How to copy contacts from Xiaomi phone to another phone

Changing your smartphone, especially to a new model from Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, is always accompanied by a worry about the safety of personal data. The most valuable information that accumulates over the years is the numbers of friends, colleagues and delivery services. Losing this data array when you switch to a new device means losing some of the digital trail that can be extremely difficult to restore, which is why the question of how to copy contacts from your xiomi phone to another phone becomes a priority in the first minutes after you buy a gadget.

Fortunately, the Android ecosystem and the MIUI shell (or the new HyperOS) offer a variety of built-in tools for data migration. You don't have to be a seasoned programmer or go to a service center to move a phone book. Current methods allow you to do this in minutes using cloud storage, local files or direct connection between devices. In this article, we'll break down all the current ways so you can choose the most convenient for your situation.

Before you start to take action, it's important to understand where your numbers are physically stored. Modern smartphones use account binding by default, but often users save data locally or on a SIM card, which complicates the process. Data localization is the first step to successfully transfer. If you don't know where your numbers are, it will take only a couple of seconds to check this parameter, but it will save you hours of nerves.

Where to store contacts on Xiaomi: check before transfer

The first step to a successful migration is to understand the storage architecture on your device. Xiaomi phones have three main locations for numbers: the phone’s internal memory, SIM-So if you've never thought about it, you've probably got your records scattered across different storages, and you need to consolidate them.

To check your current status, open the standard Contacts app and find your display settings. Often, some numbers are on the SIM and some are in the device's memory. Consolidating data before transfer will simplify the process and ensure that no important number is lost during synchronization.

⚠️ Note: If you plan to sell or give away your old phone, be sure to make sure all contacts are removed from the device after porting.Mere resetting settings may not be enough if the data is left on SIM-map or local file.

To view and manage the storage, go to the contact app menu, where you will see a list of all available sources. If you see numbers tied to a Device phone, they need to be exported or synced. SIM-The map has a limit on the length and number of characters, so it is better to transfer them immediately to the digital storage.

Syncing with Google Account: The Most Reliable Method

The most versatile and secure way to migrate is to use the Google ecosystem, which is ideal if you switch to another Android smartphone, but also suits a partial migration to an iPhone, which is that the phone book is downloaded to the corporation's servers and then automatically pulled up to the new device when you log in, and this cloud-based backup protects data even in the event of physical loss of both phones.

First, make sure that sync is enabled on an old Xiaomi device. Go to your phone's settings, find the Accounts and Sync section, and select your Google profile. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. If you've just added new numbers, manually press the sync button to make the data instantly fly to the cloud.

On the new phone, it's even easier, just log in to the same Google account when you first set up or in the settings menu, automatically prompt you to recover data from the cloud, and automatically sync it in the background, so your numbers will appear in the phone book as soon as you connect to the Internet, even if you haven't installed any apps yet.

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Use your computer to check your data. Go to contacts.google.com from your PC, if the numbers are there, they are securely stored and will appear on any device where you log in to that account.

And this is particularly good because it preserves the entire structure of the records: photos, extra numbers, email addresses, birthdays. SIM-This detail is often lost, and Google makes it easy to manage duplicates by combining the same entries into a single card with multiple numbers.

Using Mi Cloud for Xiaomi ecosystem owners

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone owners have access to their own cloud storage, the Mi Cloud. This is a native tool that often works even faster and more stable than third-party services inside the MIUI shell. If you don't want to be tied to Google or use a phone without Google services (the Chinese version), this will become the main way.

To back up your phone with Mi Cloud, go to your phone's settings and select "Mi Account." Search the "Cloud" section inside and make sure your contacts sync is enabled. The system will offer to merge local data with cloud data. Once the process is complete, all your records will be available at i.mi.com from any browser, which is a great alternative to Google services.

When you switch to a new Xiaomi phone, it’s easy to log into your Mi Account. The phone will ask if you want to recover data from the cloud. Choose contacts, and they’ll instantly appear in the phone book. This method is also convenient because it allows you to selectively recover data without affecting other system settings or installed applications.

⚠️ Warning: Free space in the Mi Cloud is limited (usually 5GB). If you have a very large phone book with high-resolution photos, the place may run out.

Transfer through the Mi Mover app

For data migration, Xiaomi engineers have developed Mi Mover, an app that allows you to transfer contacts, photos, messages, and even installed apps from your old phone to the new Xiaomi without using the Internet. The connection is created directly through Wi-Fi Direct, which provides high speeds. Direct data transfer is especially relevant with a large amount of information.

The process starts with installing the app on both devices (if the old phone doesn’t have one, you can download it from Google Play or through the built-in GetApps store). Run Mi Mover on both phones. On the new device, select the Recipient role, and on the old one, select the Sendor role. The receiver phone will create a Wi-Fi hotspot to which the sender needs to connect.

Once you connect, the interface will tell you to select the types of data to transfer. Check "Contacts." You can select a specific group or all the records at once. Press "Send" and wait for the process to end. The transfer rate is measured in megabytes per second, so thousands of contacts will move in a few seconds.

The main advantage of this method is independence from Internet speed and cloud services. Even if you do not have a SIM card with a tariff or a bad cellular signal, Mi Mover will cope with the task, and the application automatically solves problems with the compatibility of data formats between different versions of Android.

Export and import via VCF file

The classic method, which works on all phones, regardless of brand or operating system, is to create a special container file with the.vcf extension, which packs the entire phone book, which can be transferred via Bluetooth, messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) or simply saved to a flash drive. The file method is universal and does not require registration in services.

To create a file, open the Contacts app on Xiaomi, click three dots in the corner or the menu button, and select Import/Export Contacts. Select Export to Storage. The system will create a file, commonly called contacts.vcf, and save it to the root of internal memory. Now this file needs to be transferred by any means to a new phone.

On the new device, you just open the file you receive, and the system automatically recognizes the format and suggests you import the records, and you can choose whether to store the numbers in your phone memory, on your Google account, or on your phone. SIM-And the good thing about this is that it creates a physical copy of your phone book that you can keep for years.

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A VCF file is the only way to securely transfer contacts if both phones do not have internet access and are in the field.

Switching to iPhone: using the Move to iOS app

The transition from the Android (Xiaomi) ecosystem to iOS (iPhone) is often the most questionable. Apple has a special application called Move to iOS, which is available on the Google Play Store, which allows you to safely transfer contacts, message history, photos and even some free apps. Cross-platform migration has become much easier with the introduction of this tool.

If the phone is already set up and in use, it will have to be reset to factory settings. On the iPhone, select "Move data from Android", and on Xiaomi, launch the Move to iOS app. The code will appear on the screen that you need to enter on Android to pair.

Once you have established the connection, select Contacts from the data transfer list. The process will take some time, during which you can not interrupt or switch between applications. Upon completion, all numbers will appear in the Phone app on the iPhone. This method also backs up to iCloud if you agree to do so during the setup process.

⚠️ Attention: Move to iOS app creates temporary Wi-Fi network. Make sure Xiaomi doesn't have power saving mode on, which can break the connection during the transfer of large amounts of data.

Frequent Questions and Problems in Transfer