How to hide contact in the phone Xiaomi: all the ways from MIUI 12 to MIUI 15

Hiding contacts on Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that users face for a variety of reasons, from wanting to remove unnecessary numbers to having to hide personal information from prying eyes. Unlike iPhones or devices on pure Android, MIUI shell phones offer several ways to solve this problem, both standard and using additional tools. However, not all methods are equally effective: some hide contacts only visually, others delete them completely from the system, and still others can lead to problems with synchronization.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to hide a contact on Xiaomi, including little-known MIUI chips, work with the Mi Account cloud and third-party applications. We will pay special attention to the nuances: what will happen to hidden numbers when you reset your phone, how to restore them and why some methods stop working after updating your firmware. If you are looking for a way to temporarily hide the number from yourself or permanently remove it from the system, here you will find detailed instructions with explanations for each version of MIUI (from 12 to 15).

We warn you beforehand that not all methods are universal. For example, hiding through Google Contacts will not work if you use your Mi Account as your primary account. And some apps from the Play Market may conflict with MIUI and cause crashes. To avoid mistakes, read carefully the description of each method and choose the one that suits your situation.

1. Hiding contact via standard MIUI settings (without deletion)

The easiest and safest way to do this is to use the built-in contact hiding feature in the Contacts app, which works on all Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) with MIUI 12 and later, and its main advantage is that the contact is not removed from the system, but only hidden from the main list, making it easy to return it back.

To hide contact:

1. Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person's silhouette).
2. Find the contact you want in the list and click on it to open the card.
3. Tap it on three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Hide Contact.
4. Confirm the action in the window that appears.

After that, the contact will disappear from the main list, but will remain in the system. To return it, go to Settings → Hidden contacts inside the Contacts app and uncheck the box opposite the desired number.

⚠️ Note: The contacts hidden in this way will still be visible in the call logs and SMS, If you don't manually delete the history, they can also be displayed in some third-party messengers (like WhatsApp or Telegram) if the number is saved in their database.

This is ideal for temporarily hiding unnecessary numbers, but it's not good if you want to remove contact from all services completely. It will require other methods, which will be discussed later.

2. Delete contact from Mi Account (complete concealment)

If you use your Mi Account to sync contacts, simply hiding it through the Contacts app won’t have the full effect, the number will stay in the cloud and may reappear after you upgrade or reset your phone, and to delete the contact permanently, you need to do it directly in the Mi Cloud.

Instructions for removing from the cloud:

• 🌐 Go to i.mi.com and log in to your Mi Account.
• 📱 Select the Contacts section on the menu on the left.
• 🔍 Find the contact you want in the list, tick it and click Delete.
• 🗑️ Confirm deletion (contact will be erased from the cloud and from all synchronized devices).

Important: Once removed from Mi Cloud, the contact will disappear from all devices associated with this account, and it will be possible to restore it only for 30 days through the shopping cart on the Mi Cloud website, after which time the data will be deleted irrevocably.

This method guarantees the complete removal of the number from the Xiaomi ecosystem, but has a disadvantage: if the contact was synchronized with other services (for example, Google or WhatsApp), it can stay there.

3.Use of third-party applications to hide contacts

If MIUI is not enough, you can use third-party apps that offer advanced features such as hiding contacts by category, blocking calls from hidden numbers, and even creating blacklists. However, there are risks: some programs may conflict with MIUI, while others require too many permissions, which jeopardizes data security.

Top.-3 Proven applications to hide contacts on Xiaomi:

Before installing any of these apps, check reviews and ratings, and pay attention to the permissions you request, for example, if the program requests access to Call Log, SMS and Geolocation at the same time, this is a reason to be wary.

⚠️ Note: Some applications to hide contacts (e.g, GO Contacts or Drupe may not work properly MIUI 14/15 Before installing, check compatibility on Xiaomi forums (e.g. c.mi.com).

If you decide to use third-party software, we recommend you to create a contact backup beforehand. To do this, go to Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to a file and save the.vcf file to a memory card or to the cloud.

Create a backup copy of contacts

Check the reviews on the app

Observe the permissions requested

Disable synchronization with Mi Account (if required)

Install the application from an official source (Play Market)

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4. Hiding Contacts Through Editing VCF-file (for advanced ones)

This method is suitable for those who are willing to dig a little into the technical details. VCF-A file (or.vcf) is a standard format for storing contacts that can be edited manually, and the advantage of this is that you have complete control over the process and can delete or change any data without a trace. One error in the file format can result in the loss of all contacts.

Step-by-step:

1. Export contacts to the file: Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to memory card Select format VCF and save the file (for example, contacts_backup.vcf).
2. Copy the file to your computer and open it in a text editor (such as Notepad++ or VS Code).
3. Find the block with the right contact (they are separated by BEGIN:VCARD and END:VCARD) and delete it completely.
4. Save changes and import the file back to your phone: Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Import from a memory card

Example of structure VCF-file (contact "Ivan Ivanov"):

BEGIN:VCARD


VERSION:3.0




FN: Ivan Ivanov




TEL;TYPE=CELL:+79991234567




END:VCARD

⚠️ Attention: Never edit VCF-file in standard Notepad - it can ruin the encoding. Use specialized editors or Notepad++ supportive UTF-8.

This method is suitable for one-time removal of unnecessary contacts, but is inconvenient for regular use. If you need to hide / return numbers often, you better choose another method.

5. Create a "private space" in MIUI (double account)

Starting with MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi has added a “Private Space” (or “Second Space”) feature that allows you to create a second user profile with separate contacts, apps and settings, ideal if you want to completely isolate some contacts from the main profile.

How to set up Second Space:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Special facilities → Private space.
• 🔑 Create a password to access the second space (it should be different from the main one).
• 📱 Set up a second profile: add the necessary contacts, install applications.
• 🔄 Switch between swipe spaces down the lock screen (or through the notification bar).

Advantages of this method:

Complete isolation of contacts (they will not appear in the main profile).

- Ability to use different wallpaper, applications and settings.

Password protection (you can turn on your fingerprint for quick access).

Disadvantages:

Not all Xiaomi models support Second Space (for example, this feature is disabled on some POCO devices).

When you reset your phone, both spaces will be deleted unless you make a backup.

1. Open the Phone app.

2. Enter the code ##6484##.

3. In the menu that appears, select Second Space and activate the function.

Attention:

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Frequent problems and their solutions

When you hide your contacts on Xiaomi, users often encounter common mistakes, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Hidden contact reappears after the MIUI update.

Solution: This is due to a sync failure. Disable sync with Mi Account (Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Contact Sync), delete the contact manually, then turn the sync back on.

Problem 2: I can't find the "Hide Contact" option in the Contacts app.

Solution: You may have an outdated version of the app. Update it through Play Market or clear the cache (Settings) → Annexes → Contacts → If the option never appeared, use alternative methods (e.g. editing) VCF-file).

Problem 3: Hidden contacts are displayed on WhatsApp or Telegram.

Solution: Messengers keep their own contact database. To remove the number from there, open the app settings and delete the contact manually (on WhatsApp: ⋮ → Contacts → Delete).

Problem 4: After the phone is reset, the hidden contacts are back.

Solution: This means that contacts have been synced to the cloud (Mi Account or Google).Before reset, turn off sync and delete contacts from cloud storage.

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If you plan to sell or rent a phone, be sure to delete all contacts from Mi Account and Google in advance. Even after a reset, data can be restored when you re-authorize on the device.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions