How to transfer contacts to Xiaomi SIM-phone-card

Changing a mobile device or switching to a different plan often requires the transfer of the phone book. owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco face the need to copy accumulated records on the phone. SIM-It's a simple card for usability or backup. Unlike some other manufacturers, it's a shell. MIUI And its successor HyperOS have their own peculiarities in working with contacts.

The procedure for exporting data seems simple, but users often get lost in the menu or do not find the right button due to interface updates. SIM-The card has limited memory and supports only basic fields such as name and number, so before you start manipulating, you should be aware of the technical limitations of the carrier, so as not to lose some important information, such as additional numbers or email addresses.

In this article, we will discuss in detail how to transfer contacts to the SIM card on Xiaomi, look at the regular system tools, alternative methods through a Google account and solve typical problems. You will learn how to safely manage your phone book without risking losing important connections when changing your gadget.

Preparation for transfer and compatibility check

Before you start exporting, you need to make sure that your SIM-Modern Xiaomi smartphones often use a combined tray where a second SIM card shares space with a memory card, so make sure the chip sits tightly in the connector. If the card is old or damaged, the system may not identify it as a storage device.

It’s also worth checking where your numbers are stored right now. In modern versions of MIUI, all new contacts are saved by default in a Google account, which is best practice for security, and if your records are in your phone’s memory or in your Mi Account, they will first need to be imported into your local contact book to access the export feature.

⚠️ Note: Before mass transfer, make sure that SIM-The old cards can only hold 250 records, and when overflowing, the process can be interrupted.

It is recommended to back up important numbers in any convenient way before starting any operations with the database, this can be exported to a.vcf file or synchronization with the cloud, such forethought will allow you to quickly recover data in the event of a failure.

Standard method of export through the Contacts appendix

The easiest and fastest way to move your contacts to a SIM card on Xiaomi is built into the standard Contacts app, which requires no additional software installation and works on all current firmware versions. The algorithm is intuitive, but requires careful choice of data source.

Open the Contacts app and find the settings menu, which is usually hidden behind three dots in the corner of the screen or the gear icon. You need to select Import/Export Contacts. SIM-phone cards or vice versa.

After selecting the export option SIM-The system will ask you to mark the numbers you want to move, you can select individual records or click "Select all." Once confirmed, the copying process will begin, which will take a few seconds or minutes depending on the number of records.

• 📱 Open the Contacts app on the home screen.
• ⚙️ Click on the settings menu (three dots or gears).
• 📥 Select the item "Import / Export contacts».
• 💾 Click "Export on" SIM-map».

Note that when you expose long names, they can be cropped, because the storage format on the chip is limited to the number of characters in the name field. This is normal behavior of the system, not a mistake.

Use Google Contacts for Synchronization

An alternative and more reliable method involves using the Google ecosystem. While direct export from Google servers to SIM via the phone menu is sometimes unavailable, you can import contacts from the cloud to the phone's memory first, and then perform the standard portability procedure. This is especially true if you've just reset your phone settings or bought a new Xiaomi.

To do this, go to the Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google and make sure that the contacts sync is enabled, and once the numbers appear in the phone book, you can use the standard method described above, which ensures that you do not lose data, even if you are not using the phone book. SIM-map-shaped.

⚠️ Note: When syncing with Google, make sure you select the right account if there are multiple.

The advantage of using Google Contacts is the ability to edit data before exporting.You can remove duplicates, combine repetitive entries, and get your phone book in order before copying it to SIM.

Features of MIUI 13, 14 and HyperOS

The MIUI 13, MIUI 14 and the new HyperOS have slightly modified interfaces from previous versions. The contact settings menu may have been moved or renamed. In some regions (e.g. Global ROM), the interface may differ from the Chinese version (China ROM).

In new firmware versions, Xiaomi is actively promoting the use of its own Mi Cloud.If your contacts are synchronized with Mi Account, you may need to first export them from the Mi cloud to your phone, then send them to the phone. SIM. Direct export from Mi Cloud to SIM-map is often unavailable.

Also, note that some HyperOS builds have improved security and may request additional permissions to access the contact database. Don't ignore these requests, otherwise the copying process will be interrupted.

If you don't find the right option, try searching by settings. Type the word "Contacts" or "SIM" into the search bar in the phone's settings menu, and the system will suggest the desired section.

Table of restrictions and supported formats

When transferring data, it is important to take into account the technical limitations of the carrier. SIM-The map is an outdated media by modern standards, and it does not support the complex data structures that we are used to in smartphones.

Below is a table showing the differences in support fields between phone memory/Google and SIM-card.

As you can see from the table, SIM-The card is only suitable for storing the basic data set: name and main phone number.

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SIM-card is suitable only for a basic reserve of numbers, but not for a full backup smartphone with photos and correspondence history.

Solution: Contacts are not copied or disappeared

Users often experience a situation where numbers are displayed incorrectly or the process stalls after transfer, and one of the common reasons is text encoding. SIM-The card does not support the correct encoding of Cyrillic alphabet, instead of letters, question marks or Krakozabras can be displayed.

In this case, it is recommended to use transliteration or save names in Latin before export, and the problem may be in the number format: some old SIM cards do not accept numbers in the international format (with plus and country code), preferring a local format.

• 🔍 Check if your memory is full. SIM-map.
• 🔄 Try restarting your smartphone before the operation.
• 📝 Make sure that contact names do not contain prohibited characters.

If contacts are gone after the transfer, don't panic. Often they're just hidden by the display settings. Go to the Contacts settings and select Display Contacts, then specify «SIM-map or "All contacts».

⚠️ Note: If after exporting the contact SIM Do not read, in any case do not delete the originals from the phone’s memory until you have verified the integrity of the data on the map.

In rare cases, extraction helps SIM-This card and install it in another, older phone to check the reading, which will allow you to understand whether the problem is in the map or in the software Xiaomi.

Alternative methods and third-party applications

If you can’t move data, you can use third-party apps from Google Play. There are many utilities, such as Copy My Data or SIM Card Manager, that can work with the contact database more flexibly than the standard application.

However, using third-party software requires broad permissions to access your personal data. Be careful to choose only proven applications with high ratings and a large number of reviews.

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Use vCard (.vcf) to transfer contacts between different phone brands, it is the most versatile and secure way to save all fields.

You can also use a computer for intermediate storage. Export contacts to a.vcf or.csv file, save them to a PC, and then import them back by selecting the target device. SIM-card (if the phone drivers allow such an operation through the PC, which is rare, but possible through special utilities for reading) SIM).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)