Why Deleting Contacts on Redmi Note 9 Pro Can Be Difficult
Smartphones Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro work on the proprietary shell MIUI, This layering is often a cause of confusion: users delete the contact in one place, but it continues to appear in another. For example, you can delete a number from your phone book, but it will remain in Google Contacts or on your phone. SIM-map.
Another common problem is duplicate contacts. MIUI automatically syncs data to multiple sources: local memory, Mi Account, Google, and even instant messengers like WhatsApp, which can result in the same contact being stored in 3-4 copies, making it difficult to completely delete it, and after resetting settings or updating the firmware, โoldโ contacts can suddenly return, this is due to the autorecover MIUI function.
In this article, we will look at all possible sources of contact storage on the Redmi Note 9 Pro and show how to remove them without a trace, and pay special attention to the nuances of synchronization, which the manufacturer does not always voice in the official instructions.
Method 1: Delete via the standard Contacts app
The most obvious method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a person's silhouette on a green background), but there are pitfalls here: by default, MIUI hides some options if the contact is linked to an account, to delete the number permanently:
- Open the app and find the right contact through search or scroll.
- Put a contact on the phone to open his card.
- Press three points (โฎ) in the upper right corner and select Remove.
- Confirm the action in the pop-up window.
If the Remove button is inactive or not, it means that the contact is synced with Google or Mi Account, in which case you will have to delete it through the appropriate account (see methods 2 and 3).
โ๏ธ What to check before removing contact
Important! Once deleted, the contact may remain in the call history. To erase it from there, go to the Call Log, find the number, click on it and select Delete from the log.
Method 2: Delete via Google Contacts (for synchronized numbers)
If your contacts are synced to your Google account, deleting them through the standard smartphone Contacts app may not work, in which case you need to go to the web version of Google Contacts or use special MIUI settings:
- ๐ Browser: Open contacts.google.com on your PC or phone. Sign in with the same account as the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Find a contact, tick it and click on the basket icon.
Through MIUI settings:
- Go to Settings โ Accounts โ Google.
- Turn off the synchronization of contacts (Contact slider to the off position).
- Return to the Contacts app and delete the numbers you want โ they wonโt be restored from the cloud.
After deleting, remember to turn on sync again if you need it, otherwise new contacts will not be saved to Google.
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If the contact is removed from Google but is left on your phone, try manually updating the data: open Settings โ Accounts โ Google โ Sync and click Sync Now.
Method 3: Clearing contacts from SIM-card
Many users forget that contacts can be stored not only in the memory of the phone, but also on the phone. SIM-This is especially true for people who have moved numbers from an old machine to delete them:
- Open the Contacts app.
- Press three points (โฎ) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
- Go to the SIM tab (it can be called SIM1 or SIM2 if you have two cards).
- Select the necessary contacts (or click Choose All) and tap on the basket icon.
Restrictions: on SIM-The card usually stores a limited number of characters (up to 20-30 characters per contact), so names and numbers can be displayed cropped. SIM Does not affect the phone or the cloud.
What happens if you remove contact only with SIM-map?
Method 4: Massively remove duplicates through MIUI Tools
If your phone book has a lot of duplicate contacts (for example, after transferring data from another phone), it is ineffective to delete them one by one. MIUI There is a built-in cleaning tool:
- Open Contacts. โ Three points (โฎ) โ Contact management.
- Choose to Combine and Fix.
- The system will automatically find duplicates and prompt them to be combined or deleted.
- For mass removal, tick unnecessary contacts and click Remove.
If this method didnโt work, try third-party apps like Cleanup Duplicate Contacts (available on Google Play), which offer more flexible take filtering settings.
| Deleting method | Speed. | Complete cleaning | Risks. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through the Contacts app | Quickly. | Partial (not affected by cloud) | Contact can be restored during synchronization |
| Through Google Contacts | Middle-Average | Full (if MIUI synchronization is disabled) | Requires Internet access |
| S SIM-map | Quickly. | Only with SIM. | Does not delete copies in your phone |
| Mass cleaning at MIUI Tools | Long time. | Complete (if all sources are combined) | You may accidentally delete the necessary contacts. |
Method 5: Complete contact reset via MIUI (Emergency Method) settings
If previous methods did not help and you need to completely clear all contacts (for example, before selling your phone), you can use the reset function in the phone. MIUI. This method will delete all numbers from the deviceโs memory, but will not affect the data on the device. SIM-map or cloud accounts.
โ ๏ธ Note: Before reset, be sure to export contacts to.vcf (via Contacts) โ Three points. โ Export/Import: Recovering deleted data after resetting will not be possible!
Instructions:
- Go to Settings โ About the phone โ Reset settings.
- Choose Reset Contact Settings (not to be confused with a full phone reset!).
- Confirm the action with a password or pattern lock.
- After the reboot, all local contacts will be erased.
This method does not affect contacts synced with Google or Mi Account. To delete them too, pre-disable sync in account settings.
How to avoid re-emergence of remote contacts
A frequent complaint of Redmi Note 9 Pro users is that remote contacts suddenly return after a MIUI update or reboot, due to background synchronization with cloud services, to prevent recovery:
- ๐ Turn off autosynchronization: Go to Settings โ Accounts. โ Google/Mi Account and Deactivate Contact Synchronization.
- ๐ฑ Remove the cache of the โContactsโ application: in Settings โ Annexes โ Application management โ Contacts โ Memory. โ Clear the cache.
- ๐ Block Automatic Recovery: C Settings โ Additionally. โ Backup and Reset Disable Auto-Recovery Data.
If you plan to sell or transfer a phone, it is recommended to log out of all accounts (Google, Mi, Social Apps) and perform a full reset.
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Even after a complete reset, contacts can remain in the cloud services (Google, Mi Cloud), to erase them, go to the web version of the corresponding account and manually clear the data.
Frequent mistakes and how to fix them
When deleting contacts on the Redmi Note 9 Pro, users often face typical problems.
โ ๏ธ Note: if the contact is left on WhatsApp or Telegram after deleting, it is normal for messengers to keep their own copies of the phone book. To erase the number there, open the chat with the contact, click on three dots and select Delete chat or Block.
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Contact removed, but reappears | Sync with Google or Mi Account enabled | Turn off sync in account settings and delete contact again |
| Contact cannot be removed (button is inactive) | Contact is protected as "System" or linked to SIM | Try removing it via the web version of Google Contacts or transfer it from SIM to your phoneโs memory. |
| Duplicate contacts after MIUI update | Failure in the database of the "Contact" application | Clear the app cache or reset your contact settings |
If none of these methods worked, check if you have third-party backup apps on your phone (like Super Backup or Contacts Backup) that can automatically restore deleted data.