Which option should I select when synchronizing contacts?

[KDVIEWS]

When I go to add my first contact to the contact app, I'm asked,

"You can synchronize your new contact with one of the following accounts. Which do you want to use?"  The choice are my "Google" account or "Phone." I have no idea what the implications of each are, and web search produce nothing. Nor do the instruction offered by Verizon do anything but repeat the same as the app.  https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-206343/

Can someone explain it to me and why wouldn't this information be readily available?

[Ann154 · Accepted solution]

If you select your Google account, the contact will be stored on the Google server. You can then easily sync your contacts with another device like an iPad or Android tablet or your Windows computer. If you have to factory reset the device, you can restore the contacts from the server.

If you select the Phone option, the contact will only be stored on the phone. You might be able to backup the contacts saved as "Phone" contacts to the Verizon Cloud using that application, but it will only allow you to sync to your other device if you sign into the same application on that other device.

Based on my personal experience, always select the Google account to store your contacts. After you get to your third or fourth smartphone, you will thank yourself for not losing a single contact from device to device.

[KDVIEWS]

I thought it might be something like that.  But I don't understand what is meant by synchronizing with the phone if one is entering the contact on the phone. If they meant synchronizing with the the phone app so that they show up in the contacts column of the phone app, wouldn't that happen regardless of the choice taken? Both the contact and the phone apps seem to be Google apps and I assume they would integrate. It seems like really only one option actually is a synchronization choice.

Is there any disadvantage to having your contacts data on your Google account? Does Google use it in any way?

I'm not happy that the information about what they choices mean isn't readily available.

[Ann154]

The synchronize happens with either your Google account or the Verizon Cloud.