How to combine the same contacts on Android Xiaomi Redmi: the complete guide

Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO Often, we are faced with the situation when, after synchronization with SIM-The phone book contains repetitive entries, which are caused by the system's perception of data from different sources as independent entities, even if the names match. Duplicates create chaos, making it difficult to quickly find the right number and making it difficult to use smart caller detection features.

The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have built-in powerful subscriber list management tools that solve this problem in minutes. Automation works best if all duplicate records contain at least one common phone number or email. In this guide, we will detail manual and automatic methods for eliminating duplicates, and also look at the nuances of working with different data sources.

Before we start editing, it's important to understand where the extra entries came from, and it's often when you move data from an old device or when you reset it to a factory setting, and the right way to structure a phone book not only improves visual perception, but also speeds up search algorithms inside Android.

Preparation for cleaning the phone book

Before you start any manipulation of your contact database, you need to make sure that your personal data is secure. Backup is the gold standard of digital hygiene, which allows you to roll back changes in the event of an error. In Xiaomi devices, this procedure takes a minimum of time and can be done through cloud services or locally.

It is recommended to check the sync status in the settings of the Google account. SIM-So, if you want to do this, you'll want to copy it to your phone's memory first, and that's going to prevent accidental loss of information, because it's functional. SIM-Cards are limited and do not support complex field merging operations.

Also worth paying attention to is which apps are used to display the call list. Google's standard Contacts app and Xiaomi's proprietary solution can interpret duplicates differently. Make sure you work in the interface that is the main one for your system.

Automatic combination of duplicates in MIUI and HyperOS

The fastest way to clean up the mess is to use the built-in smart fusion function, which analyzes names, phone numbers, and email addresses, suggesting that records that are likely to belong to one person are combined, a method ideal for primary processing of large data sets.

To start the process, open the Contacts app and go to the control menu. Depending on the firmware version (MIUI 12, 13, 14 or HyperOS), the path may vary slightly, but the logic remains the same.

• 📱 Open the Contacts app on the home screen or in the Tools folder".
• ⚙️ Click on the menu icon (three dots or gear) in the top corner of the screen.
• 🔄 Select Contact Organization or Contact Management.
• 🤝 Click on the option to combine repeated contacts.

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If the system does not find duplicates automatically, try temporarily disabling the display of contacts with the SIM-maps in the list filtering settings.

Once you scan, you'll see a list of proposed associations, and you can agree on everything at once, or you can look at each pair individually, and be careful when merging records with the same names but different numbers, and the system can go wrong if you have multiple phones with the same name in different sources.

Manual contact merge via editing menu

In situations where the automation fails or the names are written differently (for example, "Ivan Petrov" and "Petrov Ivan"), manual intervention is required, this method is more time-consuming, but gives you full control over the result, you decide which fields will be saved in the final record.

The process starts by looking for one of the duplicate records, and you go into the contact card, you find the link function, you attach the data from the other record to the current record, you create a single profile, and then the second record disappears from the list, and the information becomes part of the first one.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Open the first contact card from a pair of duplicates.
2. Press the Edit button (usually the pencil icon).
3. In the editing menu, find and select Connect or Combine with another.
4. In the list that opens, select the second contact that you want to attach.

It is important to note that manually combining often prioritizes the record you are currently editing, adding data from the attached contact as additional fields, and if the same fields were filled in in both records (e.g., two different work numbers), both will be saved in the final profile.

Working with contacts on SIM-map and cloud

One of the most common reasons for duplicates is to store contacts in different places. SIM-The map, some in Google, and some in the phone's memory, and the management of all the sources must be consistent.

Contacts to SIM-They have limited functionality: they're usually just a name and a number, and when they import these records into a phone, they often duplicate those that are already synced from the Internet. It is recommended to always keep your main base in the Google cloud, as this ensures security and cross-platform.

To avoid confusion, set your phone to keep new contacts by default saved to Google. To do this, go to the Contacts app settings and select "Account for new contacts" to prevent new disparate posts from appearing in the future.

Use of third-party cleaning applications

If Xiaomi’s standard tools fail to achieve the desired result, specialized tools from Google Play come to the rescue. Apps such as Contacts Optimizer or Duplicate Contacts use more flexible search algorithms, ignoring the letter register, word order or the presence of unnecessary characters in the room.

When installing third-party software, be sure to check the permissions requested. Contact applications require access to personal information, so trust only trusted developers with a good reputation. Before starting the scan, you should back up again.

• 🔍 Similarity search: Many utilities find duplicates even when the name is misprinted (for example, "Alexander" and "Alexander").
• 📞 Number analysis: programs ignore number formatting (+7, 8, brackets, dashes, considering them the same.
• 🛡️ Security: Good apps work locally and don’t send your phone book to third-party servers.

⚠️ Warning: After using third-party cleaners, always check the result selectively. Aggressive algorithms can combine namesakes with different numbers, counting them as one person.

Display setting and list filtering

Sometimes the problem is not the contacts themselves, but the settings for displaying them, and the phone can be enabled to display all possible sources at the same time, which visually creates a duplication effect, although technically the records are simply shown from different lists.

There's a filter feature in the Contacts app, so you can set up the display to only see contacts from your phone, only from Google, or only those with a phone number, which helps you quickly identify the source of the duplicates.

To adjust the filtering:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Click on three dots in the corner of the screen and select Settings or Contacts to display.
3. Select All Contacts or specify a specific account.
4. Make sure that the checkmark Only contacts with numbers are active if you want to remove empty entries.

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Getting the display filter right is the first step to diagnosis, and often, the doubles are just contacts from different accounts that can be hidden.

It's also worth checking your sorting settings. Sometimes identical names are next to each other, but separated by contacts with other letters because of the peculiarities of sorting by surname or name. Switching the sorting mode in the settings menu can visually agrup similar entries.

Frequent problems and their solution

In the process of tidying up, users may encounter various technical nuances, such as contact differences due to room formats or hidden characters, and when you combine, you lose a photo or address.

If you notice that important information has been lost since the merger, use the Recycle Bin Recovery feature, which has an archive on Google Contacts where deleted or altered records are stored for 30 days, which saves you from many errors.

Another common problem is contacts without names. Often, when importing from instant messengers (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram), records containing only a number are created, and they should also be combined with the main card or deleted if they are not needed.

⚠️ Note: When combining contacts from different sources (e.g, SIM And Google, the photo is usually given priority to the cloud account. SIM-cards may be lost.

Checking the phone book regularly is a good habit, and once every six months, you should go through the list, delete old numbers and combine new takes, which keeps the system on track and speeds up your search.

Conclusion

Putting things in order on Xiaomi Redmi is a mindful task, but it's a regular system solution. Regular use of the unification functions and proper synchronization setup will save you from the chaos in the phone book. The main thing is to always have a backup before mass changes.

Use the power of Google’s cloud technology to store the core database. SIM-Consider the card as a transport medium, and by following these simple rules, you will be able to communicate comfortably and quickly reach the right people in any situation.