Changing your smartphone, especially the Xiaomi or Redmi ecosystem, is often accompanied by a desire to quickly start using the device without losing important data. The most critical element to save and move is the phone book. Losing the numbers of colleagues, friends or delivery services can turn a new gadget into a useless piece of plastic and glass.
Fortunately, current technologies and the MIUI (or HyperOS) shell provide many tools for data migration. It doesn’t matter which operating system you are switching from, from pure Android or iOS, the process can be performed by several proven methods. In this article, we will discuss each of them in detail, paying attention to nuances that are often forgotten even by experienced users.
Before you start, you should decide on the most convenient way for you, some prefer cloud services for their automation, while others choose local copying for speed and lack of dependence on the Internet, and we will consider all the options so that you can choose the best one.
Syncing with Google Account is the most reliable method
The most versatile and secure way to transfer contacts from your phone to your Xiaomi phone is to use Google cloud storage, which is good because it doesn’t depend on the manufacturer of the old device, and if your previous smartphone had logged in to your Google account and synced, all numbers are already saved in the cloud.
To start working on the new Xiaomi device, you need to log in to the same account. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. Here you will see a list of available services. Make sure the slider opposite the Contacts item is activated. The system automatically pulls all the records from the cloud into the phone's memory.
If you're just setting up your old phone before you transfer, check its settings. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure the Contacts tick is ticked. Sometimes forced synchronization is required: click three dots in the corner of the screen and select Sync.
- 🔄 Automatic update of data on all devices when changing the number.
- 🛡️ Protection against loss of information in case of breakage or theft of a physical device.
- 🌐 Ability to edit a phone book from any computer through a browser.
- 📱 Instant integration with mail and other ecosystem services.
It’s important to understand that Google sync only works when you have a stable Internet connection. If you have thousands of contacts, it can take a few minutes to download the initial download, and it’s also worth considering that Google’s free storage is limited to 15 GB, but that’s enough for decades to come for text data.
Special attention should be paid to the format of the save. In the settings of the application "Contacts" on Xiaomi, you can choose where to save new numbers: SIM-card, phone memory or Google account.It is recommended to always choose the default Google account to avoid problems in the future. SIM-The card is limited to the number of characters in the name, and the phone’s memory is not automatically synchronized.
Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration
Xiaomi has developed its own utility called Mi Mover, which makes it much easier to switch from any Android device, which allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, applications, music and even system settings.
Run the Mi Mover app on both devices. On the new Xiaomi phone, it's often pre-installed in the Tools folder. If it's not available, download it from GetApps or Google Play. On the old device, you'll also need to install the app. Select the role of the device: "I send" on the old one and "I receive" on the new one.
After the scan. QR-You'll be asked to select data types for porting, check "Contacts" and you can detail the choice if you don't want to transfer, for example, system contacts or messenger entries.
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
During the transfer, do not switch to other applications or turn off smartphone screens. Interrupting the connection may cause some records to not save or appear as duplicates. Once the process is complete, the system will prompt you to open the phone book to check the result.
⚠️ Note: When using Mi Mover with devices from other brands (Samsung, Huawei), some specific contact fields (e.g., extra numbers or high-resolution photos) may not be displayed correctly.
The advantage of this method is the ability to transfer the history of calls and SMS, which makes Mi Mover a great choice for the complete cloning of an old smartphone.However, if you have a very large amount of data (more than 50 GB), the process can take considerable time and phones can heat up.
Export and import via VCF file (local method)
If your Internet connection is unstable or you prefer full control of files, use the VCF (vCard) export method, which is a universal standard for storing contact information and is supported by almost all mobile operating systems.
On an old phone, open the Contacts app. On the menu (usually three dots or bars), select Import/Export contacts → Export to Device Memory or Export to.vcf. The system will create a file that can be found at the root of internal memory or in the Downloads folder.
Transfer this file to the new Xiaomi in any convenient way: via Bluetooth, messenger (Telegram, WhatsApp), email or USB-Open the file on the new device, automatically prompt the user to import the records they find, and you only have to choose which account or which one to which. SIM-keep the map.
| Parameter | VCF (vCard) | CSV | Google Sync |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo support | Yes. | No. | Yes. |
| We need the Internet. | No. | No. | Yes. |
| Difficulty | Low. | Medium | Low. |
| The risk of doubles | Medium. | High-pitched | Low. |
The.vcf method is especially useful when you need to move contacts from a button phone or a device that cannot be installed for sync applications. Simply copy the file to a memory card and paste it into Xiaomi.
