Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the standard keyboard layout does not meet their needs when saving a new number or finding a contact. This is especially true for users who use multiple languages or switched to a device from a different operating system. The interface of MIUI and the new HyperOS offers flexible tools for managing text input, but they are not always obvious at first glance.
The problem may be not only the lack of letters on the screen, but also the wrong sorting of the records already saved. If you notice that your contacts are mixed or the search stopped finding names written in Cyrillic or Latin, you need to check the system input settings. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to change the input alphabet and adjust the order of the list display.
It is worth understanding that changing the layout affects all text fields in the system, not just the Contacts app. Therefore, changing the keyboard settings will be a universal solution for messengers, browsers and notes. Google Keyboard, which is installed by default on most global firmware versions, has its own configuration features, which we will discuss later.
Configuring input languages through the system keyboard
The first and most important step is to activate the required language in the input system itself. By default, global versions of Xiaomi smartphones often only include English and local languages of the region. To add, for example, the Russian or Ukrainian alphabet, you need to go to the device settings menu.
Open Settings and find the Additional Settings section. Language and input are your favorites. This is where you manage all your input methods. Click Keyboard Management or select Gboard (or Mi Keyboard) if it is listed as active.
- 🔤 Go to the settings of the selected keyboard and select "Languages».
- ➕ Click the “Add keyboard” button and find the language you want in the list.
- ⌨️ Select the desired layout (for example, "Russian" or "English" (USA)»).
- 💾 Click Ready to save the changes and activate the new alphabet.
⚠️ Attention: After adding a new language, it may not appear instantly. Try to fold the settings and open the input field in any application, then click and hold the space or globe icon to switch.
If you use a third-party keyboard, like SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, the process will be similar, but the settings menu will be inside the keyboard app itself. It's important to make sure that the system allows third-party input, or the phone will prompt you to return the standard layout.
Changing the language of contact sorting
Even if you successfully switched layouts, the names in the phone book may not appear correctly in alphabetical order, because the system sorts contacts based on the selected display language, and to fix this, you need to change the sorting settings inside the Contacts app.
Go to the Contacts app and click on the three dots in the top right corner (or menu button). In the drop-down list, select Settings. Find Contact Sort or Name Display. Here you will see the option to select the sorting language.
The system will offer several options, usually “Default (device language)” and specific languages, and if you choose Russian, all contacts will be sorted according to the rules of Russian grammar, which is critical for proper search.
☑️ Checking the sorting settings
It’s worth noting that changing this parameter doesn’t rename the contacts you’ve already saved, but only changes how they’re listed and how you search. If you have names in different languages on your list, choosing a particular sorting language can “hide” contacts in other languages at the end of the list or make them less accurate.
Solving encoding problems when importing contacts
A common cause of the appearance of "crackers" instead of letters or irregular alphabet is incorrect import of contacts from an old phone or a phone. SIM-When transferring data via a.vcf or.csv file, character encoding can be lost, especially if older methods of transferring data have been used.
If you see characters that are not clear, try importing contacts again using a Google account. Google Contacts cloud sync automatically brings all names to a single UTF-8 encoding standard, eliminating alphabet display problems.
| Method of import | The risk of alphabet distortion | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| S SIM-map | High (the number of symbols) | Copy to your Google account |
| Through Bluetooth (.vcf) | Medium (depending on OS version) | Check the file encoding |
| Google Account | Minimum | Used as the main |
| Mi Mover | Low. | Recommended for Xiaomi |
For advanced users, you can edit the contacts file on your computer before importing it. Open the.vcf file in a text editor (like Notepad++) and make sure that you choose UTF-8 encoding when saving it. This ensures that all special characters and letters of any alphabet are recognized correctly.
⚠️ Note: When importing contacts with SIM-Card names are often cropped up to 10-15 Always back up to the cloud before transferring data to a new device.
What to do if contacts are displayed with question marks?
Use of third-party applications for contact management
Xiaomi’s regular tools are functional, but sometimes limited in fine-tuning. If a standard application does not allow you to implement the script you want, specialized utilities from Google Play will come to the rescue.
One of the best solutions is Contacts+ or Drupe, which have their own indexing and search engines that ignore the system limitations of MIUI, and allow you to create smart groups and filter contacts by any attribute, including the language of the name.
- 📱 Install a contact manager application from a reliable source.
- 🔐 Provide the necessary permissions to access the phone book.
- ⚙️ In the application settings, find the “Exterior” or “Display” section».
- 🌐 Select your preferred sorting language and name display format.
The advantage of third-party apps is that they are often updated regardless of the Android version or MIUI shell.This means that new search and filtering features are coming in faster than stock apps from Xiaomi.
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Use the Favorites feature in third-party contact managers to create quick access to important numbers, no matter what language they are written in.
Specificity of working with two SIM-maps and languages
Xiaomi smartphone owners often use two SIM-And sometimes there's confusion when the contacts from one SIM are shown with the wrong alphabet. SIM-The card may have its display settings inherited from the previous phone.
To get things to a common denominator, you need to combine duplicate contacts. Xiaomi's system is good at finding duplicates, but it's not always perfect. It's best to use the merger function in a Google account, where the algorithms work more accurately.
When dialing, the system can offer contacts based on call history and usage frequency, ignoring alphabetical order. To return the classic look, in the Phone app, click three dots, select Settings, and find the Contact Sort option, force the desired language.
If you switch between regions often, it's helpful to set up location services, and some numbering and search functions can change the interface language depending on your location, which sometimes affects the layout of the phone book.
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Google Cloud Centralized Contact Storage Removes Problems With Alphabet Linking SIM-map.