How to disable duplicate contacts on Android Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Why Xiaomi has duplicate contacts and how to fix it

The problem of duplicate contacts on Xiaomi smartphones (Redmi, POCO, Black Shark is one of the most popular among users. MIUI. Most often, it occurs after synchronization with Google Account, firmware updates or importing a phone book from the Internet. SIM-As a result, the contact list will have repetitive entries with the same names but different sources (e.g., "Phone", "Google", "SIM").

Main reasons for duplicates:

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization with multiple accounts (Google, Mi Account, WhatsApp, etc.).
• 📱 Import of contacts from different sources (SIM, VCF-file, messengers) without prior cleaning.
• 🔧 Mistakes. MIUI, especially after major updates (e.g., transition from MIUI 12 on MIUI 14).
• 🤖 Contact management applications conflict (e.g. Truecaller or Drupe).

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to eliminate duplicates, including MIUI settings, manual cleaning through Google Contacts, and hidden shell features. Importantly, make a backup of contacts before you start (instructions in the last section) to avoid data loss.

Method 1: Disabling the automatic contact merger in MIUI

By default. MIUI It attempts to automatically combine contacts from different sources (for example, if a person has a Google number and a Google number). SIM-However, this mechanism often works incorrectly, creating duplicates instead of merging, to disable this function:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) top-right → Settings.
3. Select Contact Management → Merger of contacts.
4. Turn off the Automatic Merge option.

After that, the system will no longer merge the records itself, but the duplicates that have already been created will remain - they must be manually deleted (see Method 3).

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If you keep seeing duplicates after you disable the merger, check your sync settings in Settings → Accounts and Sync. You may have synced with unnecessary services (e.g. Facebook or Viber).

Method 2: Set up sync with Google Account

Most often, duplicates arise from a conflict between local contacts (phone contacts) and entries from Google Accounts.

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account → Synchronization of the account.
3. Turn off the slider near Contacts.
4. Wait 1-2 minutes and turn on the sync again.

If you have duplicates, try the forced renewal of contacts:

• 📱 Open Google Contacts in your browser.
• 🔍 On the left menu, select Doubly. → Unite.
• 🔄 Press More. → Export, save the.vcf file, then import it back.

Method 3: Manually remove duplicates through the Contacts app

If the automatic merger is disabled but the duplicates remain, they can be manually deleted:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) → Contact management → Find the takes.
3. The system will show you a list of repeating records. Click Combine for each pair.

If you don’t have the option to Find Doubles (as happens on some versions of MIUI), use an alternative method:

• 🔍 Sort contacts by name (click on A-Z at the top of the list).
• 👤 Scroll through the list and manually look for repeat names.
• 🗑️ To remove the double, click on the contact → Edit → Delete.

Export backup of contacts|Disable synchronization with Google|Check hidden contacts (such as from WhatsApp)|Combine doubles one at a time, not all at once-->

Method 4: Using third-party cleaning applications

If you manually remove duplicates for too long, you can use specialized utilities.

Before using third-party applications:

⚠️ Attention: Some utilities can remove not only duplicates, but also useful contacts. Always back up before mass cleaning. It is better to test the application on 2-3 takes before running full processing.

Method 5: Reset the settings of the Contacts app

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app to factory settings, which won't delete the contacts themselves, but will return the standard MIUI settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts (or Contacts) and tap on it.
3. Select Warehouse → Clear data and Clear cache.
4. Reboot the phone.

After the reboot:

• 🔄 Enable sync with Google Account again.
• 📥 Import contacts from backup (if you made it in advance).
• ⚙️ Configure the merger parameters (see Method 1).

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Resetting the Contacts app is a last resort, and only use it if other methods have failed, as after cleaning the data, display settings, contact groups and other personal settings can be lost.

How to Prevent the appearance of doubles in the future

To avoid recurring problems, follow these rules:

• 🚫 Do not import contacts from multiple sources at the same time (e.g., from a SIM-maps and from a.vcf file).
• 🔄 Check Google Contacts regularly (every 1-2 months).
• 📱 Use one primary contact source (e.g., only Google or only Phone Contacts).
• 🔧 Update. MIUI to the latest version – in the new firmware, many synchronization errors are corrected.

It is also useful to disable autosynchronization for unnecessary applications:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Choose an unneeded account (such as Facebook or Twitter).
3. Turn off the contact sync for him.

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If you frequently switch between devices (e.g., Xiaomi to iPhone and back), use Google Contacts as your primary source, making it easier to move data and reducing the risk of duplicates.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the duplicate contacts on Xiaomi