Why does the native iPhone Contacts app merge certain contacts?

Important: This behavior is not a bug in sync.blue®, but a system-level feature of Apple iOS.

Typical Scenarios

• In sync.blue®, the contact Max Mustermann (max.mustermann@firma1.com) is stored and in the personal Outlook contacts Max Mustermann (max.mustermann@firma2.com). → iOS recognizes the identical name and merges both records.
• If several contacts have very similar names (e.g., same last name or similar spelling) and also appear in the same lists or groups, iOS can link them.

Why does iOS do this?

Apple's strategy is to display a "clean" contact list without duplicates. The merging is based on:

• Name match (first and last name identical or very similar)
• In some cases, shared fields such as phone numbers or email addresses are also considered.

The system then displays a "linked contact" that originates from multiple accounts. ...

What are the consequences?

• Incorrect phone numbers or email addresses are displayed. ``` Avatars can disappear. When a linked contact is deleted, all associated individual contacts are removed from all accounts.

Possible Actions

1. Check Linked Contacts:
   The affected contact can be opened in the iOS app and scrolled down. The linked accounts are displayed there. → The link can be selectively removed.
2. Delete individual contacts:
   Instead of removing the entire linked contact, only the unwanted part can be deleted. → Tap on "Linked Contacts" and select the account to be removed.
3. Strategy for name conflicts:
   Add unique additional information (e.g., company name in the name field) or use different fields for business and personal contacts.