How to change a contact photo on Xiaomi: all ways to MIUI 12-14

Noticing that your friend in the phone book Xiaomi displays a bad photo, and it can not be replaced? Or want to add an avatar for a new contact, but do not know where this feature is hidden in MIUI? The problem is familiar to many users of smartphones Redmi, POCO or Black Shark — the interface of the shell often changes, and the desired settings are hidden in unexpected places.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to change a photo contact on Xiaomi in 2026: through the standard Contacts app, synchronized Google accounts, and even using hidden MIUI features. Separately, we will focus on typical errors (for example, why the photo is not saved or displayed blurred) and give tips on optimizing avatars for fast loading. If you are using Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 12 or older model on Android 11-14, the instruction is suitable for everyone.

Method 1: Change your photo through the standard Contacts app

The most obvious method is editing through the built-in phone book, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones regardless of the MIUI version (12 to 14) and does not require an Internet connection.

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen or in the app menu).
2. Find the contact you want in the list or use the search bar at the top.
3. Tap the contact name to open his card.
4. Click on the current photo (or the camera icon if there is no avatar).
5. Choose one of the options: 📷 Take a new photo – activated smartphone camera. 🖼️ Select from the gallery - access to folders with images will open. 🗑️ Delete the photo if you want to remove the current avatar.

Ready.

Save.

MIUI

⚠️ Note: If the photo is not displayed in other apps (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) after saving, check if the contact is synced with your Google account. Local contacts (save only on the device) may not be updated automatically in messengers.

The contact is stored in the phone book, not in the phone book. SIM-map

Photo has a resolution of at least 300×300 pixels for clear display

The device has enough free memory (minimum 50 MB)

Sync with Google account enabled (if you need to update photos in all services)

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On some models (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F5), after upgrading to MIUI 14, the editing button may hide behind a long tap (finger holding) on the avatar. If a regular click does not work, try pinching the icon for 1-2 seconds.

2. Method 2: Editing through Google Contacts (for synchronized accounts)

If your contact is linked to a Google account, you can change your photo via the web version of the service or the mobile application, which is convenient because the avatar update will occur on all devices where sync is enabled.

1. Open your browser on your smartphone or computer and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same Google account used on Xiaomi.
3. Find the contact you need in the list and click on it.
4. Click on the camera icon in the avatar mug (or the photo itself, if it already exists).
5. Select the source of the image: 🖥️ Download from a computer (if you work through a PC). 📱 Select from the gallery (on the mobile version of the site). 📸 Take a photo – the camera of the device will open.

Cut the photo in a circle (if necessary) and save the changes.

Important: Changes to Google Contacts can be synced with a delay of up to 5 minutes. If the photo is not updated on Xiaomi, check your Internet connection or force your contacts to update in your account settings.

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To speed up sync, open on Xiaomi Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google and manually click “Sync Contacts”.

If you use Google Contacts on your smartphone (you can download it from Play Market), the process will be similar, and the main advantage of this method is cross-platform: the avatar will be updated not only on Xiaomi, but also on an iPhone, tablet or other Android device with the same account.

3. Why the contact photo doesn't change: typical problems and solutions

Sometimes users find that a new photo is not saved or displayed incorrectly. Let's consider the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI (especially custom) can be disabled editing function avatars for contacts saved on the SIM-In this case, the only way out is to transfer the contact to the phone memory or to the Google account.

Google account

In memory of the phone

Nana SIM-map

I use a different service (iCloud, Microsoft, etc.)

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4. How to crop and optimize photos for contact

To make the contact avatar look clear on all devices, you should adhere to several rules when selecting and processing the image:

• 📏 Permit: Minimum size — 300×300 pixels, optimal — 1000×1000. Images with resolution below 200×200 They will automatically stretch, which will lead to pixelation.
• 🎨 Format: Supported JPEG, PNG and WEBP. The latter provides better quality with less weight.
• 🔄 Pruning: MIUI It automatically crops the photo in a circle, but you can manually select the area to crop.
• 🖼️ Background: For better readability, choose images with a contrasting background (for example, a dark face on a light background or vice versa).

If you want to prepare the perfect photo in advance, use the free tools:

• Canva (Avatar for Contacts template)
• PhotoRoom (for automatic background removal)
• Snapseed (for brightness and contrast correction)

Xiaomi with MIUI 13/14 has a built-in photo editor that opens when you select an image from the gallery.

• Cut and rotate the photo.
• Add filters or adjust colors.
• Apply text or stickers (although this is not always appropriate for an avatar).

5. Features for different Xiaomi models

Depending on the smartphone model and the MIUI version, the process of changing the photo contact may be slightly different.

On devices with MIUI for POCO (like the POCO X5 Pro), the Contacts interface may be different from the standard one. If you don't find the right items, try:

1. Update the app through the Play Market.
2. Reset the application settings: Settings → Applications → Contacts → Storage → Reset settings.
3. Install an alternative contact app (such as Simple Contacts or Truecaller).

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On pure Android devices (such as Xiaomi A3 or Mi A2), the process of changing photo contact is identical to standard Android and is independent of MIUI.

6.Alternative methods: third-party applications and hidden MIUI functions

If standard methods don’t work or you need advanced features (such as massive avatar change), alternative solutions can be used.

Contact management applications

Some third-party apps offer more flexible settings for working with contacts:

• 📱 Truecaller – allows you to change photos of contacts, even if they are saved on the phone. SIM-It also automatically uploads avatars from social media.

⚠️ Warning: When using third-party apps, give them access only to contacts and storage. Avoid programs that ask for permission to use the app. SMS, Calls or locations without obvious cause.

Hidden MIUI functions

MIUI firmware has hidden opportunities to work with contacts that can be activated through the codes of the engineering menu or ADB.

• 🔧 Enabling large avatars to be displayed in the contact list: adb shell settings put global contacts_photo_size 1 (Requires a connection to the PC and the enabled developer mode).
• 🔄 Resetting avatar cache (if photos are not updated): adb shell pm clear com.android.contacts

These commands should be used with caution, as they can cause malfunctions in the phone book, and it is recommended to back up contacts before they are executed:

1. Open Contacts.
2. Go to Settings → Import / Export → Export to file.
3. Save the.vcf file to your device or the cloud.

7 How to return an old contact photo if the new one doesn't fit

If you changed the avatar, but the new photo was unsuccessful, you can return the previous one in several ways:

1. Through Google Contacts Change History: Open contacts.google.com. Select the contact and click on the three dots in the top right corner. Select View the Change History. Find the previous version with the photo you want and click Restore.
2. Through backup (if any): Import a previously saved.vcf file with a backup of contacts. When importing, select the option to Update existing contacts.

Through the cache of the “Contacts” application (if the photo did not have time to synchronize):

• Clear the app data: Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear the data.
• ⚠️ This will remove all local contacts, so export them beforehand!

On older versions of MIUI, this feature is not available.