Contacts duplicate in spotlight search

Question

Level 1

9 points

Contacts duplicate in spotlight search

Hi there, I googled for this but it seems that I didn't find anything.

I got a Mobile Me account and my 3GS iPhone is synced with that, on iTunes contacts syncing is turned off and I got only one record for each one in Contacts, so it's ok here, but when I search for a contact on iPhone spotlight it finds two record for each of the person I'm searching for, the same records: one has got the contact icon on the left, the other not.

I tried stopping mobile me syncing, I synced then with iTunes (contacts sync still off), the contacts has been deleted then I tried searching on spotlight and it could still find the records!!! I waited for about ten minutes but nothing happened.

I restored mobile me syncing, contacts reappeared and the problem with duplicate contacts in spotlight is always there.

Any suggestion?

Thanx
Fabrizio

Macbook 2GHz, Mac OS X (10.6.2), iPhone 3GS

Posted on Jan 20, 2010 1:21 AM

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Answer 1

modular747

Level 6

19,656 points

Jan 20, 2010 2:30 AM in response to FabGau

Spotlight searches multiple areas of the phone besides Contacts. A contact name may also appear in email, calendar and Notes entries and multiple hits may display. Each displayed hit shows the source in small font below.

In Settings > General > Home > Search Results, you can limit and order which categories you want to search with Spotlight.

See pages 37 and 147 of the User Guide:

http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/iPhone_UserGuide.pdf

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Answer 2

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 2:35 AM in response to modular747

Thanx for your quick reply.

I know what you've just wrote but this is not the case: spotlight search result shows two records for each of the contact I'm searching (grouped) and the other matching result (notes, calendar and so on).

So the problem is not about searching settings.

Fabrizio

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Answer 3

modular747

Level 6

19,656 points

Jan 20, 2010 2:39 AM in response to FabGau

Do you have more than 1 group in Contacts? You will see "Groups" in an arrow at the top left of of the Contacts screen - touch it to see if there are more than one with duplication of your contacts.

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Answer 4

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 2:41 AM in response to modular747

Yes I got 2 groups other than All Contacts but inside the groups there are only restaurant and not the guy I'm used to search over spotlight.

Fabrizio

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Answer 5

modular747

Level 6

19,656 points

Jan 20, 2010 2:46 AM in response to FabGau

In that case you may have a corrupted Spotlight database. Try the basic troubleshooting steps as needed to clear it:

1. Reset phone - press both home and sleep/wake buttons until the Apple logo appears.
2. Restore in iTunes using a backup.
3. Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings
4. Restore as a new iPhone

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Answer 6

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 2:51 AM in response to modular747

Very annoying 😟

Never restored an iPhone before, I'm gonna try the steps you mentioned.

I will give you feedback.

Fabrizio

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Answer 7

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 3:07 AM in response to modular747

About the steps:

1) ok

then shouldn't be (after a secure backup)

2) settings-general-reset-reset all setting
3) restore from iTunes

?

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Answer 8

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Jan 20, 2010 3:09 AM in response to FabGau

FYI:

The spotlight search will bring up every contact, phone number, email address, etc., EVER entered on your phone, regardless if said contact is deleted & thus not appearing in your contact list. Some consider this a FEATURE of the spotlight search, others a PIA. The ONLY way to eliminate this data is to restore your phone as a "NEW" device & then re-sync your iTunes content. You need to decided if it's worth going through all that or just living with it.

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Answer 9

modular747

Level 6

19,656 points

Jan 20, 2010 3:48 AM in response to wjosten

I don't believe that is the case with Spotlight. At one time all my contacts were duplicated, but since eliminating the duplication, Spotlight doesn't show duplicate Contacts hits even though I've never restored.

If I Spotlight search a contact and then delete it from Contacts, when I seach again, Spotlight no longer shows a hit.

While remembered email addresses are "forever" in Mail, Spotlight should display only contacts that are current in the phone.

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Answer 10

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 6:31 AM in response to modular747

Done and apparently nothing changed.

😟

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Answer 11

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 7:16 AM in response to wjosten

I rather this is the fact: full reset and restore didn't work for me.

Spotlight still find every single contact even if the app Contacts is empty. When I turn Mobile Me sync on I got two contacts again in spotlight result (one with the icon on the left and the other not).

I wonder if SIM card in somehow imply or if Spotlight search over Mobile Me too.

Fabrizio

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Answer 12

modular747

Level 6

19,656 points

Jan 20, 2010 9:30 AM in response to FabGau

If there are contacts stored on the SIM card, they were put there by another device - iPhones can't store contacts to SIMs, only read them. If they are on the SIM, it's possible that Spotlight would see them, though this isn't documented anywhere.

Have you used the SIM in another phone?

Spotlight can't search anything that's not on the phone such as MobileMe.

BTW, which iPhone OS/firmware version are you using? Have you done any "modifications" to the phone?

Message was edited by: modular747

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Answer 13

modular747

Level 6

19,656 points

Jan 20, 2010 11:50 AM in response to FabGau

Spotlight still find every single contact even if the app Contacts is empty.

Another question: What happens when you touch a Spotlight hit of a contact, when Contacts appears to be empty? Does it take you to a Contacts entry or somewhere else?

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Answer 14

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 12:13 PM in response to modular747

When I touch the contact it finds I see all the information about the person, as it is regularly present inside the phone.

What I tried to do is delete one contact (with Contacts app empty) spotlight still finds. Then when I sync back with Mobile Me I got only one result, so if I delete every single voice of the 240 contacts I got it should works fine...but...I can't delete 240 records...

Fabrizio

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Answer 15

FabGau Author

Level 1

9 points

Jan 20, 2010 12:16 PM in response to modular747

Nope. The SIM is empty and I never used that SIM with other phone besides this iPhone.

The phone is not cracked (and never been) I don't need that, it's just perfect as it is, the firmware is the latest, of course.

Fabrizio

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