Previous articleDuplicate Contacts in Xiaomi: 7 Reasons and 5 Ways to Remove Repetitive Phone Book Entries

You open a phone book on your Xiaomi to find the number you want, but instead of one contact, you see two, three or even five of the same entries? The problem of duplicate contacts on Mi, Redmi, POCO smartphones is common, but it can be solved. In this article, we will discuss why this happens, how to automatically and manually combine repetitive contacts, and also prevent them from appearing in the future.

Duplicates don’t just clutter up a list, they interfere with fast search, create confusion when calling, and can even lead to loss of important data when incorrectly combining, SIM-map) or often transfer data between devices, followed by a detailed guide with step-by-step instructions, method comparison tables and answers to frequent questions.

Why Xiaomi Duplicates Contacts: 7 Reasons

Before you fix the problem, it’s important to understand the source of the problem, and in Xiaomi smartphones, duplicate contacts are usually due to one or more factors:

• 🔄 Sync with multiple accounts: if you use both Google and Mi Account, and save contacts on your account SIM-The system can create separate records for each source.
• ☁️ Cloud sync errors: When Google Contacts or Mi Cloud fails, the same data may be duplicated with each update.
• 📱 Transfer data between devices: When switching from an old phone to a new one (e.g. from Samsung to Redmi Note 12), contacts can be imported with repetitions.
• 🔄 Firmware update MIUI: after major updates (for example, with MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) sometimes the links to the accounts are lost.
• 📇 Manual Adding Contacts: If you type the same number into different apps (like WhatsApp and the standard phone book), the system can create separate records.
• 🤖 Application errors: Some messengers (such as Telegram or Viber) automatically add contacts to the phone book, duplicating existing ones.
• 🗑️ Incorrect removal: if you remove contact from only one source (e.g., from a single source) SIM-maps, but not from Google, it can be "restored" the next time you sync.

Most of the time, the problem is because of a combination of these things, like you moved contacts from an old phone, then you switched on sync with Google, and then you updated MIUI, and you got triple takes.

How to Check Where Duplicates Come From: Source Analysis

Before you combine or delete contacts, you need to understand which records are duplicated and from which sources they come.

1. Open the Contacts app** on your Xiaomi.

If you have a lot of contacts, it is more convenient to use filtering:

• 🔍 In the Contacts app, click on the magnifier icon (search) and enter the name of the duplicate contact.
• 📊 In search results, look for small icons next to the name – they show the source (such as a cloud for Google or a SIM card).

Critical error: If you delete a contact from Google but leave it in Mi Account, the next time you sync it can duplicate again, so it's important to clear all sources at once.

Method 1: Automatically combine duplicates into MIUI

MIUI firmware has a built-in feature for finding and combining duplicate contacts, which doesn't work perfectly, but it can handle most of the repetitive entries:

1. Open the Contacts app**.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Contact management → Connecting contacts.
3. The system will automatically find possible duplicates. Opposite each will be a "Connect" button.
4. Check that the combined records really belong to one person and click Combine.

If the automatic connection does not work:

• 🔄 Try updating the Contacts app through Google Play.

Disable sync with Google and Mi Account

Make a backup copy of contacts

Check the doubles manually one by one

Combine only completely identical records-->

Important: After you automatically merge, check if important data (such as additional numbers or addresses) is missing, and sometimes the system can eat some of the information when you merge.

Method 2: Manual removal and combination of duplicates

If auto-unification doesn't work, or you're afraid of losing data, you can manually delete duplicates.

1. Open the Contacts app and find a duplicate contact.

To speed up the process:

• 📋 Use a notebook or Google Keep to temporarily save data from duplicates.
• 🔍 Turn on displaying all contacts in the app settings (to see records from all accounts at the same time).
• 📊 Sort contacts by name or number – it’s easier to find duplicates.

If there are too many duplicates (hundreds of records), manual deletion will take hours, in which case it is better to use Method 3 - export and import through the file.

Method 3: Export, clean and import contacts via file

This method is suitable for mass deletion of duplicates, the point is to export all contacts to a.vcf file, clear it from repeats using a computer or special services, and then import back.

Step-by-step:

1. Export of contacts: Open "Contacts» → ⋮ → Contact management → Import/Export: Select Export to the file and specify where to export (e.g. Google or Device). Save contacts.vcf to your phone memory or Google Drive.
2. Cleaning the file from duplicates: Copy the file to your computer. Use the services to clean the duplicates: 🌐 Contacts Cleaner (online) 💻 Microsoft Outlook (import) → duplication → export) 📱 Duplicate Contacts app (for Android)

Import of cleaned contacts:

• Delete all contacts on your phone (via Contact Management → Delete everything).
• Import the cleaned contacts.vcf file back.

Warning: Before mass deleting contacts, make sure to back up! For example, export contacts into multiple files (one for each source) or sync them with Google.

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If you duplicate your contacts after importing, turn off automatic sync for 10-15 minutes, then turn it back on, which will help the system update the data correctly.

Method 4: Set up sync so that the duplicates don’t show up again

Even after the contacts are cleared, the duplicates can reappear if you don't set the sync correctly.

1. Choose one primary source: Google Contacts – they are more securely synced and available on any device. Turn off contact sync in Mi Account if you are not using the Xiaomi ecosystem: Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Sync → Contacts (off)
2. Turn off automatic add contacts from instant messengers: WhatsApp: Settings → Account → Contact Sync (disable). Telegram: Settings → Privacy → Contacts (disable sync).

Set up the correct import with SIM-map:

• When transferring contacts with SIM-Select Import to Google, not Import to your device.

If you use multiple accounts (like Google’s personal and work accounts), set them up so that contacts don’t overlap:

• 📌 In Google Contacts (on your computer), create separate groups for different accounts.
• 🔄 In the sync settings on the phone, disable unnecessary groups:

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If you only use Mi Account for backup, turn off the contacts sync in it. Just leave backups to Settings → Mi Account → Cloud → Backup and create them manually once a month.

Method 5: Reset the Contacts app (last resort)

If none of the above works, you can reset the Contacts app to factory settings, which will delete all local data, but save contacts synchronized with Google or Mi Account.

Instructions:

1. Make a backup of your contacts (export to.vcf or sync with Google).
2. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
3. Find the Contacts app** (or com.android.contacts) and open it.
4. Once you reboot, sync your contacts with Google again or import them from the file.

Attention: ⚠️ This method will delete all local contacts (those that are saved only on the device). If you do not back up, it will be impossible to restore them!

If the duplicates reappear after reset, the problem lies in the data itself (for example, there were hidden duplicates in the.vcf file).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When dealing with contacts, users often make mistakes that lead to even more chaos.

• 🚫 Removing contacts from only one source: ⚠️ Note: If you delete contact with SIM-You can google it, and the next time you import it, it's duplicated again. Always clean all the sources at the same time.

If you are not sure about your actions, it is better to contact Xiaomi support or use the official instructions on the website mi.com/support.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Contact Duplications in Xiaomi