Changing your smartphone to a Xiaomi model often comes with the need to quickly transfer all data, and the most important of these is the phone book. Users who are first encountering the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS can get confused in the interface, since the logic of the work here is different from standard Android. Proper data retention ensures that you do not lose touch with loved ones and colleagues when resetting or buying a new device.
The process of adding a record seems elementary, but the ecosystem of the Chinese manufacturer has its own nuances, ignoring which leads to loss of information, in this article we will discuss in detail how to save contacts, how to avoid duplicates and set up automatic synchronization to keep your phone book safe.
Modern smartphones Redmi, Poco and Xiaomi offer several options for storing information: locally in the device memory, on the device. SIM-Choosing the right storage location is a critical step for long-term use of the gadget without loss of data.
Application interface Contacts and its features
The standard app, pre-installed on all the brand’s devices, has a specific interface that may seem unusual after other Android smartphones. The main difference is deep integration with the manufacturer’s cloud services and aggressive filtering of spam calls. When you first start, the system can offer to log in to Mi Account, which is a key point for the correct operation of the phone book.
At the top of the screen, there are usually tabs that allow you to switch between the list of all records, favorite contacts and groups. If you don't see the button to add a new record right away, look at the floating button at the bottom of the screen or the plus icon in the corner. The interface may vary depending on the firmware version, but the basic logic remains unchanged.
It's important to understand that local storage on the device itself, without being linked to the account, carries risks. If the smartphone breaks down or needs to be reset to factory settings, all data stored only in the phone's memory will be irretrievably lost, so the application interface is sharpened so that the user immediately selects the target storage when creating a new record.
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Always check which account is selected by default to save so that contacts are not lost when you change your device.
For users who are used to minimalism, the abundance of features may seem redundant, but they provide flexibility to manage. You can easily create groups for colleagues or family, assign unique ringtones, and even add photos for each subscriber that will be displayed on the full screen when an incoming call is made.
Step-by-step: Creating a new record
To add a new number, you need to open the Contacts or Phone app and find the corresponding button, which is usually located in the lower right corner of the screen and is indicated by the + icon or the word Create. After clicking, you will open a form for entering data, where fields can be located in several screens.
The first thing you need to do is select a place to save, and the system will offer you several options, and it depends on your choice of the future of this record, enter your name, surname and phone number, and then click the save button, often marked by a tick in the corner of the screen.
- 📱 Name and surname – enter the data legibly so that the search works correctly.
- 🔢 Phone number – check the country and city code, especially for international calls.
- 💾 Selecting a storage facility is the most important step in determining where the data file will physically lie.
Notice the “Company” or “Office” field, which is often hidden by default. To expand the field list, you may need to click on a three-dot menu or a down arrow, which will add email, address, birthdays and social networks, turning a simple entry into a full-fledged digital business card.
☑️ Pre-conservation checks
Once all the fields have been filled, the system can suggest combining duplicates if a similar number already exists in the database, a useful feature that helps keep the phone book in order, but requires care so that different people with similar names are not confused.
Choice of storage location: SIM-Card, Phone or Account
This is the most critical point in the saving process. When you create or edit a contact, there's often a drop-down list or a header at the top of the form indicating the current storage: SIM-Card, phone memory or accounts (Google, Mi Account).
Retention on SIM-The card is considered obsolete due to severe limitations, can only store a number and a name, and the length of the name is often limited by characters, which can cause surnames to be cropped, and can also record a limited number of contacts, usually no more than 250, on a single card.
Store in your phone memory is convenient if you never change devices or reset your settings, but once the phone stops turning on, it will be extremely difficult to recover that data unless you have backed up your computer or the cloud beforehand.
⚠️ Note: Keeping contact solely with SIM-A card or phone memory without backup can cause the phone book to be lost completely when the device breaks down.
The ideal option is to use a Google or Mi Account cloud account, in which case your data is synchronized in real time, so if you lose your phone, just enter your username and password on the new device, and all the numbers will appear automatically.
To switch the storage, you can go to the default settings of the contact app, where you can set a priority account so that the system does not ask each time where to save a new number, which greatly speeds up the process of adding records in everyday use.
Import and export of contacts
If you've switched from an old phone, you don't have to enter numbers manually. Import allows you to download data from a file or from another device. Most often, the.vcf format is used, which contains all the contact information, including photos and additional fields.
To import from a file, open the contact app, click on the menu (three dots or bars) and select "Import/Export." Then specify the source - for example, "Device Memory" or "Internal Drive." The system will find all the business card files and suggest you choose the ones to add.
Exports are useful for backing up manually or transferring data to other platforms, such as iPhones, and you can upload all contacts to a single file and save it to your computer or send it to your own email.
| Method | Speed. | Completeness of data | Risk of loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIM-map | Low. | Name and number only | High-pitched |
| VCF file | Tall. | Full (photo, email) | Medium. |
| Google Account | Instant. | Complete with history. | Minimum |
| Bluetooth | Very low. | Depends on the device. | Medium. |
When importing from other sources, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, the process may be different, and messengers often suggest saving a number directly from the interlocutor’s card, automatically opening the standard contact form on Xiaomi.
Work with duplicates and consolidation
A common problem when changing phones or syncing multiple accounts is the appearance of duplicates. The same person can be recorded twice: once with a single account. SIM-The other one's from Google. MIUI It can automatically find such matches, but sometimes manual intervention is required.
To merge the records, open the contact, click on the menu, and select "Combine." The phone will offer a list of similar contacts that can be merged into one. This is an action (irreversibly) in normal mode, so be sure to choose.
You can set up automatic connection in the contact display settings, you can tell the system to show only contacts with phones or vice versa from all sources, and filtering helps remove unnecessary posts from social networks if you don't need them in the main phone book.
What to do if your contacts are lost after the update?
Cleaning the phone book regularly from duplicates not only improves the visual appearance of the list, but also speeds up the search. When there are no repetitive entries in the database, the smartphone finds the right subscriber faster when entering the first letters of the name.
Set up synchronization and backup
To forget about the problem of losing numbers, you need to set up automatic synchronization, which is responsible for Xiaomi smartphones two main services: Google Contacts and Mi Cloud. It is recommended to use Google as the main one, as it is better integrated with the Android ecosystem.
Check sync status in the Accounts and Sync settings section. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. If the error icon or the arrow is not rotating, check the Internet connection and the availability of free space in the cloud.
Mi Cloud is similar to Mi Cloud, but requires a sign-in to Mi Account, which is convenient because it allows you to restore contacts even when you switch to another Android smartphone, if you install an app to access Google services or use the web version.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure your cloud drive (Google Drive or Mi Cloud) has free space. When the storage is overflowing, syncing new contacts will automatically stop.
Backups can also be done locally, and in the Security app or system settings, there's a Backup and Restore section, where you can create a full backup of the system, including the phone book, and save it to your computer or external drive.
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Setting up automatic synchronization with a Google account is the only way to guarantee the safety of numbers in case of loss or breakage of a smartphone.