How to add contact to Xiaomi Redmi 9: all ways + problem solving

Xiaomi Redmi 9 remains one of the most popular budget smartphones even years after its release, and owners often face basic tasks that at first glance seem obvious - such as how to add a new contact to a phone book. However, the MIUI interface has its own peculiarities, and errors in saving contacts can lead to data loss or duplication of records.

In this article, we’ll break down all the current ways to add contacts to the Redmi 9 (including the Redmi models). 9A, 9C, 9T), How to choose the right place to save (phone, SIM-Map, Google, and show you how to fix common errors, from the lack of a Save button to synchronization problems. SIM-mapping and retrieving remote contacts.

1. Method 1: Adding a contact through the Contacts app

The most obvious and quickest method is to use the standard Contacts app (an icon with a person's silhouette on a green background), which is suitable for storing a number in the memory of the phone, on the phone. SIM-map or Google account.

To add a new contact:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app (if it isn’t on the home screen, search through the swipe search down).
• ➕ Press the button «+» In the lower right corner (or select New Contact in the menu).
• 📝 Fill in the fields: Name and surname (required only first name). Phone - enter the number in the format +79XXXXXXXXX or 89XXXXXXXXX. 📧 Email, 🏠 Address, 🎂 Birthday - optional.
• 💾 Select a save location: Device – contact will only be stored in the phone’s memory (risk of loss when resetting). SIM-Map - suitable for transfer to another phone, but limited to 250 contacts. Google - synced to the cloud, available on all devices with your account.
• ✅ Press Save (button in upper right corner).

On Redmi 9 with MIUI 12.5+ firmware, the Save button may not appear unless at least one mandatory field (name or phone) is filled. Also check if the edit mode of another contact is activated, which blocks the creation of a new one.

Name or phone filled in|Preservation location selected (not "By default")|No active editing of another contact|Internet connection (if you save it to Google)-->

2. Method 2: Saving a number from a call log

If you have a call from an unknown number and you want to add it to your contacts quickly, you can do it directly from the call log, which saves time because the number has already been entered, you just have to give it a name.

Instructions:

• 📞 Open the Phone application and go to the Journal tab.
• 🔍 Find the number you want in the list (you can use a search by number or name).
• 📌 Click on the number, then select Save (or Add to Contacts).
• 📝 Edit the name and, if necessary, add other data (email, address, etc.).
• 💾 Select the location of the save (see recommendations in the previous section).

⚠️ Note: If the number starts with +7, and you keep it on SIM-Redmi 9 can automatically trim the prefix to 8.To avoid duplication, manually edit the number before saving it.

In memory of the phone | On SIM-card |In Google-account |Use another application-->

3.Method 3: Import of contacts with SIM-map or file

If you switched to Redmi 9 from another phone, chances are your contacts are stored on the phone. SIM-A card or backup file (e.g..vcf) can be easily imported into a device memory or Google account.

Import from SIM-card:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙️) → Imports/Exports.
2. Select Import with SIM-map.
3. Please indicate where to import your contacts (phone or Google).
4. Select the necessary contacts or click Select All.
5. Confirm the import with the OK button.

Import from.vcf file:

• 📁 Place a file with contacts (for example, contacts.vcf) in the memory of the phone (can be through Explorer or connecting the smartphone to the PC).
• 📥 Open Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → File-based import.
• 🔍 Select the.vcf file in the device memory.
• 💾 Specify the location of the save (recommended by Google for backup).

⚠️ Note: When importing with SIM-Redmi 9 cards may have a "failed to import contacts" error if the card is damaged or an outdated storage format is used. SIM To another phone and export contacts to a.vcf file, then import it to Redmi.

4. synchronize contacts with Google and other services

One of the key benefits of Redmi 9 is that it supports synchronization of contacts with a Google account.

• 🔄 Automatically reserve contacts in the cloud.
• 📱 Access them on any device (phone, tablet, PC).
• 🔙 Restore Remote Contacts within 30 Days.

To enable synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account (or add a new one).
3. Activate the switch opposite Contact.
4. Press Sync (or wait for automatic sync).

If the contacts are not synchronized:

• 🔌 Check your internet connection (synchronization only works via Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔄 Update the Google Contacts app in the Play Store.
• 📱 Reboot your phone (sometimes helps when you freeze Google services).
• 🔧 Delete and add your account again (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Delete the account).

💡

If you lose contacts frequently, set up automatic sync with Google and periodically export the backup to the.vcf file via Contacts → Settings → Export.

5.Solving Contact Issues on Redmi 9

Redmi 9 users often encounter common contact errors, and let's look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Contacts are not maintained

If the Save button is inactive after filling in the fields or the contact disappears after saving:

• 📵 Check if your phone is full (remove the space if less than 10 are left%).
• 🔧 Update the Contacts app to the latest version.
• 🛠️ Clear the app cache (Settings) → Annexes → Contacts → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 🔄 Reboot the phone.

Problem 2: Duplicate contacts

Doubles occur when synced with multiple accounts (e.g. Google and Xiaomi) to combine them:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Combine Contacts.
2. Select duplicate records and click Combine.
3. Turn off sync with unnecessary accounts (Settings → Accounts).

Problem 3: Contacts are not displayed in messengers

If you can’t see saved numbers on WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber:

• 🔄 Reboot the messenger (close it in Recent apps and reopen it).
• 📱 Check the permissions for the messenger (Settings) → Annexes → [messenger] → Permits → Contacts).
• 🔧 Update the messenger to the latest version.

6. Backup and restoration of contacts

Losing contacts is one of the most frustrating situations for a smartphone owner. To avoid this, backups are created regularly. On Redmi 9, there are several ways to do this:

Method 1: Export to.vcf file

The.vcf file (vCard) is a universal format for storing contacts.

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Exports.
2. Select contacts for export (or click Select All).
3. Specify the location of the storage (for example, internal memory → Download).
4. Press Export.

The file can be copied to a PC, sent to an email, or saved to the cloud (e.g. Google Drive).

Method 2: Sync with Google

If your contacts are synced to Google, they are automatically backed up in the cloud to check the backup:

1. Open the website contacts.google.com on PC.
2. Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
3. Check if there are contacts on the list.

Method 3: Backup through MIUI

MIUI has a built-in backup function:

1. Go to Settings → System → Backup.
2. Select Contacts and click Backup.
3. Save a copy to Mi Cloud or locally.

⚠️ Attention: Local backups MIUI They may not recover from a phone reset to factory settings if they are stored in the device's memory. Always duplicate them to the cloud or on a PC.

💡

The most reliable way to back up is sync with Google + periodic export to.vcf. This will protect your contacts even if your phone breaks or your settings are reset.

7. Features of working with double SIM-card

Redmi 9 supports two SIM-It's a very convenient way to separate personal and work numbers, but it's a little bit more nuanced when you're dealing with contacts:

• 📞 By default, calls can be made with SIM-1. To change this, open the contact. → press the number → select the right one SIM.
• 📇 Contacts saved on SIM-They're linked to a particular map, and if you pull it out, the numbers will become inaccessible.
• 🔄 When moving contacts with one SIM Use export/import via.vcf file.

To appoint SIM-Default card for a specific contact:

1. Open the contact and click Edit.
2. Touch the phone number.
3. Select the default SIM card and select SIM-1 or SIM-2.
4. Save the changes.

⚠️ Note: If you use two of these SIM-cards of the same operator (for example, two MTS cards), you may have problems with determining the number when outgoing calls, in this case it is better to save contacts in the memory of the phone or Google.

FAQ: Frequent questions about contacts on Redmi 9