How to import contacts on Xiaomi Redmi: the complete guide

The transition to a new smartphone, whether it’s the flagship Xiaomi 13 or the budget Redmi Note 12, always starts with the most important thing: recovering the phone book. For many users, losing records is a disaster, as the phone stores not only colleagues’ numbers, but also personal codes, addresses and important reminders. Fortunately, the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem offers many built-in tools for quickly migrating data from various sources.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods, from cloud sync to manual transfer through vCard files. You will learn how to avoid duplication of records and why Google account is the most reliable storage. We will look at the nuances of working with iPhone and old button phones to make the process as smooth as possible.

Regardless of which data source you use, the algorithm will be clear to even a beginner, the main thing is to choose the right method that suits your current situation and technical capabilities. Below are the time-tested strategies that service centers and experienced users use.

Use of the built-in Mi Mover application

The easiest and fastest way to move contacts from an old Android smartphone is to use the official Mi Mover app, which is already pre-installed on most modern Xiaomi and Redmi devices, eliminating the need to search and download third-party software.

To get started, you need to run the app on both devices, and on the new phone, select Receiver, and on the old phone, Sender. QR-If you have a code or a network connection, you can then select the data types you want to migrate to, and you can tick the "Contacts" box, but you can also immediately flip photos, music and apps.

The copying process is done in the background, and you can turn the application down, but it's worth remembering that interrupting the connection can lead to incomplete data transfer. If you have thousands of numbers, the process can take several minutes, but the result is worth it - all the records are saved with all the fields, including photos and addresses.

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If Mi Mover can’t see the device, try disabling the VPN or antivirus on one of the smartphones, as they can block the local connection.

Synchronization through Google Account

The most reliable and “immortal” way to store a phone book is by linking it to Google Contacts, a cloud service that ensures that your data is not lost even if your phone is physically damaged or lost. When you first set up a new Xiaomi Redmi, the system will prompt you to log into your Google account, after which sync will occur automatically.

If your phone is already set up, check the sync status in your settings. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync and select your Google account. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. If necessary, you can force the process to start by pressing the sync button.

⚠️ Note: Make sure that your contacts are stored in your Google account, not in your phone’s memory or on your device. SIM-The map, otherwise the synchronization will not see them.

The advantage of this method is that you can manage your contacts via a web interface, and you can access Google Contacts from your computer at any time, sort your records, delete duplicates, or restore deleted numbers from your archive in the past 30 days.

Transfer from iPhone (iOS) to Xiaomi

iPhone owners who choose to switch to Xiaomi will have to face the peculiarities of Apple’s closed ecosystem. Direct transmission via Bluetooth is not possible here, so you will need to use an intermediate link or special applications. The easiest way is to use the Move to iOS app in the opposite direction or the proprietary Mi Mover utility for iOS, if it is available in the App Store for your version.

An alternative and often more stable method is to use iCloud. You need to go to the iCloud settings on your iPhone, enable contact sync, and then export them through the browser on your computer or Android phone itself. A file with the.vcf extension will become a universal key for import.

• 📲 Go to Settings. → [Your name] → iCloud on iPhone and turn on the "Contact" switch".
• 💻 Go to iCloud.com from your computer and sign in to your Apple ID.
• 📥 Allocate all contacts (Ctrl)+A or Cmd+A) and press the gear icon for export in vCard format.
• 📲 Transfer the received file to Xiaomi and open it – the system will prompt you to import records.

After importing, it is recommended to check the encoding of names, as manual exporting can sometimes cause problems with displaying Cyrillic. If the names have turned into Krakozabras, try changing the encoding of the vCard file to UTF-8 before importing.

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Using cloud export via iCloud is the cleanest way to transfer, keeping the name structure and additional fields intact.

Import of contacts from SIM-card

Although the storage of the numbers on SIM-The card is considered an outdated method due to the limited number of characters in the name and the lack of ability to store additional data, many users still resort to it.

Importing on Xiaomi is as simple as possible: you need to open the standard Contacts app, go to the settings (three dots or gear) and select Import/Export Contacts "SIM-The system counts all records and will suggest you choose an account to save them - it is better to choose a Google account or phone memory.

It is important to note that after importing from SIM-cards are often duplicated if a part of the numbers was already in the phone. MIUI It has a built-in tool for combining, but it's better to do it manually. SIM-The map does not support long names, so "Alexander" can be cut to "Alexander...".

Work with vCard (.vcf) files

The.vcf (vCard) format is a universal standard for sharing contact information between different platforms. If you back up on an old phone or received a file from a friend, importing it takes seconds, a method ideal for mass-transferring thousands of records at once.

To import contacts, it is enough to transfer the file to the device in any convenient way: via Bluetooth, messenger (Telegram, WhatsApp) or USB-Once you save the file in Xiaomi memory, just click on it. The system window will open with a suggestion to select the application to open - select Contacts or Contact Imports".

The system will tell you to choose your destination. Never choose to import immediately. SIM-card if you have more than 250 contacts, as the card may not contain all records or crop data.The best choice is your Google account, which will provide instant synchronization.

⚠️ Note: When importing a large vCard file (over 1,000 contacts), the phone may freeze for a few seconds.

If a file doesn't open or the import is error-prone, it may be corrupted or has an incorrect extension. Make sure the file has a.vcf or.vcard extension. In rare cases, renaming the file helps by removing Russian letters from its title.

Removing duplicates and combining records

After several import cycles from multiple sources (SIM, Google, phone), the phone book can turn into a chaos of duplicate names. Xiaomi offers a built-in cleaning engine that automatically finds similar records and suggests combining them.

To start cleaning, open the Contacts app, go to the settings, and find "Clean Contacts" or "Collect Duplicates." The system will analyze the database and give you a list of pairs or groups of contacts with the same numbers or names, and you can combine them all at once or selectively.

• 🔍 Click on the Auto Clean button to quickly remove obvious duplicates.
• ✂️ Use manual integration if the system doubts the similarity of the records.
• 🗑️ Remove empty contacts that contain neither number nor name (often left after importation).

Regular cleaning not only improves the visual appearance of the list, but also speeds up the search and dialing process, and it frees up space in cloud storage and prevents confusion when calling, where three different names can be written to one number.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)