Unified info - can you merge on iPhone?

Question

Unified info - can you merge on iPhone?

I'm syncing my contacts/address book with iCloud, but there are quite a few contacts on my iPhone that are "linked" to both a card in iCloud as well as on the iPhone. Is there a way to merge those 2 cards so they become one card (iCloud)? Fyi, I am NOT syncing with iTunes. For all new cards I create it does seem to work that way, whether I input the card info in iCloud, my desktop address book, or in Contacts on my iPhone itself. It's simply a new card in iCloud and not "unified". I think the Unified cards are from my original database, but I think I may have some info on the "iPhone" contacts that I don't want to lose.

Is there a way to merge these?

Thanks.

Posted on May 2, 2013 3:54 AM

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Answer 1

braden85

Community Specialist

May 4, 2013 11:46 AM in response to garyhelsinger

Hi Gary!

I've got an article here that may help you merge all of your contacts into iCloud so that you don't have duplicate cards anymore. The article can be found here:

iCloud: Resolving duplicate Contacts after setting up iCloud Contacts

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4147

If you are having further issues with your contacts on your iPhone after that, this article may help you resolve the issue:

iCloud: Troubleshooting iCloud Contacts

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3998

In most cases, the way to resolve the issue of having an "On My iPhone" database and an "iCloud" database is to toggle the switch for iCloud contact syncing. This can be found in Settings->iCloud->Contacts. After you have toggled the switch to "Off" and then toggled it back to "On," iCloud asks you if you would like to merge your contacts. Choose "Merge," so that your local contacts database on your iPhone will get pushed and merged with the iCloud database, creating one database with all of the information from both databases in it.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

-Braden

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Answer 2

May 9, 2013 1:01 PM in response to braden85

Hi Braden,

Still haven't resolved with this with your info above.

Both my home and work desktop Contacts are in sync with iCloud. They all have the same number of contacts listed and match the "Group" "All iCloud" on my phone, but I still have a different amount of contacts in the Group "on my iphone" that shows up in Unified Info. There are not duplicates on my desktop Contacts or in iCloud.

If I toggle "off" in iCould>contacts the next option is to either "Delete from My iPhone" or "Keep on My iPhone" (not merge). Should I select "keep" and then toggle back on and it will THEN ask me to merge? I have about 3,500 contacts so I don't want to double everything (but then again, I don't want to lose the "on my iphone" contacts either because I think some of them have unique info pre-dating using iCloud to sync)

Thanks again for your help.

Gary

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Answer 3

whatheck

Level 5

4,131 points

May 9, 2013 1:20 PM in response to garyhelsinger

garyhelsinger wrote:

If I toggle "off" in iCould>contacts the next option is to either "Delete from My iPhone" or "Keep on My iPhone" (not merge). Should I select "keep" and then toggle back on and it will THEN ask me to merge? I have about 3,500 contacts so I don't want to double everything (but then again, I don't want to lose the "on my iphone" contacts either because I think some of them have unique info pre-dating using iCloud to sync)

You can keep or delete, then attempt to merge the contacts without worring about losing contacts, if you back them up before working with them. Take a look at this Apple doc ->iCloud: How to back up iCloud data

The article provides instructions for iCloud contacts and vCards in the Contacts app, I'd backup both because of the large number of contacts you are working with.

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Answer 4

May 9, 2013 2:12 PM in response to whatheck

It ended up doubling my iCloud but then I just "looked for duplicates" and merged and it was fixed! One contact card in iCloud only for each entry. Finally! Thanks!!

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