How to transfer contacts from SIM card to Xiaomi Redmi 9 phone

Changing a mobile device is often a moment of truth for the user, especially when the user is on a mobile device. SIM-Owners of the new Xiaomi Redmi 9 may face a situation where after installing the SIM numbers either do not appear at all, or look like a set of incomprehensible characters. This is due to the peculiarities of the Android architecture and the limited amount of memory itself. SIM-A card that is not designed to store large amounts of data for long and reliable periods.

Unlike older push-button phones, modern smartphones require transferring records to the device’s internal memory or, better yet, to cloud storage – a process that is not complicated, but requires care to keep important connections in mind. Importing contacts is the first step to fully configuring your Redmi 9, which will ensure that data is kept safe even if your SIM card is accidentally broken or lost in the future.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transfer a phone book, from standard MIUI tools to the use of Google cloud services, you will learn why storing numbers on a SIM is considered an outdated method and how to properly organize the work with contacts on a device with a MIUI 12 shell or later.

Preparation of the device and compatibility check

Before taking active data transfer actions, it is necessary to make sure that SIM-The card is correctly installed in your smartphone slot. Xiaomi Redmi 9 features a hybrid tray, so it's important not to confuse the slots if you're using two SIMs or a microSD card at the same time.

It's also worth checking if your Google account is activated, and that's going to be the primary storage for your numbers after you've imported it, and if you turn on your phone for the first time, it's going to suggest you sign in or create a new one, and without that, you're not going to be able to fully sync and restore your data.

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Before importing, make sure that SIM-The card does have saved numbers. You can insert the SIM into any other phone and check the contact list in the settings "Contact on the phone". SIM".

Note the operating system version. Although the basic functionality is the same for all versions of Android, the menu interface may vary slightly depending on the MIUI update. It is recommended to check for updates in the Settings → About Phone section to exclude possible software errors when working with the phone book.

• 📱 Make sure that SIM-The card is installed in an active slot and is determined by the system.
• 🔐 Sign in to your Google account for automatic sync.
• 🔋 Charge your smartphone battery to at least 30% to avoid shutdown during the process.
• 📶 Check for a stable Internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile Internet).

Import contacts through the standard application "Contacts"

The easiest and fastest way to transfer contacts from the SIM card to the Xiaomi Redmi 9 is to use the built-in functionality of the MIUI shell. You do not need to download third-party applications or have programming skills. All the necessary tools are already preinstalled in the system by default.

Open the Contacts app (a yellow icon with a human silhouette). In the upper right corner of the screen, you'll see a three-dot icon or a gear that represents the settings menu. Click on it and select "Import Contacts." The system will suggest choosing a data source - in our case, it will be "SIM-map".

Once you've selected the source, the phone will scan the SIM card memory, if there are many numbers, it can take a few seconds, then the system will ask where to save the data. Choose a Google account or a Phone account, but do not leave contacts on the phone. SIM-Save to your Google account ensures that when you lose your phone, you can easily restore all the numbers on any new device.

In some cases, if the SIM card has a lot of numbers (more than 500), the import process may be interrupted or incorrect, in this situation, it is better to break the operation into several stages or use an alternative method through the system settings described below.

Transfer through MIUI system settings

If you don’t start importing through the app or prefer to work through global settings, Xiaomi Redmi 9 provides this feature.This method is often more stable and allows you to control the copying process in detail, and it is especially useful if the contact interface has been changed during updates.

Go to the Settings menu → System and device → Contacts. This is the extended phone book management menu. Find the "Import/Export Contacts" section. When you click on it, you'll see a list of activities available. Select the "Import with" option. SIM-map".

The system can request permission to access contacts. This is Android's standard security procedure that prevents apps from unauthorized access to your personal information. Confirm the request, and the copying process begins. Once completed, you will see a notification of successful import.

Syncing with a Google account: why do you need it?

