Two records for the same person can leave you wondering which one to open. One may have their current work details; the other holds the note that reminds you how you met. Deleting whichever record looks less complete can mean losing something you still need.
Dextr helps you bring those pieces together. You can review possible duplicates, open the individual profiles, and inspect a combined contact before you merge. This walkthrough follows Liam Patel’s two records, including his work details, tags, workshop connection, and notes.
Find possible duplicates
Tap Home in the bottom menu. Look under Insights for the Duplicates card, scrolling down if needed, and tap it to open the list.
Dextr looks for shared contact details, such as a phone number, email address, or social profile, together with matching name information. A matching name by itself does not necessarily produce a suggestion. A possible match still needs your judgment: people can share a family phone number or a work address.
The list groups the records Dextr thinks may belong together. 1 duplicate beneath Liam Patel means there is one extra record to compare with his existing contact.
There are two ways forward:
- Tap the name or the right-hand chevron to see the individual records.
- Tap the blue merge icon on the left to go directly to Merge Preview. This shortcut opens the preview; the final Merge button inside the preview performs the merge.
If the Duplicates card is absent or the list is empty, Dextr has no detected matches to show at that time. Let an initial import finish before checking again.
Compare the records
Open Liam Patel from the Duplicates list. You will see both records, even though they have the same name. The context icons and relation labels can help distinguish them.
Tap each record to open its profile. Compare the phone numbers, email addresses, organization, notes, and any meeting details. Return to the pair after checking each profile.
In this example, one record includes Liam’s connection to the Design Workshop and his interests in accessible design. The other contains a note from the workshop registration list saying he prefers email for scheduling. Those details help establish that the records describe the same person.
When you are confident, tap Preview Merge in the upper-right corner. Leave uncertain matches separate until you can check them.
Review the merge preview
Start at the top of Merge Preview. Check the photo, Basic Info, and Relation to You. For Liam, the combined record shows Austin Central Library, Workshop Coordinator, and Close Friend.
The preview also brings together the tags assigned to the records. Liam’s running-club and pickleball tags remain visible alongside his relationship context.
Read the values Dextr proposes to keep. Fields such as the name, organization, relation, and First Met details need a single resulting value; the preview does not preserve every conflicting value as a separate field. If something is wrong, close the preview, correct the relevant contact details, and open it again.
If you have more than one available Apple Contacts account, the preview can also show Sync Location. Check the destination account before proceeding.
Check contact and First Met details
Scroll down through First Met, Numbers, Emails, and Places. Liam’s preview includes the Design Workshop at Austin Central Library, a note about a monthly design club, his mobile number, and his work email.
Make sure the contact methods you use are present and that the meeting belongs to the right person. Merging brings the records together; it cannot tell you whether an old phone number is still current.
The Events guide explains how a First Met event connects a person to an occasion. The Places guide shows how locations help you find those connections later.
Check notes and Dextr data
Continue to Notes. The preview shows the notes from each source record, allowing you to read both before combining them. In Liam’s case, the personal context and the scheduling preference are both useful.
The Dextr Data section summarizes connected information such as relationships, reminders, journal entries, and events attended. Liam’s example includes a reminder, a journal entry, and an event.
This is a good moment to check the context you would not want to lose. After merging, review that information on the surviving profile as well.
Merge when the preview is right
Once you have checked the entire preview, tap Merge in the upper-right corner.
Merging is permanent. Dextr keeps one contact, brings the combined information and connected data into that record, and removes the duplicate records. When those duplicates are linked to Apple Contacts, the operation also removes their separate linked records there after exporting the combined contact. For contacts stored in iCloud, those account changes can then sync to your other devices.
If you are not ready, tap the X in the upper-left corner to close the preview without merging. If your aim is simply to hide someone from your active contact list, archiving keeps their record available to restore later.
If merging is unavailable
Read the message shown in Dextr. The duplicate-resolution controls may be unavailable when Contacts access is limited, sync setup is incomplete, Contacts Sync is disabled, a sync is running, or another device is your Primary Sync Device.
Open Home → Settings → Contacts Sync and check the relevant setting:
- Allow the full Contacts access requested for duplicate resolution.
- Finish Contacts Sync setup and enable sync if it is disabled.
- Wait for an active sync to finish.
- Perform the merge on your Primary Sync Device when Dextr identifies another device as responsible for Contacts Sync.
Follow How to Import and Sync Contacts With Dextr for setup and permissions, or Using Multiple Devices for the Primary Sync Device arrangement. If the issue persists, contact Support with the message Dextr displays.
Check the result and keep it useful
After the merge completes, open the surviving contact. Check the phone numbers and emails, read the combined notes, and review the tags, meeting context, reminders, and journal entries you expected to keep. Correct outdated details before moving on to another group.
A single clear record is easier to use when the next step is already there. Add a Stay in Touch reminder for someone you want to reconnect with, or record a recent conversation in a Journal Entry.
For the rest of your address book, continue with How to Clean Up Your Contacts with Dextr. You can work through Dextr AI’s Keep and Archive suggestions a few people at a time.
