Moving to a new flagship smartphone like the Xiaomi 10S is always accompanied by a desire to quickly start using the device without wasting time on routine settings. However, often there is a situation where the main phone book is left on the old SIM card or previous device, and access to cloud services is temporarily limited. Owners of devices based on MIUI can face interface nuances that hide the standard import functions in the depth of the system menus.
The modern Android operating system provides powerful tools for managing data, but to correctly work all functions, you need to correctly identify the source of information. If you just insert a SIM card into a slot, the phone does not always automatically suggest saving numbers in the device’s memory. SIM cards have a limited amount of memory and do not support storing additional fields such as email or addresses, so migrating to the cloud or phone memory is critical. Ignoring this step can lead to the loss of information in further sync.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible ways to transfer records using the built-in MIUI 12/13/14 system tools relevant to the Xiaomi 10S model. You will learn how to avoid duplicates, how to properly configure the display and where to look for hidden import settings so that no important number is lost during the migration process.
Preparation of the device and checking the SIM card
Before you start actively copying data, you need to make sure that the physical connection is done correctly. Xiaomi 10S is equipped with a hybrid slot or dual tray (depending on the regional version), and it is important to insert the SIM card in the slot that is supported by your operator and recognized by the system for reading the phone book. After installing the card, restart the device so that the network is fully registered.
Make sure that there are no SIM card error messages on the screen, and if the phone sees the network and shows the signal level, then the chip contacts are read normally, but to import contacts, the system must have permission to access the telephony. PIN-code; if necessary, it will need to be entered when you first try to access the communication functions.
It's also worth checking if the SIM card itself is packed with old entries you may not even plan on storing.The storage limit on older chips can be as low as 250 entries, and newer phone models may incorrectly display long names, cropping them to 10-15 characters when read from the chip.
Import contacts through the standard "Contacts" application
The main and most reliable way to transfer data is to use the regular Contacts application, which is preinstalled in the MIUI shell. This method does not require the installation of third-party software and works even without an Internet connection, since the reading is done directly from the SIM card chip.
To start, open the app and find the settings menu, which is usually hidden under three dots or stripes in the top or bottom corner of the screen. In the list that opens, you need to select Import/Export contacts. This is where all the tools for working with external data sources are concentrated.
The system will suggest you choose the source of import. SIM-If you have two SIM cards, the phone will ask you to specify which card you want to read from, and then you'll start scanning, which takes between seconds and a minute depending on the number of records.
☑️ Import algorithm
It is important to choose the right destination. MIUI will offer to save contacts either to the internal memory of the phone or immediately to the Google account, the second option is preferable, since it provides automatic synchronization and protection against data loss in the event of a device breakdown.
⚠️ Note: When importing from a SIM card to Xiaomi 10S Duplicate records may occur if numbers have already been stored in the phone memory before. The system may create a new record instead of combining with an existing one if the number formats differ (for example, with and without country code).
Using Mi Mover to Migration Data
If you’re switching from another Xiaomi smartphone or any other Android/iOS device, the built-in Mi Mover utility is the best solution.This app allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, apps and settings in one package, which greatly speeds up the process of mastering the new Xiaomi 10S.
You can run the program through the settings menu in About Phone or by finding it in the Tools folder. You will need to select the status of the device: "I am the sender" on the old phone and "I am the recipient" on the new one. The application will create a Wi-Fi hotspot for direct data transfer without using mobile network traffic.
In the list of data transmitted, be sure to tick the contact point. The utility will determine where it is stored (on the old phone's SIM card or in its memory), and suggest transferring it to the appropriate section of the new device. The transfer speed depends on the amount of data, but the contacts are usually copied instantly.
What if Mi Mover can’t see the contact?
The advantage of this method is that Mi Mover automatically processes duplicates and combines records if it finds matches by phone number, eliminating the need to manually clean the phone book after moving.
Synchronization through Google account
The most modern and secure way to work with a contact book is to use cloud services. If your SIM card has important numbers but you want to access them from any device, the best way to import them first is to import them into Google Contacts, which will turn your phone book into a “living” digital asset.
To do this, after importing from the SIM card (as described in the second section), you need to open the Contacts app and go to the sync settings. Make sure that the slider opposite your Google account is active. The system automatically uploads new entries to the cloud.
If you lose the Xiaomi 10S or buy a new phone in the future, you just need to enter your Google login and password, and all numbers, including those that were once on the SIM card, will appear in the phone automatically.
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Use contacts.google.com to quickly edit contacts from your computer, where it is easier to delete duplicates and edit names than from a small smartphone screen.
It is worth noting that when synced with Google, some specific fields that the old SIM card supported (such as additional fax numbers) may be lost or moved to comments, as storage standards vary.
Solving problems with encoding and display
When transferring data from older SIM cards to modern high-resolution smartphones like the Xiaomi 10S, users often face the problem of “crackers” instead of names or strange characters, due to differences in the text encoding used by the carrier and the Android operating system.
If you see characters that are not clear instead of names, try changing the font in your system settings or using a third-party SIM card reader app from the Play Market store, which can force you to change the encoding when you read, but most often the problem is solved by simply renaming contacts after importing.
Another common problem is the circumcision of names: SIM cards often have a limit on the number of characters in the name (usually 10-14 characters), when imported on the Xiaomi 10S, this restriction is removed, but already cropped names will have to be restored manually.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to edit contacts directly on the SIM card through an engineering menu or special utilities.This can lead to complete damage to the file system of the chip and the irretrievable loss of all records.
For mass correcting names, it is convenient to use the “Contacts Unite” function in the Google Contacts app or the standard MIUI application. The system itself will offer to combine entries with the same numbers, which will help to restore order in the list.
Comparison of data retention methods
The choice of how to store contacts depends on your habits and security needs, and below is a table that will help you determine how best to save imported data after reading from the SIM card.
| Storage area | Security | Availability | Limit of records |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIM card. | Low (risk of chip loss) | Only on the card phone. | Limited (250-500) |
| Phone memory | Medium (risk of breakdown) | Only on this device. | Depends on memory. |
| Google account | High (cloud storage) | From any device in the world | Almost unlimited. |
| Mi Cloud account | Tall. | On Xiaomi devices | Depends on the tariff. |
As you can see from the table, cloud storage (Google or Mi Cloud) is the most rational choice for a Xiaomi 10S owner. This ensures that even if your SIM card is physically lost or your smartphone breaks, your phone book will remain intact.
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The golden rule is that a SIM card is just a key to access the network, not a reliable data store. Always copy your contacts to the cloud immediately after you purchase a new card.