Many users ignore the suggestion of syncing contacts with Google, preferring to store them locally on the device or on the SIM card. However, in the Android ecosystem that Redmi 9 uses, this is a critical feature. Local storage means that if you reset your settings to a factory (Hard Reset) or break your phone, the entire phone book will be lost irretrievably.

Cloud sync works in the background. Once you add a new number or edit an existing one, the changes are instantly saved on Google servers, allowing you to see current contacts not only on your phone, but also on your tablet, smartwatch, or even through the web interface on your computer.

To check sync status, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is activated. If you just imported numbers with SIM, you can click on three dots in the corner and select Sync to speed up the process of updating data in the cloud.

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Storing contacts in the Google cloud is the only guaranteed way to avoid losing your phone book when you change your device, steal or break your smartphone.

• ☁️ Access numbers from any device that has internet access.
• 🔄 Automatic update of changes in real time.
• 🛡️ Protection against data loss when resetting phone settings.
• 📲 Convenient contact management via the web interface contacts.google.com.

Using the Mi Mover app for migration

If you're switching to the Xiaomi Redmi 9 from another Android smartphone (not necessarily Xiaomi), Mi Mover's branded app will be a great tool, allowing you to flip not only contacts, but also photos, apps, Wi-Fi settings and messages, a complete solution for data migration.

Run the Mi Mover app on both devices. On the new phone, select "I'm the recipient" and on the old phone, "I'm the sender." Devices will connect via the Wi-Fi network you're creating. In the data list, make sure to select "Contacts" as well. You can choose whether to copy contacts from your phone memory or from your phone. SIM-cardboard.

The advantage of this method is that it's quick and it's possible to select specific contacts to carry, but if you want to release them, you can do it. SIM-The map from the records on the current Redmi 9 device, the Mi Mover will not help here, since it is designed to receive data from the outside. SIM Use the methods described in the previous sections.

Solution: duplicates and coding

After transferring contacts, users often face two main problems: duplication of records and incorrect display of Cyrillic (instead of letters - question marks or Krakozabras). SIM-The card is very old and used a different character coding standard than the one used in the chart. UTF-8, It uses modern Android.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to fix the encoding of already imported brownies, because the data is corrupted at the bit level, and the only way out is to find the original recording (for example, in a paper notebook or on an old phone if it still reads the SIM correctly) and make contact again. To avoid duplicates, the Contacts app has a merge function.

Go to Contact Settings → Duplicate Cleanup. The system will analyze the list and suggest combining entries with the same numbers or names. This is a useful feature that makes the phonebook neat and easy to find. On the Xiaomi Redmi 9, this process works quite quickly thanks to the optimization of MIUI.

⚠️ Warning: Before mass merge or delete duplicates, make sure to back up contacts.A mistake in an automatic merge can result in the loss of important details such as work numbers or email addresses if the system decides that this is extra information.

Export contacts to a backup file

Even with Google’s cloud, having a local copy of contacts as a file is not superfluous. This is especially true if you plan to sell the phone or transfer it to another user. Xiaomi Redmi 9 makes it easy to export the entire phone book in.vcf (vCard) format.

To do this, go to Contacts → Settings → Import/Export of Contacts → Export to device memory. The system will create a file that can be found in the MIUI/Contacts folder or simply at the root of internal memory. This file can be sent to yourself by email, saved to your computer or written to a flash drive.

The format.vcf is universal. It opens on almost any smartphone, tablet or computer. Unlike proprietary formats, this standard ensures that you can recover your data even in 10 years using devices from any manufacturer, not just Xiaomi.

⚠️ Attention: Do not use SIM-The technology is outdated, does not support fields (addresses, birthdays, photos) and has a high risk of data loss if the operator is replaced or the chip is damaged.

In summary, it can be said that the transfer of contacts with SIM-Xiaomi Redmi 9 cards are a simple but necessary procedure for comfortable use of the smartphone. By choosing the right method of importing and securing data through your Google account, you save yourself from potential problems in the future. MIUI for maximum convenience.