Many Xiaomi smartphone users are faced with the situation when, after switching from an old device or buying a new one, they are not able to use the device. SIM-There's chaos in the phone directory, and duplicate records, no photos of subscribers, and no way to link additional data are just the tip of the iceberg of problems with storing numbers directly on the carrier's chip. Modern standards require a more flexible approach to communication, which is SIM-The card cannot be provided.
The main difficulty is that the MIUI or HyperOS shell interface doesn’t always intuitively tell you where the physical record management function is hiding. Often users put up with the inconvenience for years, unaware that cleaning this partition can take only a few minutes. In this article, we will discuss in detail how Xiomi can delete contacts with the SIM cards, transfer them to the cloud and forget about problems with the phone book forever.
It's important to understand that deleting SIM records will not cause data loss if you back it up beforehand. Data security is the number one priority for any manipulation of the system partitions of the phone. We'll look at the standard system tools, as well as alternative methods that can be useful in complex cases.
Why SIM-card contact storage is considered obsolete
The technology of storing phone numbers on a SIM card chip was inherited from the era of button phones, where memory was measured in kilobytes, and cloud services were just a fantasy of science fiction writers. Back then, this was the only way to save your numbers when you change devices. But today, this approach has critical shortcomings that you simply cannot ignore.
The main problem is that there is a very limited amount of memory: SIM cards can only store the base number and name, and the length of the name is often limited to 10-15 characters; you can not add a second number, email, address, position or photo; Moreover, the encoding of names on old SIM cards often does not support the Cyrillic alphabet correctly, turning names into a set of incomprehensible characters.
⚠️ Attention: When you delete contacts directly from the SIM card, they disappear irrevocably unless they were copied to your phone's memory or Google account in advance. SIM standard means is almost impossible.
Unlike cloud storage or smartphone internal memory, a SIM card has no synchronization mechanism. If you lose your phone or damage your card's plastic, you lose all numbers. Modern solutions like Google Contacts or Mi Cloud allow you to instantly restore the entire phone book on any device just by entering your login and password.
Preparation for cleaning: backup creation
Before you take drastic action and delete the records, you need to make sure that you have an up-to-date copy of all the important numbers. Even if you plan to just clean the duplicates, the risk of accidentally removing the right person always exists. The backup procedure on Xiaomi is implemented as conveniently as possible and does not require third-party software.
First, make sure you're logged into your Google account. That's where we're going to move the data. Open the Contacts app (a standard yellow or white icon with a human silhouette). In the upper right corner or side menu, look for Contact Management or Settings. Here we're interested in Import/Export Contacts.
Select the option "Export to file.vcf" or "Copy to Google account." The first option will create a file in the phone's memory, which you prefer to send yourself to mail or save to the cloud drive. The second option automatically synchronizes all numbers with your profile. Backup is a guarantee that you will not be left without communication at a critical time.
☑️ Preparation for contact removal
Removing contacts through the standard phone application
The easiest and fastest way to clear a SIM card is built right into the system call app.The interface may vary slightly depending on the MIUI or HyperOS version, but the logic remains the same for all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models.
Open the Contacts app. Notice the tabs at the top of the screen or in the side menu. You need to find a tab that is signed as"SIM" or "Contacts to" SIM-If you don't have one, click three dots or three bars in the corner of the screen and select "Make contacts" and then tick just opposite your SIM card.
Once you see only numbers on the SIM card, click the menu button (three dots) and select "Delete." The system may suggest selecting contacts to delete or clearing everything at once. Confirm action. If the system requests a password or a pattern lock, enter it to confirm the operation.
| Action. | Menu/The Way | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Choice of source | Contacts → Filter → SIM | Displaying only numbers from the map |
| Selection | Menus. → Choose all. | Marking all records |
| Removal | Basket/Delete | Complete SIM memory cleanup |
| Verification | Phone reboot | Confirmation of absence of records |
What to do if the removal button is inactive?
Using the settings menu to manage SIM
Sometimes, it's easier to access contact management through general system settings, which is especially relevant if the standard contact application is malfunctioning or malfunctioning, and here we work with a deeper level of device management.
Go to "Settings" on your smartphone. Search by settings (top line) type the word"SIM" or "Contacts." The system should offer the option "Settings." SIM-Cards" or "Contact management SIM". In some versions of the firmware, this path looks like Settings. → Annexes → System settings → SIM-map.
In the menu that opens, you'll see a list of actions available for your SIM card, we're interested in "Copy Contacts" or "Delete Contacts." Choose deletion. The system will warn you that the data will be erased from the physical medium, which is the last frontier of protection against randomness.
Once the process is complete, it is recommended to restart the device, so that the phonebook index is updated and the system stops pulling old data from the cache, and reboot is a universal tool for solving many small software conflicts in Android.
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Tip: If you have a dual-sim phone, carefully monitor which card you delete contacts from so as not to erase the numbers from the working SIM card while cleaning the personal one.
Transferring contacts to the Google cloud and Mi cloud
Once the SIM card is cleaned, the main thing is to keep the numbers safe and accessible, and the best solution is to move all the records to the cloud, which not only secures the data, but also allows you to access smart sorting and search functions.
To transfer to Google, open Contacts, click on the menu and select Import/Export. Select Import with SIM-As your destination, please specify your Google account (usually signed as gmail.com) and the system will automatically create copies of the records in the cloud, adding the ability to edit all fields.
The alternative is Mi Cloud, and if you're using the Xiaomi ecosystem, it might be more convenient" →"Settings" →"Imports/Eexports" →"Import with SIM-map" →"After that, your contacts will be synced automatically every time you connect to Wi-Fi.
⚠️ Note: When importing contacts with SIM-cards can be duplicated if some of the numbers have already been stored in the phone memory. Use the "Combine duplicate" function in the contact settings to restore order.
Solution: What to do if contacts are not deleted
Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users sometimes encounter errors: the phone may give a recording error message, refuse to delete specific numbers or simply ignore commands, most often due to a software failure or damage to the file system of the SIM card itself.
First, try to remove the SIM card and paste it into another, preferably an older phone. Try removing contacts there. Often older devices have simpler and more direct mechanisms for working with the card's memory, ignoring the complex security checks of Android. After cleaning, return the card to Xiaomi.
If the problem persists, the chip itself may have been damaged. Contacts could have been recorded with an error, in which case the only way out is to copy important numbers manually or through a computer (if there is a reader), and then format the SIM card through the phone's settings menu (Settings). → The phone. → General information → SIM-map → Format).
In rare cases, the problem is the application's access rights. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Contacts → Rights and make sure the application has permission to read and write contacts, as well as access to the phone. Without these permissions, SIM card management is impossible.
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If the software methods do not help, damage to contacts on the SIM-The card may be the cause of the error, and in this case, it is better to order a duplicate of the SIM card from the carrier, which will save your number and solve memory problems.