How to put a photo on the contact in Xiaomi Redmi 9: all ways with explanations

Why it’s important to add photos to your contacts

Xiaomi Redmi 9 is one of the most popular devices in the budget phone line, but even power users sometimes have questions about basic features. One of them is setting photos to contacts. At first glance, the task is simple, but there are nuances in MIUI (the Xiaomi brand shell) that can be confusing. For example, not everyone knows that contact photos sync with Google’s default account, which means that when you change the device, they can “disappear” if you do not configure the save correctly.

Adding photos to contacts not only makes a phone book visually more convenient, but it also helps you find the numbers you want faster. Research shows that you recognize images 10 times faster than text. This is especially true for Redmi 9, where the screen is not the largest (6.53 inches), and scrolling through a long list of contacts without photos can take too long, and photos in contacts are displayed when incoming calls, which adds personalization.

In this article, we will discuss the three main ways to install photos on contacts in Xiaomi Redmi 9: 1) through the standard Contacts app, 2) using Google Contacts (relevant for sync), 3 using third-party apps for advanced customization.

You will also learn how to fix common errors, such as when a photo doesn’t show up after installation or disappears after a system update.

Method 1: Install photo through the application "Contacts"

The most direct method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a person's silhouette on a green background), which is suitable for those who do not use sync with Google or want to add photos only for local storage.

1. Open the Contacts app on the home screen or in the app menu.
2. Find the contact you want in the list and click on it to open the card.
3. In the upper right corner, tap the pencil icon (edit).
4. Touch an empty mug with the camera (or current photo, if you already have one).
5. Select the source: 📷 Take a photo – take a picture of a person through the camera. 🖼️ Gallery – select an existing image from your phone’s memory. 🎨 Avatar – Create a stylized avatar (not available in all versions) MIUI).

Ready.

Save.

If the photo doesn't show up immediately after saving, try restarting the Contacts app or the smartphone itself. Sometimes the app cache interferes with the correct display.

1. Is there enough space in the phone's memory

2. Are gallery access rights allowed for the Contacts app

Is the energy saving mode on (may block background processes)

4.Whether the MIUI firmware has been updated to the latest version-->

⚠️ Note: If you edit a contact that is synced to Google, the changes will apply to all devices that sync. To avoid this, create a local contact (when saving, select your Phone account instead of Google).

Method 2: Add photos via Google Contacts

If you use a Google account to sync your contacts, it’s easier to edit them through the web version of Google Contacts, which ensures that the photos are available on all your devices, including Redmi 9, tablets and even computers.

1. Open your browser on your phone or computer and go to https://contacts.google.com
2. Sign in with the same Google account that is linked to your Redmi 9.
3. Find the contact you need in the list and click on it.
4. Click on the camera icon in the upper left corner (near the contact name).
5. Choose one of the actions: 📤 Upload a photo – add an image from the device. 📷 Take a photo – if you use the mobile version of the site. 🎨 Create an avatar – generate a stylized picture by the first letters of the name.

5 minutes.

Redmi 9

Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google → Sync Contacts (incl.)

The advantage of this is cross-platform, for example, if you add a photo through a computer, it will automatically appear on Redmi 9 and another Android device, but there is a downside: Google compresses images to a resolution of 96×96 pixels, so the quality can suffer.

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If the photo in Google Contacts is blurry, try uploading it in high resolution via your computer and then cropping it right in the web interface to help minimize quality loss.

Method 3: Third-Party Applications for Advanced Configuration

If you don't like standard methods (for example, because of resolution restrictions or lack of editing features), you can use third-party applications.

• 🔍 Truecaller – not only adds photos to your contacts, but also automatically pulls up avatars from social networks (VK, Facebook, Instagram. minus: requires access to your phone book.
• 🔄 Sync.ME – syncs your contacts with social networks and offers advanced settings for photos (for example, automatic updating of avatars).
• 📱 Contacts+ — allows you to create contact groups with shared photos, add notes and reminders.

