How to Find and Remove Duplicate Contacts in Android

Having duplicate contacts on your smartphone can prove to be very inconvenient when you are trying to, say, reach an old friend or a family member via text message or a phone call. You may also find it very annoying when you are trying to use Google Assistant to call or send a text message to a contact. But don’t worry, there are various methods that you can use to easily find, merge or remove duplicate contacts on Android. And in this tutorial, we will be taking an in-depth look at the different ways you can do that.

Ways to Find, Merge, and Remove Duplicate Contacts on Android

For this article, we are going to use three different ways you can use to find and remove duplicate contacts on Android device. In the first method, we will be using the native Contacts app that comes with Android. In the second method we will  be using the online Google Contacts app. Finally, we will be using a third-party contact manager app. With that said, let’s see how we can find and merge duplicate contacts on Android.

1. Using the Contacts App On Android

Google has made it easier to find and merge duplicate listings for the same person in Google Contacts app. Here’s how you can do it.

Note: This method will only work on smartphones running a stock version of Android. If your phone has a custom UI like Samsung’s One UI or Xiaomi’s MIUI 11, then the procedure will be a little different and we’ll be talking about that a bit later in the article. It is also worth making a note that you can’t merge contacts that are saved in different Google Accounts.

1. On your Andriod phone or a tablet, simply open the Contacts app.
2. Tap the ‘Menu’ icon on the top left corner and go to ‘Suggestions’.

3. Now, look for the option called ‘Clean up duplicates’ to get rid of different listings for the same person. Here, you can either tap on ‘Merge’ to merge a single duplicate contact suggestion or tap ‘Merge All’ to merge all duplicate contact suggestions.

2. Using Google Contacts on Web

If you have your contacts saved in your Google account, then you can also use Google Contacts on the web to merge your contacts easily. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Open Google Contacts on the web browser of your choice, and log in to your Google account.
2. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be able to see all your contacts that you’ve synced with the particular account. Now, in the left sidebar, look for an option named ‘Duplicates‘ and click it to see all the duplicate contacts you have.

3. Just like the Contacts app on Android, you’ll see options to merge them individually or merge them all. Choose whichever one you prefer and your duplicate contacts will be merged into one.

That was very simple, wasn’t it? Well now, let’s check out a third-party app that lets you merge duplicate contacts.

3. Using A Third Party App on Android

The Google Play Store is populated with a ton of apps that can help you merge duplicate contacts. So if you confused about the right app for the task, then we suggest you check out ‘Cleaner – Merge Duplicate Contacts‘ app (free).

Note: The app is no longer available on the Play Store. We have provided the APK download link of APKPure. We are sticking with this app because it performed the best for identifying and merging duplicate contacts. If you want an app that’s available on the Play Store, check out the Duplicate Contacts Fixer and Remover (free, in-app purchases).

It is one of the best apps you can use to merge duplicate contacts as it shows you duplicate contacts by name, phone numbers, and emails. Additionally, the app also lists unused contacts, which you can delete from within the app itself. Anyway, here’s a quick look at how you can use the app to find and merge duplicate contacts –

1. First off, download the ‘Cleaner – Merge Duplicate Contacts’ app from the link above.
2. Once you open the app, it will automatically show you all the duplicate contacts under an option called ‘Duplicates’. This is where you will see duplicate contacts by name, phone numbers, and emails.
3. You can enter any option of your choice and select the contact you want to merge.
4. You will find the options to merge a contact or “merge all duplicates”.
5. Once you have tapped Merge or Merge all, the duplicates will be deleted and merged into one contact.

Cleaner – Merge Duplicate Contacts is an entirely free application, with which you can merge all duplicate contacts with just a single tap. Moreover, the app is available in 15 different languages, which makes it accessible to a lot of users.

Bonus: Merging Duplicate Contacts in Custom UI

A lot of smartphone manufacturers have baked the option to merge duplicate contacts right within their UI. OnePlus’s OxygenOS, for instance, allows you to merge duplicate contacts from within the Contacts app. Same is the case with Xiaomi’s MIUI and Samsung’s One UI. You should be able to find the option to merge duplicate contacts inside the settings page of the Contact app. However, if your phone doesn’t an option to merge duplicate contacts natively, then you’ll have to use either Google Contacts on the web or download a third-party app. Either way, it’s not that difficult to merge or get rid of duplicate contacts on Android.

• OxygenOS: Settings -> Suggested Merges.
• One UI: Open Hamburger Menu -> Manage Contacts -> Merge Contacts.
• MIUI: Settings -> Merge Duplicates.

Note: Settings here refers to the settings of native Contacts app. 

Find and Remove Duplicate Contacts on Android

Well, there are other methods and apps that let you remove duplicate contacts on Android but we found the aforementioned ways to be the easiest. Do try them out and let us know if you face any issues. Also, if you have a different method which you feel is better, sound off in the comments section below.