How to transfer contacts to Xiaomi: step-by-step migration methods

Buying a new Xiaomi smartphone, whether it’s a budget Redmi or a flagship Mi, always starts with an exciting setup moment. The most critical stage for most users is not installing apps or changing wallpapers, but saving and transferring a personal phone book. Losing important numbers of colleagues, friends or delivery services can be a real disaster, so the question of how to transfer contacts to Xiaomi is the first one when you activate the device.

The current Android ecosystem, which runs the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, offers a lot of flexible tools for data migration. You no longer have to manually interrupt hundreds of numbers or search for old notebooks. There are proven methods through cloud storage, local files and direct connection of devices that guarantee 100% data retention.

In this article, we will look at all the ways you can import a phone book, how you can use Mi accounts, Google tools, and how you can switch from your iPhone, and how you can make sure you feel confident when you change your phone and have confidence in the security of your data.

Preparation for data transfer and verification of sources

Before you start the active phase of migration, you need to audit the existing data on the old device. Often users do not even suspect that some of the numbers are stored on the old device. SIM-The map, the other part is in the phone's memory, and the third part is already synced to the cloud.

Go to the Contacts app on your current smartphone and open the display settings. Make sure you select all sources. If you see scattered listings, it's a signal that before migrating to Xiaomi, it's better to combine or export from each source separately. Ignoring this step can lead to an important part of contacts remaining on the old device after setting up the new device.

• 📱 Check where the new numbers are saved by default (in Google, Mi Account or on your phone).
• 🔋 Make sure that the charge of both devices is at least 50-60% steady-work.
• 📶 Connect both smartphones to a stable Wi-Fi network for fast transfer of large amounts of data.
• 🆔 Remember the passwords from Google and Mi accounts, as they may be required for authorization.

⚠️ Note: If you use a dual-sim phone, make sure that the contacts are not “smeared” in two different ways. SIM-When you transfer to a single-sim model Xiaomi, some of the data may be lost without first combining.

Also worth noting is the format of the name storage. Some older phone models may have used special characters or very long names that the new system may not handle properly. Although the current versions of Android and MIUI are smart enough to handle encoding, there won't be any pre-checking, which is especially true if you're switching from a pushphone or a very old version of Android.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The simplest and most native way that the manufacturer offers is to use the pre-installed Mi Mover application, which is designed specifically for the Xiaomi ecosystem and allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, applications and system settings.

To get started, find the app on both devices. On the new Xiaomi, it's usually already built in and in the Tools folder. On an old Android smartphone, it might have to be downloaded from the Google Play store or scanned. QR-code that will appear on the screen of the new phone. After launch, select the device role: "I send" on the old one and "I receive" on the new one.

Connection between devices is through the creation of a temporary Wi-Fi hotspot. This means that the Internet may temporarily disappear on both devices, but the data rate will be high. The security system will ask you to confirm the connection with a code or fingerprint. Once you establish the connection, you will see a list of categories for transfer.

• 📂 Select the category “Contacts” in the list of transmitted data.
• 📸 If desired, you can choose both Gallery and Messages for full cloning.
• ⏳ Wait for the process to end without turning off smartphone screens.
• ✅ Once completed, check the phone book on the new device.

⚠️ Warning: While running Mi Mover, do not switch to other apps or block the screen, as this may break the connection and interrupt file transfer.

The advantage of this method is that it retains the data structure and even the history of calls if necessary. However, if you have an old phone with a non-standard shell, the application may not work smoothly, in such cases it is better to use alternative methods, which we will discuss next, the main thing is not to panic if the process freezes, just restart the application.

Synchronization through Google Contacts account

The most reliable and versatile way for the Android ecosystem is sync through Google services. Because Xiaomi runs on Android, integration with Google Contacts is native and without additional complications. This is the best choice if you plan to change your phone again to any other Android smartphone in the future.

On your old device, open your settings, search for Accounts or Users and Accounts. Select your Google account and make sure the switch next to Contacts is active. Press the Sync button (usually the three dots in the menu corner). Now all your numbers are uploaded to the Google cloud and made available from any device that logs in to that account.

On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, the system will prompt you to enter your Google account data. If you missed this step, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Add your account and enable sync. In a few minutes, the phone book will automatically fill up. This takes longer than Mi Mover, but ensures that data is stored in the cloud forever.

Importantly, when synchronized via Google, contacts can be duplicated if a new phone already has some records. The system usually suggests combining duplicates, and this offer is better not to refuse. Google Contacts’ web interface also has a handy tool, “Combine and Fix”, which will help to restore order in the chaotic phone book after the transfer.

Transfer of contacts through SIM-map

This method is considered “classic” and is suitable for those who are moving from button phones or do not want to use cloud technologies. SIM-The card has a very small amount of memory and an outdated data storage structure, which can lead to the trimming of long names and the loss of additional numbers.

