY8LB/contactactivity.jpg>

To help, I looked at the activities in the default samsung phone app
<com.samsung.android.dialer>

The activity (displayed page) that seems to be this Samsung activity.
Task Affinity = android.task.quickcontact
Package Name = com.samsung.android.dialer
Class Name = com.samsung.android.dialer.detail.calllog.CallLogDetailActivity
URI = intent:#Intent;package=com.samsung.android.dialer;component=com.samsung.android.dialer/.detail.calllog.CallLogDetailActivity;end

All we need to do is _change_ that to whatever activity (displayed
page) from that one to the one that the Google contacts app is using.

Unfortunately I don't have the Google app but you can run the same
test I just did (see below) to get the corresponding Google activity.

Once we have the name of the Google activity, we might use one of
the many intent modifiers to change the intents. These may help.

Windows freeware APK Reverse Engineering Tool
<https://apktool.org/docs/install/>
Windows freeware APK Editing Tool
<https://qwertycube.com/apk-editor-studio/>
Both are described here:
<https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-apk-editor-studio-free-apk-reverse-engineering-tool.3972529/>

Note that I haven't done this. I was just looking at the problem set.
--
The whole point of Usenet is to find people who know more than you do.
And to contribute to the overall tribal knowledge value of the newsgroup.

On 10/17/2023 7:49 PM, Wally J wrote:
> Stan Brown <the_stan_brown@fastmail.fm> wrote
>
>> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
>> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
>> opening Samsung's default Contacts app?
>
> I don't know the answer... but... this quick debug on a Samsung may help.
> <https://i.postimg.cc/s2WcY8LB/contactactivity.jpg>
>
> To help, I looked at the activities in the default samsung phone app
> <com.samsung.android.dialer>
>
> The activity (displayed page) that seems to be this Samsung activity.
> Task Affinity = android.task.quickcontact
> Package Name = com.samsung.android.dialer
> Class Name = com.samsung.android.dialer.detail.calllog.CallLogDetailActivity
> URI = intent:#Intent;package=com.samsung.android.dialer;component=com.samsung.android.dialer/.detail.calllog.CallLogDetailActivity;end
>
> All we need to do is _change_ that to whatever activity (displayed
> page) from that one to the one that the Google contacts app is using.
>
> Unfortunately I don't have the Google app but you can run the same
> test I just did (see below) to get the corresponding Google activity.
>
> Once we have the name of the Google activity, we might use one of
> the many intent modifiers to change the intents. These may help.
>
> Windows freeware APK Reverse Engineering Tool
> <https://apktool.org/docs/install/>
> Windows freeware APK Editing Tool
> <https://qwertycube.com/apk-editor-studio/>
> Both are described here:
> <https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-apk-editor-studio-free-apk-reverse-engineering-tool.3972529/>
>
> Note that I haven't done this. I was just looking at the problem set.
Too much work; just use the google phone app and follow the instructions
I provided in a recent comment in this thread. Works fine. No editing
required.

Stan Brown, 2023-09-27 23:33:

> Absolutely nothing to do with my Windows 11 PC, but I hope the smart
> people here know the answer or can direct me.[1] I've spent a couple
> of hours Googling, and while I found lots of copies of the same few
> answers, none of them worked.[2]
>
> MY SETUP: Samsung Galaxy A54 phone, a couple of weeks old. I'm using
> the default Samsung-supplied Phone app. I don't like the UI in the
> default Contacts app, so I downloaded the Google Contacts app from
> the Play Store, since that's what I used and liked on my old phone.
> It works just fine, and can connect to the Samsung Phone and Messages
> apps to make calls and send texts.
>
> MY QUESTION: How can I make the default Samsung Phone app open Google
> Contacts (when I press "Contacts" in the Phone app) instead of
> opening Samsung's default Contacts app? I looked at the various
> places for default apps in Settings and in the Phone app itself, but
> couldn't find anything to do this.

Well - if the phone app is also provided by Samsung, then I doubt, that
changing the app which it uses for contacts can be changed, because it
will not ask Android to "open default contact app" but rather "open
Samsung contats".

As similar behaviour also applies ot phones which come with the Google
Camera app - this also refuses to use any other gallery app except
Google Photos because it will not ask Android to open the default
gallery but specificially "Google Photos". In contrast, Open Camera will
happily use any gallery app which is installed since it will only ask
the the intent "show gallery" and not "start Google Photos".

You may try to disable the Samsung contact app and see if that works. If
this doesn't work your only option is to download the Google phone app
as well and use that as default phone app (maybe disable the Samsung
phone app as well then).

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de