How to synchronize contacts on the Xiaomi Redmi phone: all the ways and nuances

Losing contacts on a smartphone is one of the most frustrating situations for users, especially if we are talking about Xiaomi Redmi, where by default you can only sync with a proprietary Mi Account, not with a universal Google account. Many people find that after resetting or flashing the phone, all numbers disappear, and you can not always restore them. In this article, we will discuss how to properly sync contacts on Xiaomi Redmi, what services to use for this, and what to do if sync does not work.

It's important to understand that synchronization is not just a backup, it's a two-way process of exchanging data between a phone and a cloud server, which means that changes in contacts on one device will automatically affect everyone else that has the same synchronization enabled. For example, if you add a number to a Redmi Note 12, it will appear on a Redmi 10 tied to the same account, but there are pitfalls: conflicts between different accounts (Mi vs Google), duplicate records, or even complete loss of data when you don't set up.

We will look at all the relevant synchronization methods, including rarely mentioned nuances – for example, how to link contacts to the network. SIM-map or why synchronized numbers sometimes don’t show up after an update MIUI. Also, we will discuss how to avoid common errors and what to do if the synchronization suddenly stops working.

What is Contact Synchronization and Why You Need It

Contact sync is the process of automatically updating a phone book between your smartphone and a cloud server (like Google Contacts or Mi Cloud) without it, all numbers are stored only in the device’s memory, and if you break, steal, or reset your phone, you will lose them.

The main advantages of synchronization:

• 🔄 Automatic backup: Even if your phone breaks, your contacts will stay in the cloud.
• 📱 Access from any device: link the same account to a new smartphone and all numbers will be automatically downloaded.
• 🔄 Relevance of data: changed the number on one phone – it will be updated on all the others.
• 🚫 Loss protection: Even if you delete a contact by mistake, it can be restored from your change history (Google Contacts).

On Xiaomi Redmi, synchronization can work through:

• 📱 Mi Account (Proprietary account Xiaomi)
• 📧 Google Account (Universal Service)
• 📶 SIM-Card (limited number of records)
• ☁️ Third-party services (Yandex, Mail.ru, iCloud for iPhone users).

Important: By default, new Redmi models (like the Redmi Note 13 Pro+) can only be synced to Mi Account, not Google, meaning that if you change your phone to non-Xiaomi, you’ll lose all contacts if you don’t move them in advance.

How to enable contact synchronization with Mi Account

Mi Account is a Xiaomi branded account that is automatically created when you first turn on your phone. It offers 5GB of free cloud storage, where you can save photos, notes and even backups of apps in addition to contacts. However, it has a significant disadvantage: if you move to a smartphone of another brand (for example, Samsung or iPhone), it will be more difficult to transfer contacts from Mi Cloud than from Google.

To enable synchronization through Mi Account:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. If you are not logged in, log in (or register).
3. Slip on your account, then select Contact Sync.
4. Activate the Contact Slider (should turn blue).
5. Click Sync manually or wait for an automatic update (usually once a day).

After that, all contacts stored in the phone book as Mi Contacts will be uploaded to the cloud to check that sync is working:

• Go to i.mi.com.
• Sign in under the same account.
• Open the Contacts section – all your numbers should be displayed there.

⚠️ Note: If you previously synced contacts through Google and now enabled Mi Account, there may be duplication of records.To avoid this, export contacts to a.vcf file before enabling Mi Cloud and clear the phone book before enabling it.

Syncing with Google Account: More Reliable and Universal

Google Contacts is the most reliable way to sync, as it works on any device (including iPhone and Windows-telephone) and offers advanced contact management features. Unlike Mi Account, you can roll back changes, combine duplicates and even restore deleted numbers within 30 days.

To link your contacts to Google Account on Xiaomi Redmi:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Choose your account (or add a new one if you don’t have one).
3. Activate the Contact Slider.
4. Click More → Sync Now for Forced Update.

To check if your contacts are saved on Google:

• Go to contacts.google.com.
• Sign in under the same account.
• Make sure all numbers are displayed in the list.

