There’s a lot to be excited about when Apple finally releases the finished version of iOS 16. From the all-new Lock Screen design, complete with customization options and widgets, to the smaller features that you might not notice at first. And that brings us to the latest tutorial, as Apple has made it much easier to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone.
With previous iterations of iOS on the iPhone, merging contacts was not exactly the most seamless experience. Most of the time, you had to go through and try to copy and paste details in between the duplicated contacts. Or you could download a contact management app from the App Store, such as CardHop from the same company that made Fantastical.
While CardHop is still an incredible iPhone app, Apple has finally introduced an easier method if you want to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone with iOS 16. Here’s how you can do so:
Open the Contacts app on your iPhone.
Tap < Lists in the top left corner.
Select All Contacts at the top of the list.
From the X Duplicates Found prompt, tap View Duplicates.
Select a contact that has duplicate entries in the app.
Review the contact’s information.
Tap the Merge button at the bottom.
You can also tap the Merge All button at the bottom if you want to merge all of your duplicate contact information at once.
When you are going through the process of reviewing your duplicate contacts, you are provided with a few pieces of information. This includes showing you where the contact appears (for example, different email accounts), along with what information will be merged into one.
If there is a contact, or multiple contacts, that you don’t want to merge the information for, you can just tap the Ignore button. Apple has also added an Ignore All button in the event that you don’t want to be prompted or reminded whenever you open the Contacts app.
Something else worth pointing out is that if you know that you have multiple or duplicate contacts, they will only appear in this new menu if the name or number is the same. Otherwise, the duplicate contact will not appear as such if the name is incorrect and the same phone number or email is not attached. In that case, you’ll need to manually copy over the contact information to the “main” contact card in the Contacts app on your iPhone. It’s not the most perfect solution, but it will get the job done and will help keep your list of contacts from getting too disorganized and out of hand.
Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.
Clear as mud.
Steps in directions do not match what shows on my gadgets.
If duplicate numbers in separate listings are supposed to show up as “X listing”, on my just updated phone, they don’t.
Or…where exactly is “X listing”?
Are apple gadget users being served different software as various updates, so different directions apply, depending on what version of iOS update one gets, even when those have the same numbers??
Or is this another creative GIGO update issue we now just are forced to live with?
I’m getting more bummed-out by every GIGO iOS update.
I no longer trust apple software security.
I long ago started procrastinating as long as possible (despite the predatory throttling of service) on updates because of the GIGO factor in each of them.
& very much dislike the weeks, months, or forever dysfunction of gadgets due to updates!
I have searched EVERYWHERE online, and wasted over an hour with Apple on the phone, to find out if this automatic merge process only merges the ‘top essential’ data or DOES IT INCLUDE THE NOTES IN THE ‘CONTACTS NOTES SECTION’ (not the Notes app of course.) I have LOTS of needed info in my Contact Notes section and not a single Senior Advisor could answer that question! Anyone here? NO GUESSES PLEASE. Only hardcore KNOWING! With 2816 cards right now in my ‘doubled batch’ I can’t afford to lose my notes. Thanks! 🙂
Although I don’t have the option to merge the contacts under lists, I can now select one named “contacts” which has automatically linked all of the duplicates so that they show as a single unified card. so instead of viewing 8975 contacts I can now view 910 unified cards!
Ideally, I would like to merge the duplicates but seeing unified cards is a great step forward!!!
This is brilliant news as I have 8975 contacts (including 910 individuals!!!); however, I can only get to step 3. 🙁
I have just upgraded my iPhone 8 to iOS 16.0.3 and there aren’t any options to merge duplicate contacts. Not sure if it because of my carrier (Vodafone), or an old iPhone or a new version of the OS?
i hit the ignore all button but i cant figure out to how to get back to the X duplicates found so i can do the merge process….i need a second chance!!!
Clear as mud.
Steps in directions do not match what shows on my gadgets.
If duplicate numbers in separate listings are supposed to show up as “X listing”, on my just updated phone, they don’t.
Or…where exactly is “X listing”?
Are apple gadget users being served different software as various updates, so different directions apply, depending on what version of iOS update one gets, even when those have the same numbers??
Or is this another creative GIGO update issue we now just are forced to live with?
I’m getting more bummed-out by every GIGO iOS update.
I no longer trust apple software security.
I long ago started procrastinating as long as possible (despite the predatory throttling of service) on updates because of the GIGO factor in each of them.
& very much dislike the weeks, months, or forever dysfunction of gadgets due to updates!
I have searched EVERYWHERE online, and wasted over an hour with Apple on the phone, to find out if this automatic merge process only merges the ‘top essential’ data or DOES IT INCLUDE THE NOTES IN THE ‘CONTACTS NOTES SECTION’ (not the Notes app of course.) I have LOTS of needed info in my Contact Notes section and not a single Senior Advisor could answer that question! Anyone here? NO GUESSES PLEASE. Only hardcore KNOWING! With 2816 cards right now in my ‘doubled batch’ I can’t afford to lose my notes. Thanks! 🙂
Although I don’t have the option to merge the contacts under lists, I can now select one named “contacts” which has automatically linked all of the duplicates so that they show as a single unified card. so instead of viewing 8975 contacts I can now view 910 unified cards!
Ideally, I would like to merge the duplicates but seeing unified cards is a great step forward!!!
This is brilliant news as I have 8975 contacts (including 910 individuals!!!); however, I can only get to step 3. 🙁
I have just upgraded my iPhone 8 to iOS 16.0.3 and there aren’t any options to merge duplicate contacts. Not sure if it because of my carrier (Vodafone), or an old iPhone or a new version of the OS?
i hit the ignore all button but i cant figure out to how to get back to the X duplicates found so i can do the merge process….i need a second chance!!!
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOO FRUSTRATING.Much as I hate giving up my iphone I may have to.