Keeping contacts on Xiaomi smartphones only seems like a simple task — in fact, users regularly ask questions: Where does the default number stay? Why are contacts duplicated between the two? SIM-How do you move all the numbers from your old phone? In this article, we'll look at all the current ways to create contacts on shell devices. MIUI (including Redmi, POCO Black Shark, and reveal hidden chips of the system, which are silent even official instructions.
Xiaomi's feature is the flexibility of synchronization settings, where you can save numbers not only in memory of the phone, but also on the phone. SIM-But this choice often leads to confusion: users lose numbers after resetting their phone or can't find a saved contact, and we'll show you how to avoid these problems and customize the system to suit your needs.
In the article you will find:
- 📱 5 Ways to Add Contact (Including Voice Input and Import from File)
- 🔄 How to transfer contacts with Android/iPhone Xiaomi without loss
- ⚠️ Common Errors and Solutions (for example, why contacts are not displayed on WhatsApp)
- 🔍 Hidden settings MIUI, Which will make it easier to use the phone book
Method 1: Create a contact through the standard “Contacts” application
The most obvious and universal method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background), which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones and supports saving numbers in different storages.
To add a new contact:
- Open the Contacts app (if you don’t find it, check the Tools folder or swipe up the home screen to search).
- Click on the + icon in the lower right corner (or select New Contact in the menu).
- Fill in the fields: 👤 Name and surname (you can miss it) 📞 Telephone (mandatory field) 📧 Email, Address or Birthday (optional)
- 📱 Device (phone memory only – not recommended if you are planning a reset)
- ☁️ Google (synchronized with the account)
- 📶 SIM-Card (limited number of characters in the name)
- Press Save.
To check the synchronization:
- 🔄 Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of the account.
- 📋 Make sure the contact slider is on.
- ⏳ If no contacts appear, click Sync Now.
- Tell the command, for example: Add to the contacts of Ivan Petrovich, phone +7 912 345-67-89, email ivan@mail.ru
- Check the data on the screen and confirm the saving.
Voice input supports several languages, but it is better to use the international number format (with +7 for Russia) to avoid recognition errors. If the assistant does not understand the name, try to pronounce it by letters (for example, "I-V-A-H").
What data can be added by voice?
Method 5: Import contacts from a file or other phone
If you are switching to Xiaomi from another smartphone (like an iPhone or Samsung), the easiest way to transfer contacts is through a.vcf (vCard) file.
Import instructions:
- Get a contact file: 📱 With Android: Export through Contacts → Settings → Exports. 🍎 With iPhone: Use iCloud (export to vCard at icloud.com). 💻 From your computer: save contacts from Outlook, Yandex.Mail or Gmail in format VCF.
- Transfer the file to Xiaomi: 📎 Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct. ☁️ Download the drive to Google and open it on your phone. 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC and copy the file to your Download folder.
- Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → File-based import.
- Select the.vcf file and specify the account to save (we recommend Google).
If the contacts are not imported or duplicated, check:
- ✅ The file format should be.vcf (not.csv or.xls).
- ✅ File size – If your contacts are larger than 1000, break the file into parts.
- ✅ Encoding – when exporting from PC, choose UTF-8.
💡
When importing from your iPhone to Xiaomi, use iCloud: export contacts to vCard on the site, then import the file to Xiaomi.This ensures that all fields are saved (including contact photos).
Hidden MIUI settings for working with contacts
The MIUI shell offers some unique features that many people don't know about, which will help you organize your phone book and avoid problems.
| Function | Where to find out. | Why do you need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Combination of duplicates | Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Connecting contacts | Automatically finds and combines the same contacts from different accounts (for example, if one number is saved to SIM and another is saved to Google). |
| Contact groups | Contacts → Groups | It allows you to sort contacts into categories (e.g., “Work”, “Family”) and send messages to the entire group at once. |
| Blacklist. | Contacts → ⋮ → Blacklist. | Blocks calls and SMS from selected numbers (including hidden ones). |
| Contact display | Contacts → ⋮ → Settings → Display contacts | Configures which contacts to show: only with phones, everything, including email, or only from a specific account. |
| Backup | Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Backup | Creates a local copy of contacts in the phone’s memory (useful before resetting). |
One of the most useful things is to quickly find contacts right from the home screen.
- Swipe down the main screen to open the search.
- Enter a name or number – the system will show the contact and offer to call / write.
Important for POCO and Black Shark owners: These devices may have automatic contact pairing disabled. To enable it, go to Settings → Sync → Contacts Unite and activate the option.
Frequent mistakes and their solutions
Even experienced users have problems with contacting Xiaomi, and we'll look at some of the most common cases.
⚠️ Note: If your contacts are missing after the update MIUI, Check if your sync settings are reset, and often the system will turn off automatic sync with Google after major updates.
Problem 1: Contacts are not displayed on WhatsApp/Telegram.
Decision:
- Make sure that the numbers are saved in an international format (with +7 for Russia).
- Check if the contact display from Google is enabled: Contacts → ⋮ → Settings → Display contacts → Google.
- Update WhatsApp/Telegram to the latest version.
Problem 2: Duplicate contacts (e.g., one number is displayed twice).
Decision:
- Use the Connect Contacts function (see table above).
- Check if you have a number and SIM-map, and Google.
- Turn off the contact display with SIM: Contacts → ⋮ → Settings → Display contacts → Take the tick off SIM.
Problem 3: You can’t edit the contact SIM-map.
Solution: SIM contacts have limitations, you can't edit them directly. Copy the contact to Google or your phone's memory:
- Open contact with SIM.
- Press. ⋮ → Copy in and select Google.
- You can now edit the full version of the contact.
⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Account for sync, remember that when you delete your account from your phone, all contacts stored in it will be deleted without recovery (unlike Google, where they remain in the cloud).