Changing from iOS to Android is always accompanied by excitement about preserving personal data, and contacts are the first thing that users worry about. The migration process has come a long way from manually reprinting numbers to automated cloud synchronizations, but still raises questions among Apple owners who have decided to move to the Android ecosystem. Modern methods allow you to copy a phone book in minutes without losing formatting or additional characters in rooms.
In this article, we will take a look at all the current methods of transfer, from built-in Xiaomi utilities to classic methods through VCF files. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes, such as duplicate recordings or loss of profile photos. Regardless of whether you are new to your model or using an old iPhone, you will find a working solution to the problem.
The switch to a new phone is always accompanied by a desire to adjust the device as quickly as possible, and moving contacts is the number one priority. Fortunately, Xiaomi and Apple engineers have envisaged several migration scenarios, each of which has its own advantages depending on the condition of the original device. Some methods require a connection to Wi-Fi, others work completely autonomously through a direct connection.
It is important to understand that the storage structure of iOS and Android data is different, so direct transfer of a database file is impossible without a special converter or intermediary, most often such an intermediary is a Google account or a proprietary application Mi Mover, which is preinstalled on all modern smartphones of the brand, the choice of the specific method depends on your technical literacy and availability of a stable Internet connection.
Before you start any manipulation, make sure that both devices are charged at least 50-60%, as the process of transferring large amounts of data can be energy intensive. It is also recommended to clean the memory on the receiving device if it is filled to the end, although the contacts occupy a negligible space. In some cases, you may need to update the operating system on both gadgets for the correct operation of the transmission protocols.
Using the Mi Mover app for migration
The most effective and native way to transfer data is to use the proprietary utility Mi Mover, which is specially designed for migration from other platforms. The application allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also messages, photos, videos and even some system settings. To start, you need to download the version of the program for iOS from the App Store on your iPhone, since it is already built into the system on Android.
The process starts from a new Xiaomi phone: open the settings or find the application in the Tools folder and select "Receive data." QR-The code that you need to scan with your iPhone camera through the installed Mi Mover application, and once the device is successfully connected, you will create a local Wi-Fi network through which information will be transmitted without using Internet traffic.
- 📱 Open Mi Mover on Xiaomi and click "I'm the recipient".
- 🍎 Launch the app on your iPhone and select "I'm the sender".
- 🔗 Scan it. QR-code on the Android smartphone screen.
- 📂 Select the category "Contacts" and click "Send".
⚠️ Warning: Don’t turn off smartphone screens during the transfer process, as iOS may break the connection to save energy if the device goes into sleep mode.
The speed of transmission depends on the number of records and the presence of nested media files, such as photos of contacts. If you have several thousand numbers with images in your phone book, the process can take from 5 to 15 minutes.
Synchronization through Google Account
Google’s ecosystem is the foundation of the Android operating system, and moving contacts through it is considered one of the most reliable and standard methods, the idea of first unloading contacts from iCloud to Google Contacts, and then simply logging in to a new phone, a method ideal for those who plan to use Google services on a permanent basis in the future.
To implement this method, you will need a computer or access to a browser on the iPhone itself. You need to go to the iCloud settings, export contacts in vCard format, and then import them on the site contacts.google.com. After that, you just add the same Google account to Xiaomi in the Settings → Accounts and Sync section.
