Personalizing your device is not just a tribute to aesthetics, it’s also an important element of the usability of your smartphone. When you receive an incoming call, instantly identifying the caller from the image greatly speeds up the response. On Xiaomi smartphones running MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, this process is implemented as intuitively as possible, although it has its own software features.
There are two main scenarios for installing an image: assigning a picture to a particular subscriber from the phone book and installing your own photo to display when outgoing calls. System logic works clearly here: for incoming calls, data stored in the local contact store is priority, not cloud profiles of social networks, which is why many users face a situation where the messenger has a photo, and for a regular call it is not.
In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can customize your contacts visually, how to synchronize data, what image formats are supported by the system, and why the high resolution of the source file is critical to the quality of the thumbnail at the time of the call, and how to explore the hidden features that make the call screen truly unique.
Set up an image for a specific contact
The most common request is to set up a photo for a specific person to see who is calling right away. Xiaomi’s standard Contacts app has all the functionality it needs to do this. You don't need third-party utilities, because the basic tool completely covers the user's needs. It's important to understand that the image is tied to the phone book entry, not to the phone book entry. SIM-map.
You first need to open the Contacts app and find the right subscriber in the list or through the search bar. Once you go to the contact card, at the top of the screen, usually at the top right or under the name, there's a pencil icon or edit button, and by clicking on it, you get access to full field editing, including graphics.
- 📸 Click on a gray silhouette of a person or an existing photo to open the gallery.
- 🖼️ Select “Download from Gallery” and specify the desired image from the device memory.
- ✂️ Edit the framing area by highlighting the face, and confirm the action with the “Done” button».
When you save the changes, the system will automatically update the thumbnail, but if the contact is synced with your Google or Mi Account, the changes can propagate to other devices where you are authorized under this login, which is convenient for creating a single ecosystem, but requires caution when deleting personal photos.
⚠️ Note: If you deleted the contact but the photo is left in the gallery in the "ContactPhoto" folder or similar, it may take up space.
There is also an alternative method through the Phone app, where you can re-enact the Contacts tab inside the caller, and you can do the same thing, but the interface is different, but the functionality is identical, and the key is to make sure you edit the record that the call is coming to (for example, if the number is written twice: once on SIM, another in the phone's memory).
Creating your own card holder
The second aspect of personalization is your own photo, which other people see when you call them (provided they have your number and have your photo, or if you use identification services), Xiaomi has a special "I" or "Owner" record for this. It's not just a scenery, but a full-fledged digital profile integrated into the system.
To set up this feature, go to the Contacts app and select “I” (sometimes marked with a person’s icon) from the top menu, where you can enter not only the photo, but also the name that will be displayed, the email address and even the address of your residence. The digital profile helps the call sorter and the smart MIUI functions better understand the context of your communications.
☑️ Checking the owner's profile
When you add a photo, the system will suggest you select an image from the gallery or take a picture right now. It is recommended to use portrait photos with good lighting. Once you install the avatar, it will appear at the top of the contact list and can be broadcast to some system widgets.
It is important to note that some firmware versions have a separation between the local profile and the Mi Cloud profile. If you want your photo to be displayed everywhere, make sure that contact sync is enabled in your Mi Account settings. To do this, go to Settings → Mi Account → Sync and make sure the slider opposite the Contacts item is active.
Use of themes and third-party calls
The standard call interface on Xiaomi is functional, but conservative. If you want to radically change how the screen looks during an incoming call, you can use themes from the MIUI Themes store. Many authors create entire visual packages where the fonts, response buttons and, of course, the way the contact photo is displayed.
To install a theme, open the Themes app, go to Profile or My Pages and select Topics. Search for queries like Call Screen, Dialer or Calls. When you download and apply the theme, you change your system style, but remember that this will affect the entire interface of your smartphone, not just your calls.
A more flexible option is to install a third-party app for calls from Google Play, with popular solutions like Truecaller or CallApp completely replacing the standard “caller” and offering advanced features:
- 🎨 Automatic uploading of photos from social networks, if not saved in contacts.
- 🎥 Installation of video wallpapers on incoming call instead of static image.
- 🛡️ Advanced Spam Blocking Features with Visual Design.
When you install a third-party app, Android will ask for a number of permissions, you will need to give access to the phone book, microphone and, importantly, permission to “mask over other windows.” Without the last item, you will not see the caller’s interface when the screen is locked.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party calls consume more battery power as they are constantly active in the background to track incoming calls.If autonomy is a priority for you, use the standard app.
Problems with synchronization and display
Often users are faced with a situation: the photo in contact is worth it, but when you call it, you display a standard gray stub. This is a classic problem of desynchronization between the local database of the phone and the system cache. On Xiaomi, this can happen after a firmware update or reset settings.
The first thing you need to do is check where the contact is saved. In modern versions of Android, the default contacts can be saved on the Internet. SIM-A card that does not technically support image storage (or supports very small and low-quality thumbnails). SIM-A map is an outdated medium for such data.
To solve the problem, copy the contacts with SIM-Maps in memory of your phone or Google account:
- Open Contacts. → menu (three dots or stripes).
- Select “Settings” → “Import/Export contacts”.
- Specify the source «SIM-Map and recipient of the phone or Google».
- After copying, delete duplicates of the SIM-maps so that the system is not confused.
Another reason is aggressive battery optimization. MIUI can kill the contact sync process, which causes the photo to not load in time. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Contacts, select Battery (or Charge Savings) and set the value “No Limits”.
Why is the photo of low quality?
Table: Comparison of photo installation methods
To organize the information, let's compare the ways that we can customize the images by key parameters, and that will help you choose the best option for your needs.
| Method | Difficulty | Impact on the battery | Functional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Contacts | Low. | Minimum | Basic photo, sync with Google |
| Appendix "I" (Owner) | Low. | Minimum | Personal Profile, Integration with Mi Cloud |
| Third-party calls | Medium | High. | Photos from social networks, video background, spam filters |
| Design topics | Medium | Average. | Changing the entire interface design |
As you can see from the table, most users have a lot of standard tools, which are stable and do not waste processor resources, and third-party solutions should only be considered if you are critically lacking in specific features, such as automatic search of photos on the Internet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
In conclusion, we will answer the most popular questions that arise from owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones when setting up contacts.
Why is the contact photo not visible on the locked screen?
Can I put a video on a call without third-party apps?
Where are the contact photos stored in the phone’s memory?
Will the photo be lost if I take it out? SIM-map?
💡
Use your Google account to store your contacts – this ensures that your photos and numbers don’t go missing when you change your phone or reset your settings.
Customizing your phone's visualization is a little thing that makes your smartphone more enjoyable, and by following these instructions, you can easily personalize your device, and remember to check the relevance of your phone book photos periodically so you know who's calling you at first sight.