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I am using a HTC G2 running Android 2.3. I would like to access content on my phone (not on the SD Card). This includes phone contacts and any data in the phone memory. Also is there a way to access the contacts inside the SIM card via USB cable and the phone.

Thanks for any assistance.

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1 Answer

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You need root to access most of the phone storage, such as the data partition and databases (e.g. contacts). Even then you need to use adb from the Android SDK which is not particularly user friendly. There's no way to access the SIM over USB that I know of — it would be pretty complicated to make that work.

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If I download the SDK and use ADB will I be able to access the phone? When you say I need root access is there anything special I must do to gain that access? – Lynda Sep 26 '11 at 23:28
I just re-read what you said. Basically I must root my phone to gain access is that correct? – Lynda Sep 26 '11 at 23:46
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@Lynda Yes, that's right. There are some things you can access without being rooted, but half the time you need to know their path and filename since there aren't always directory permissions. Not helpful if you're trying to find something, and most data is off-limits regardless. Rooting eliminates those problems. – Matthew Read♦ Sep 27 '11 at 1:04
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if you want to access your contacts and stuff i have an alternative, Android Sync Manager. Just an alternative. – Aadi Droid Sep 27 '11 at 3:15
Thanks for the information! – Lynda Sep 28 '11 at 3:01

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