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Over time, your iPhone’s contact list can become cluttered with duplicates, making it difficult to access the right information. This can happen due to the addition of new email addresses or phone numbers or simply due to insufficient management. Regardless, the end result is often a mess. The good news is that deleting and merging duplicate contacts is easy.
Merging Duplicate Contacts on iPhone
If two contacts on your iPhone contain different information for the same person (e.g., work versus home), you can merge them with just a few simple steps:
- Open your Contacts app
- Tap the green Phone icon on the home screen
- Choose “Contacts” from the options on the bottom of the screen
- Scroll down the list until you find the contact you want to merge and tap on it
- On the new page that appears, tap on “Edit” in the upper right-hand corner to update the data associated with the contact
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on “Link Contacts”
- You will be taken back to your list of contacts. Select the duplicate contact you want to merge it with, tap “Link” in the upper right-hand corner, and then tap “Done”.
Now you have a merged contact with both sets of information.
Removing Duplicate Contacts on iPhone
If you have unnecessary duplicates that you don’t want to merge, the process is just as simple:
- Open your Contacts app
- Tap the green Phone icon on the home screen
- Choose “Contacts” from the options on the bottom of the screen
- Locate the duplicate contact you want to delete and tap on it
- On the new page that appears, tap on “Edit” in the upper right-hand corner
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap on “Delete Contact”
- Confirm deletion by tapping on the dialog box displayed
Now you have one less duplicate contact on your list.
Following these simple steps can help you keep your contact list organized and clean.
For more useful iPhone tips, check out our articles on removing a name from your iPhone or iPad, fixing X problems on your iPhone, or deleting images from your iPhone.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How can I prevent duplicate contacts from appearing again?
A: To prevent duplicate contacts from appearing, you should make sure to only add new information to existing contacts rather than creating a new contact each time. You can also use third-party apps to scan and clean up your contact list for duplicates.
Q: Is there a way to delete or merge contacts in bulk?
A: Yes, there are third-party apps available on the App Store that allow you to bulk delete or merge contacts on iPhone. Some popular options include Cleanup Duplicate Contacts, Merge & Remove Duplicate Contacts, and Contacts Optimizer.