Phonebook on Xiaomi: Full setup from synchronization to backup

The phone book on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is not just a contact list, but a powerful tool with hidden features that 90% of users do not use. Sync setup errors can lead to the loss of all contacts after a phone reset or account change, and improper double management can lead to chaos in the call list. In this article, we will examine all the ways of setting up, from basic sync with Google and Mi Account to hidden chips like tag grouping or automatic reservation.

MIUI (even in version 15) has a dual-account storage system: it can be located locally on a device, in a Xiaomi account, or in a Google account. If you don't set it up correctly, after flashing or buying a new phone, you risk losing years of accumulated numbers. We'll show you how to avoid typical errors, such as when contacts are duplicated after a MIUI update due to a sync conflict between Mi Account and Google.

Basic setting of the phone book: first start and account selection

When you first turn on your Xiaomi smartphone, the system offers to sign in to Mi Account or Google account, which is critical for further work with contacts:

• 🔄 Mi Account – synchronizes contacts with Xiaomi servers, convenient if you only use devices of this brand (for example, switch from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14).
• 📱 Google account is a universal option. Contacts will be available on any Android device, not even Xiaomi.
• 📴 Local storage -- contacts are only stored on the phone, and at a risk, if you break or reset, data is lost.

To change the way you store it later, go to Settings → Memory → Contacts → Account to save. You can choose your primary account or allow simultaneous synchronization with multiple services (but this can be fraught with duplicates!).

⚠️ Warning: If you select Mi Account as your primary account and delete it (for example, when selling a phone), all contacts will be permanently deleted from Xiaomi servers after 30 days.

2. Contact synchronization: how to avoid duplicates and losses

The problem of duplicate contacts occurs when MIUI tries to sync data simultaneously with Mi Account and Google.

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select Mi Account → disable Contacts slider (if you use Google as your primary).
3. Similarly, disable the synchronization of contacts in the Google account, if the main one is Mi Account.
4. To clean up existing duplicates, use the built-in function: Contacts → Management → Combine and fix.

If you've got duplicates, MIUI offers a merging tool that doesn't work perfectly -- sometimes it combines the wrong contacts.

Select "Manual Association" in the Memorandum|Check each take manually|Export contacts to VCF before mass change|After cleaning, make a backup copy.-->

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Before changing the sync method, always export contacts to the VCF file via Contacts → Management → Import / Export. This will save your data if something goes wrong.

3. Backup of contacts: 3 reliable ways

Even if you set up sync, backup will never be superfluous. MIUI offers several ways:

• 📱 Mi Cloud: Automatic redundancy when synced with Mi Account is enabled. To check, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Contacts.
• ☁️ Google Contacts: All contacts linked to a Google account are automatically saved to the cloud.
• 💾 Local Export: Manual saving to.vcf. Suitable for transferring contacts to another device or print reserve.

For local exports:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Click Manage → Import / Export → Export in the file.
3. Select an account (if several) and confirm the export.
4. The file will be saved to Internal Storage → MIUI → Backup → AllBackup.

⚠️ Warning:.vcf files are not encrypted. If you save them to cloud storage (like Google Drive), password the archive before downloading to protect sensitive data.

Grouping and tagging: how to organize contacts

MIUI allows you to sort contacts not only alphabetically, but also by groups and tags, which is convenient for separating work and personal numbers or quick access to frequently used contacts.

To form a group:

1. Open Contacts. → Groups.
2. Click Create a Group and specify a name (e.g., “Colleagues” or “Family”).
3. Add participants from the contact list.

For labels (more flexible option):

• Open the contact card.
• Click Edit → Tags.
• Select an existing label or create a new one (e.g., VIP, Suppliers, Friends from the Gym).

Tags are more convenient than groups because:

• 🔖 A single contact may have multiple labels (e.g., "Family" + "VIP").
• 🔍 You can quickly filter contacts from tags in search.
• 📱 Tags are synced with Google Contacts if you use a Google account.

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Tags in MIUI are the equivalent of categories in Google Contacts, and they will persist even after a phone is reset if they are synced to the cloud.

5. Xiaomi's Hidden Phone Book Functions

There are a few non-obvious features in MIUI that make it easier to work with contacts:

• 🔍 Quick search on T9: Dial the numbers that correspond to the letters of the name on the keyboard (for example, 2-7-3-3 for "Andrey"). This works even offline.
• 📞 Voice Dial: Say “OK Google, call Mom,” and the phone will find the contact by tagging “Family” (you can configure in Settings → Voice Assistant).
• 👤 Hidden contacts: To hide the number from prying eyes, open the contact card → Still → Hide the contact. It will remain in the phone book, but will not appear in the main list.
• 📌 Fixed contacts: Press and hold the contact in the list, then select Fix. It will always appear on top.

Another useful feature is the automatic addition of the country code. If you often call abroad, include it in Settings → Additional → Auto-add country code. Now, when dialing without a +, the system will substitute a prefix (for example, +7 for Russia).

6.Moving contacts from another phone to Xiaomi

If you’re switching to Xiaomi from a different smartphone (even not Android), there are a few ways to migrate contacts:

⚠️ Warning: When transferring contacts from your iPhone via iCloud, check the encoding of the exported file. Cyrillic characters can be displayed by crank-to-skins if the file is saved to UTF-8 without BOM. Use Notepad++ to fix the encoding.

7. Solving phone book problems

If contacts are not displayed, synced or disappear, check the following points:

• 🔄 Sync is disabled: Go to Settings → Accounts and sync and check if sync is enabled for the right account.
• 📵 Contacts are hidden: In the Contacts app, click More → Settings → Show contacts and select all accounts.
• 🔋 Error MIUI: Sometimes, after a system update, contacts "disappear." Restart your phone or clear the Contacts app cache in Settings → Apps.
• 📱 Account Conflict: If you use both Mi Account and Google, turn off sync for one of them (see Section 2).

If you have duplicated contacts after the MIUI update, try:

1. Disable synchronization for both accounts.
2. Remove all contacts from the phone book (they will stay in the cloud!).
3. Enable sync for only one account (e.g. Google).
4. Wait for the contacts to load from the cloud.

If the problem is not solved, reset the settings of the "Contact" application:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Storage → Reset Settings

8.Security: How to protect contacts from leakage

The phone book contains confidential information, so it is important to ensure its protection:

• 🔒 Backup Encryption: If you export contacts to VCF, pack the file into an encrypted ZIP- archive (e.g., via WinRAR with a password).
• 🚫 Access Restriction: In Settings → Privacy → Application permissions, check which programs have access to contacts. Disable access for unnecessary applications.
• 📱 Application Lock: Set a password for the application Contacts itself via Settings → Application Lock.
• 🔄 Two-factor authentication: Enable 2FA for Mi Account and Google account to protect cloud-based contacts.

If you are selling or transferring your phone, be sure to delete all contacts:

1. First, export them to the VCF (just in case).
2. Delete all accounts (Mi Account, Google) in Settings → Accounts.
3. Perform reset to factory settings: Settings → About phone → Reset settings.

⚠️ Warning: Even after reset, some data may remain in the device's memory. Use the Fastboot Cleanup feature for complete cleanup (requires a PC and Mi Flash Tool).

Frequently asked questions