How to change the type of contacts on Xiaomi: customize the display, sorting and grouping

The contact list on Xiaomi smartphones often turns into chaos: duplicate entries, inconvenient sorting by name or surname, no photos near the numbers. Fortunately, MIUI and the new HyperOS offer flexible tools to customize the display of contacts — from changing the style of the list to hiding unnecessary fields. In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to transform the phone book, including hidden features that are not written in the official guides.

It’s important to understand that the contact interface on Xiaomi depends on the firmware version and the application installed (standard Contacts or Google Contacts).We’ll look at both options, as well as universal methods that work on models from Redmi Note 10 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra. If you use custom firmware like PixelExperience, some of the features may be missing.

1. Basic display settings in the standard “Contacts” application

To start with the obvious, the built-in Contacts app options (an icon with a person's silhouette on a blue background) can be changed here:

• 📌 List style – large/compact cards, with or without photos
• 🔤 Sorting – by name, surname or phone number
• 👥 Grouping – combining contacts on accounts (SIM, Google, Mi Account)
• 🔍 Filtering – Hiding contacts without numbers or duplicates

To open these settings:

1. Launch the Contacts app.
2. Slip on the three points in the upper right corner → Settings.
3. Select the Contact Display section (some versions of MIUI call it List View).

Please note the item Show contacts - here you can turn off the display of numbers from SIM-Maps or WhatsApp if they duplicate the main entries, which is especially useful for users with multiple Google or Mi Account accounts, where contacts are synced automatically.

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If the contacts don't update after the settings change, restart the app or restart the smartphone. Sometimes the MIUI cache blocks the application of new parameters.

2. Change in style of contact cards: large vs compact appearance

By default, Xiaomi shows contacts in a "large" form, with a large avatar and a larger name font, which is convenient for older users, but takes up a lot of space on the screen.

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Display Contacts.
2. Find the list style option (or item size in HyperOS).
3. Select Compact or List (depending on the firmware version).

In compact mode, the screen fits 30-40% more contacts, but the photos are reduced to thumbnails. If you care about avatars, leave a large view, but add an alternative sorting by frequency of calls (more on this below).

HyperOS (starting with the Xiaomi 13/14 series) introduced an experimental Smart Sort mode that automatically adjusts card size to the number of contacts. Activated in Settings → Lab → Adaptive interface.

Sorting of contacts: by name, surname or number

Xiaomi sorts contacts by name by default, but in some countries (such as Korea or Hungary) it is customary to sort by last name.

1. Go to Contacts → Settings → Display Contacts.
2. Find the option to sort by.
3. Choose one of the options: 👤 Name (standard for Russia) 👥 Name (convenient for a business book) 📞 Phone number (rarely used)

If you choose to sort by last name, but the contact does not have it, the system will automatically substitute the name, which can lead to chaos if the phone book has many entries without last names, Solution: massively edit contacts through Google Contacts on the computer (more about this in the next section).

HyperOS has a frequency sorting option that brings the most-used contacts to the top, which is convenient, but can be confusing if you're used to alphabetical order.

Settings → Display of contacts → Sort → Alphabetical order

4. Grouping of contacts by accounts and tags

If you have a few SIM-Maps, Google accounts, or Mi Accounts, contacts can be duplicated or mixed, to divide them into groups:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Contact Management.
2. Select Groups or Accounts (depending on the version of MIUI).
3. Activate switches near the desired groups (e.g. SIM 1, Google, WhatsApp).

In the same section, you can create custom groups (for example, "Work", "Family", "Friends").

1. Put a tap on the band.
2. Select the name and select the contacts to add.
3. Save the group – now it will appear as a separate tab in the main contact menu.

HyperOS has made groups smarter: it automatically prompts you to create a group if you notice that you often call the same people (like your work colleagues) to disable these prompts:

Settings → Personalization → Recommendations → Contact Groups → Off.

Open Contacts → Settings| Select Contact Management | Activate Accounts | Create Custom Groups (optional) |Re-launch the application to apply changes-->

5. Hiding duplicate and unnecessary contacts

One of the most common problems with Xiaomi is the duplicate contacts that appear when you sync with multiple accounts to remove them:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Contact Management → Combining Duplicates.
2. The system will automatically find the repeated records and suggest that they be combined.
3. Confirm the merger or cancel for individual contacts.

HyperOS has a Smart Filter feature that automatically hides contacts without phone numbers or email, to enable it:

Settings → Display contacts → Filter → Hide incomplete contacts

⚠️ Note: When manually pairing contacts, check to ensure that important data (such as additional phone numbers or addresses) is not lost. → Imports/Exports.

6. Advanced settings: changing fonts and color scheme

MIUI 14+ and HyperOS have the ability to customize fonts and colors in the Contacts app, which works through system themes, but there are hidden options:

1. Set a custom theme from the theme → My themes (e.g. Dark Mode or Minimalist).
2. To manually customize your fonts, use the Themes → Fonts app and select the appropriate style (e.g. San Francisco for an iOS-like look).
3. To change the color of the highlight of contacts, go to Settings → Screen → Accent Colors.

If you need to completely remove color accents (such as green tags for online contacts), use Black and White mode in the special features settings:

Settings → Special features → Color filter → Shades of gray

⚠️ Note: Some custom fonts may disrupt the display of Cyrillic characters in contacts. Before using, check if the font supports Russian (for example, Roboto or Noto Sans are ideal).

7. Alternative Contact Apps: Which is Better than the Standard?

If Xiaomi’s built-in Contacts app doesn’t suit you, consider third-party alternatives. They offer advanced features like:

• 📊 Advanced sorting (by date of addition, frequency of calls)
• 🔒 Encrypting contacts (for example, in Simple Contacts)
• 🌐 Cloud sync with Dropbox or Nextcloud
• 🎨 Deep customization of the interface (colors, icons, widgets)

Top.-3 Applications to replace standard contacts:

To install a third-party application by default:

1. Download it from Google Play.
2. Open Settings → Applications → By default → Contacts app.
3. Select a new app from the list.

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Third-party applications may conflict with Xiaomi system services. If after installing the alternative, calls or SMS stopped working, return the standard Contacts app by default.

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up contacts on Xiaomi