Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Laura Lean/PA Archive

Too many duplicate numbers in contacts? Here's how you can fix it

Do you really need your Mam’s number down three times already?

THE MORE SERVICES you use, the more contacts you’re going to have.

Many of us use apps like WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Hangouts and others, but if you’re extracting numbers from them to your contacts, then you can end up with multiple entries of the same person.

Sometimes that can make a list too long, but there are a number of ways in which you can fix this problem.

1) Do it the old fashioned way

If you don’t have that many duplicate contacts in your list, you could go through them and merge them manually. This will naturally be the most time-consuming, but you can either delete the extra number or link them together.

On iOS, go into Contacts, find the duplicate numbers and go into one of them. Here tap edit and scroll down until you see ‘link contacts’. Choose the other number and merge them together.

iPhone contacts

On Android, go into the contacts app and select a person. There tap on ‘edit’ and then ‘settings’ where you will see the merge option. Choose the second number and it will be listed as one single contact in future.

Android photos

2) Sort it out on desktop

It’s likely that your contacts list is connected to your iCloud or Google account, depending on the platform you’re using. By logging into your account, either iCloud or Google Contacts, you can delete duplicate contacts here in bulk.

Google Contacts has a ‘find duplicates’ option built in so you can quickly clean up.

Google contacts Google Contacts Google Contacts

3) Get an app to do all the hard work

If both those options sound like too much work, then you could just download an app to do it for you.

If you’re on iOS, you could go for something like Cleaner (Free, €2.99 for full version) which offers a clean interface and allows you to find and merge duplicates quickly.

Alternatively, you could go for Smart Merge Pro (€2.99) or Cleanup Duplicate Contacts (Free, €0.99 for full version), which offer the same basic functionality and will clean up your address book without fuss.

Cleaner Cleaner / App Store Cleaner / App Store / App Store

On Android, you could download Simpler Merge Duplicates (Free) which will do the same thing or go for Duplicate Contacts (Free), which despite the outdated look, allows you to delete any unnecessary duplicates quickly.

Z Simpler Merge Duplicates / Google Play Simpler Merge Duplicates / Google Play / Google Play

Read:  A futuristic razor that shaves hair with a laser was just banned by Kickstarter after raising €3.5 million >

Read: No comment from Twitter’s Irish office as company plans to lay off 8% of global staff >

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
14 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Datalore
    Favourite Datalore
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 1:08 PM

    Where were you last week? Cleaned up my dad’s 115,000 contacts by removing duplicates down to about 400.

    ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN THOUSAND.

    116
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fay Fitzgerald
    Favourite Fay Fitzgerald
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 8:43 PM

    Comment of the week!.. Lol

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Clarke
    Favourite Thomas Clarke
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 12:14 PM

    Ive the word bird and a whole list of bars- anything to fix that?

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute IrishGravyTrain
    Favourite IrishGravyTrain
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 12:24 PM

    A wife

    89
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Byyys
    Favourite Byyys
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 6:09 PM

    What are you talking about?… in Android it’s quite simple if you have multiple contacts to fix it. (the reason you may have names 2-3 times is because you have imported contacts via email accounts,Google,Facebook,Skype,etc.) Open all Contacts – Options (left of home button) – Settings – Contacts – Only contacts with phone numbers. (displays only contacts with phone numbers) No need to merge anything or download any apps to fix it.

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Mills
    Favourite Derek Mills
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 12:14 PM

    I’m more of your Mom person myself

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciaran OHalloran
    Favourite Ciaran OHalloran
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 12:19 PM

    touché

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciaran OHalloran
    Favourite Ciaran OHalloran
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 12:10 PM

    I’m more of a “Mom” person myself

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Get Lost Eircodes
    Favourite Get Lost Eircodes
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 2:15 PM

    No definite kudos to Journal for using Mam….the use of Mum only came in with Tesco.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Richard Cynical
    Favourite Richard Cynical
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 2:20 PM

    it’s mom

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute sineadgill
    Favourite sineadgill
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 3:24 PM

    simpler merge, not really free, you can only clean up 15 contacts or you have to pay.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Franki Shanley
    Favourite Franki Shanley
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 3:56 PM

    One word.. Delete!

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Davis
    Favourite Dave Davis
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 8:20 PM

    Fullcontact.com
    Excellent social and phone duplicate contact merger application. Free if you only want to merge and sync every 24 hours. Most people want to do it once a year or so. Cannot recommend it enough.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Maria Clery-Breen
    Favourite Maria Clery-Breen
    Report
    Oct 14th 2015, 5:48 PM

    Are you America Richard ?

    .

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds