Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where, after buying a new device or updating the operating system MIUI or HyperOS, the interface of the usual phone book changes. Instead of the expected vertical list with Russian letters on the right, the user sees only Latin characters or loses navigation bars altogether. This creates significant inconvenience, especially if the address book has several hundred or even thousands of numbers.
The problem with the lack of Russian alphabet in the sidebar is usually not the hardware breakdown, but the software settings of the region, the system language or the features of a particular launcher. Modern shells from a Chinese manufacturer tend to globalization, but sometimes automatic settings by default choose English as the main language for indexing, ignoring Cyrillic characters. In addition, some third-party applications that replace the standard “bell” may not work correctly with local fonts.
In this article, we will explore all the possible causes of the disappearance of navigation in Russian and offer step-by-step solutions, learn how to change the settings of the region, check language packs and use hidden system functions to restore the usual appearance of the phone book, we will also look at cases where the problem lies in third-party software, and show you how to get everything back to its place without losing data.
Reasons for the lack of Cyrillic in the navigation of contacts
The first priority is to understand why the system behaves this way. Most often it is regional settings. Xiaomi smartphones by default can assume that the user is in an international region or is using the device in a country dominated by the Latin alphabet. In this case, the contact sorting algorithm ignores the Cyrillic symbols when building the index index index index, leaving only A-Z.
Another common reason is the conflict between the language of the system and the language of the application interface. Even if the menu is written in Russian, some system services responsible for indexing the contact database can work in English, this often happens after an incomplete firmware update or when using custom MIUI assemblies.
⚠️ Note: Before making changes to your system settings, it is recommended to back up contacts via your Mi or Google account to eliminate the risk of data loss in sync failures.
Also worth considering is the impact of third-party launchers and design themes. Some visual modifications change not only icons, but also the structure of system applications, including the phone book. If you've recently installed new themes or changed the shell, that's where the problem may be.
Setting up the region and the language of the system
The most effective way to get Russian letters back to the sidebar is to adjust the region correctly. Android and MIUI algorithms link the formatting of data, including sorting contacts, to the selected country. If you have a region called the United States or India, the system will prioritize using the Latin alphabet.
To correct the situation, go to the settings menu. Find the section Additional or immediately in the main menu, select Region. In the list of countries that opens, select Russia or another CIS country, for example, Kazakhstan or Belarus. After changing the region, the screen can blink, and the interface for a split second to reconfigure is normal system behavior.
In parallel with the region, it is important to check the language settings. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Language and input. Make sure that Russian is the first language on the list of preferred languages. If it is not available, add it and drag it to the top position. Also check that the language in the Contacts section (if such option is available separately) is the default language or the Russian language.
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After changing the region, restart your smartphone – this will force system services to re-index the contact database taking into account the new sorting rules.
In some versions of the firmware, there is a separate setting inside the Contacts app itself. Open the app, click on three dots in the corner or the menu button, select Settings → Contact Display, and there may be a "Sort by" or "Indexing Language" option where you have to force the Cyrillic to choose.
Use of standard application and alternatives
Often users install third-party calling apps like Truecaller, Google Phone, or various number-detecting smart calls, these apps have their own databases and sorting algorithms that may not support the Russian sidebar the way the standard MIUI app does.
If the problem occurs after installing such software, try temporarily removing it or disabling it in the application settings. Go back to the standard Xiaomi “caller.” Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, find the current phone app, and select the default apps where you specify the system app.
- 📱 Xiaomi’s standard Contacts app is usually best optimized for Russian locale and supports side-by-side navigation out of the box.
- 📞 Google Phone also supports Cyrillic, but may require a separate setting in the Settings menu» → «Contact search».
- 🚫 Third-party launchers and themes can block system elements of the interface, hiding the index band.
If you don't want to give up on third-party apps, check their internal settings. Most of them have a View or Display section where you can turn on alphabetical index display. However, there's no guarantee that Russian letters will appear exactly as you're used to - the fonts may differ.
☑️ Checking the contact annex
System fonts and text size
Sometimes the problem is purely visual: if the system has a large font size or a specific theme, the sidebar navigation may simply not fit on the screen or be hidden by software, in which cases the letters do not disappear completely, but become inaccessible to the user.
Check the settings of the screen. Go to Settings → Screen → Text size. Try zooming down to a standard value or a little bit less. If after that there's a narrow bar with letters on the right, then the problem was zooming in.
If you used the MIUI Themes store to install custom fonts, they may not contain a complete set of characters or have errors in the encoding of Cyrillic. Return the standard font (usually called Roboto or MI Sans) and check the result.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Impact on contacts |
|---|---|---|
| Type size | Standard/S | Allows you to accommodate the side panel |
| Region | Russia/Belarus | Activates Cyrillic sorting |
| Theme of the design | Classic / Standard | Eliminates interface bugs |
| Language of the system | Russian (first on the list) | Determine the priority of the alphabet |
Importantly, in Simple Mode (for older adults), the contact interface is simplified, and the sidebar may be missing as intended by the developers.
Solving problems through cleaning the cache
Accumulated errors in system processes can lead to incorrect display of interface elements. If changing the settings of the region and language did not help, it is worthwhile to clean the cache and data of the Contacts and Phone applications, which will not delete your numbers if they are synchronized with the cloud, but reset the display settings.
To do this, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management. Find Contacts in the list. Click on it and select Memory. Click Clear and select Clear Cache. If that doesn't work, you can try Clear Everything (but make sure you have a backup).
⚠️ Attention: Clearing the Contacts app data can temporarily hide numbers until you re-sync with your Google or Mi Cloud account. Don't panic, just wait a few minutes with the internet on.
Repeat the same procedure for the Phone application (green tube icon). Often these two applications work together, and a failure in one causes errors in the other. After cleaning, be sure to restart the device.
Hidden reboot of services
Specificity of Redmi and Poco models
Redmi and Poco devices often run on lighter shell versions or have differences in preinstalled software. In some cases, global firmware versions for these models default to Google Phone instead of MIUI Dialer. In Google Contacts, the sidebar looks different and may not display letters constantly, appearing only when scrolling.
To return the usual look, you can try to install the old version of the application “Contacts” MIUI» through APK-The file, but it can cause the system to be unstable. The safer way is to use the capabilities of Google Telephony itself. Go to the application settings, select Contact Search, and make sure that the box is "Show Contacts from Your Phone».
On models with notch or hole screens, the camera sometimes has a software interface overlay, and in the screen settings, look for "Netclose Control" or "Screen Extension" and try changing the display mode for the Contacts app, which can make room for the sidebar.
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On Poco and Redmi devices with global firmware, the lack of Russian panels is often due to the use of Google services instead of the Russian one. MIUI-components that require changing the settings within the Google app.