Adding only Selected Contacts

This post relates to another thread about contacts but I think it's important enough to start a new thread.

It's been 9 months since I promised to post the details on how I was able to add only a specific contacts to the Prius' contacts storage... the best laid plans of mice and men...

I kept notes, but it turns out that I didn't do a good job of note taking, so, when those contacts on the Prius vanished when the Prime trashed the 12v battery, I tried to upload the same set a few days ago, I didn't know that hours of frustration were ahead.

With almost 1,000 contacts on my phone and the Prius determined to import every single one of them, they would be difficult to navigate and essentially unmanageable using the Prius Prime's interface. The following are the steps necessary to upload a custom selection of contacts from my (Android) phone's contacts.

So, first it's necessary to turn OFF the Prius's automatic contacts transfer. To do so;

• Menu
• Phone
• Settings
• Contacts
• Automatic Transfer
• OFF

The option to Import only the Contacts you want on your Prius is well hidden. To start with, you probably want to delete all contacts currently in the Prius. To do this on the Prius;

• Menu
• Phone
• Settings
• Contacts...
• Scroll Down
  ("Delete Contacts") was Hidden by a greyed out selection)
• Delete
• Select All
• Delete

There are a couple of options on the Android to select a specific list of contacts but I strongly recommend that you create a contacts "label" or "group" on your phone named something like "CAR" and put the contacts you want in your Prius as the first step.

Most contact managers such as Google Contacts have the ability to do this selection process on a PC or Mac. The following example is using Google Contacts but most contact managers will have a similar process.

• Open contacts on phone
• Mark just contacts you want to transfer
• <Tap> the "label" Icon
• <Tap> "Create Label"
• Name the new label "Prius"
• <Tap> "3dot" menu
• <Tap> "add to label"

To "SEND" (NOT "TRANSFER") these contacts to the Prius;

Using Google Contacts on your Phone;

• "3dot" menu
• Customized View
• Customize
• Select ONLY the "CAR" Label
• Save

Then, when in the Prius;

• Menu
• Phone
• Settings
• Contacts
• Transfer (not automatic)

This is another confusing part... the Prius will then ask you to activate "TRANSFER" on your phone, then the Prius will DISCONNECT your phone. (You actually need to "SEND" rather than "TRANSFER" your list of contacts)

• On PHONE (still in "customized View")
• "3dot" menu
• Select All
• <Tap> the "Share Icon"
• <Tap> the "Bluetooth Icon"
• Find and Select Your Prius (Toyota) Bluetooth Connection

When Transfer completes, return to the Contacts app on your phone

• "3bar" menu
• Select "Contacts"
• "3dot" menu
• Customized View
• All Contacts

...I didn't say it was easy... but it was worth the effort. Since I had already created a "CAR" label in contacts, that saved a significant amount of time the second time around. In addition, I now have that list ready for a rent car, etc.

Hope this is of value to other Prius owners. Comments, feedback and corrections appreciated.

Beverly Howard