The switch to a new smartphone like the Xiaomi Redmi 9 often involves the need to quickly transfer personal information. The most important part of any user’s digital profile is a phone book containing the numbers of colleagues, friends and delivery services. Fortunately, in the shell of MIUI, which is based on the Android operating system, this process is as simple as possible and does not require the installation of third-party programs.
Owners of Redmi 9 devices may find themselves in a situation where all numbers are stored in the memory of an old SIM card, which requires importing to access them on a new device, which will copy the data from the card chip into the phone’s internal memory or directly into Google’s cloud service, ensuring that they are safe even if the device is lost or broken.
This article describes in detail the algorithm for current versions of the firmware MIUI 12 and MIUI 13. We will discuss the standard method through the system application, the nuances of working with two SIM cards and ways to protect against accidental data loss during the migration process.
Preparation of the device and checking the SIM card
Before you start directly copying records, you need to make sure that the physical medium is working properly. SIM-The card is properly installed in the tray and is determined by the system. Redmi 9 uses a combined slot, so it is important to check if the microSD card is blocked if you use it to expand memory.
Go to the settings menu and open the About Phone section, then select All settings and Status SIM-This should show the operator's name and signal level, and if you see the operator's name instead of "No service" or "Not known", the import of contacts may not be correct or even begin at all.
⚠️ Note: If more than 250 contacts are stored on the SIM card, the reading process can take several minutes.Do not remove the card while the system is running to avoid damaging the file structure of the storage.
It is also worth checking the free space in the internal memory of the device. Although the contacts themselves take up a minimum of space, the system requires a buffer for temporary files during the import operation. If the memory is full of media files, it is better to pre-clear the cache or delete unnecessary downloads.
To make it easier to use your phone book, it is recommended to activate sync in the future, which will avoid repeating the transfer procedure the next time you change your device, just make sure that the Google account settings include a tick opposite to Contacts.
Standard method of import through the Contacts app
The main tool for managing calls in Xiaomi is the built-in Contacts app (a yellow icon with a human silhouette), which is the one that handles most phone book operations. Open the app and find a three-dot icon or a gear that represents a menu in the upper right corner.
In the drop-down list, you need to select the item Import / Export contacts. The system will offer several options, among which we are interested in the option Import with the Internet. SIM-When you click on this item, the phone automatically reads the available records.
- 📱 Select the target SIM card if two are installed in the device (SIM 1 SIM 2).
- ☁️ Identify a save location: it is recommended to choose a Google account or phone memory.
- ✅ Confirm the action with the “OK” or “Import” button in the dialog box that appears.
Once confirmed, the copying process will begin, a progress bar will appear on the screen showing the number of records processed, and when the operation is complete, the system will notify you of successful import or inform you if some contacts were not counted due to formatting or damage to the data on the chip.
It is important to note that when choosing to save your phone, contacts are tied to a specific device. If you decide to reset the Redmi 9 settings to factory settings, this data will be lost if you do not pre-sync.
☑️ Import checklist
Google Account and Cloud Synchronization
The modern Android ecosystem is built around a Google account, the most secure way to store a phone book, as the data is not tied to a physical device or a plastic card, but to your email, and when importing contacts on Redmi 9, it is strongly recommended to choose this option.
When you choose to save your Google Contacts during import, the system automatically uploads numbers to the company's servers, allowing you to restore the phone book to any device at any time just by logging in to your account, and it also gives you access to convenient management functions through the web interface on your computer.
To check sync status, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure the switch opposite the word "Contacts" is active. If it is turned off, data will not be updated automatically in the cloud.
⚠️ Note: When choosing to save to a Google account, make sure the device is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Although the text takes up little traffic, uploading profile photos and avatars can account for a significant portion of mobile traffic.
Using cloud storage also solves the problem of duplicates. Google services are able to automatically find duplicate records and offer them to combine, which makes the phone book neat and structured, this is especially true if you often changed SIM cards and copied data back and forth.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
Import via File Manager and vCard format
There is an alternative method of portability that can be useful if the standard menu is not available for some reason or is not working properly, using the vCard file format (extension.vcf), a universal standard for sharing contact information.
If you have the option to upload contacts from an old SIM card to your computer or other phone as a.vcf file, you can upload this file to Xiaomi Redmi 9 via the X-ray. USB-You can then open the file through any file manager, like Explorer.
The system automatically recognizes the format and offers an application to open, and if you select standard Contacts, you will see a request to import the records you find, and this method is good because it allows you to preview the contents of the file and edit it on the computer if necessary.
| Parameter | Direct import with SIM | Import via vCard file |
|---|---|---|
| Speed. | Tall. | Medium (depending on file size) |
| PC required | No. | Preferably (to create a file) |
| Photo preservation | Rarely. | Often (if there is in the file) |
| Risk of error | Minimum | Medium (depending on the encoding) |
Using vCard files is also a great way to back up: you can save one file with all the contacts on a flash drive or send yourself an email, and be sure that even in the event of a complete system failure, your data will remain safe.
Solving problems and duplication of records
Redmi 9 users can experience a number of common problems when importing, and one of the most common is the appearance of duplicates, which occurs when contacts are stored in both phone memory and SIM card and Google account simultaneously, and the system displays them as different records, even though they are the same person.
To solve this problem, the Contacts app has a built-in cleaning tool. Go to the app's settings and find the "Clean Duplicates" or "Connect" option. The algorithm will analyze the database and suggest combining records with the same numbers or names.
Another problem may be to display “Crimson” instead of letters, especially if the contacts were recorded on an old phone with a different encoding or on a device from another manufacturer (for example, an iPhone or a Nokia button), in which case transcoding via a computer or re-importing with the choice of the correct encoding, if such an option is available in the application used.
- 🔍 Check if contacts are hidden: in the contact menu, select "Filter" and make sure that the tick is ticked "All contacts".
- 📞 Make sure that the numbers are recorded in an international format (with the country code) so that instant messengers like WhatsApp and Viber can recognize them.
- 🔄 After importing, always do a manual check of several random numbers by calling them.
If contacts were imported but lost after rebooting, check the display settings. The default filter is Phone Only, and you have saved data to a SIM card or to the cloud. Change the filter to All Contacts to see the full phone book.
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Save your contacts backup in.vcf once a month, and you can do this through the Google Contacts web interface by selecting Export. You can store the file on a flash drive or on a cloud drive.
Display settings and sorting after import
Once the data migration is successfully completed on Xiaomi Redmi 9, it’s worth taking the time to adjust the usability. MIUI offers flexible settings for displaying the contact list. You can choose to sort by name or surname, which is especially true for users who are used to different standards.
Go to the Contacts settings and find the Display section, where you can turn on the listing of photos to help you visually find the right subscriber faster, and you can also show only contacts with numbers, which removes the empty posts left over from messengers or social networks.
An important aspect is the distribution of contacts into groups. When importing from a SIM card, all records usually fall into a common pile, it is recommended to manually or automatically distribute them into groups: "Family", "Work", "Friends", which will make it easier to send messages or create conference calls in the future.
⚠️ Note: When grouping contacts, be careful not to assign multiple ringtones to one contact. MIUI priority is given to a specific contact rather than a group, which can cause confusion.
Be sure to check how the numbers are displayed. In some regions, it is customary to hide part of the number or format it in a certain way, these settings are located in the same menu of display parameters and allow you to adapt the interface to the user's personal preferences.
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Properly configuring the display and sorting of contacts after importing saves time finding the right number in the future and makes using a smartphone more comfortable.