Changing the ecosystem from Android to iOS often raises fears that users may lose their personal data during the transition. The most important part of a person’s digital profile is their phone book, containing the numbers of colleagues, friends and emergency services. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to transfer contacts from Xiaomi to iPhone as quickly as possible and without losing the structure of records.
There are several effective synchronization methods, each suitable for different use cases. You can use Google cloud services, the built-in Move to iOS migration feature, manual forwarding over the Internet. SIM-map VCF. The choice of the particular method depends on the volume of your phone book and the availability of a stable Internet connection at the time of transfer.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at each algorithm so you can choose the most convenient one for yourself. Regardless of the model of your Xiaomi smartphone (whether it is a Redmi Note or a flagship Mi) and the iOS version on the new device, the methods described below guarantee successful data migration.
Synchronization through Google account
The most reliable and modern way to transfer a phone book is to use Google Contacts cloud storage. Since Xiaomi smartphones are running on Android, all contacts are saved by default in your Google account if synchronization is enabled. First, make sure that the Xiaomi device in the Settings → Accounts and Synchronization menu activates the data transfer for the Contact point.
Once you have confirmed your data in the Google cloud, take your new iPhone. During the initial setup or through the Settings menu → Contacts → Accounts, you need to add the same Google account. iOS will automatically prompt you to sync the data, and after confirmation, all the numbers will appear in the standard Phone app.
This is particularly useful because it creates a constant connection between devices, so if you decide to go back to Android or buy a tablet in the future, all numbers will remain available, and it's important to make sure that the iPhone's sync settings activate the switch for contacts, not just for email or calendar.
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If you have contacts in your Xiaomi phone book saved in your phone’s memory rather than in your Google account, copy them first. Go to Contacts, select Contact Management → Copy Contacts → Phone to Google Account.
It is worth noting that when synchronized through Google, duplicate entries can be combined if the algorithm decides that two different contacts are related to the same person. In the Contacts app on the iPhone, you can manually check the list and remove unnecessary duplicates through the Linked Contacts feature.
Use of the Move app to iOS
Apple has developed a special application Move to iOS, which allows you to transfer data directly from your Android device to your iPhone over a secure Wi-Fi connection. To work, you need both smartphones to be nearby, connected to a power source and have sufficient battery power. Download the Move to iOS app from the Google Play store to your Xiaomi.
Start the iPhone setup process. In the Apps and Data phase, select the option “Move data from Android.” The screen will show a six-digit or decimal code that you need to enter in the app on Xiaomi. After connecting devices, select Contacts in the data transfer list and wait for the process to be completed.
☑️ Pre-migration checks
The advantage of this method is that it can transfer not only contacts, but also messages, photos, and free versions of apps available in both stores, but if the phone book has tens of thousands of numbers, the process can take a considerable time and the connection interruption will have to start again.
⚠️ Warning: Do not switch to other apps on Xiaomi smartphone while transferring data. If you open a browser or social networks, the Wi-Fi connection may break and the migration process will be interrupted.
Transfer through SIM-map
Method of transfer through SIM-The card is considered a classic, but has its limitations related to the memory capacity of the chip. 250 contact, and often the contact name is cut off 10-15 The characters are not saved, and the photos and extra numbers are not saved, but for the basic phone book, this method remains a workable one.
On your Xiaomi smartphone, open the Contacts app, go to the settings or management menu (often hidden behind three dots or a gear icon). Select Import/Export Contacts and select Export to Export. SIM-The system will warn you of possible loss of data, take action.
After the contacts are copied to the chip, remove SIM-Map from Xiaomi and paste it into your iPhone. On your Apple device, go to Settings → Contact and find the button “Import contacts with” SIM». The process will take a few seconds, after which the numbers will appear in the list.
| Parameter | Google Synchronization | SIM-map | Move to iOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo preservation | Yes. | No. | Yes. |
| Contact limit | No. | ~250 pcs. | No. |
| Internet is required | Yes. | No. | Yes (local Wi-Fi) |
| Saving email | Yes. | No. | Yes. |
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Method SIM-The card is only suitable for emergency transfer of the minimum set of numbers, since it does not save second numbers, email addresses and contact avatars.
Export and import of VCF files
VCF (vCard) is the universal standard for storing contact information. This method is ideal if you want to back up the entire phone book in one file or transfer contacts without using complex synchronization settings. On Xiaomi, in the contact app, select Import/Export contacts → Export to storage.
The system will create a file with the.vcf extension that will be stored in the phone's memory, and you can send it to your email, send it to a messenger (like Telegram or WhatsApp), or save it to a cloud storage like Yandex.Disk or Dropbox, and the main thing is to get it on your iPhone.
Opening a VCF file on your iPhone (via email client or file manager), the system automatically prompts you to add all the contacts you find, and you'll see a preview of the number of records and the Add All button, which is one of the fastest ways to migrate.
What happens if the VCF file is not opened?
An important advantage of the VCF format is that it is completely data structure-conservable: long names, multiple numbers, addresses, and notes are transferred unchanged, but when importing a large file, the device can freeze for a few seconds, processing the data, which is normal behavior of the system.
Solving problems with coding and duplicates
Transfer of contacts between different operating systems, such as MIUI And in iOS, sometimes there are problems with displaying Cyrillic characters, and instead of letters, there may be question marks or cracosyabras, because of differences in encoding when exported through old formats or other forms. SIM-map.
If you encounter a bad name selection, try changing the import method to a Google account that automatically converts the encoding to the desired format, and check if your iPhone has a third-party contact management app that might conflict with the standard one.
Another common problem is the appearance of duplicates, which happens if you have previously synced some numbers through iCloud, and now add them through Google or VCF. iOS does not have a built-in smart integration when importing, so you will have to use third-party utilities or manually clean the list.
⚠️ Note: Before any contact transactions are initiated, it is strongly recommended to make a full backup of the phone book on Xiaomi, which will allow all data to be returned to its original state in the event of a failure.