First, insert SIM-card from an old phone in Xiaomi (or use the second slot if the model is two-symbol). After the network is caught, go to the Contacts app. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner or the menu button, then select Import and Export. In the list that appears, select Import with SIM-map».

• 📥 Choose where to save contacts: it is recommended to choose a Google account or phone immediately.
• ✂️ Be prepared that long names may be cut to the limit. 15-20 symbolism.
• 📞 Additional numbers (mobile, work, home) can collapse into one entry or get lost.
• 🔄 After importing, be sure to check a few random integrity records.

⚠️ Note: Never keep your contacts only on the SIM-If you lose your card or switch to a smartphone with a different form factor (nano-sim), you risk losing the entire book, since modern cards often do not have free memory for recording.

If you have a two-sim phone Xiaomi, the system will ask which one. SIM-You can take out the map after you've finished the process, and it's a good backup if the Internet doesn't work or the old devices don't support the current data protocols. But for basic migration, it is poorly suited because of the risk of information loss.

Migration from iPhone (iOS) to Xiaomi

The shift from Apple’s ecosystem to Android, particularly Xiaomi, is often the most questionable. Fortunately, Apple has provided the ability to upload contacts, and Xiaomi has integrated iCloud support into its services. The cleanest way is to use the iCloud web interface, since a direct application for full migration from iOS to MIUI may not be in the AppStore.

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 records (on PC this is done via Ctrl+A or Cmd+A) and find the gear icon at the bottom left. Select Export vCard. You will get a file with the.vcf extension, which is the universal format of the phone book.

Now take your new Xiaomi. Send the resulting.vcf file to your phone in any convenient way: via messenger, mail or Bluetooth. Open the file on your smartphone. The system automatically recognizes the format and suggests importing contacts. Select your target account (Google or Mi Account) so that the data goes to the cloud immediately.

• ☁️ Alternative way: set up an iCloud account in the standard Contacts app on Android if the version is MIUI permitting.
• 📲 Using the “Move to iOS” app in the opposite direction will not work, but third-party apps from the Play Market can help.
• 📂 The vCard file can be transferred via QR-code if the iPhone contact app allows you to create it for all contacts.
• 🔒 Make sure Apple’s two-factor authentication ID Do not block the entry from the new device.

Once imported, check if the photos are correctly displayed. Often when cross-platform transfers, images are lost or not pulled due to differences in the paths to the cache files. If the photos are missing, you will have to add them manually or wait for synchronization if you choose to save to Google Contacts, which are able to pull up avatars from different sources.

Work with VCF files and local backup

For advanced users or in situations where there is no Internet access, the ideal solution is to manually work with VCF files (vCard), a format that is the de facto standard for sharing contact information and is supported by almost any device, from a smartphone to an automotive multimedia system.

To create a backup manually, open the Contacts app on any Android smartphone. From the menu, select Export to File or Export to Storage, contacts_001.vcf, This file can be copied to a computer, a flash drive, or sent to itself. Telegram/Email.

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Save backup copies of contacts in VCF format not only in the memory of the phone, but also on external media or in cloud storage (Yandex.Disk, Dropbox) to have access to them even if the smartphone is completely broken.

To import to Xiaomi, just transfer the file to the device and just click on it. The standard import interface will open, where you can choose whether to add new numbers or replace existing ones. This is the only way to guarantee that you can transfer contacts from a dead phone if you can count its memory through a card reader or connect it as a drive to a PC.

It is important to remember that encoding is important. If you see Krakozyabry instead of Russian letters after importing, then the file was saved in the wrong encoding. Modern Xiaomi smartphones automatically detect the encoding of UTF-8, but when exported from very old devices (for example, Nokia Symbian or old Windows Phone), conflicts can arise, in which case the file is better opened on a computer through Notepad and resaved with UTF-8 encoding before downloading to the phone.

Elimination and duplication of records

After mass data transfer, users often face the problem of duplicates, and the same person can be listed twice: “Ivan” and “Ivan Petrovich”, or “Mama (home)” and “Mom (mobile)”, this is because the system perceives recordings from different sources as different objects.

Xiaomi phones have a built-in cleaning tool. Open the Security app (a green lightning icon), scroll down to the Cleanup section, or find Contact Duplicates. The system will suggest automatically combining matching entries. It's a secure operation that just combines different numbers under a single contact card.

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Regularly cleaning duplicates not only lists, but also speeds up the search for contacts and the number detector, as the system has to process fewer records.

Also pay attention to the display settings. In the Contacts app, click on three dots and select Settings» → «Make sure you check the "All contacts" box, and sometimes users think that the contacts are lost, even though they are simply hidden by a filter that shows only the numbers from the SIM-Maps and the main ones are in Google.

If you find that contacts are lost after the system update, don't rush to reset. Go to your Google or Mi Account settings and force the "Sync" button. Often the data simply did not load due to a network connection failure at the time of the update. The local database on Xiaomi may temporarily fall off the cloud, but the data remains intact on the server.