How to save phone number in a smartphone Xiaomi Redmi: all ways 2026

Retaining Contacts in Xiaomi Redmi: Why It Matters and What Mistakes Users Make

Losing contacts is one of the most frustrating situations for a smartphone owner, especially if we are talking about Xiaomi Redmi, where the specifics of the firmware are very specific. MIUI Standard saving methods may not work in an obvious way, and many users mistakenly believe that numbers are automatically synced to Google or other users. SIM-In practice, this only happens when the card is set up correctly.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to save a phone number in Redmi Note 12/13, Redmi 10/11, POCO X5 and other models on MIUI 14/15. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances that the manufacturer does not always voice: for example, why contacts can disappear after resetting or how to avoid duplication of records when synchronizing with multiple accounts.

If you are planning to switch to a new phone, change it. SIM-So, you have to keep your contacts in the first place, unlike the iPhone, where everything is tied to Apple. ID, Xiaomi has several independent storage facilities – and not knowing their features often leads to data loss.

Method 1: Save the number in the Contacts app (locally)

The easiest method is to add a number directly to the standard Contacts app, which is suitable if you don’t want to be connected to cloud services or don’t have a stable Internet connection, but it has a critical drawback: if you drop your phone or break down, all local contacts will be lost.

To keep the number locally:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app on the home screen or in the app menu.
• ➕ Press the badge «+» In the lower right corner (or select a new contact).
• 📝 Fill in the fields: Name, Phone Number (specify with country code, for example, +7 for Russia).
• 💾 Click Save and select Device (not Google or Google) MI Cloud!).

⚠️ Attention: Local contacts are not automatically synced, if you delete the Contacts app or clear its data, all numbers will disappear.

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To quickly find a saved contact, search at the top of the Contacts screen, and enter not only the name, but also snippets of the number, even by numbers.

Method 2: Conservation of SIM-card (for backup)

SIM-The card is a physical medium that stays with you even when you change your phone. SIM It's suitable for emergencies where there's no Internet or cloud service, but there are limitations:

• 📌 SIM-The card stores only the name and number (without photos, addresses, additional fields).
• 🔢 The number of contacts is limited to the capacity of the card (usually up to 250 records).
• 🔄 When transferring to another phone, there may be problems with encoding (Cyrillic names are displayed by Krakozabras).

Instructions for saving on SIM:

1. Open Contacts. → press three points (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Contact Management → Imports/Exports.
3. Click Export on SIM-map and select the appropriate contacts (or highlight all of them).
4. Confirm the export. The process can take up to 1-2 minutes.

⚠️ Attention: If you insert SIM-card to another brand phone (such as Samsung or iPhone), contacts may not show correctly. SIM-map Russian symbols (especially relevant for old MTS or Beeline cards of 2010-2015 release).

Method 3: Sync with a Google account (a reliable cloud method)

Syncing with Google Contacts is the most reliable way to save phone numbers, as they will be available on any device with your account, a method Xiaomi recommends for backup.

• ☁️ Contacts are stored in the cloud and automatically updated.
• 🔄 When changing your phone, you just need to log into your Google account to restore all the numbers.
• 📱 Additional fields are supported: email, address, birthday, photos.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Select your Google account (if not, add it through Add Account).
3. Activate the switch next to Contacts.
4. Return to the Contacts app, click ⋮ → Settings → Imports/Exports → Synchronize.

⚠️ Note: If you previously saved contacts locally, you need to manually transfer them to Google:

1. In the Contacts app select ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
2. Click Import from your device and select your Google account as your target.

Method 4: Using MI Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud)

MI Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically syncs contacts, photos, notes and other data, a method that is convenient if you use multiple Xiaomi devices (such as a phone and tablet) or reinstall firmware frequently.

To keep your contacts in MI Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (or sign up if you don’t).
3. Activate the Contacts switch in the Synchronization section.
4. In the Contacts app, check that in the settings (⋮ → Settings → Account for new contacts selected Mi Account.

⚠️ Attention: MI Cloud has a limit on the number of synced contacts — 5,000 entries for a free account. If you have more, some numbers will not be saved. MI The cloud will be permanently lost.

Method 5: Export contacts to a VCF file (for backup)

The.vcf file (vCard) is a universal contact storage format that all modern smartphones support, and is convenient to use to back up or transfer numbers to another phone (including an iPhone or Samsung).

How to export contacts to VCF:

1. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
2. Select Export to File (or Export to Device).
3. Specify where to export (e.g., Device or Google).
4. Click Export and save the file in your phone memory or on SD-map.

To import contacts from VCF:

1. Move the.vcf file to your phone (for example, via Explorer or email).
2. Open the file – the system will prompt you to import contacts to the selected account.

🔹 File. VCF You can open it on your computer using Outlook, Thunderbird, or online services like Google Contacts.

Save your contacts in Google or MI Cloud

Exported backup copy to VCF

Check that the numbers are displayed on SIM-card if necessary)

Remove Duplicate Contacts (Settings) → Connecting contacts)-->

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the right contacts, Xiaomi Redmi users face typical problems, including the most common and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: Contacts are duplicated after syncing with Google and MI Cloud.

Solution: Open Contacts → ⋮ → Settings → Connect contacts. The system automatically finds duplicates and suggests that they be combined. If the option is inactive, try it:

• Disable sync with one of your accounts (e.g. MI Cloud).
• Remove duplicates manually through the web version of Google Contacts.

Problem 2: Contacts are lost after the MIUI update.

Solution: This is due to a synchronization failure.

• Is synchronization enabled in Settings → Accounts?
• Have you lost your default account settings (Contact settings → Account for new contacts).
• If the contacts were local, restore them from the VCF backup.

Problem 3: Numbers are displayed without names (numbers only).

Solution: Most of the time, it's because of a conflict of formats.

• Import contacts again by selecting the correct encoding (UTF-8).
• Check if the numbers are saved to SIM-Error card (export them to your phone and edit).

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If contacts are lost after a phone reset, the first thing to do is check if sync is enabled with Google or MI Cloud. Often numbers are restored automatically after you connect to the Internet.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions