For this I meant before and after update of the OS.
I did this on two phones, one was done without much trouble, it was bought from the /e/ shop, preinstalled. The other is the one we are talking about with contact trouble, a Samsung S7.
I have had so much trouble with it, it almost becomes a sport…
Clean up “damaged contacts” sounds good, if only I knew how to do it. Maybe easier, I thought, to just “hide” them, because that is what the system says when I try to erase them.
“Clear storage”, that sounds scary, won’t that erase all contact info?
I don’t trust import contacts. I bet all contacts will be imported empty and I lose it all.
No, I don’t. Or rather those are two completely different contact lists. Two phones for different purposes, different contacts. No using importing one to the other.
I will probably buy a new /e/ phone this year, although I very much like my pink Galaxy S7.
Then, it should be possible to export contacts via a .vcf file from the old phone to the new, at least in theory. I bet it won’t work though.
For now, I likely have to manually rewrite all my contacts. First, note the numbers on paper for those that have their numbers still left but only possible to call via Telegram (it is the only call Contacts allow, for 90% of contacts that have a number), then write completely new contacts with the same names. Erase all doubles (of which 2/3 have no number). Some contacts actually work, so I have to note those as “do not erase and rewrite manually”.
Or, I could note all contacts on paper, erase everything (if possible), then manually write a completely new contacts list. This is what I did on this phone the first time since I came from iPhone.
I know this is getting ridiculous, I appreciate your attempts to help me very much though, but don’t let this take up too much of your time. I’ll be ok. I still love my /e/ mobile, I’ll make it work somehow although I have no clue what I’m doing. The contacts list is a minor problem.
I’m your “I have no clue about smartphones” and a user who just wants it to work and have little interest learning how it works, it is just a tool for me. Probably you don’t meet many users like me. I hope you will though, in the future, because that means /e/ is spreading.
It may be worth mentioning that you might look online for a VCF Editor to use on your PC to help you in the task.
I think you have an EXPORTED “poor”.vcf from the “problem phone”.
Using this as a base (and just to practice and learn) you can introduce a copy into your VCF Editor. With a bit of inspection it will become clear which entries need deleting / editing.
I have two minor problems, sorry to ask you such basic things, but I can’t work them out.
After update I can’t open all apps so that you can shut them down. I used to do that on my iPhone, doubleclick home button and I see all running apps, could do that on the Samsung S7 too. But not anymore. Since my browser frequently crashes, specially when using it in the car to listen to stuff, bluetooth crashes frequently and the only way to solve it is to restart the browser. Not sure how to do that now. It is maybe not a /e/ problem but the horrible car (VW ID4, the worst car I have ever experienced) and it’s terrible, buggy user interface.
Another minor annoyance is that the phone app disappears and I can’t answer an incoming call. That happened yesterday, the first call I tried to receive since update, I was in a bit of a hurry and did something - suddenly I couldn’t see the phone app but it was ringing. Then it happened again, phone app gone but phone ringing. Not sure what I do to cause this. Another call later was ok, then I had two small “answer / ignore” buttons on the top of the screen, not the usual swipe to answer. Not sure why, had cable handsfree inserted, maybe that is why. The swipe screen tends to disappear.
Regarding clearing cache on /e/ or any other Android based system there are two options. First one if you have at the bottom of the screen three icon (triangle, circle and a square), than please click on the square and you will find all apps open in the background with possibility to close them. The second option is when you have gestures option than please swipe from right bottom corner to the middle of the screen to see the list of the apps.
When you clear the apps working in the background than please restart the whole phone.
Regarding contact list I can recommend three options. VCF file as mentioned above in this chat. The second option is to load contacts to your cloud account of Murena (if you prefer it). And the last option is to save contacts on the SIM card, but here is limited amount of contacts to around 200 if I am up to date with this solution.
Regarding backup of your data you could use:
SD card with saving files mostly by hand over there
Syncthing (it could synchronize your data automatically as soon as you connect to your computer)
Use F-Droid (for FOSS apps) and Aurora Store for others. There are some issues with Aurora Store at the moment, but there are plenty of posts in this forum describing how to use them
Regarding internal storage, this has been a mystery to me. Perhaps you can point me to a place in the forum where this is explained? I have two camera apps, one just called Camera and one called Open Camera. Before OS update I managed to make them store photos on the SD card, but I don’t remember how I did it, or I can’t find this path now. Open Camera now stores photos in a folder called Open Camera (which I don’t know where it is located, probably phone internal memory), the other Camera does not store any photos at all.
I’d like them to store photos in the SD card. Is there a place in Settings where this is controlled?
Can you copy files from somewhere to the SD card? For example the vcf. file, which is stored somewhere (I can see it in Files, Documents), but I don’t know where this is. Neither does it seem possible to export vcf. to a folder or memory of choice.
Not sure if this is universal Android stuff or particular to this version of /e/. If it is universal Android I can perhaps find answers elsewhere on the net. As I am completely uninformed of Android and would never use a normal Google Android, I have never come in contact with them. I would think however there are many particularities for /e/.
The internal storage thing is a subject I think many users like me would appreciate a tutorial. I have absolutely zero clue about it and it seems mindboggling to the degree that I gave up on the first install and further on.
Update: I see now that Open Camera saves photos on the SD card, for some reason.
I’ll just delete the other camera.
The question of internal storage and possibility to move files to card for easy computer access remains however. Specially for editing vcf. files.
I know how to find it, but not how to move it around or copy it to the SD card.
But I will not bother you anymore for now, I have solved most of the issues here. Thank you for you patience.
I must also say that I am very impressed by the newest OS, so many things have gotten even better! The “Advanced Privacy” settings for example. And the whole user experience.
I am a user who knows very little about the tech side of smartphones (like a normal user out there I suppose), but it shows that someone like me can use an /e/ phone. I think with this splendid user interface /e/ will reach even more ‘normal’ people.
I still think a user guide for totally tech-unsavvy users would be an excellent thing, like a “introduction to /e/, how to use your new mobile”. I can’t write it, because I understand too little, but I would help with suggestions for content and intelligibilty check for such users.
I could not agree more! My Murena Teracube arrived two days ago, and it’s SO much better than my previous phone - except for all that you mention. I did succeed in downloading a few apps before the incomprehensible error messages started. Can’t get emails, can’t cut and paste texts - can’t even get internet via phone data - only if wifi is switched on, not ideal if I’m on a mountain trying to get a weather forecast.
If I was a techy expert I’d have just bought a phone and de-googled it myself.
There are people all over the world crying out for writing jobs. How much would it cost for one of the developers to spend a few hours on Zoom with a writer putting a basic manual together? Considerably less than it cost to build the phones, I would think, and it would save helpdesk time, save on refunds and boost phone sales.
Access Point Name in -->settings -->Network & internet -->Mobile network -->advanced -->Acces Point
Name
Search your carrier website for the right values
Clearing data for the Contacts Storage system app in Settings > Apps will delete your contacts.
It should show the place of the file 