However, when you import a large file (e.g., 2000+ contacts) right away, the phone can hang for a few seconds. This is the normal reaction of the processor to processing the data array. Don't try to restart the device at this point, wait for the notification of successful completion.
Transfer contacts from iPhone (iOS) to Xiaomi
The transition from iOS to Android is often a concern for users because of the closed Apple ecosystem. However, it is easy enough to transfer contacts from the iPhone to Xiaomi, if you know the correct algorithm of actions.
Go from your computer or directly from your iPhone to your browser and go to icloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID. Select Contacts. Select all numbers (click Ctrl+A on your PC or use the settings menu in the web interface) and select Export vCard.
Send the file to your new Xiaomi phone via email or messenger. Open the file on your Android device and the system will suggest saving all the records you find. Alternatively, install the "Move to iOS" app on Android, but it works more with the initial setup "from scratch".
What if iCloud does not let you from Android browser?
You can also use third-party apps like Copy My Data, which create a local Wi-Fi network between your iPhone and Xiaomi, which allows you to transfer contacts, photos and calendar without using cloud storage.
When importing from iOS, there is often a problem with name formats (for example, “Family Name” instead of “Family Name”). After the transfer, you may need to manually sort or use the “Combine Duplicates” feature in the Xiaomi Contacts app.
Use of the SIM-card
The oldest and most “old school” method is copying SIM-It's good if you don't have a smartphone, you don't have the Internet, or you're moving from a very old device, but there are serious limitations to this method that you need to be aware of.
On your old phone, go to Contact Management and select "Copy on" SIM-Then insert the SIM into Xiaomi, go to contacts and select "Import with" SIM-The process will take no more than a minute, even for several hundred numbers.
- 📉 Limit the number of characters in the contact name (usually up to 20 characters).
- 🚫 Inability to save multiple numbers for one contact.
- 🖼️ Contact photos and additional fields (address, email) are not saved.
- ⏳ Slow recording speed with a large amount of data.
This is a good backup method, if the cloud is not available and the cable is forgotten at home, SIM-But for a full use of a modern smartphone Xiaomi is better immediately after that to overtake the data in Google Account.
⚠️ Note: Before copying the SIM-Make sure the card is not full. Old cards can only hold 250 contacts. If they have more, some of the records will be cropped or not copied.
It is also worth remembering that SIM-The card is not intended for long-term data storage, contacts can be damaged by frequent overwriting or changing the operator.
Solving problems: duplicates and missing numbers
Once you have managed to transfer contacts from your phone to your Xiaomi phone, users often face the problem of duplication of records, which occurs when the same number is saved both on Google and on the phone. SIM-And in the memory of the phone. MIUI There is a built-in tool to solve this problem.
Open the Contacts app, click on the menu, and select Contact Management. Find the Combine Repeated Contacts. The system will automatically find and merge duplicates. You can choose which information to prioritize.
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Before combining duplicates, back up. Go to contacts.google.com → Menu → Export. This will restore the original state if the automatic merger fails.
If the numbers are missing after the system update, check the display filters. In the Contacts app, click on the display settings and make sure that the check boxes are in front of all sources: "Phone", "SIM", "Google, "Mi Cloud." Sometimes the default system hides contacts with the Internet. SIM-map.
In the case that contacts are “hanging” in the cloud but not appearing on your phone, try clearing the app’s cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Contacts → Memory → Clear the cache. This action is safe and will not delete your data, but will force the app to re-read the database.
Why are contacts not synced after entering a password?
How to Recover Remote Contacts in Xiaomi?
Can I transfer my phone history with my contacts?
Where are the contacts physically stored on Xiaomi?
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Regularly checking the source of the saved contacts is the best way to prevent data loss, and make sure that new numbers are recorded in Google, not in the phone's memory.
In conclusion, the process of transferring data to Xiaomi has become as simple as possible thanks to the developed synchronization tools, the choice of method depends on your preferences: speed and simplicity are Mi Mover, reliability and cross-platformity are Google Contacts. The main thing is not to leave important numbers stored exclusively on the SIM-card or local memory of the device without a backup.