Changing a mobile device or having to back up important data often puts the user in the task of carrying a phone book. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones may face the nuances of the shell MIUI or HyperOS, which is different from pure Android. SIM-Maps are still a viable method for data migration without using cloud services or a computer.
This process is not complicated, but it requires care, because the contact book interface can vary depending on the version of the operating system. In this article, we will discuss the algorithm of actions for different models and versions of firmware, you will learn how to safely save numbers, avoiding common errors when exporting data.
Limitations and features of storage of numbers on SIM
Before proceeding with a transfer, it is important to understand the technical limitations. SIM-Unlike the internal memory of a smartphone or Google's cloud storage, the SIM card has very modest capabilities, and it was created in an era when text numbers were the standard. 11-12 names without special symbols.
The main problem is the storage format. Modern smartphones allow you to add an email, address, several numbers and a photo to a contact. SIM-The card can only store a name and a phone number, and when exported, all additional information will be permanently lost.
⚠️ Note: When transferring contacts to SIM-All additional fields, such as email, addresses and second phone numbers, will be deleted.
There is also a limit on the number of characters in a name, which is usually no more than 10-15 characters depending on the operator, long names will be cropped, and Cyrillic characters in some old SIM cards may be displayed incorrectly or replaced with question marks.
Preparation for the data export procedure
To successfully perform the operation, it is necessary to make sure that SIM-The card is correctly installed and determined by the system. Check for network signal in the status bar. If the SIM card is not active, the export menu may be inaccessible or hidden.
It is recommended to check in advance where exactly your contacts are stored, they can be in the device memory, in Google account or in the memory of the device itself. SIM-We need contacts in the phone's internal memory to work.
- 📱 Make sure that SIM-The card is inserted into the correct slot if there are two in your device.
- 🔋 Charge the device to minimum 20-30%, to avoid turning off the data recording process.
- 📂 Check for free space in the SIM card phone book (usually the limit is 250-500 record).
If you have a dual-sim phone, the system will suggest choosing which card to write numbers to. Be careful when choosing the target medium, so as not to confuse the main and additional SIM cards.
☑️ Ready for transfer
Standard method through the Contacts app
The easiest and fastest portability method is built directly into the standard call management app. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic of actions remains the same for all Xiaomi devices.
Open the Contacts app. On the right side of the screen or in the bottom corner, find a menu button that often looks like three dots or a gear, and if you click on it, you'll see a drop-down list of actions.
In the menu that opens, select Import/Export Contacts, the system can request permission to access contacts if you are doing this for the first time, and confirm the action to proceed to the choice of source and recipient of data.
What if the item "Export" is not on the menu?
Then select the option Export to SIM-map (or "Copy on" SIM-If you have two SIM cards, the phone will suggest you choose a particular slot. Once selected, the copying process will begin, which will take a few seconds.
Using the settings menu for migration
If a standard application is not working properly or the interface is changed, you can use system settings, which is more reliable, since it addresses directly to the system components of Android, bypassing possible shell bugs.
Go to Settings for your smartphone. Search the Apps in the list, then select System Apps. Search in the Contacts list and open it.
Inside the app menu, find Contact Management or Contact Management, and this is where all the tools for working with the database are located: cleaning duplicates, deleting and, of course, moving.
| Action. | The way is on the menu | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Copying | Contacts → Management → Copy on SIM | Creating a copy on the SIM card, the original remains in the phone |
| Relocation | Contacts → Management → Move | Contact is deleted from the phone’s memory and recorded on SIM. |
| Imports | Contacts → Import / Export → Import with SIM | Download numbers from the SIM card back to the memory of the smartphone |
| Removal | Contacts → Management → Cleaning | Complete removal of selected records |
You can choose the right option. Often users confuse "copy" and "move." Remember that when you move the original from the memory of the phone will disappear, so make sure that the process is successful before you delete the data manually.
💡
Use the Copy feature, not Move, to save original contacts in your phone’s memory in case of a crash. SIM-map.
Working with two SIM-maps and source selection
Xiaomi smartphone owners often use two SIM cards at the same time, and when exporting contacts, the system will ask which card to write data to, which is critical, since it will be difficult to cancel the choice after the process begins.
If you need to transfer contacts to both cards, you have to repeat the procedure twice. First, select the first SIM card, wait for the process to finish, then repeat the actions for the second card. There is no automatic distribution of contacts between two SIM cards.
It is also important to note that some of the older SIM-If you try to write 300 contacts to a card with a limit of 250 records, the process will be interrupted or old records will be overwritten with new ones.
- 📲 If you have two SIM cards, carefully read the pop-up window with the choice of slot.
- 🔄 For a full migration to two cards, repeat the export procedure separately for each card.
- 🗑️ Before mass recording on an old SIM card, delete unnecessary old numbers from it.
Alternative methods and cloud services
Keeping contacts exclusively on SIM-The map is considered obsolete due to the risks of data loss and format limitations.Modern Xiaomi smartphones offer more advanced synchronization methods that are more reliable than a physical card.
Using a Google account allows you to save an unlimited number of contacts, restore them on any new device and automatically update changes on all gadgets. To activate, go to Settings → Accounts and sync and make sure that the tick is opposite to Contacts.
Xiaomi also has its own cloud service, Mi Cloud, which is integrated into the system and allows you to create full backups of the phone, including call history and phone history. SMS. It is a much more functional solution than a simple one. SIM-map.
⚠️ Attention: SIM-The card doesn't have remote contact recovery, and if you accidentally erase a SIM card entry, it's almost impossible to get it back without special equipment.
💡
Export contacts to a.vcf file regularly and save them to your computer or send them to your messenger, which will create an independent backup that can be opened on any device.