good software to organize and manage contacts

[sobriquet]

Hi.
Suppose you have a lot of duplicitous contact information and a
rather large list of contacts on the smartphone. You could try to
fix that from the smartphone, but it has a rather small screen and
it's not so easy to have multiple views on screen simultaneously
to easily compare different contacts that need to be merged, so it
seems it would be a bit of a pain to do that on the smartphone.

So you export all contacts to a csv file and move it over to
the pc.
What would be the most convenient software on the pc (windows)
to re-organize a large contact list, so all redundant information
gets removed and you end up with a nearly structured contact list
that can be exported to csv so you can move it back over to the
smartphone?
Ideally the program should also be able to fetch contact lists from
email accounts like gmail or outlook, but it would be nice if it
is also able to operate without requiring any account or even an
internet connection.

kind regards and thanks for any suggestions

[Joe Beanfish]

Post by sobriquet
Hi.
Suppose you have a lot of duplicitous contact information and a
rather large list of contacts on the smartphone. You could try to
fix that from the smartphone, but it has a rather small screen and
it's not so easy to have multiple views on screen simultaneously
to easily compare different contacts that need to be merged, so it
seems it would be a bit of a pain to do that on the smartphone.

If your phone is connected/syncing to a google account you can edit
your contacts live on the desktop at https://contacts.google.com/

[sobriquet]

Post by Joe Beanfish

Post by sobriquet
Hi.
Suppose you have a lot of duplicitous contact information and a
rather large list of contacts on the smartphone. You could try to
fix that from the smartphone, but it has a rather small screen and
it's not so easy to have multiple views on screen simultaneously
to easily compare different contacts that need to be merged, so it
seems it would be a bit of a pain to do that on the smartphone.

If your phone is connected/syncing to a google account you can edit
your contacts live on the desktop at https://contacts.google.com/

Yeah, but you might have a separate contact list there with mostly email addresses, while the contact list on the mobile contains mostly phone numbers. I guess it would make sense to merge them into a single contact list containing both email addresses and phone numbers, but it would be nice if there was an option to keep them separated.

[Big Al]

Post by sobriquet

Post by Joe Beanfish

Post by sobriquet
Hi.
Suppose you have a lot of duplicitous contact information and a
rather large list of contacts on the smartphone. You could try to
fix that from the smartphone, but it has a rather small screen and
it's not so easy to have multiple views on screen simultaneously
to easily compare different contacts that need to be merged, so it
seems it would be a bit of a pain to do that on the smartphone.

If your phone is connected/syncing to a google account you can edit
your contacts live on the desktop at https://contacts.google.com/

Yeah, but you might have a separate contact list there with mostly email addresses, while the contact list on the mobile contains mostly phone numbers. I guess it would make sense to merge them into a single contact list containing both email addresses and phone numbers, but it would be nice if there was an option to keep them separated.

Don't know why not. I have all my contact info in the one gmail
contacts. On the phone I may want to email some attachment, or call,
or text, or put his address in to the gps and go there. All that info
is handy on the phone.

To the OP:
I sync my gmail and then port it to thunderbird since it's quick and
faster than contacts.gmail.com and use that on the desktop with a
shortcut the launches 'thunderbird -addressbook'.

Thunderbird might be a good place to put two lists. You can put each
in a different address book if you really want them separate.

[arlen holder]

Post by Joe Beanfish
If your phone is connected/syncing to a google account you can edit
your contacts live on the desktop at https://contacts.google.com/

I have to run to a meeting, where I don't disagree with the obvious method
of uploading your contacts to Google (or elsewhere on the net), so that you
can then manage them on the desktop with a big screen & keyboard.

Personally, I don't put my contacts on the net.

My suggestion is to use any of a number of methods to manage duplicates on
your personal network.

One way, Sobriquet already mentioned, I think (I'm in a rush), which is to
output from the phone contact manager to CSV (or other format) and then
manage that on the deskstop (e.g., Excel).

Another way it to _stay_ on the phone using any of a number of free
"contact duplicate cleaners". I can't research them now, but I've used them
in the past, where they have LOTS of options like merging duplicates.

Later I can help Sobriquet more but I gotta run...

[sobriquet]

Post by sobriquet
Hi.
Suppose you have a lot of duplicitous contact information and a
rather large list of contacts on the smartphone. You could try to
fix that from the smartphone, but it has a rather small screen and
it's not so easy to have multiple views on screen simultaneously
to easily compare different contacts that need to be merged, so it
seems it would be a bit of a pain to do that on the smartphone.
So you export all contacts to a csv file and move it over to
the pc.
What would be the most convenient software on the pc (windows)
to re-organize a large contact list, so all redundant information
gets removed and you end up with a nearly structured contact list
that can be exported to csv so you can move it back over to the
smartphone?
Ideally the program should also be able to fetch contact lists from
email accounts like gmail or outlook, but it would be nice if it
is also able to operate without requiring any account or even an
internet connection.
kind regards and thanks for any suggestions

Maybe excel is suitable to edit/restructure the csv file with a
list of contacts.

https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2014/05/01/convert-csv-excel/

[arlen holder]

Post by sobriquet
Maybe excel is suitable to edit/restructure the csv file with a
list of contacts.
https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/2014/05/01/convert-csv-excel/

As I recall, Excel will work just fine to read/write csv files.

The advantage of Excel is that it's KISS & it's always good to keep stuff
OFF the Internet, which _most_ solutions suggested will require.

It's my personal opinion that putting contacts on the net is ridiculous.
(But that's up to you.)

As I mentioned yesterday, I've used free contact dup cleaners in the past.
Searching for which ones are good, it seems there are MANY out there.
The sheer number of free dup remover apps a problem, as you're well aware.
<https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Duplicate%20Contacts%20Remover>

Here's an unsorted list found in that simple search on Google Play.

o Duplicate Contact Merger, by Little Play Studio
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lps.contactmerger>

o Duplicate Contacts Remover, by Kathos
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kathos.duplicatecontact.contactmerger>

o Duplicate Contacts, by alex accaci
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.accaci>

o Cleaner - Merge Duplicate Contacts, by Simpler Apps Inc
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.simpler.merge>

o Duplicate Contacts Remover Pro, by Creative Picture Lab
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.creativepicturelab.duplicatecontacts.removerpro>

o Duplicate Contacts Remover - Contact Optimizer, by AppWorld Infotech
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appworld.duplicatecontacts>

o Duplicate Contacts Remover, by TopOfStack
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tos.contact_duplicacy>

o Duplicate Contacts Remover, by Honey Apps Studio
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=honeyapps.duplicatecontactsremover>

o Duplicate Contacts Fixer and Remover, by Systweak
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.systweak.duplicatecontactfixer>

Of these, which is best?
I have no idea (yet).

I'll try a few.