The Pluck blog
Practical guides for getting your iPhone contacts under control. Exporting, deduping, vCard, CSV, CRM imports, and the format quirks nobody warns you about.
How to export iPhone contacts to CSV
Three working methods and the gotchas with each: native Contacts on Mac, iCloud.com, and Pluck. Which one you use depends on whether you have a Mac, how many contacts you have, and what you're doing with the file.
How to export iPhone contacts to Excel
Excel can open a CSV directly, so the question is really how to get your contacts out of iOS in a clean form Excel won't mangle. Walkthrough plus what to do about leading zeros and country codes.
How to export iPhone contacts as a vCard (.vcf) file
vCard is the universal format for contact data. Here's how to produce a valid one from iOS, why the iCloud.com version sometimes breaks, and what to look for if you're going to re-import it elsewhere.
How to find duplicate contacts on iPhone
iOS 17+ added a built-in duplicate finder. It works for some duplicates but misses the ones that matter most: same person, two different number formats. Here's how to spot what iOS misses.
How to merge duplicate contacts on iPhone
Four merge strategies (keep first, keep most complete, merge fields, delete all) and the trade-offs of each. Includes what to do before you merge to avoid losing data you didn't realize you had.
How to back up your iPhone contacts without iCloud
If you don't trust iCloud, are out of free storage, or want a portable copy you control, vCard is the answer. Two ways to make one and where to actually store the file.
How to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android
Apple's Move to Android app exists but doesn't always work. The reliable fallback is a vCard file you import into Google Contacts. Step-by-step including the format pitfalls.
How to group your contacts by country
If your contact list spans multiple countries, grouping by country code is the fastest way to make sense of it. Why iOS labels alone aren't enough, and how Pluck does it automatically.
How to convert a .vcf file to CSV
vCard out, CSV in. The format gotcha most converters get wrong: how multi-value fields like multiple phone numbers per contact map to a flat spreadsheet without losing data.
How to format phone numbers for a CRM import
HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive each have rules for how phone numbers should look. Strip country codes? Add them? E.164? Here's the right answer per CRM and how to get there in Pluck.
What is E.164, and why your CRM keeps asking for it
E.164 is the global standard for phone numbers (looks like +14155552671). Understanding it stops half the import errors people run into when moving contacts between systems.
How to remove contacts that have no phone number
Email-only contacts pile up over the years and clutter the address book. How to find them in iOS, decide whether to keep them, and bulk-delete safely if not.