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How to find and merge duplicate contacts on Android

Duplicate contacts on Android usually come from syncing several accounts or restoring a backup twice. You can merge them with your phone's Contacts app, or find them by name, number or email with Applore.

Updated 15 September 20263 min read

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Short answer

Before you start

  • Check where your contacts are saved. Contacts in different Google accounts cannot be merged with Google’s tool.1
  • Applore needs permission to read and change your contacts. Android asks the first time.

Without Applore

Google Contacts on Android

  1. Open the Contacts app.
  2. At the top right, select the Google account that has the duplicates.
  3. Tap Fix & manage, then Merge & fix, then Merge duplicates.
  4. Tap Merge on a suggestion, or Merge all to accept every suggestion.1

If you do not see the option to merge duplicates, Google has not found any contacts it can merge.

Samsung Contacts

  1. Open Contacts and tap Menu.
  2. Tap Manage contacts, then Merge contacts.
  3. Choose to merge duplicates by number, email or name, select the ones to merge and tap Merge.2

Steps with Applore

  1. Open Applore. On the Home tab, scroll to Contact Information and tap Duplicate Contacts.
  2. Allow access to your contacts if Android asks.
  3. Applore shows how many duplicates it found By Name, By Number and By Duplicate Email. Tap one.
  4. Duplicates are shown in groups. Look through each group. Tap a contact to make it the main one, whose name the merged contact keeps.
  5. Tap Merge now on the group and confirm.

Good to know before you tap Merge now

  • Merge now combines every contact in the group, not only the one you tapped. If a group contains someone who is not a duplicate, merge that group in your Contacts app instead.
  • Contacts without a name are grouped together under By Name, even if they are different people. Check those groups carefully.
  • The merged contact is saved on your phone. If your contacts sync with a Google account, Google Contacts’ Merge & fix keeps merged contacts in that account.
  • Open the merged contact afterwards and check that the numbers and emails you need are there.

Common problems

Applore asks me to upgrade after a few merges

Applore Free lets you merge up to 5 contacts a day. Continue tomorrow, or see pricing in the app on Google Play for Applore Pro, which has no daily limit.

Contacts saved only on the SIM card

Contacts stored only on a SIM card may not be listed. Copy them to your phone or your Google account in the Contacts app first.

The same person appears twice from two accounts

A contact saved in two accounts, for example a Google account and your phone, shows as two entries. Decide which account should keep it, then delete the other entry or move it.

New duplicates appear after restoring a backup

Importing a backup adds contacts again. Merge the new duplicates, and next time delete the old copies before importing.

What stays private

Applore finds and merges duplicates on your phone. Your contacts are not sent to Applore’s servers. In Applore Free, a banner ad shows on the Duplicate Contacts screen. For backups, read how to back up contacts to your own Google Drive, and for all the contact tools see Contacts tools in Applore.

Questions

Can I undo a merge?

Not in Applore. Merge now deletes the original contacts and creates one merged contact, and there is no undo button. To get the originals back, import the vCard (.vcf) file you exported before merging. That adds the old contacts again, so you may need to delete the merged one afterwards. Always export a backup first.

How many merges are free in Applore?

Applore Free lets you merge up to 5 contacts a day in Duplicate Contacts. Applore Pro has no daily limit. Finding and viewing duplicates is free either way, so you can review every group before you decide. See pricing in the app on Google Play, or compare Free and Pro.

Sources

  1. Merge duplicate contacts (Android), Google Contacts Help. Checked 2026-09-15.
  2. Merge duplicate contacts on a Galaxy phone or tablet, Samsung US. Checked 2026-09-15.
  3. Export, back up, or restore contacts (Android), Google Contacts Help. Checked 2026-09-15.

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