The transition to a new smartphone is always accompanied by the desire to quickly configure the device for yourself, and the first step is usually to restore the phone book. Owners of budget and mid-budget models, such as Xiaomi Redmi 9, often face the need to transfer the accumulated over the years of numbers from the old one. SIM-This is a critical process, as loss of numbers can lead to serious communication problems and loss of communication with business partners or close people.
Fortunately, the MIUI operating system on Redmi devices offers built-in and fairly convenient tools for data migration. You don't need third-party software or complex technical manipulation of the computer. The entire process takes only a few minutes, if you know exactly where the desired menu items are hiding in the Android system.
In this article, we will discuss the details of the interactions with the Google account, and the possible errors that can occur when reading the data from the SIM card. Properly performing each step ensures that no important number is lost during the transfer process.
Preparation of SIM-card and compatibility check
Before you start copying, you need to make sure that your SIM-The card is physically correct and correctly defined by the system. Put the SIM card in the Redmi 9 slot and wait for the network icon to appear in the status bar. SIM-"Card" or "Not defined", the import will not work.
It is worth considering that SIM-The cards have a limited amount of storage to store records, usually 250 or 500 numbers depending on the operator and the type of card. Contacts saved on the SIM card often have cropped names (up to 20 characters) and may not contain additional fields such as email or address.
💡
Before importing, make sure that the phone is charged at least 20% of the battery, so that the process is not interrupted due to a sudden shutdown of the device.
If you use a two-sim Redmi 9, the system will suggest choosing which card to read data from, and decide in advance which slot the media with numbers is on, so as not to get confused in the process.
Import contacts through the standard application
The basic data transfer method is built into the standard Contacts app, which is part of the MIUI shell. To get started, open a list of all installed programs and find an icon with a human silhouette or phone handset. Launch the application.
In the interface that opens, click on the three dots in the upper right corner (or the "More" button) to open the drop-down menu. Here you are interested in Settings or Import/Export contacts. The choice of a specific name depends on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same.
Once you select the import point, the system will request permission to access memory and contacts, you must agree, otherwise the process will be blocked at the Android security level, and then the data source selection window will appear.
☑️ Import algorithm
In the list of sources, select yours. SIM-map (it may be indicated as SIM 1 SIM 2) Then the system will ask where exactly to save the numbers. It is recommended to choose not the internal memory of the phone, but your Google account.
Selecting a location for saving: Google or phone memory
When choosing the intended storage, users of Xiaomi Redmi 9 often have a dilemma: save to the phone or sync with the cloud. Saving in internal memory makes numbers available only on that particular device. If a smartphone is lost or broken, it will be extremely difficult to restore them without prior backup.
Using a Google account is the most reliable option, in which case all numbers are automatically synced to cloud storage, so if you lose your phone, just log in to your account on a new device, and the entire phone book will recover instantly.
⚠️ Note: If you save contacts only in the internal memory of the phone, when resetting to factory (Hard Reset) all numbers will be irretrievably deleted.
Google storage also allows you to easily edit your contacts from your computer through your browser, add photos and sort them into groups, making a simple phone book a powerful communication management tool.
Work with duplicates after transfer
A common problem with data migration is the appearance of duplicates, which happens if you previously synced some numbers with Google, and now imported them with the same number. SIM-As a result, the same person may appear on the list twice or even three times.
The MIUI shell has a built-in tool to solve this problem: Go to the contact settings and find the "Duplicate Cleanup" or "Contact Combination" option, and the system automatically scans the database and suggests combining the records with the same numbers or names.
How the Unification Algorithm Works
You don’t need to manually check hundreds of records, Xiaomi’s smart algorithm handles this quickly, but after automatic cleaning, it’s recommended to selectively check important contacts to make sure the information is combined correctly.
Display and sorting setting
Once successfully migrated, it may turn out that contacts are displayed differently than you normally would, such as only SIM numbers that are saved to Google and lost sight of, or vice versa, and there is a special filter menu to manage this functionality.
In the Contacts app, go to the settings and select Contacts to display. Here you can check the box against Google, Phone or SIM-Make sure you have all the sources you need to see the full picture.
Sorting the list is also available. You can customize the order of names by surname or by first name. In the Russian segment, the order "First name" is more familiar, but for business correspondence, it is sometimes easier to sort by alphabet of surnames.
| Parameter | Phone memory | Google Account | SIM-map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memory capacity | Depends on free memory. | Up to 50,000 contacts | About 250 rooms. |
| Length of name | No restrictions. | No restrictions. | Up to 20 characters |
| Supplementary fields | All fields available | All fields available | Name and number only |
| Synchronization | Only locally. | Automatically. | Absent. |
Export contacts to VCF file for reserve
Even with cloud technology, it is helpful to sometimes create local backups.VCF (vCard) format is a universal standard that is readable by any phone, whether it is an iPhone, Samsung or another Xiaomi.
To create such a file, go back to the Import / Export Contacts menu and select Export in device memory or Export in file.vcf. The system will create a file that can be sent to the messenger, saved to a flash drive or sent to an email.
This is especially true if you plan to sell the phone or transfer it to another user, simply copying the file to a new device and importing it, getting your entire phone book back to its original form.
⚠️ Attention: Backup file VCF It may contain personal data, do not pass it on to unauthorized persons or store it in public folders without a password.
Solving import problems
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after importing contacts do not appear in the call list, most often this is due to the fact that the display settings hide contacts with the help of the user. SIM-card or "Favorites Only" filter. Check the filters in the app menu.
Another common problem is the encoding of names, and if you're looking at Krakozabra instead of Russian letters, that means that you're not going to be able to read the script. SIM-The card uses old encoding that is incompatible with modern Android, in which case only manual renaming of contacts or their re-import from another phone will help.
💡
If contacts are not displayed, check if your Google account is authorized in your phone settings and if sync is enabled for the Contacts section.
In rare cases, the "Contacts" application may freeze when reading crowded SIM-Try restarting Redmi 9 and repeating the procedure. If the problem persists, maybe you can do it yourself. SIM-The card is physically damaged.