How to merge your contacts on your Android phone or tablet
Syncing your Google account to a device can mess up your contact list if you’re not careful. Adding an extra SIM card may also do the same, whether it’s an eSIM-compatible phone or a regular one. Other times, you forget that you stored someone’s digits on your phone and then do it again. Any of these actions causes contacts to appear more than once. While duplicate contacts don’t pose a serious threat, they can delay sending a message or making phone calls. You’ll have to open each occurrence to be sure you have the correct number.
One quick solution is to merge them so that the repeated figures disappear, and you’re left with one. This trick is convenient compared to deleting them individually. If you want to unclutter your contact list and make communication easier, here’s how.
Duplicate contacts appear for numerous reasons, including the following:
- You saved the same number twice on one phone.
- You synced a Google account with your device, causing the contacts to appear alongside the ones you entered manually.
- You imported contacts as a CSV file to your device multiple times.
- You added another SIM card with the same contact stored on it.
Duplicate contacts may share the same name with their clones or the same phone number under different names. You could delete the copies individually, but it’s time-consuming. You want to open each contact and confirm that you’re removing the right one. Otherwise, multi-selecting them means accidentally erasing essential contacts.
A better solution is to merge them so that the multiple occurrences appear under one name. The latest Android devices have this feature in the preinstalled phone or contacts apps, and you can use it to clean up digits instantly.
Use the Merge and fix tool on the Google Contacts app to clean