Merge Duplicate Contacts on iPhone: 4 Proven Ways to Try!

Liam Miller Liam Miller
Jan 11, 2024 (Updated: Jan 11, 2024)Filed to: iPhone

How to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone? Sometimes, when you add contacts from WhatsApp or other messaging platforms to your iPhone, you may not notice you have added them numerous times. So now, you’re encountering the exact contacts repeatedly and can’t find the desired one. To avoid wasting time, keep reading this post to learn 4 easyways to delete or merge duplicate contacts on iPhone 15/14 and maintain your contact list neat.

How to Find Duplicate iPhone Contacts

Prior to knowing how to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone, you should first discover the location of your duplicated contacts. Thankfully, you can go through your contact list using the Contacts app or the Contacts tab inside the Phone app. Learn the detailed steps to find duplicate contacts on iPhone 15/14/13/12:

Step 1.Run the "Contacts" app on your iDevice, or you can go to the "Phone" app and select "Contacts" below.

Step 2.Scroll your way down to the end of the list or tap the "Hashtag" symbol to get there faster. You should see the "[number] Duplicate Found" below if there are duplicate contacts.

Find Duplicate Contacts

How to Merge Duplicate Contacts on iPhone [Only for iOS 16/17]

It’s time to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone! If your iPhone is running the iOS 17/16 versions, you can get rid of duplicate contacts on iPhone easily, and here’s how you will do it:

How to Merge Duplicate Contacts on iPhone with Same Names

Step 1.After ensuring your iPhone uses iOS 16/17, head to the "Contacts" app or "Phone", then tap the "Contacts" tab below.

Go to Contacts or Phone Apps

Step 2.Under your "Card" at the top, you will see if there are duplicate contacts; check it by tapping the "View Duplicates" button. Then, all duplicated contacts will show up in a list.

Step 3.To merge all the duplicate contacts on iPhone, tap the "Merge All" button and then "Merge Duplicates". If you don’t want to combine them all; select a particular contact from the list and merge them individually.

Merge Duplicate Contacts with Same Names

As a result, your duplicated contacts will be merged into one contact card, combining all information from each other cards.

How to Merge Duplicate Contacts on iPhone with Different Names

On the other hand, you might discover that you have several contact cards for the same person but with different names. In this case, you cannot use the approach for removing duplicate contacts with the same names; thus, below are steps on merging all duplicate contacts on iPhone with different names.

Step 1.Run the "Contacts" app on your iDevice and determine the contact you want to merge. From the selected contact, tap on "Edit".

Step 2.Scroll down to locate "Link Contacts", and then find the contact card you like to link to. After that, tap on "Link" and then "Done" to apply changes.

Merge Duplicate Contacts with Different Names

It is worth remembering that doing this won’t merge or remove the other contacts on iPhone; instead, they will appear as one entry in your contact list.

Best Way to Find, Merge, or Delete Duplicate Contacts on All iPhones

As you see, merging the duplicated contacts directly on the iPhone is an easy task; however, it can only be done if you’re running the iOS 16 or 17 versions. In this case, consider using AnyRec PhoneMover to transfer and manage essential data, including merging and deleting iPhone duplicate contacts on all iPhone models and versions. It also supports backing up and restoring contacts with the Backup and Restore feature, allowing you to save precious time. What’s more, this tool can hunt for all your duplicate contacts, merge them, and remove them all at once.

AnyRec PhoneMover
PhoneMover

Manage, delete, and merge duplicate contacts to free up storage space.

Backup and restore contacts quickly without compromising existing data.

Transfer data and merge contacts on all iPhone models and iOS versions.

Give you a preview of each data’s metadata, sequence, and categories on screen.

Free Download

100% Secure

Step 1.Start by connecting your iPhone via a workable USB cable to your computer. Launch AnyRec PhoneMover. Then tap "Trust" on your phone screen to allow computer access.

AnyRec Connect Your iPhone

Step 2.Proceed to the "Contacts" button on the main screen and wait for your contacts to show up in categories like "iCloud", "Local", and "Outlook". Then, click the "Duplicate" button to see all duplicated contacts with names and numbers. You can directly select the desired contacts to merge on iPhone.

AnyRec Find Duplicate Contacts

Step 3.Finally, click "Merge Selected" to merge all identical contacts to one contact card simultaneously. As you will be returning to the main screen, you can also delete the contacts on iPhone using the "Trash Bin" feature and import contacts from "vCard" files.

AnyRec Merge Selected
Free Download

100% Secure

How to Delete Multiple Duplicate Contacts Directly on iPhone 15/14

If you want a complete cleanup for your contact list, delete unimportant contact cards after merging all duplicate iPhone contacts. Those contacts may not be in use or deactivated, so if you think that you don’t need those linked contacts, remove them. To do so, observe the detailed steps below. If you are worry about deleting some important contacts, you can sync the contacts from iPhone to Mac in advance.

Step 1.Head to the "Contacts" app to select a contact you wish to delete. Alternatively, go to the "Phone" app and select "Contacts" from the below tab.

Delete Multiple Contacts

Step 2.After choosing, tap on the "Edit" button above, scroll down to locate the "Delete Contact" option, and tap on it. Then, tap the "Delete" in the pop-up to verify the action.

FAQs about Merging Duplicate Contacts on iPhone

Conclusion

Locating manually duplicate contacts can be quite a headache for some, which is why most will avoid merging duplicates and just let them be. Thankfully, this post has ways to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone easily, both exact contacts with the same and different names. You can accomplish both methods with your iPhone. Out of them, count on AnyRec PhoneMover if you wish for a one-click merging process and be able to manage and remove other data, like photos, videos, messages, and so forth. Visit its site now to explore more valuable features.

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