There exist many annoying things in life which we tend to face on a daily basis, some we can`t avoid and have to bear like the morning alarm, others have turn-arounds which we maybe don`t know about, or even ignore as we don`t have the time or patience to fix it concluding that the specific process must be lengthy or complex.
However, we should try to shed some of our burdens if there is a possibility, and one of these must surely be our contacts, or better put the excess of them. But why does this happen? Well, either we know numerous individuals, could be that we entered their number twice in error under a different say short name/s, maybe we tried a contacts app which mixed our cards on the table, but also if we had bought a new smartphone or added another SIM card with the same contacts stored on it.
Fret not though as we are here to simplify the matter at hand, and put your contact list on a diet so to say. Sounds good? Stick around then and read on to discover how we are going to do this together.
Merge them with Google Contacts
Only the thought of having to find time, sit down, and painfully check each and every single contact one by one to eliminate any duplicates is demotivating, let alone if we delete an important contact in error!
Well, having said that most Android smartphones hold a Trash folder from where we can recuperate within a 30-day chance window, making a recovery attempt. Moreover, if you had synced your contacts with your Google account, you could still repossess them irrespective from the app you had deleted from either by using the web version or your smartphone`s settings menu.
Android offers a myriad of apps to rearrange your contacts in more ways than one. However, a more straight-forward, popular and commonly used approach is the Google Contacts app which is most probably already embedded on your phone, but if it isn`t you can easily download it from the Google`s Play Store.
This app is just fantastic as it serves as a tool to enable us merge and fix our contacts polishing them from a mess to a factual list, let`s see how in the following easy steps:
- Access Contacts, check the Profile icon to ensure that you are using the correct Google account, if not switch to the correct one
- Click on Fix & Manage
- Then Merge & Fix
- Choose Merge duplicates
- Check and verify if the contacts are duplicate, then tap Merge or Merge all
- (if the app found duplicates you need to keep separately choose Dismiss, actually make sure to Dismiss any misidentified duplicates before you Merge all)
- Click OK
- Merged contacts will now feature as single contacts
For Samsung Devotees
Samsung who don`t need any introductions, are one of those manufacturers who provide a somewhat different tool and approach to contacts. So, if you are a Samsung loyal, please follow this procedure instead:
- Access Samsung Contacts App
- Click on the three horizontal lines icon
- Choose Manage contacts
- Then Merge contacts
- Check and verify if the contacts are duplicate, then click on Merge
- Finally choose OK
Behold Google Sheets
Now, we are not recommending to opt for Google Sheets as the procedure is lengthier and a bit more complex. However, for those of you who like spreadsheets, it is good to know about this option which can also assist in removing duplicates from our contact list.
In a nutshell, what Google Sheets does is that it scans data and rather than merging, it removes duplicated or equivalent items. Since Google Contacts cannot scan for duplicates based on names, while Samsung isn`t accessible to third-party devices, Sheets is worth considering to help you remove them without restrictions.
However, we don`t expect you to type your contacts into a spreadsheet, instead download an add-on from the Google Workplace Marketplace which you will utilise to import your Google contacts. Following this, you will then need to use the built-in tool to remove duplicates from your spreadsheet. Here`s how:
- Create a spreadsheet on sheets.google.com
- Then Extensions > Add-ons > Get Add-ons
- Look for Import Contacts
- Install add-on via Quicklution
- Return to spreadsheet, click the installed add-on in the right sidebar
- Select attributes to your preference
- Tap Import to add your contacts to spreadsheet
- Click column where data ends, then Ctrl+A on your keyboard to highlight filled cells
- Then Data > Data Clean-up > Remove duplicates
Now to export them from Sheets to Google Contacts:
- Files > Download
- Choose Comma Separated Values (CSV)
- Pick a location to save the file on your computer
- Open another tab – contacts.google.com
- Then Import > Select file
- Choose the CSV file you downloaded earlier from your PC
- Tap Import to add your contacts back
Once you`re done the changes will be reflected on the Google Contacts app on your smartphone, also you`ll notice the changes on the app if you linked your Google account to your Samsung device.
Note that if you opt for Sheets delete your existing contact list first, if not you`ll create more duplicates. Google will still let you recuperate them as already explained above.
Wrapping Up
In a frenetic world where our life has become a daily struggle filled with schedules and agendas, we surely can`t afford to hold a crowded pesky contact list on our devices, especially if we hold duplicates which obstruct our speedy fingers from effecting a quick call or send a text message (SMS), as we need to stop and check if that`s the correct contact, or which one of the three that just popped with the same name is valid, each and every time!
Therefore, applying some reasonable quality time to set our contact list straight is, well, worthwhile, as it pays to tweak something which will contribute to streamline our already hectic lives in the long-run, conserving our sanity, and that’s more than welcome.