If the contacts are not synchronized:

• 🔄 Check your internet connection (synchronization only works via Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔄 Make sure that the Autosynchronization option is enabled in the Google account settings.
• 🔄 Update the Contacts app on Google Play.
• 🔄 Reboot your phone – sometimes it helps to start stalled syncs.

💡

If you use two accounts (Mi and Google), you can choose which contacts to display in the Contacts app. To do this, tap the three-point in the upper right corner → Displayed contacts → select the desired account.

How to transfer contacts with SIM-maps on Xiaomi Redmi

Many users still keep their contacts on the SIM-It's a very important way to do this, especially if you're switching from a button phone:

• 📵 One on one. SIM-The card usually contains no more than 250 contacts.
• 📵 No possibility to save additional information (email, address, photo).
• 📵 Loss or damage SIM-All the cards will be lost.

To move the contacts with SIM-Xiaomi Redmi cards and sync them with the cloud:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Stick to three points (⋮) top-right → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.
3. Choose where to save contacts: Phone, Google or Mi Account.
4. Confirm the import.

After importation, it is recommended:

• 🔄 Delete contacts with SIM-cards (to avoid doubles).
• 🔄 Enable sync with Google or Mi Account (as described above).
• 🔄 Check that all numbers are displayed in the cloud (contacts.google.com or i.mi.com).

⚠️ Note: If you are importing contacts with SIM-The cards will not sync to the cloud to fix this, export them to a.vcf file, then import them back to Google or Mi Account.

Solving problems with contact synchronization

Sometimes, the synchronization of contacts on Xiaomi Redmi stops working for no apparent reason, and let’s look at the typical problems and ways to fix them.

If none of these methods worked, try resetting your sync settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Contacts app and click Storage → Clear the data.
3. Reboot the phone.
4. Turn on synchronization in your account settings again.

How to export and import contacts manually

If automatic synchronization doesn’t work, or you want to back up your contacts on your computer, you can export them to a.vcf (vCard) file, which is supported by all modern smartphones and services.

To export contacts to Xiaomi Redmi:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Stick to three points (⋮) → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Export to file.
3. Choose which contacts to export (All or a specific account).
4. Specify the location of the storage (e.g., internal memory or SD-map).
5. Confirm Export – Contacts.vcf will be created in the selected folder.

To import contacts from the.vcf file:

1. Copy the contacts.vcf file to your phone (for example, via Bluetooth, Telegram or other devices). USB-cable).
2. Open the Contacts application → Contact management → Import / Export → Import from the file.
3. Select the.vcf file and specify the account to save (Google, Mi Account or Phone).
4. Confirm the import.

This method is useful if you:

• 🔄 Switch to a new phone from another brand (e.g., Xiaomi on iPhone).
• 🔄 Want to create a backup before resetting your settings.
• 🔄 Transfer contacts to a friend without synchronizing through the cloud.

💡

You can open a.vcf file on your computer with Outlook, Excel, or any text editor, and it's a universal format that all devices support.

How to Avoid Losing Contacts When Resetting Your Phone

Hard Reset on Xiaomi Redmi removes all data from the device, including contacts, if they are not synced to the cloud.

1. Check that sync is enabled (at least one account is Google or Mi).
2. Export contacts to a.vcf file and save it to your computer or cloud (Google Drive, Yandex.Disk).
3. Make sure that the correct display options are selected in your account settings (e.g. Show contacts from: Google).
4. If you use Mi Account, check that Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Sync includes all the necessary options.

After discharge:

1. When you first turn on your phone, log in to the same account (Google or Mi) you used earlier.
2. Connect to the Internet and wait for automatic synchronization (or run it manually).
3. If contacts do not appear, import them from the previously saved.vcf file.

⚠️ Note: If you sell or give away your phone, be sure to log out of all accounts (Google, Mi, Samsung, etc.) before resetting. Otherwise, the new owner will be able to recover your contacts and other data through the cloud!

FAQ: Frequent questions about synchronizing contacts on Xiaomi Redmi