How to Set a Photo for a Call to Xiaomi: 5 Ways to Make All Models

When an incoming call is on your Xiaomi screen, the first thing that catches your eye is a photo of the contact. But what if instead of a beautiful photo you display a boring icon or an empty circle? This problem is familiar to many owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones - especially after updating MIUI or transferring contacts from another device. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to add photos to contacts, including hidden MIUI 14 features and workarounds for older models.

It's important to understand that the process depends on the firmware version and the phone model. For example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 14, the algorithm is different from the Redmi Note 10 on MIUI 12.5. We'll look at universal methods that work on 90% of devices, and also point out common errors that may cause a photo to not appear. If you've tried adding a photo but it doesn't appear when you call, you'll find a solution to this problem in the article.

Why is the contact photo not displayed when you call?

Before we get to the instructions, let’s look at the main reasons why the photo may not show:

• 📱 Synchronize contacts with Google account or Mi Account disabled – photos are stored only in the cloud.
• 🖼️ Incorrect image format — MIUI supports JPEG and PNG prior 720×720 pixel.
• 🔄 The cache of the “Contacts” application is full – the system does not update thumbnails.
• 📞 Uses a third-party call (such as Truecaller or Google Phone) – it can ignore system photos.
• 🔒 Limitations MIUI contact SIM-Cards – These numbers do not support photos.

If you fall under one of these points, you can find solutions in the corresponding sections below, for example, for a synchronization problem, there is a separate instruction in Section 3, and we will deal with the cache in Section 5.

Method 1: Add a photo through the standard "Contact" application

This is the most obvious and versatile method that works on all versions of MIUI 11 to 14.

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen).
2. Find the right contact in the list or use the search at the top.
3. Slip on the contact to open his card.
4. Click on the camera icon (or the plus in the mug if the photo is missing) next to the name.
5. Select the source: 📸 Take a photo – directly from the camera phone. 🖼️ Gallery – Choose from existing images. 🎨 Avatars – standard icons from Xiaomi.

Cut the photo in a circle (if required) and save the changes.

After that, the photo should be displayed when incoming calls, and if that hasn't happened, check the problem-solving section.

- Resolution no more than 720×720 pixels

- JPEG or PNG format

- The file weighs less than 500 KB.

- Face takes at least 60% of the frame

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Method 2: Synchronize your contacts with Google or Mi Account

If you add a photo but it doesn't show up, the problem may be that you don't sync. MIUI saves contacts by default either in your phone's memory or in the cloud. To make sure that photos are correctly displayed when you make calls, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select Google or Mi Account (depending on where the contacts are saved).
3. Make sure the Contact Switch is active (blue slider).
4. Slip on Sync now and wait for the process to be completed.

If your contacts were saved to Google but still don’t show up, try this:

1. Open Google Contacts in your browser.
2. Find the right contact and add / update the photo through the web interface.
3. Return to your phone and force your account to sync again.

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If you use two accounts (Google and Mi), priority is given to where the contact was last created. To avoid conflict, keep all contacts in one place.

Method 3: Using the Google Phone App

Xiaomi’s standard call app sometimes conflicts with the display of photos, in which case an alternative call, Google Phone, will help, a method that is especially relevant for owners of POCO F3, Redmi K40 and other models with “clean” Android.

Instructions:

1. Download Google Phone from the Play Market.
2. Open the application and allow all the permissions requested (contacts, phone, SMS).
3. Go to Settings → Applications → By default → Phone App.
4. Select Google Phone as the default app.
5. Open contact via Google Contacts and add/update photos.

Important: After changing the phone app, the standard Xiaomi call will be disabled. To return it, repeat step 3 and select Phone (application from Xiaomi).

Method 4: Clearing the cache and data of the "Contacts" application

If photos are added but not displayed when calling, the problem may be in crowded cache, especially after major MIUI updates, when the system does not have time to update thumbnails.

How to clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the contacts in the list and tap on it.
3. Choose Warehouse.
4. Click Clear Cache (Do not delete data!).
5. Reboot the phone.

If this doesn’t work, try a more radical method:

1. In the same Warehouse menu, click Clear Data.
2. This will delete all local contacts (but not those synced to Google/Mi Account).
3. After cleaning, restart the device and wait for the synchronization to happen again.

Method 5: Manually add photos through the file manager (for advanced ones)

This method is suitable for users who want to manually replace a photo of a contact through system files, requiring root rights or ADB, but giving 100% control over the images.

Instructions for root access devices:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db
3. Copy the database to your computer and open it with DB Browser for SQLite.
4. Find the table. raw_contacts and remember the id of the right contact.
5. In the data table, find the record with mimetype_id=15 (This photo) and update the field data15 pathway.
6. Save the changes and return the file back to your phone.

If the problem persists, try resetting the phone app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Phone.
2. Select Warehouse. → Reset the settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

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If the photo is not displayed only for some contacts, check if they are saved to different accounts (for example, one in Google, another in Mi Account).

FAQ: Frequent questions about photos on Xiaomi calls