How to transfer contacts from the SIM card to Xiaomi Redmi 9C

Changing a mobile device often involves the need to quickly transfer all personal information. For owners of budget but functional smartphones such as the Xiaomi Redmi 9C, this process may seem unobvious due to the features of the MIUI shell. Unlike standard Android, the interface here has its own nuances that can confuse the inexperienced user.

Importing numbers from an old SIM card is a basic but critical procedure to get started with a new gadget. Synchronizing data in today's environment allows you not only to copy numbers, but also to protect them from loss. If you just turned on your Redmi 9C, the first thing to do is to do an address book.

In this guide, we will take a look at all the portability options available, with a focus on standard system tools, how to avoid duplication of records and why storing numbers in a phone’s memory can be risky. The most reliable way to save data on Redmi 9C is to automatically sync with a Google account, rather than storing it in SIM memory.

Preparation for data transfer and SIM card verification

Before you start active actions in the smartphone menu, you need to make sure the physical integrity of the media. SIM-The card must be properly installed in the tray of the device. 9C Use a combined tray, so it is important not to confuse the slots if you use two SIMs or a memory card.

Make sure the device sees the map and displays the operator's network. If there are no signal icons on the screen, importing contacts will be impossible. Sometimes the chip contacts can become oxidized or contaminated, leading to read errors.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone doesn't see the SIM card, don't try to force the tray out with a paper clip while the system is running.

It's also worth checking if the SIM card itself is full of memory. Older media have a limited amount of storage, usually around 250 contacts, and if the number list is very long, some of the data may not have been written before or clipped.

Import contacts through the standard “Contacts” application

The main tool for managing the phone book in Xiaomi is built into the system and does not require installing third-party software. To start the process, look for an application called Contacts or Phone on your desktop or in the Tools folder, which is where all the necessary functions for manipulating data are hidden.

After you run the app, look at the three dots in the top right corner or the menu button at the bottom of the screen, depending on the version of MIUI. Clicking on this item will open the drop-down menu where you need to select "Import and export contacts" - this is the key section for all operations with the address book.

In the menu that opens, the system will offer several options for action. You will need to select the option "Import from the SIM-Once you press the card, the smartphone will scan the contents of the chip, and if there are records on the SIM card, they will appear in the list for selection.

• 📱 Select all the numbers found or tick specific entries.
• 💾 Select your Google account instead of your phone memory.
• ⏳ Wait for the copying process to end without switching to other applications.

Once the operation is complete, the system will notify you of the successful import, and now all the numbers are available in the memory of the smartphone, and it is important to understand that the copy is still on the SIM card, so in the future there may be duplicates.

Syncing with your Google account

Just copying numbers to your phone is only half the task. To work properly in the Android ecosystem, you need to set up sync, which ensures that if you lose or break the Redmi 9C, you don't lose your phone book. All the data will be stored on the search giant's servers.

Open your smartphone system settings and find Accounts and Sync. This shows all the accounts you have added to your device. Select your primary Gmail email address. If you don't have an account, you need to create or add it through the Add Account menu.

Inside your Google account settings, make sure the switch opposite the Contacts button is active. If it is turned off, the data will not be updated in the cloud. It is also useful to click on the sync button (usually three points or an update icon) to force the process to start.

Once set up, you can manage contacts via your computer by going to contacts.google.com, where it is convenient to delete duplicates and edit names, changes will instantly affect the Redmi 9C.

Using the Mi Mover app for migration

If you are switching to Xiaomi Redmi 9C from another smartphone, especially Android-based, it is more convenient to use the specialized Mi Mover application. This tool allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, applications and system settings without using the Internet.

Run the app on both devices. On the new phone, select "I'm the recipient" and on the old phone, "I'm the sender." Devices will create a temporary Wi-Fi hotspot. Once connected, select "Contacts" and start the transfer.

The data transfer speed through Mi Mover is much faster than manual copying, and the application automatically recognizes duplicates and offers to combine repeated records, which keeps the address book clean.

⚠️ Note: When using Mi Mover, make sure that the screens of both phones do not go out during the transfer. interruption of the process can lead to partial data transfer or damage to contact database files.

This method is especially relevant if the contacts are stored in a proprietary format or in the cloud of another manufacturer (for example, Samsung Cloud or Mi Cloud of another account).

Solution: duplicates and name coding

A common problem with SIM import is the appearance of duplicates, because the copy remains on the chip and a new record is created in the phone, conflicts can arise when re-importing or synchronizing, and the MIUI system is able to find such pairs on its own.

Go to the Contacts app, click on the menu and select “Clean Duplicates,” and the system will analyze the database and suggest combining the records with the same numbers or names, which will help avoid confusion when one person corresponds to several cards.

Another common problem is selecting names in the form of Krakozabr or question marks, which is related to encoding. Older SIM cards often use GSM encoding, which does not support Cyrillic well, in which cases the names may not appear correctly.

• 🔍 Check the display of names immediately after importation.
• ✏️ Manually edit the most important contacts if the encoding is broken.
• 🗑️ Remove contacts from the SIM card after a successful transfer to avoid confusion in the future.

If names aren't readable at all, you might have to re-enter them, and unfortunately, there's no universal way to automatically convert encoding inside the SIM card, because that's a limitation of the chip itself.

💡

Save your contacts to the cloud. When you create a new number, the system will ask where to save it. Always choose a Google account so that you don't depend on the physical integrity of your SIM card or phone.

Export contacts to VCF file for backup

Beyond cloud sync, it's useful to have a local copy of contacts as a file. VCF (vCard) is a universal format that opens on almost any device. It's the perfect way to back up before resetting or flashing.

In the Import and Export Contacts menu, select Export to Storage or Export to.vcf. The system will create a file with the.vcf extension in the phone’s memory, and it is recommended to send this file to your messenger immediately or save it to your computer.

Contacts.vcf can be opened on a computer via standard Windows or macOS tools, and imported back into any other phone, the most reliable analogue method in the digital age.

The path to the file is usually: Internal memory → MIUI → backup → AllBackup → contact_and_calllog

However, it is easier to use the built-in Disk export function or Bluetooth/Email post immediately after you create a file.

💡

Regularly exporting contacts to a VCF file and saving it on an external medium is the best insurance against a cloud service failure or account lock.

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