Duplicate contacts are bound to sneak into your address book, no matter how carefully you manage them. And if removing duplicates frequently isn’t one of your virtues, it’s likely that your contacts are already messy. Unfortunately, managing iPhone/iPad contacts has always been like a backache. But don’t worry, there is a workaround to find and delete all unnecessary contact cards. For macOS users, taking control of contacts is somewhat convenient. So, if you have decided to clean up your address book, now is the time to merge and remove duplicate contacts on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Remove Duplicate Contacts from macOS, iOS and iPadOS
Take a quick look at the whole process to understand what’s coming:
So, What is the Solution?
On macOS, you can easily find out how many duplicate contacts you have. By duplicate, I mean people with the same name but different information or with the same name and information. Once you catch these unwanted business cards, you can combine them all in one click.
If you use the same Apple ID on both macOS and iOS/iPadOS devices with iCloud sync for contacts enabled, the update will sync across devices. So your iPhone or iPad contacts will also be able to get rid of duplicates.
- On macOS: System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud > Contacts.
- On iOS/ipados: Settings app > Profile > iCloud > Contacts.
What if you’re not using a macOS device, how do you clear duplicate contacts from your iPhone or iPad’s Contacts app? You can use iCloud to get your work done. While not simple, it works just fine at managing the address book (and even recovering lost ones). Having said that, let’s get started with the guide!
Merge Duplicate Contacts on macOS
1. Open Persons application on your Mac.
2. Now, “All People” option is selected in the Groups pane on the left.
Note: Just in case, the Group’s view is out of sight, click on it. opinion and Select Show Groups.
3. Next, click on card Menu.
4. Next, select Search for Duplicates choice.
5. A popup in the queue will appear The number of duplicate cards available is shown on the screen. It will also ask if you want to merge these cards. click Combine to finish.
How to Remove Duplicate iPhone, iPad or Mac Contacts Using iCloud
1. Open A web browser on your computer and go icloud.com. At that time, Sign in using your Apple ID and password.
2. Next, click on Persons symbol.
3. Next, click on All Contacts in the upper left corner of the screen.
4th place, Hold down the command key and select all the duplicate contacts you want to remove.
5. Now, click on settings icon in the lower left corner.
6. Click on To delete In the drop-down menu.
7. A pop-up window will appear on the screen asking: “Are you sure you want to delete the selected contacts? click To delete to approve.
Merge iPhone and iPad Contacts Individually From the Contacts App itself
Slightly embedded inside the stock Contacts app for iPhone and iPad is the option to merge individual contacts. While this native method can be pretty tedious to combine hundreds of copies, it wouldn’t be too time consuming for a few cards.
1. Open Persons Select the app and then find the contact you want to merge.
2. Now, tap on To organise in the upper right.
3. Then scroll down and tap on it. contact persons.
4. Next, select person that you want to merge with and then tap on it. Connection in the upper right. Finally, tap on Completed to finish.
Third-Party Contact Manager Apps to Merge and Remove Duplicate Contacts for iPhone and iPad
Fortunately, the App Store has loads of contact manager apps that can help you find and delete duplicate contacts on your iPhone or iPad. The applications I have tried and found quite reliable are as follows:
1. Duplicate Contacts Manager
It is a very simple contact manager application that allows you to easily detect duplicate contacts. In addition to allowing you to get rid of unnecessary people, backup and even restore your address book. It also supports iOS 8 or later, allowing you to manage your contacts even on older iPhone and iPad models.
Price: Free
2. Contact Cleaning
Contact Cleanup is another contact manager that I find fit for the task. Whether it’s instantly catching all duplicate contacts or eliminating multiple junk cards at once, it does a reliable job. It also allows you to: Back up your entire address book to keep all your contacts safe. While this contact manager is free, you have to spend $1.99 to automatically merge all your duplicate contacts.
Price: Free for pro version, $1.99
Remove Duplicate Contacts from Your iOS, iPadOS and macOS
Thus, you can merge and remove duplicate contacts from your iDevices. While the methods described above work reliably, it would be better if Apple offered an easier native way to get rid of unwanted business cards on iPhone and iPad. As someone with hundreds of people to manage, I’d like to see this feature in iOS 14.