Consider installing photos through Truecaller (the most popular application for this purpose):

1. Download and install Truecaller from Google Play.
2. Register (you will need a phone number for verification).
3. Open the app and find the right contact.
4. Slip on the pencil icon (edit).
5. Click on the empty avatar and select the source: 📸 Taking a photo – taking a new picture. 🖼️ Gallery – Choose from existing photos. 🌐 Social media – pull up an avatar from VK/Instagram (if the contact is linked to the profile).

Save the changes. The photo will automatically update in the standard Contacts app.

⚠️ Note: Apps like Truecaller collect your contacts to form a database of numbers. If you're concerned about privacy, turn off automatic sync in your app settings or use it only to add a one-time photo.

Common Problems and Their Solutions

Even after successfully installing photos, Xiaomi Redmi 9 users sometimes encounter bugs, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

1.Photo is not displayed when an incoming call is made

Causes and solutions:

• 🔄 Phone app cache: Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Phone. → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 📵 Sync Error: Check if your Google account contacts sync is enabled (see Method 2).
• 🖼️ Too big a photo: MIUI It may not display images larger than 5 MB. Cut the photo down to 1000×1000 pixel.

2.Photo disappears after MIUI update

This problem is common for Redmi 9 when switching to a new firmware version.

1. Check if your contacts are saved in your Google account (if so, sync again).
2. If contacts are local, try to restore them from backup: Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup
3. Install Contacts Backup & Restore from Google Play and restore contacts from the backup.

3. It is impossible to crop the photo

If the editing of the photo in the standard application "Contacts" does not work the cropping tool:

• 📱 Update the Contacts app via Google Play.
• 🔧 Use a third-party app (such as Photo Editor) for pre-trimming.
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes a bug occurs due to a lack of RAM.

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If a contact photo problem occurred after the MIUI update, try rolling back to the previous firmware version via Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Dots (menu) → Select a service pack. This will help if the bug is related to a specific build.

Optimizing photos for contacts

To make contact photos look clear and not take up too much space in the memory of Redmi 9, follow these tips:

• 📏 Permission: Optimal size — 500×500 pixels. Large images. MIUI It automatically shrinks, losing quality.
• 🎨 Format: Use JPEG photo PNG for logos/avatars. HEIC (Apple-format, as the MIUI He doesn't support it.
• 🖼️ Background: For avatars, choose images with a uniform background (such as a portrait on a white background.
• 🔍 Contrast: The image should be clear even in miniature. Avoid dark or too light photos.

For rapid optimization, you can use applications:

• Photo Resizer – changes the resolution without loss of quality.
• PicsArt – adds background, trims and improves clarity.
• Remove.bg removes background from portraits in 5 seconds.

Important: MIUI caches thumbnails of contact photos in the /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/files/ folder. If you manually change the photo through the file manager, remember to clear the Contacts cache, otherwise the changes won’t apply.

How to make a backup of contacts with a photo

To avoid losing photos of contacts when resetting your phone or switching to a new device, you can do a backup regularly. In Xiaomi Redmi 9, this can be done in several ways:

1. Through a Google account

The most reliable method, as the backup is stored in the cloud:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Make sure the sync contacts switch is on.
3. Press More. → Synchronize now.

Contact photos will be saved along with numbers. To check the backup, go to contacts.google.com.

2.Local backup via MIUI

If you are not using Google, back up to your memory card:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select Contacts and click Backup.
3. The backup file will be saved in the folder MIUI/backup/AllBackup internal memory or SD-map.

Third-party annexes

For advanced backup (including high-quality photos) use:

• Super Backup & Restore – saves contacts in.vcf format with photos.
• Contacts Backup – Exports contacts to XML or CSV.

⚠️ Note: Local backups (on the memory card) may be damaged when retrieved SD-cards while writing. Always safely remove the drive through Settings → Warehouse → Extract SD-map.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions