Undoubtedly, when you go to the application to make calls on your Android, you are surprised to have two options to call or contact a friend or family member. This is a real nuisance, since doubts arise regarding which is the correct option. Well, let's indicate how to get rid of duplicate contacts on Android terminals.
This happens a lot when a factory reset is performed and data on this is available from the SIM card, so this is acquired from this place and, also, from the account of gmail that is used on the device with the Google operating system. What we are going to explain is how to proceed when eliminating duplicate contacts that are not necessary manually, so that you are the one in control and do not leave the process in the hands of a third-party application.
What can be done
First of all you must be very clear which of the two contacts It is the one that does not work for you, since you will completely delete it and, therefore, the information that is stored will be lost without the possibility of recovering it (the recommendation is that you always try to leave the option you have in the cloud -Gmail-, since in this way when restoring a terminal the synchronization process will always be correct). Always, by the way, you have to save or copy the important information that is in the SIM card data.
As a previous practice, it is a good idea unify the agenda in a single account (preferably Google) and disable redundant syncs on other accounts to avoid further duplications. If you manage multiple accounts, remember that It is not possible to combine contacts saved in different Google accounts; you'll first need to move them to a common account.
You can choose to use the Contacts app that you have on the Android terminal itself to delete duplicate contacts. Here what you should do is open the development and search for the Settings Menu (it can be at the bottom or by pressing an icon with three dots). Now select the option Contacts to show -or similar-.
Here you can specifically choose which ones will be displayed in the Contacts app. This way, you may not see those that are in the SIM card or the ones you have in Gmail. The point is that by filtering, you can rest assured that you won't delete the duplicate contacts you want to keep. Once you've done this, you simply have to delete unnecessary ones by clicking on each of those that appear on the screen and selecting the specific option for your terminal.
In addition to filtering, the Google Contacts app includes the section Correct and manage where you'll find Merge and Fix. From there, you'll see merge suggestions detected by the system: accept them one by one with "Merge" or all with "Merge All." If you want to decide manually, select multiple contacts from the three-dot menu and choose Merge to unify them into a single tab.
Manage your Gmail account
Now that at first you have only left the Gmail data, it is possible that you still have some data that appears twice, so we are going to tell you how to proceed to eliminate duplicate contacts. To do this, you must access the mail client in the browser. Once this is done, select the option in the upper left corner Contacts (appears by clicking on the Gmail text).
Now click on More and in the drop-down menu that appears (you may have to exit the Preview) and select Search and Merge Duplicates. You'll see a screen where you can see your duplicates, and you'll need to decide which ones you want to merge or, alternatively, delete. This way, you can easily and efficiently eliminate duplicate contacts.
In the current version of Google Contacts on the web, the standard access is Menu → Combine and CorrectIf you don't see the "Merge Duplicates" option, it's because there are no detectable duplicatesYou can: accept one or more suggestions with "Merge", accept all suggestions with "Merge All", or manually select contacts and press Merge from the top bar. Please note that You cannot combine contacts from different Google accounts; move them to the same account first.
If you make a mistake when merging, you have Undo changes in the Google Contacts side menu to revert your address book to a previous state for a specified period. You can also revert your address book to a previous state for a specified period of time. separate combined contacts from the contact options menu, if the service offers the option in your region or interface.
Special cases: linked and read-only contacts
On some mobile phones, applications such as WhatsApp or others create links between tokens, generating cards in read only that cannot be deleted directly. In that case, open the contact, tap on the three points, go into View linked contacts and press Unlink. Then go back to the three points and you'll be able to Delete the extra entrance you have.
If the unlink option doesn't appear, a helpful trick is to tap Edit, delete the number from the contact, save it, and return to delete it from the menu. As a last resort, export a backup to .vcf, restore your phone and reimport the clean address book from your Google account.
Prevents duplication
To prevent future duplicates: use a single main account for your contacts, disable the display or synchronization of sources that you do not use (SIM, apps), perform backup periodic searches on Google and take advantage of it from time to time mix and fix both in the app and on the Google Contacts website.
If you prefer to rely on third-party tools, there are options on Google Play such as Cleanup Duplicate Contacts o Duplicate Contacts Fixer They detect and suggest merges, allow backups, and offer advanced filters. Use them with caution and always export your calendar to a .vcf file for security reasons.
Other tutorials for the Google operating system you can find them in this section Android Help. Surely you will find one that you find interesting.
With these steps, combining the filters in the Contacts app, the Merge and Correct functions, and management from the Google website, your address book will be organized, synchronized, and protected from new duplicates, improving searches and avoiding confusion when calling or texting.
