How to put an avatar on the contact in the phone Xiaomi

Personalizing a device is not just a matter of aesthetics, but also an important aspect of functionality that allows you to instantly recognize the caller. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the need to change the standard image of a subscriber to a unique photo, this is especially true, given that the standard shell MIUI or the new HyperOS has its own peculiarities of working with gallery and contacts.

The process of installing an image may seem simple, but users often get confused in syncing with a Mi or Google account, which causes the photo to not appear in the interlocutor or disappear after a reboot. In this article, we will discuss all the nuances in detail, from the basic installation through the phone book to advanced settings of system applications.

We'll look at how to frame an image properly so that it fits perfectly into a round call interface, and why sometimes an avatar isn't visible in instant messengers.Callers visual identification is a basic feature that should work flawlessly on any modern gadget.

Basic installation through the Contacts app

The easiest and most reliable way to add or change a photo is to use the built-in system application, which directly interacts with the phone's database, ensuring that the photo is displayed in all interfaces, including the lock screen and call log. First, open the Contacts app or Phone app and go to the tab with the subscriber list.

Find the right person on the list and click on their name to open the card. If the photo is not already installed, you will see a standard gray stub with the first letter of the name. Click on the pencil icon or the Edit button, usually located at the bottom of the screen or at the top menu.

In edit mode, click on the avatar area. The system will tell you to choose the source of the image: take a picture with the camera or select from the gallery. After selecting the photo, the system will suggest cropping it, since the avatar format is strictly square, although it will be displayed in a circle.

• 📸 Click on the camera icon for an instant snapshot.
• 🖼️ Select Gallery to upload an existing photo.
• ✂️ Use a grid to accurately center your face.
• 💾 Don’t forget to click “Save” in the upper right corner.

It's important to understand that the quality of the final image depends on the original file. If you're using a highly compressed image from messengers, it may look blurry on a high-resolution screen. It's better to use the original files.

Configure through the System Gallery

An alternative method that is often overlooked allows you to assign a photo directly from the Gallery app, which is convenient when you have just taken a picture or downloaded an image and want to immediately attach it to a certain number. Open the desired photo and find the “More” button (three dots).

In the drop-down menu, select Assign Contact. The system automatically scans the phone book and suggests a list of people whose numbers match the metadata or whom you choose manually, and the good thing about this method is that you can pre-edit photos with filters before assigning them.

⚠️ Note: When you are assigned through the gallery, make sure that the contact is stored in the phone memory or in the phone. SIM-cards, not only in the messenger cache, otherwise the binding may not be performed.

If you have multiple accounts (like Google and Mi Cloud), the system will ask where to save the changes, and for maximum compatibility, it is recommended to choose the main Google account, as it syncs with Android services.

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Use portrait mode photos for better effect on the lock screen, but close-up shots are better for avatar contacts.

Working with Mi Account and Synchronization

Xiaomi’s ecosystem is built around a Mi Account, and if you want your avatar to be displayed not only to you but also to other MIUI users when making calls over the Internet or in system services, you need to set up a profile in the cloud.

Go to Settings and click on the top plaque with your account name, and you can upload the main profile photo, but this image will be used as an avatar of the device itself in the cloud services, rather than necessarily as a contact photo for incoming calls from specific individuals.

To synchronize contacts with photos:

• ☁️ Go to the settings of the Mi Account.
• 📲 Select the item "Synchronization».
• 📒 Make sure the contact slider is active.
• 🔄 Click on Sync to update the data.

There is often confusion: a photo on a Mi Account and a photo on a phone contact are different entities: the first identifies the owner of the phone on Xiaomi services, the second identifies the specific subscriber in your notebook.

Features of the HyperOS shell and new versions of MIUI

With the release of HyperOS and the updated versions of MIUI 14, the contact management interface has undergone changes, the visual style has become more minimalistic, and the paths to settings are a little deeper, and now when editing a contact, the system can offer smart framing, automatically identifying the face in the photo.

The new versions have improved integration with Google Contacts, and if you edit a contact that is synced to Google, the changes instantly impact all the devices that log in to that account, meaning that the avatar you install can appear on both your tablet and your laptop.

Also worth noting is the change in the display algorithm: if a photo is not found in the local database, the system may try to download it from social networks (if given permission), but in conditions of limited access to the social network API in Russia, this function is unstable.

Solving problems with displaying avatars

Users often experience a situation where a photo is installed, but when an incoming call displays a standard stub. One of the most common reasons is duplication of records. The phone book can have two contacts with the same name and number: one local, the other from Google.

In this case, the system can display a photo from one record and call a number from another, and the solution is to combine contacts. Open the card, click the menu (three dots), and select Combine or Link contacts.

Another common issue is access rights. The Phone or Contacts app must have permission to read media files. Check this in Settings → Apps → All Apps → Contacts → Permissions. Make sure that access to Photos and videos is allowed.

⚠️ Note: If you use a third-party call (e.g. from Google Phone instead of Google Phone) MIUI Dialer, avatar settings can be managed through a separate Google Contacts app, rather than through the system ledger. MIUI.

Sometimes cleaning the contact app cache helps. Go to App Management, find Contacts, select Memory, and click Clear Cache. Don't confuse it with Clear All, or you may lose your local display settings, although the numbers themselves are usually saved in the cloud.

Setting up the display of the photo in the magazine and on the lock screen

So, in order to get a picture to appear not only during a call, but also in a call log, you have to make sure that the image format is compatible. The system prefers square images. If you upload a rectangular photo, it gets cropped when you save it, but it may not show correctly in the log.

The situation is different for the lock screen. It often has a wallpaper carousel or thematic wallpaper that can override the caller's photo. If you want to see a large photo of a caller on a locked screen, turn off the wallpaper carousel in the lock screen settings.

Also check the theme settings. Some third-party themes downloaded from MIUI Themes store have their own call display style that ignores system avatars or displays them in a small circle. Return the standard theme to see if it's the case.

• 🎨 Change the subject to standard for inspection.
• 🔒 Turn off the wallpaper carousel in the screen settings.
• 📞 Check the call log after the reboot.
• ⚙️ Make sure that no Do Not Disturb mode is enabled with details hidden.

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Third-party design themes are the most common reason for avatars to disappear on the lock screen, return the standard design for diagnosis.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)