The situation of dozens or even hundreds of identical records accumulating in a phone book is familiar to many smartphone owners, such as when changing devices, syncing with different accounts or recovering from a backup, and not only do duplicates take up extra space, but they also create confusion when finding the right number, causing them to scroll through long lists of identical names.
Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices may face this problem more often because of the features of the MIUI and HyperOS shells, which can interpret data from Google Contacts and local memory differently. Fortunately, modern versions of the Android operating system offer built-in tools for automatic merger, as well as allow for the use of proven third-party solutions.
In this article, we will take a look at all the current ways to clean up your phone book, learn how to use the regular system tools, how to conduct a deep cleanup through the Google web interface, and which applications best cope with this task if standard methods do not help.
Automatic merger of duplicates by means of the system
The easiest and safest way to get a phone book in order is to use the built-in merging feature. In the latest versions of the MIUI and HyperOS shells, this tool is often hidden in the contact management menu, the system independently analyzes records, comparing names and phone numbers, and suggests combining matches.
To start the process, you need to open the standard Contacts app and go to the settings, which are usually in the top corner of the screen or in the side menu. Find Contact Management or Contact Organization. This is where the Unite Duplicates feature is located, which triggers the automatic scanner.
⚠️ Warning: Before starting an automatic merger, make sure you have a fresh backup of contacts. Although the process usually goes smoothly, in rare cases, the algorithm can combine records with similar names but different numbers.
Once scanned, the system will show you a list of pairs or groups of duplicates found, and you can either agree to the system's proposal to combine all the records found at once or go through the list manually, monitoring each action, which is especially useful if you have contacts with the same names but related to different people (for example, several "Alexanders").
- 📱 Open the Contacts app on the home screen.
- ⚙️ Click on three dots or a gear to enter the settings menu.
- 🔍 Select the item “Contact Management» → «Combine duplicates».
- ✅ Confirm the merger of proposed pairs or edit the list manually.
What to do if the merge button is not active?
Cleaning through the Google Contacts web interface
The most reliable method, which works regardless of your Xiaomi model or Android version, is to use Google’s cloud service. Since most users store their numbers in the cloud, cleaning through a browser on a computer or mobile browser ensures that duplicates are deleted in all synchronized devices.
Go to contacts.google.com and log in to the same account you use on your smartphone. On the left side of the screen, you have a navigation menu where you can find the Merge & fix section. Google has one of the smartest search algorithms that not only counts for full matches, but also for similar numbers with different codes.
The interface offers you several options: combine all duplicates at once, combine specific pairs or fix contacts with missing names. This method is especially effective, since changes are applied instantly on the server, and after re-synchronization on a Redmi or POCO phone, the list will become clear.
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Use the Undo Changes feature in Google Contacts if you find that important data has been lost after the merger.
It is important to note that after cleaning the web, you need to force the sync update on your phone. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google and click the update button for Contacts. Without this step, old data can temporarily appear in the local cache of the application.
Manual deletion and editing of records
Automated systems are not always perfect, especially when it comes to contacts with typos in names or written in different formats (for example, “8-900” vs. “+7-900”). In such cases, manual intervention is required.
Open a contact you think is redundant or wrong. At the bottom of the screen or in the menu (three dots), select the option “Delete.” If you want to merge data manually, first open the main contact, click “Change”, scroll down to the link “Add another number” or “Add address”, enter the data from the duplicate, and only after that delete the second entry.
☑️ Checking before manual removal
When editing manually, look for the “Company”, “Office” and social profiles fields, which often hide unique data that is lost when you merge automatically. Be careful when dealing with contacts linked to WhatsApp or Telegram accounts, as deleting a number can break the chat connection.
- 📝 Use a phone number search to find all related records.
- 🗑️ Remove duplicates one by one by checking your call history.
- ✏️ Bring the number formats to a single standard (for example, +7).
- 🔒 Do not delete the system contacts of operators if you are not sure of their purpose.
Using third-party cleaning applications
If Xiaomi and Google’s built-in tools fail, Google Play apps come to the rescue, offering more flexible search settings, allowing you to ignore certain characters, take into account only the first digits of a number, or look for duplicates by email domain.
One popular solution is Contacts Optimizer or Duplicate Contacts, which asks for permission to access your phone book and then performs a deep analysis, and they can find connections that are not visible to the person, such as the same numbers recorded under different names (for example, Mom and Mom's house).
⚠️ Warning: When installing third-party contact apps, carefully review the permissions you request. Avoid programs with dubious reputations as they gain access to your personal information.
Once scanned, the app will offer a list of actions, most of which allow you to select specific pairs to merge or delete, and some advanced utilities even allow you to back up.vcf before you start any operations, which is a good digital hygiene practice.
Remember, after using a third-party cleaner, you need to check the sync operation. Sometimes these apps change local data but don't send changes to the cloud immediately. Make sure the sync status in your Google account settings displays the current time of the last update.
Comparison of contact cleaning methods
The choice of method depends on the number of duplicates and your willingness to understand the settings. For quick cleaning of a pair of records, you can use manual method, whereas for ordering thousands of contacts, you can use Google cloud tools.
| Method | Difficulty | Speed. | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI Auto Merger | Low. | Tall. | Tall. |
| Google Contacts (Web) | Medium | Very high. | Maximum |
| Manual removal | Tall. | Low. | Tall. |
| Third-party annexes | Medium | Tall. | Depends on the app. |
As you can see from the table, Google’s web interface provides the best balance between speed and security. However, if you don’t have access to a computer or the Internet on a PC, Xiaomi’s built-in tools will be a worthy alternative.
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The most effective way to do a lot of data is to use the web version of Google Contacts, as it processes information on powerful servers and does not load your smartphone.
Preventing the appearance of duplicates in the future
So, in order not to have to deal with the problem of repetitive recordings regularly, it is important to set up the correct synchronization work. The main reason for the appearance of duplicates is the simultaneous recording of contacts in different storages: memory. SIM-Maps, phone memory and Google account, and only one source of truth is recommended.
Go to the Contacts settings and find Contacts to Display or Contact Filter. Make sure you have selected all contacts, but when you create new entries, you choose your Google account by default, which ensures that all new numbers are immediately taken to the cloud and checked for duplicates.
It is also necessary to disable the synchronization of contacts with SIM-If you have old records, import them to your phone or Google once, and then delete them from your SIM card so that the system doesn't read them all over again as new contacts, and that's a common mistake of owners who change phones.
- ☁️ Always save new numbers to your Google account, not your phone’s memory.
- 🚫 Disable the import of contacts with SIM-post-primary transfer.
- 🔄 Regularly check the synchronization status in the system settings.
- 📂 Export contacts to.vcf file for local backup.