Our smartphones are supposed to help us stay better organized while keeping all the information we need close at hand. But as we rely more and more on them, we have to face a new problem: the digital clutter. One of the biggest culprits is probably lurking in your iPhone contacts.
Your Contacts app can be crammed with names, phone numbers, and email addresses, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Many of these contacts need to be current and relevant, but you probably also have duplicates or multiple entries for the same person.
You probably also have outdated contacts that you no longer need.
It’s time to take some steps to clean up your address book. Trying to tackle it one by one can be absolutely maddening, but there are some useful apps and tips that make the process much less painful. Here’s how to do it.
Desynchronize contacts for certain accounts
You can have more accounts than you think by sharing information with your iPhone Contacts app. To see what’s going on, go to Settings and choose Passwords & Accounts. You will see a list of accounts, which may include Gmail or other email accounts.
If you want your iPhone to only contain your phone contacts, you can choose to turn off syncing contacts with your email accounts. Just tap on the account name and turn off the Contacts slider.
You will receive a warning that this will remove these contacts from your device. But don’t worry, they won’t be deleted from the account itself. This can be a quick way to reduce your contact list to a more manageable level.
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Merge duplicate contacts
Duplicate entries are a common complaint when it comes to contacts. For a tidier address book, you want to merge them into one entry per person. For this task, see an application like Smart Fusion Pro, which you can download for free.
The app will check your contacts, check for duplicates and give you the option to merge these superfluous entries. Just make sure to back up your contacts when Smart Merge Pro gives you the opportunity.
Delete contacts manually
You can always delete contacts one by one as you go. Just tap the contact, tap Edit and scroll until you see the Delete Contact option. You will need to tap the small pop-up window again to confirm the deletion.
This is a simple option to clean up your address book here and subsequently you’ve merged duplicates and turned off unnecessary account syncs.
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Use an address book manager
One way to really take control of your contacts is to implement an address book management application. These apps handle most of the work of tracking, organizing, and updating your contacts.
Return circle
the Return circle app promises to bring a better address book to your iPhone. One of the most attractive features of the free app is its ability to find contact information hidden in email signatures and turn them into usable contacts. If you still find yourself arguing with a lot of physical business cards, you’ll appreciate its ability to scan cards using your iPhone’s camera and add them to your address book.
CircleBack is also constantly on the lookout for changes in your contacts, so that it can update them and keep the information up to date. A built-in contact deduplication feature also helps reduce contact clutter. Try this app if you want a free way to maintain a more advanced address book.
Cloze Relationship Management
the Cloze The app is more than just a means of jamming your contacts. It behaves like a personal assistant by learning which contacts are important to you. It tracks your interactions and can update contacts based on changes to their electronic signatures. The app can also remind you to get in touch with people you haven’t communicated with in a while.
The basic Cloze app is free, but to access its most powerful features you’ll need a subscription starting at $ 13.33 per month. The subscription price should tell you that this app is for professionals who need to follow clients and others in their business networks. If this sounds like you, you might find the cost worth it.
Whether you just clean up your existing iPhone contacts or choose to use a different app entirely, you’ll be rewarded with a less cluttered and easier to navigate address book.
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