Contacts Storage

The database that stores contacts and call history for the Phone, Contacts and Messages apps. Keep it: Contacts Storage is needed for the phone, its updates or its security.

What it does

Contacts Storage is the Android database that holds your contacts, contact photos and call log. Contacts apps, the dialer, messaging apps and account sync services all read and write through it instead of keeping their own copies. It runs whenever an app looks up a contact or a call is logged.

If you disable it

Contacts and call history vanish from every app and new calls are not logged; synced contacts return when you turn it back on. Clearing its storage deletes contacts that are not synced to an account.

How to disable it

On most phones Settings greys out Disable for this package, so ADB is the way to turn it off. The commands below work without root and can be undone.

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.providers.contacts

adb shell pm enable com.android.providers.contacts

The stronger option removes it for your user only; the original copy stays on the phone and a factory reset brings it back. Prefer disabling: it is easier to undo.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.providers.contacts

adb shell cmd package install-existing com.android.providers.contacts

New to ADB? Set it up in about ten minutes.

Data and battery

Stores your contacts and call history on the device; sync services copy contacts to your accounts.

Where it appears

• Made by Android Open Source Project.