managing duplicate phonebook contacts

[archz2]

I am running android 4.2.1.

I always used sync my contacts with my gmail account. Recently I hard reset my phone. But before hard resetting, I backupped my contacts to SD card via a vcf export option in the phone book. Now my contacts have duplicated a lot. There are multiple entries for one person having same number.

For example

John Williams - 1894830498

This entry has been repeated 5 times. Similar is for other names in my phone book. How can I delete multiple entries or join them in one.

And also regarding the sync option how does it work with gmail. If I delete a contact in my phonebook and the sync the phonebook, it will get deleted in gmail as well?

Or if I delete a contact in my gmail, my phonebook will automatically delete it upon syncing? What is the parent-child relationship here?

 

[SiempreTuna]

Have you checked whether there are duplicates in your Google account contacts?

Might be worth logging on via a browser (going to be easier using a PC) and checking.

That's where I'd de-dup (unfortunately, a manual process).

Once you've ensured your Google account is de-duped, remove all contacts from your phone (I use an app called Contact Remover but a factory reset also works), then sync with Google.

After that, keep your contacts sync'd automatically with Google.

 

[Crashdamage]

If you delete a contact in your phone book it will be deleted in your Gmail contacts when re-synced IF the contact was saved as a Google (aka Gmail) contact and not to the SIM card or phone's memory only. The opposite is also true - delete a Google contact and it deletes the phone book contact IF the phone book contact was saved as a Google contact.

 

[archz2]

Have you checked whether there are duplicates in your Google account contacts?

Might be worth logging on via a browser (going to be easier using a PC) and checking.

That's where I'd de-dup (unfortunately, a manual process).

Once you've ensured your Google account is de-duped, remove all contacts from your phone (I use an app called Contact Remover but a factory reset also works), then sync with Google.

After that, keep your contacts sync'd automatically with Google.

Okay, there were some duplicates in my online Gmail. Thanks

Can you suggest merging contacts. There are duplicates in "phone" memory. How to deal with it.?