How to sync contacts on Xiaomi phone: the full guide 2026

Contact synchronization on Xiaomi smartphones is a key feature that allows you to save important numbers even when resetting your phone, replacing it. SIM-If you don't set up your phone correctly, you're at risk of losing all contacts when your phone breaks or you accidentally delete it. In this article, we'll look at all the syncs available: Google account, Mi Cloud, SIM-map and third-party services, as well as solve typical problems faced by users.

Xiaomi phones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) feature Mi Cloud’s own ecosystem, which often conflicts with Google’s services. We’ll show you how to configure sync so that contacts are automatically updated on all devices, not duplicated or lost when you change firmware. And if you’ve already lost contacts, at the end of this article there’s a manual for restoring them.

Why it’s important to sync your contacts with Xiaomi

Most users only think about backing up contacts after they've been lost, but synchronization solves a few critical problems:

• 🔄 Automatic backup: Contacts are saved in the cloud and restored when you reset your phone or buy a new device.
• 📱 Access from any device: synchronized contacts are displayed on a tablet, computer (via contacts.google.com) or other smartphone.
• 🛡️ Loss protection: Even if your phone is stolen or broken, your phone numbers will remain in your Google or Mi Cloud account.
• 🔄 No duplicates: the correct setup prevents the appearance of repeated contacts when importing with SIM-map.

On Xiaomi phones, sync works differently than on pure Android. For example, by default contacts can only be saved in the Mi Cloud, not in Google, which leads to problems when switching to devices of other brands.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), sync via Mi Cloud will not work. In this case, set up backup only through Google or export contacts to a.vcf file.

Method 1: Synchronize your contacts with your Google account

It’s a versatile method that works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T and other models, and the main advantage is that contacts will be available on any Android device or even an iPhone (via iCloud).

To enable synchronization:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Accounts and Sync (or Google → Manage Google Account on new MIUI versions).
2. Select your Google account (if not, add it through Add Account).
3. Click Account Sync and activate the switch next to Contacts.
4. For Forced Synchronization, press More (three dots) → Sync Now.

If contacts are not automatically synced, check:

• 📶 Internet connection (synchronization only works via Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• 🔄 Energy saving settings: in Settings → Battery → Power saving mode disable restrictions for the Contacts app.
• 🔒 Permits: c Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Permits to check that access to accounts is enabled.

Important: On Xiaomi phones with MIUI 14+, sync via Google can conflict with Mi Cloud. To avoid duplicate contacts, select only one primary account for sync (we recommend Google for versatility).

Method 2: Sync with Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically backs up contacts, photos, notes and other data, a method that is convenient if you only use Xiaomi devices (smartphones, smartwatches, tablets).

• ❌ Contacts are not synced with other brands (Samsung, iPhone, etc.).
• ❌ When you delete your Mi Account, all data is deleted without the possibility of recovery.
• ✅ Synchronization works even without a connection to Google.

To enable synchronization through Mi Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Mi Account (or Xiaomi Cloud on new versions).
2. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (if not, sign up).
3. Go to Sync and activate the switch next to Contacts.
4. Click Sync Now to start the process manually.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with global firmware (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Global) but are registered with Mi Cloud via China, synchronization may not work well.

Method 3: Import and export of contacts through SIM-map

Synchronization through SIM-It's an outdated, but still relevant method, especially if you don't have access to the Internet or the cloud:

• 📌 Nana SIM-The card only stores the name and number (without photos, email, addresses).
• 📌 Most of the modern SIM-The card supports no more than 250 contacts.
• 📌 When transferred to a new device, contacts may appear in incorrect encoding (for example, Cyrillic turns into Krakozabras).

To export contacts to SIM-map:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Contact management → Import/Export of contacts.
3. Select Export on Export SIM-map and indicate contacts for export.
4. Confirm the action and wait until it is completed (may take a few minutes).

For import from SIM-card:

1. Put it in. SIM-phone-card.
2. In the Contacts app, select Imports with SIM-map.
3. Specify where to save contacts: in the Google Account, Mi Cloud or Locally on the device.

💡

Before importing with SIM-If the names appear as "???", change the language of the system to English, import, then return the Russian language.

Method 4: Manually export contacts to VCF file

The.vcf (vCard) file is a universal contact storage format that all modern devices support.

• 🔄 Transfer contacts between phones of different brands (for example, from Xiaomi to iPhone).
• 💾 Backup to a computer or flash drive.
• 📤 Mass mailing of contacts (for example, for corporate needs).

To export contacts to the.vcf file:

1. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Import/Export of contacts.
2. Select Export to file.
3. Specify the account from which you want to export your contacts (Google, Mi Cloud or local).
4. Click Export and save the file in your phone memory or on SD-map.

To import contacts from the.vcf file:

1. Copy the file to your phone (for example, via Explorer or email).
2. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Import/Export of contacts.
3. Select Import from the file and specify the path to.vcf.
4. Please specify your account for saving (we recommend Google or Mi Cloud).

Solving Typical Contact Synchronization Problems

Even after you set it right, synchronization can be incorrect, and here are the most common problems and solutions.

1. Contacts are not synced with Google

Check it out.

• 🔄 Is synchronization enabled in the settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of the account.
• 📶 Is there Internet access (sync does not work in the plane mode).
• 🔋 Is background data disabled for the application Contacts in the battery settings.
• 🔒 Does the antivirus block synchronization or VPN (For example, Avast or NordVPN).

2.Duplicate contacts

Doubles occur when sync is enabled via Google and Mi Cloud at the same time to eliminate:

1. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Connecting contacts.
2. Select Automatic Unification - the system will find and merge duplicates.
3. Turn off sync in one of your accounts (for example, leave only Google).

3.Contacts missing after phone reset

If you have reset to factory settings and contacts have disappeared:

1. Check if sync is enabled in your Google or Mi Cloud account (see instructions above).
2. If sync has been disabled, try restoring contacts from backup:

💡

If contacts are gone after the MIUI update, try clearing the Contacts app cache in the settings (Settings → Apps → Contacts → Storage → Clear cache).

4 Contacts are not displayed in the "Phone" appendix

If the numbers are saved but not shown when you call:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📱 Check if your contacts are hidden: Open your contacts → ⋮ → Settings → Showing contacts → select all accounts.
• 🔧 Update Contacts via Google Play (sometimes bugs are fixed in new versions).

How to Transfer Contacts from Xiaomi to iPhone (and Back)

When you switch from Xiaomi to iPhone (or vice versa), synchronization through the Mi Cloud will not help - you need universal methods.

From Xiaomi to iPhone:

1. On Xiaomi, export your contacts to a.vcf file (see Method 4).
2. Send the file to yourself by email or upload it to iCloud Drive.
3. On your iPhone, open the.vcf file and add contacts to iCloud automatically.

From iPhone to Xiaomi:

1. On iPhone, open Settings → [Your name] → iCloud and enable Contacts.
2. Go to iCloud.com, log in to your account and export your contacts to.vcf.
3. Send the file to Xiaomi and import through Contacts → Import from the file.

An alternative way is to sync through your Google account:

• On iPhone, add Google account to Settings → Passwords and accounts and enable contact sync.
• On Xiaomi, sign in to the same Google account – contacts are synced automatically.

FAQ: Frequent questions about synchronizing contacts on Xiaomi