The main advantage of this method is automatic synchronization in the future, so that any change in number on one device will be instantly displayed on all other gadgets associated with this account, which creates a single database that is independent of the specific physical device.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
If you don't have contacts after you enter your password, check your sync settings. Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Google → Select your email. Make sure the switch opposite the "Contact" item is active (burns blue). If the switch is already active, try turning it off and on again, then press the three dots in the corner and select "Sync".> Exports and imports through VCF The universal format for exchanging contact data is.vcf (vCard), which is supported by almost all mobile operating systems in the world, a method that is good because it does not require Internet access during the transfer stage and works even if there are no accounts. The file is a text database that can be transferred in any convenient way: Bluetooth, messenger or via the Internet. USB-On the iPhone, the export process is carried out through the standard application "Contacts". Select all the records (or select a specific group), click the "Share" button and choose how to save the file. The resulting contact.vcf file must be transferred to Xiaomi and opened - the system will automatically prompt you to import content into the phone book. When working with large amounts of data (more than 2000 contacts), the file can be formed for several minutes. Also, it is worth considering that when transferring via instant messengers (for example, Telegram or WhatsApp), the file can be compressed, although it is rare for text vCards. AirDrop is most reliable if you have a Xiaomi client installed to work with an Apple file, or simply save a file in the cloud storage. Method Needs Internet Save Photos Mi Mover Speed No (locally) Yes High Google Account Yes Average VCF No Yes file depends on the method of transfer SIM-No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No SIM-map: limitations and nuances The method of transfer through SIM-The card is the most archaic, but in some situations the only available, for example, in the absence of the Internet or a broken Wi-Fi module. SIM-The card has a very small memory and an outdated recording structure. SIM-The iPhone card is cropped with long names and all the extra fields are lost, and you lose your email addresses, your residence address, your job titles, and most importantly, your contact photos. In addition, the number can be written in an international format with a plus, which sometimes causes problems with the number detector for incoming calls within the country. SIM in the iPhone settings (Settings) → Contacts → Import with SIM), Then paste the card into Xiaomi. On the new device, go to the Contacts app, open the settings, and select Import with SIM-map". ⚠️ Note: Before copying the SIM Make sure to back up your contacts in iCloud, as the format is SIM-The card does not allow you to store backup copies in full and can overwrite old records without warning. For a full life with a smartphone, Xiaomi is strongly recommended after importing immediately copy all the numbers to your Google account or internal memory of the device to free up space on the map and restore lost fields. After transferring contacts, users often encounter unpleasant artifacts: instead of letters, question marks may be displayed, Krakozabras or numbers can be recorded in a double format. This is due to the different encoding of text between iOS and Android, and the different approach to formatting phone numbers, and fortunately, most are solved by regular means. The problem of duplicates occurs when you use multiple methods of transferring in a row or when contacts have already been partially synchronized before. MIUI HyperOS has a built-in tool for merging duplicates. Open the Contacts app, click on the menu (three dots or bars) and select Clean up or Combine Repeated Contacts. The system will automatically find matches by number or name and suggest combining them. If names are not displayed correctly (e.g., all in capital letters or with extra characters), try changing the system font or input language. Sometimes re-importing through Google Contacts from the web version, where you can massively edit the fields, also check the encoding when exporting: always choose UTF-8, If the application converter offers such a choice. 💡Use Google Contacts to clean up. It has a more powerful duplicate search algorithm and allows you to quickly edit multiple fields at once than a standard caller. MIUI. Saving photos and additional fields One of the most common problems with migration is the loss of contact avatars. In iOS, photos are stored in a separate container inside the database, and not all transfer methods can correctly extract and link them to vCard records. Mi Mover method copes with this best, as it transfers data in a proprietary format Xiaomi. If you’ve used Google sync, photos may not be uploaded immediately. Make sure your Google account settings on Xiaomi have synced specifically for Contact Photos. Sometimes you need to manually open the Google Photos app and allow sync to keep thumbnails updated in the phone book. Additional fields such as Birthday or Notes may also be lost when using the app. SIM-To save the full user card, use only digital methods (cloud or direct connection). In modern versions of iOS when exporting in VCF via Share photos and additional fields are saved inside the file if the format is selected All contacts". 💡For 100% photo and contact structure saving, use only the Mi Mover app or full sync via Google Contacts on your computer (FAQ) Can you move contacts without the Internet? Yes, it's possible. Use the Mi Mover app, which creates a direct Wi-Fi connection between phones, or a method of transferring. VCF You don't need the Internet, will you lose your iPhone contacts after you move them? No, the transfer process is copying, not moving them. Your data will stay on your iPhone unchanged. You have to manually remove them on an old device if you're planning to sell it? It's a coding problem. You probably used it. SIM-If you try to change the language of the system to Xiaomi to English and then back to Russian, or use import through Google Account. How to transfer contacts if the iPhone is broken and not turned on? If the phone does not turn on, but SIM-If the contacts are stored in the phone's memory, it's almost impossible to extract them without a working screen and iTunes, you have a fresh backup in iCloud that you can access from your computer. Do you need to delete your contacts from Google after migrating to Xiaomi? No, you don't have to delete them. On the contrary, keeping contacts on a Google account is a best practice for Android, which ensures that if you lose or replace your phone, all numbers will automatically recover immediately after you log in.