Changing your smartphone or crashing your system often causes panic if you don’t have time to back up your important data. For owners of budget and mid-budget models like the Xiaomi Redmi 8T, saving your phone book remains a topical issue, especially when you move from a button phone or an old Android device. Unlike today’s cloud solutions, which are often imposed by default, physical storage of numbers on a SIM chip gives you a sense of control over information.
The MIUI shell interface installed on your device may hide some of the usual functions in the submenu, making the process less obvious to the beginner. Many users get lost without finding the Copy button on the home screen of the call list. However, the Android system, even in a deep modification from the Chinese manufacturer, retains the basic functionality of managing the address book. You only need to know the exact path to the desired settings to avoid data loss.
In this article, we will take a look at the Redmi 8T’s algorithm, look at the nuances of working with a Google account, and see if a SIM card should be used to store numbers in 2026, and address the technical limitations of the storage format and explain why some fields may disappear when you transfer.
Preparation of the device and compatibility check
Before you start manipulating your phone book, make sure your SIM card is technically ready to record new information. Old Mini-SIM card samples or damaged chips may not support writing a lot of characters or Cyrillic. Insert the SIM card into the corresponding slot of your Redmi 8T and wait for the network icon to appear in the status bar.
It is important to understand that the Android operating system on Xiaomi smartphones has strict limits on the length of the contact name when saved to the SIM card. Usually it is no more than 15-20 characters, and long names can be cropped. It is also worth checking in advance whether the SIM card itself is full of memory, since old cards can hold only 250 records.
- 📱 Make sure that the SIM card is installed in the active slot and is determined by the system.
- 🔋 Charge the battery of the Redmi smartphone 8T Up to 40% to avoid shutdown during the process.
- 📶 Check the display of the name of the operator to ensure that the communication module works correctly.
If you plan to migrate contacts from another device, make sure the source file or device is also available.In some cases, call filtering or third-party number detectors may need to be temporarily disabled, which may block access to the system phone book.
📊 Where do you plan to copy your contacts?
From another Android smartphone
With iPhone (iOS)
From a paper notebook
Recovering from resetting
The basic method of transferring data in the MIUI shell is implemented through the standard Contacts app. Open the app menu and find an icon with a silhouette of a person. This is where the entire database of your acquaintances, colleagues and delivery services is stored. The interface may vary depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same.
In the list that opens, click on the three dots in the upper right corner or the menu button to call for additional options. You need to select Settings or Import/Export Contacts. Depending on the version of the system, this item may simply be called "Contact Management".
Once you select the copy function, the system will prompt you to specify the source and the recipient. Choose Phone or Google as the source (if contacts are synchronized), and your recipient as yours. SIM-The system will warn you about the possible loss of some data (for example, photos or additional numbers), as the SIM card format does not support this.
⚠️ Note: When you copy to a SIM card, only the name and one primary phone number are saved. Second numbers, email addresses, photos and birthdays will be irretrievably lost during this transfer.
Select the contacts you want to move, and you can tag them all at once by clicking the appropriate tick at the top of the list, or you can select individual entries manually, and once confirmed, the recording process will begin, which can take anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on the number of entries.
What if the “copy on SIM” button is inactive?
If the option is grey or missing, it could mean that the SIM card is full, does not support recording (rarely), or the phone does not have the default storage selected.Try to remove and re-insert the SIM card or restart the smartphone.> Import of contacts with SIM-The reverse situation occurs when you purchased a new Xiaomi Redmi 8T You want to download old numbers that you saved on your SIM card from your previous device, a process technically called import, which allows you to rewrite data from the chip into the phone's internal memory, where there's almost no limit to how much information you have. To start the procedure, go back to the Contacts app and open the settings menu. Select Import/Export Contacts. In the menu that opens, click on Import from SIM-The system will automatically scan the chip and show a list of available records for download. Memory of the phone parameter SIM-Google Account Capacity of Thousand Records 250-500 No restrictions on the length of the name before 100 symbolism 15-20 LEAR 100 Contact photo characters Supported Not Supported Supported Address, Address, Social Media Only Number All Fields After scanning, you will be asked to select specific contacts or download all at once. It is recommended to save data to your Google account, rather than to your phone’s local memory, so as not to lose it when resetting. Click “OK” or “Import” to complete the process. Upon completion of import, it is recommended to check several random contacts for encoding errors. Sometimes, instead of letters, question marks or characters may be displayed if the encoding of the SIM card and phone do not match (for example, for example, the encoding of the SIM card and the phone, GSM Unicode). Sync with a Google account as an alternative to using a SIM card to store numbers in the age of Xiaomi smartphones is considered outdated due to the limitations described above. A far more effective solution is synchronization with Google Contacts cloud storage, which ensures data safety even in the event of physical loss or failure of the SIM card and the device itself. To activate this feature, go to Settings smartphone, find the section Accounts and sync (or just "Accounts"). Select your Google account from the list. If there is no account, you must add it by entering the username and password. ☁️ Open your Google account settings and make sure the Contacts slider is activated. 🔄 Click on the sync button (usually a circular arrow) to force data updates. ✅ Check synchronization status - it should be indicated "Synced" with the current date and time. 8T The main reason is that you can manage contacts from any device, such as a computer, tablet or other phone, simply by logging in to your account, and Google automatically combines duplicates and makes it easy to restore previous versions of the phone book (up to 30 days ago). Possible problems and solutions: Xiaomi users may encounter various errors during data transfer. One of the most common problems is the message "Insufficient space on the data transfer". SIM-This happens if you're trying to write more contacts than the physical memory of the chip allows, or if some cells are already occupied by the hidden system records of the operator. Some older SIM cards do not support encoding UTF-8, So, when you write Russian names, you write them down into a set of characters, and in that case, the only solution is to transliterate names (writing in Latin) or to abandon SIM storage in favor of the cloud. ⚠️ Warning: If your contacts are gone after the transfer, don't panic or write new data, often they're just hidden by the display filter, go to the contact display settings and select "All contacts" or a specific SIM card. There may also be a problem with determining the main SIM card in dual-sim models, so make sure that the right SIM card is selected in the call and message settings if you use multiple carriers. The system may attempt to save data to a card that is not a priority for voice. 💡SIM card is an emergency carrier for a minimum set of numbers. To make a smartphone fully operational, all data must be stored in the Google or iCloud cloud (FAQ) Can I keep pictures of my contacts on SIM-No, the technical specification of SIM cards does not include storage of graphic files. The format of data storage on the chip is limited by text fields: name and phone number. Photos can only be stored in the memory of the phone or linked to a Google account. How many contacts can a SIM card hold in Redmi 8T? The amount of memory depends on the manufacturer of the SIM card and the year of its release. 250 before 500 Older cards may have a limit on the 150-200 You can see the exact information in the copying process when the system shows the progress bar. What to do if the contact names are cut after the transfer? This is normal behavior, because the character limit for a name on a SIM card is about 15-20 characters. To keep a full name, you need to keep the contact in the memory of your phone or Google account, where the character limit is much higher. Is it safe to store numbers only on a SIM card? This is not considered a safe method in today's environment. If you break your phone, lose your SIM card or switch to a new smartphone with another form factor (for example, eSIM), you risk losing your entire base. Always duplicate important data in the cloud.