How to Move SIM Contacts to Xiaomi Phone

Switching to a new smartphone or a simple replacement SIM-The card often puts users in the position of having to restore the phone book. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices may find that numbers stored on the operator's chip are not automatically displayed in the shell interface. MIUI This is not a system error, but only a feature of the organization of data storage in Android, where priority is given to cloud storage or internal memory.

The transfer process takes only a few minutes if you know the exact path in the settings menu, and ignoring this procedure can lead to the loss of important numbers when changing devices, as modern smartphones are less and less likely to have physical buttons for quick access to the device. SIM-In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions that will guarantee the preservation of your address book.

Preparation of SIM-card and compatibility check

Before importing, you must ensure that SIM-The card is physically correct and correctly defined by the device. Put the chip in the slot and wait for the network signal to appear. If the phone sees the network but does not see the contacts, the problem lies in the software separation of storage. SIM-The cards may have limited memory and Unicode, which causes problems with displaying Russian names.

It is important to understand that SIM-A map is not a complete database, but a medium with a limited structure, and it often does not support saving multiple numbers for a single contact or adding photos. Therefore, transferring data to the internal memory of a smartphone or Google account is a must-do step for full use of functions. MIUI.

Make sure that the device has a standard contact manager from Xiaomi or Google. Third-party applications may have their own import rules that differ from the system.

Import contacts through the standard Contacts app

The primary and most reliable way to migrate data is to use the phonebook’s built-in functionality, which works on all current firmware versions, including the latest HyperOS updates. You don’t need third-party software or root rights.

To start, open the Contacts app (human silhouette icon) in the upper right corner of the screen, find the menu indicated by the three dots or gear. When you click on it, you will see the drop-down list of options. Select Import/Export contacts. The system will request confirmation of the action, as this operation affects the user's personal data.

In the menu that opens, you will be asked to select a data source. Click on the Import with option. SIM-The smartphone can suggest you to choose a specific card. SIM-If you have two cards, you'll start scanning the chip.

⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI The import process can look like a screen hanging for a few seconds.

After scanning, the screen will display a list of all the records found, you can select specific numbers or click Select everything in the top corner, then the system will ask where to save the data, you should choose a Google or Xiaomi Cloud account for automatic synchronization, or phone memory if the cloud services are not used.

Use of the system settings menu

If you can't log into the import menu through the contact app, you can use deep system settings, which is useful when a standard application is not working correctly or has been removed by a user. The import mechanism in Android is system-based and is accessible through global settings.

Go to Settings on the main smartphone menu. Scroll down to the App section or search by settings by typing in "Contacts." You need System Apps → Contacts. This menu often duplicates data management features.

However, a more direct path in the newer versions of the shell is in the Additional settings or Advanced settings section. Find the subsection related to backup or data migration. There may be an option to import data with SIM that runs the same system dialog as the phone book application.

The system settings ensure that the process is complete with maximum access rights. SIM-The card has more than 200 numbers, and the contact application may not be able to handle this amount of data in the background.

Working with two-symbol devices

Xiaomi smartphone owners often use two SIM-When importing contacts, the system will require you to specify which chip to read data from, and a mistake in choosing a slot will lead to the fact that some numbers will remain unavailable.

The process is no different from the single channel, but it requires careful consideration in the source selection phase. SIM-maps, a dialog box with a choice appears SIM 1 SIM 2. Select the desired card and wait for the scan to end.

After the importation from the first card is completed, the procedure must be repeated for the second card. SIM-The system doesn't automatically integrate the process. If you want to combine contacts from both sources into a single list, just choose the same target storage (like a Google account) when you import.

If there are duplicates (the same numbers on different SIMs), MIUI will offer to combine them or create copies, and it is recommended to choose a combination so as not to litter the phone book with repeated entries.

Removing common errors during transfer

Although the procedure is simple, users may encounter technical problems, most often with the format of writing data on a map or overflowing the clipboard, and understanding the causes of errors will help them quickly resolve them without going to the service center.

One of the common problems is that we have brownies instead of letters or blank fields of names. SIM-The card uses old encoding that doesn't support Cyrillic in its entirety, and in this case, the numbers are imported, but without names, and this can only be solved by manually editing or re-writing contacts from phone to phone. SIM in the right format, if possible.

Another mistake is to say, "Not enough memory" when importing, and although the phone has a lot of memory, the limit can be on the target account or the specific application, so try importing contacts in small groups of 50-100 if the interface allows selective import.

⚠️ Note: If the contacts are missing after import, check the display filter in the Contacts app. Press three points and select the Filter → All contacts. Often, the default system hides data from the SIM post-transfer.

Also worth mentioning is the problem of long names. SIM-The card limits the length of the contact name 14-16 When imported into a Xiaomi smartphone, the name can be cropped. This is a routine behavior that cannot be fixed software without manually shortening the name.

Synchronization and preservation of results

Once the contacts are successfully transferred to internal memory, it is critical to keep them safe. Keeping the numbers only on the device is risky: if you break, lose or steal your smartphone, you lose your entire phone book.

Google Account is the most reliable storage for Android users. Make sure your account settings enable contact sync. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active.

Xiaomi ecosystem users can also use Mi Cloud, which is convenient if you plan to switch between Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco brands. Sync is automatic when you have a Wi-Fi connection. You can check status in the Settings menu → Mi Account → Cloud.

Regularly backing up through the Security → Backup app will also be useful. This will create a local backup file that can be saved to a computer or a flash drive, which provides triple protection for your data.

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Expert advice: After importing and synchronizing, make a full export of contacts to the file.vcx or.csv via the import/export menu and save this file in a safe place (for example, send yourself an email).

Comparison of methods of storage of contacts

The choice of location of the contacts affects the usability and security, and below is a table comparing the main options for placing the phone book on Xiaomi devices.

As you can see from the table, the storage SIM-Transferring data to the cloud or to your phone gives you access to advanced features such as searching by organization name, automatically detecting spam, and integrating with instant messengers.

Using a Google account provides cross-platformity: you can easily switch to any other Android smartphone just by entering your login and password, and the entire phonebook will recover automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Main result: Transfer of contacts with SIM-Xiaomi phone cards are a basic security procedure that takes 2 minutes, but protects against losing all numbers when you change your device.