Changing a smartphone or switching from another operating system often forces users to quickly adapt a phone book to their needs. owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices face the shell MIUI Or HyperOS, which has its own features of working with an address book, and changing contacts here may be necessary not only to edit a name or number, but also to solve problems with duplicates, synchronization with Google or data transfer from the Internet. SIM-map.
The interface of the standard Contacts app in Xiaomi may seem overloaded, but it hides powerful tools for managing records. Many users don't know that improper display settings or lack of account binding can lead to the loss of important numbers when resetting. In this article, we'll detail how to edit, combine and save data properly so that your phone book is always in order.
It’s important to understand that the editing process may vary depending on the Android version and the device model. However, the basic principles of working with the address book remain unchanged over the years. We will look at the universal steps that will suit most of the current smartphones of the brand, and also touch on the nuances of working with cloud services.
Basic editing and adding new records
To start working with the phone book, you need to open the appropriate application, which usually has a green icon with a human silhouette. If you want to change the data of an existing subscriber, find it in the list or use the search bar at the top of the screen. After selecting the desired entry, click the Change button (often indicated by a pencil) to go into field editing mode.
Here you can correct a name, add a second phone number, specify an email or assign a special ringtone. Notice the "Company" and "Position" fields, which are often ignored but are extremely useful for the business segment. Save the changes automatically when you leave the edit screen or click the tick in the top right corner.
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Use the Notes field to record important details about the person, such as “prefers to call after 18:00” or “delivery the package only in your hands.”
When you add a new contact, the system will suggest you choose a place to save, which is critical because it will determine the availability of data in the future. SIM-Google card or Google account: Google account selection is recommended for automatic synchronization and data security.
☑️ Properly Creating Contact
Management of duplicates and consolidation of records
One of the most common problems with changing phones or recovering from backup is the appearance of duplicates. The same person can be listed twice: once from a mobile number, and the other from a home or work. Xiaomi smartphones have an effective tool to solve this problem, which allows you to combine profiles into one card.
To use this feature, open the settings menu inside the contact app (three dots or in the corner). Find "Combine duplicate contacts" or "Clear duplicates." The system will automatically analyze the database and suggest a list of pairs that it believes belong to the same person.
⚠️ Attention: When automatically combining, always check which fields are joining together. Sometimes the system may mistakenly glue the namesake to your real contact if the names match completely.
Manual pairing is also possible and often necessary for complex cases: Open one of the takes, click the menu (three dots) and select "Combine." Then, in the contact list, select the second entry to be attached. All numbers, mails and addresses from the second card will be added to the first one, and the extra entry will disappear.
Regularly cleaning the address book from duplicates not only lists, but also speeds up search and dialing. The contact database becomes smaller and processed by the processor faster, which is especially noticeable on budget models of smartphones with a small amount of RAM.
Transfer of contacts with SIM-maps and other devices
If you just bought a new Xiaomi, chances are your old numbers are still there. SIM-Importing data is a simple procedure, but it requires care. SIM-Open the contact app, go to the settings, and select "Import/Export Contacts." In the menu that appears, specify the source «SIM-Map and target storage (you can choose a Google account or device memory).
Transferring from another Android smartphone is easiest via Mi Mover or when you first set up your phone, when the system itself offers to restore data from the Google cloud. If you use an iPhone, you will need the “Move to iOS” app or manually forward through your Google account, since direct connection between iOS and MIUI for contacts is not provided natively without using the cloud.
For importation with SIM-There is often a problem with encoding names, and instead of letters, you can display strange characters or characters, because of the limited amount of SIM memory and the differences in encoding tables. In this case, after importing, you will have to manually rename the contacts or use third-party applications for encoding.
Exporting contacts to a.vcf (vCard) file is a universal way (backup) you can create one and send it to your messenger or mail, and if you lose your phone or break it, you just open it on any device, and all the numbers are automatically enrolled in the phone book.
Why are contacts not copied from SIM-map?
Synchronization with Google and cloud services
The most reliable way to keep your contacts is to sync with your Google account, which ensures that if you lose, steal or break a Redmi or Poco smartphone, you will not lose a single number, just enter your username and password on the new device, and the phone book will be restored automatically.
To check sync status, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. If sync is disabled, new records will only be saved locally on the device, which creates a risk of losing them.
| Preservation site | Availability when changing phone | Risk of loss | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone memory | Only when hand-transferred | High (when broken) | Depends on memory. |
| SIM-map | Automatically when installed | Medium (physical wear and tear) | Limited (250-500 units) |
| Google Account | Automatically over the Internet | Minimum | 15 GB (together with photo) |
| Mi Account. | Automatically (Xiaomi servers) | Low. | 5GB free of charge |
Using Mi Cloud is also a great alternative, especially for users of the Xiaomi ecosystem, allowing you to not only store numbers, but also find the device, lock it remotely and make full backups of the system.
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Checking sync status regularly in Google’s settings ensures that your contacts are secure and accessible from any device.
Display setting and list filtering
A phone book can accumulate a huge number of entries, including service numbers, messenger contacts and promotional mailings. To simplify navigation, Xiaomi has a flexible filtering system. Click three points in the Contacts app and select Contacts to Display. Here you can choose to show only certain accounts or hide contacts without a number.
You can also sort the list, you can organize the contacts by name or by surname, which is especially true for international listings, and you can change the order in the display settings by selecting Sort, which will help you find the right people in a crowded address book faster.
Special attention should be paid to the feature "Favorites": by adding frequently used numbers to your favorites, you display them in a separate list at the top of the application or on the desktop widget, which speeds up dialing in emergency situations, when every second counts.
Don't forget to customize the contact card view. Some versions of MIUI have the option of choosing a font size or theme (light/dark), which is important for people with visual impairment, and these settings are found in the app's general settings menu.
Solving synchronization problems and errors
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where contacts stop syncing or disappear after a system update. The first step should always be to check the Internet connection and the status of the Google account. Often the problem is solved by simply deleting and re-additioning the account in the phone settings.
If contacts are displayed but not edited, check the app's permissions. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Contacts → Permissions. Make sure that contacts, phone and storage are allowed. Without those permissions, the app won't be able to work properly.
⚠️ Note: If your contacts are gone after updating the firmware, do not rush to reset. Go to contacts.google.com from your computer - most likely your data is intact and simply not loaded onto your phone.
Another common problem is the inability to delete a contact, which often happens if the contact belongs to a system application or syncs with a corporate Exchange account, in which case the deletion should be done through the web interface of the relevant service or by disabling the synchronization of a particular account.
For advanced users, there is a way to clear the cache of the contacts app, which won't delete your numbers, but it can fix the interface errors, and you can do this through the application management menu by selecting Storage and clicking Clear Cache.