How to put a picture on the contact in Xiaomi Redmi 9: 3 working methods + problem solving

Want to have a friend, colleague or relative on your Xiaomi Redmi 9 screen when you call in? Not only is it convenient for quick subscriber identification, it also makes the smartphone interface more personalized. However, many users have difficulty adding images to contacts — especially if the photo is not saved, disappears after synchronization or is displayed in low quality.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can set a picture to a contact in Redmi 9, including standard MIUI tools, Google Contacts, and even manual file manager editing, and you’ll also learn why sometimes a photo doesn’t appear on the call screen and how to fix it.

If you've never edited a Xiaomi contact before, don't worry, it takes less than a minute to get the original image right and choose the right method, for example, for local contacts (save only in your phone's memory) and for synchronized algorithms through Google or Mi Account, the algorithms will be different.

Before proceeding, make sure that:

• 📱 Your Redmi 9 has an up-to-date version installed. MIUI (least MIUI 12 or newer).
• 🖼️ You have a photo in the gallery (preferably in format) JPEG or PNG permittably 300×300 px).
• 🔄 The contact you want to add a photo to already exists in the phone book.

If you're done, you can choose the right way from our instructions and follow the steps, and if you have any errors, look at the Problem Solving section, where we've collected the most common bugs and fixes.

Method 1: Through the standard Contacts application (MIUI)

The easiest and fastest method is to use Xiaomi’s built-in Contacts app, which is pre-installed on all Redmi smartphones and supports editing both local and synchronized contacts.

Instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app** (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background).
2. Find the contact you need in the list and tap it to open the card.
3. In the upper right corner, click on the "Edit" icon** (pencil).
4. Slip on the camera icon (or empty circle with a man) next to the contact name.
5. Select the source of the photo: 📷 Take a picture if you want to take a picture of someone right now. 🖼️ Gallery – to select an existing image.

"Save."

Now, when you call in or you send a message from that contact, you'll see the picture you've selected, and note that if you sync your contact with Google or Mi Account, it can take a few minutes to change.

Image with at least a resolution selected 300×300 px|Photo cropped in a circle (for correct display)|The contact is stored in the phone book, not in the phone book. SIM-map|Synchronization enabled (if you want the photo to be displayed on other devices)-->

Method 2: Google Contacts (for synchronized accounts)

If you use Google Contacts to sync your phone book, you can add photos through the app, which is convenient because the changes will automatically apply to all devices where you are logged in with the same Google account.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Google Contacts app (if not, download it from the Play Market).

After that, the photo will appear not only in Redmi 9, but also on other devices (for example, on a tablet or a computer in Gmail), but there is a caveat: sometimes MIUI does not immediately upload photos from Google Contacts, in which case forced synchronization will help:

How to forcefully synchronize contacts:

💡

If the photo in Google Contacts doesn’t appear on the call screen, try clearing the Contacts app cache (Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear the cache).

Method 3: Manually replace photo via file manager (for power users)

This method is suitable for those who like to “dig” into system files or have a problem when a photo of the contact is not saved through standard means.

Instructions:

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Why is the photo of the contact not displayed on the call screen?

One of the most common problems is when a photo is successfully saved in contact, but it doesn't show up when you call it, and there are a number of reasons, and we'll look at each of them.

Main causes and solutions:

1. Contact saved on SIM-Map: Photos can only be added to contacts stored in your phone memory or account Google/Mi. Move the contact with SIM-Cards to the phone book: Contacts → Press the contact. → Menu (⋮) → Copy into the phone
2. Sync Disabled: If the contact is synced with Google or Mi Account, but the photo is not uploaded, check the sync settings in Settings → Accounts.
3. Contacts cache damaged: Clear cache and app data: Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear cache
4. Photos too large: MIUI may not display images over 1MB. Optimize your photo through the Gallery or third-party apps (e.g. Photo Compress).

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app (but don’t delete the data!):

💡

If the photo isn't only displayed for a specific contact, try removing it and re-create it, often solving the problem of broken data.

How to make a photo of the contact round (if the cropping does not work)

By default, MIUI suggests cropping the photo in a circle when added to the contact, but sometimes this function does not work properly, and the image remains square or stretched. Here's how to fix this manually:

Method 1: Use a third-party application

• 📱 Install Contact Photo Editor from Play Market.

Method 2: Edit the photo in advance

1. Open the photo in the Gallery and tap "Edit".

If even after that the photo is shown square on the call screen, check the theme settings in MIUI:

1. Go to Settings → Themes.
2. Choose a theme with round icons (e.g., “Default” or “MIUI 12”).

Solving common problems

Even after you successfully add a photo to your contact, you can have problems, and we've collected the most common ones and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: Photo disappears after synchronization

⚠️ Note: If you use multiple accounts (e.g. Google and Mi Account), the sync conflict may result in loss of photos.Solution: Turn off sync for one of the accounts (Settings) → Accounts. → Select an account → Delete duplicate contacts and leave only one copy.

Problem 2: Low quality photo on the call screen

This is because MIUI compresses images to save memory, to improve quality.

• Use the original photo with a resolution of at least 500×500 px.
• Turn off image optimization in gallery settings (Gallery → Settings → Image optimization → Disable).

Problem 3: Photos are not displayed for all contacts

You may have a traffic saving mode on for synchronization.

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Transfer of data → Saving traffic.
2. Make sure that the Contacts app is not added to the restricted list.

Problem 4: You can’t add a photo to your WhatsApp or Telegram contact

Photos of contacts in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) are stored separately from the system phone book. To display them on the call screen, you must manually add a photo to the contact in the standard Contacts app.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photos of contacts in Xiaomi Redmi 9