Question Removing / consolidating copies of contacts

[Android Dude777]

I presently have a Moto e6 phone. While trying to backup my contacts onto my desktop computer, I mistakenly downloaded a set of my contacts back into my phone and now I have two versions of all my contacts on my phone.

Is there a way to easily remove the copies so that I only have one version of each contact? (other than going through all the contacts manually and deleting them)

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[mustang7757]

Usually the contact app should have duplicate delete or merge function ?

 

[Android Dude777]

Usually the contact app should have duplicate delete or merge function ?

I've heard about that, but I have an older phone, and my Contacts app doesn't appear to have those options. But I am planning to get a new phone soon, and I guess I could just import my duplicate contacts into the new phone and then merge them.

But I've also heard that there are third-party apps for merging or removing duplicate contacts. Do you know anything about that?

 

[mustang7757]

I've heard about that, but I have an older phone, and my Contacts app doesn't appear to have those options. But I am planning to get a new phone soon, and I guess I could just import my duplicate contacts into the new phone and then merge them.

But I've also heard that there are third-party apps for merging or removing duplicate contacts. Do you know anything about that?

I'm not familiar with Moto native apps , is Google's contact installed by default?

 

[Android Dude777]

I'm not familiar with Moto native apps , is Google's contact installed by default?

Yes. But there is no "Fix and Manage" or "Merge and Fix" options in the settings for the Contacts app on my phone.

 

[mustang7757]

Yes.

Lol.. figured

Try another 3rd party might have that option

 

[mustang7757]

Let me tag @B. Diddy if he knows to do this another way

 

[B. Diddy]

You don't use Google Contacts in the cloud at all? This is something I typically recommend to everyone, both for convenience and for safekeeping of the contact info. Syncing contact info to your account allows you to easily sync them over to any other device (either current or future), and also ensures you don't lose this valuable information if something bad happens to the phone. If you synced or uploaded your contacts to your Google Contacts in the cloud, you'd also be able to take advantage of the Merge & Fix option there.

 

[mustang7757]

You don't use Google Contacts in the cloud at all? This is something I typically recommend to everyone, both for convenience and for safekeeping of the contact info. Syncing contact info to your account allows you to easily sync them over to any other device (either current or future), and also ensures you don't lose this valuable information if something bad happens to the phone. If you synced or uploaded your contacts to your Google Contacts in the cloud, you'd also be able to take advantage of the Merge & Fix option there.

I didn't know you could do that through the cloud, good to know

 

[B. Diddy]

I didn't know you could do that through the cloud, good to know

Yep, it's at the upper left:

 

[mustang7757]

Yep, it's at the upper left:
View attachment 366263

Thanks !

 

[Android Dude777]

Yep, it's at the upper left:
View attachment 366263

Thanks! I appreciate it!

 

[Android Dude777]

Concerning "merge and fix", my duplicate contacts originally were the exact same, but since the transferring error I made that created the duplicates, I have added some more info to one version of some of the duplicates (like a mailing address, etc), although the names are the same. When I "merge" them, does the new single version of the contact have all the info from both duplicates, but keep the same name?

 

[Android Dude777]

You don't use Google Contacts in the cloud at all? This is something I typically recommend to everyone, both for convenience and for safekeeping of the contact info. Syncing contact info to your account allows you to easily sync them over to any other device (either current or future), and also ensures you don't lose this valuable information if something bad happens to the phone. If you synced or uploaded your contacts to your Google Contacts in the cloud, you'd also be able to take advantage of the Merge & Fix option there.

I don't use the cloud that much because I'm concerned about privacy issues...

 

[B. Diddy]

Concerning "merge and fix", my duplicate contacts originally were the exact same, but since the transferring error I made that created the duplicates, I have added some more info to one version of some of the duplicates (like a mailing address, etc), although the names are the same. When I "merge" them, does the new single version of the contact have all the info from both duplicates, but keep the same name?

The merged contact should have all the information.

Regarding privacy concerns, I am personally completely comfortable with my data in my Google account, because Google's privacy policy explicitly states that this information isn't sold to anyone: https://policies.google.com/privacy. Google's security is also one of the most hardened in the industry, and with 2-factor authentication set, I feel confident my data won't be compromised.

But I understand if some people are reluctant to use these services. If you forgo the convenience, then you're stuck with 3rd party solutions, and although there are a number of 3rd party duplicate contact cleaner apps out there, I'd say the potential risk for data compromise would be much higher that way.