If you've noticed duplicate contacts appearing on your iPhone, you're not alone. It's a common problem that can make using your phone a hassle: it's harder to find the person you need, your contact list grows, and there's confusion when calling or messaging.
In this article, we will look at the reasons for the appearance of duplicate contacts on the iPhone, and also tell you how to easily and quickly fix this problem.
Reasons for duplicate contacts on iPhone
Duplicate contacts occur for various reasons. Here are the main ones:
Multiple accounts with contacts
Most often, iPhones have multiple accounts set up at the same time, such as iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, and others, each syncing its own contact list. If the same contact is saved in multiple accounts, iPhone may display them multiple times, creating duplicates.
Import contacts from different sources
If you have transferred contacts from another phone, imported them from a SIM card or using third-party applications, a situation may arise where the same numbers and names are copied multiple times.
iCloud sync errors
Problems with iCloud syncing also often cause duplicate contacts. For example, if the phone was unable to sync changes correctly, a contact may be duplicated.
Manual duplication when adding contacts
Sometimes duplicates appear if a user accidentally creates a new contact instead of editing an existing one.
How do you know how many accounts with contacts you have?
To check which accounts are syncing contacts on your iPhone:
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Open Settings.
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Go to section Mail or Passwords and accounts (depending on iOS version).
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Look at the list of accounts, for example, iCloud, Gmail, Exchange.
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Click on each account and check if contact sync is enabled.
If you have multiple accounts with contacts enabled, there is a high chance of duplication.
How to fix duplicate contacts on iPhone?
There are several simple ways to remove duplicates and organize contacts:
Use iOS's built-in merge feature
The latest versions of iOS have introduced a feature to detect and merge duplicate contacts:
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Open the application Contacts.
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At the top of the list, if there are duplicates, a suggestion will appear that says "Duplicate contacts".
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Click on this offer and follow the instructions to merge your contacts.
This is the fastest and most convenient way to get rid of duplicates without third-party applications.
Disable contact syncing for unnecessary accounts
If you have several accounts with contacts, but some of them are not needed:
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Go to Settings → Passwords and accounts.
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Select an account, for example Gmail.
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Turn off the switch Contacts.
After this, contacts from this account will disappear from the list, which can reduce the number of duplicates.
Use third-party apps to clean contacts
There are many apps in the App Store that help you quickly find and merge duplicate contacts, such as:
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Cleaner Pro
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Smart Merge
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Contacts Cleanup
These apps automatically scan your address book and offer options for merging similar or identical contacts.
Check iCloud sync
Sometimes duplicates appear due to iCloud glitches. To fix the problem:
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Log in to your iCloud account on your computer via the website icloud.com.
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Open section Contacts and see if there are any duplicates.
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If there are any, manually remove or merge them.
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On iPhone, turn off and then turn on contact syncing (Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Contacts).
How to avoid duplicate contacts in the future?
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Try to use one main account for contacts, such as iCloud.
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Please make a backup copy before importing contacts.
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Use the merge feature in iOS if you see duplicates.
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Please be careful when adding new contacts.
Conclusion
Duplicate contacts are a frustrating but solvable problem on iPhone. Using built-in iOS tools, third-party apps, and proper account organization, you can quickly get rid of duplicates and always have an organized contact list.
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