How to choose which contacts to download from google

Question

I am using a really old version of Android (2.2.2). I have had it for about five years. It's an HTC Desire (the first ever). My contacts list in my phone keeps getting bigger and bigger (currently at 27mb) and I want to reduce it. I have my contacts synced with my google account so they are always backed up. But how can I choose which contacts it downloads to my phone? Everytime I send an email from my gmail a new contact is added and that contact is automatically downloaded to my phone. How can I stop this and only download the ones I tell it to download?

EDIT Forgot to mention, I want the ones that are created from my email activities to continue existing but only on my email account and on my phone contacts

Answer 1

I don't remember if you have that option in froyo. What I know is the following:

1) In gmail / settings / general, you can configure if you want new emails to be added to your contact list. These new contacts will be added as "other contacts", but won't have the label "my contacts", which is the main label that all your good contacts should have.

2) In lollipop, the contacts app, settings, you can configure which contacts to show: gmail contacts, whatsapp, .... Inside gmail, you can choose which contacts to show, and therefore, you can select "my contacts".

3) However, I doubt that this avoids downloading all the contacts. Probably is just a filter to show the ones you want.

4) I suggest adding as contacts those you need. It's fast of you hover the mouse over the email and go to "Add as a contact". The label "my contacts" will be added to it.

PS: 27 MB in contacts? That's a hell of a list!