Why can’t Redmi Note 10 Pro add a photo to the contact?
Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro often face a problem: when trying to set a photo on the contact, the system either ignores the action or resets the avatar after synchronization. The reason lies in the features of the MIUI firmware and interaction with Google services. The fact that the smartphone uses two parallel store contacts by default – local (MI Contacts) and cloud (Google Contacts), and the conflict between them leads to the “disappearance” of the avatars.
Another common mistake is to try to add photos through messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram). These apps store avatars separately from system contacts, so changes in them will not affect calls. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways, including hidden MIUI settings, bypassing sync and recovering missing photos. And if you have already tried to add an avatar, but it “flys” – at the end of this article there is a section to solve this problem.
Method 1: Through the standard "Contact" application
The most obvious method is to use Xiaomi's built-in Contacts app, but there's a nuance here: if the contact is synced with Google, the system can block editing of the avatar. Here's how to do it correctly:
- Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen).
- Find the right contact and tap it.
- In the upper right corner, click on the pencil icon ("Edit").
- Tap the camera icon next to the name field → select Gallery or Take a photo.
- Cut the photo (if necessary) and save the changes.
⚠️ Note: If the photo is lost after saving, then the contact is linked to the Google account. Go to Method 3, which describes the solution.
Contact is not duplicated on the phone.
Photo has a resolution of at least 300×300 pixels
Google syncs are disabled (if not needed)
The "Contact" app is updated to the latest version-->
Method 2: Using the Phone app (fast method)
A lesser known but quick way is to edit the contact right at the time of the call or from the log, and it works even if the standard method doesn't work.
- 📞 Open the phone application (green handset).
- 🔍 Go to the Contacts section or find the desired number in the Journal.
- 🖼️ Put it on the line. → Click on the camera icon in the upper right corner (near the name).
- 📸 Select the source of the photo (Gallery, Camera or Downloads).
The advantage of this method is that it bypasses the MIUI's restrictions on editing synchronized contacts, but if the contact is linked to Google, the photo may disappear again after the reboot.
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If the camera icon is inactive, the contact is edit-proof, try to duplicate the contact locally (without synchronizing) and assign a photo to it.
Method 3: Google Contacts (for synchronized accounts)
If your contact is synced with Google, editing it through MIUI is useless — the changes simply won’t persist.
- Open your browser and go to contacts.google.com (sign up with the same account as your phone).
- Find the right contact and click on it.
- Click on the camera icon in the top left corner → upload a photo from your computer or phone.
- Save the changes and wait for the synchronization (usually takes 1-2 minutes).
🔹 Important: After that, check on the phone that the account settings (Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Contact Sync is enabled Contacts option. If the photo still doesn't appear, clear the Contacts cache (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Clear the cache).
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Photos are not displayed after synchronization | Conflict between MIUI and Google Contacts | Turn off synchronization of MI Contacts in Settings → Accounts → Mi Account |
| Avatar resets after rebooting | The cache of the Contacts app is damaged | Clear the cache and app data (see above) |
| You can't edit the contact. | Contact is secure (e.g. system or corporate) | Create a copy of the contact manually |
Method 4: Through the Truecaller application (for cross-platform synchronization)
If you use Truecaller to identify calls, the app can automatically pull up avatars from social media, but few people know that it can manually assign photos for any contact:
- 📱 Install Truecaller from Google Play (if not already installed).
- 🔍 Find contact through search in the application.
- 🖼️ Slip on the camera icon under the name → select a photo from the gallery.
- ✅ Save the changes. You can see the photo in the standard Contacts app».
Truecaller syncs avatars between devices, so if you change your phone, the photos will remain. However, keep in mind that the app collects data about your contacts - if privacy is more important, use other methods.
Standard "Contacts" Xiaomi
Google Contacts
Truecaller
Other (write in the comments)-->
Method 5: Through a File Manager (for power users)
This method is suitable if you want to en masse assign photos to multiple contacts or recover missing avatars. It requires access to system folders, so turn on the display of hidden files first:
- Open Files (or any other file manager, such as Solid Explorer)
- Go to /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.android.providers.contacts/files/
- Copy photos of contacts into this folder, renaming them in the format contact_ID.jpg (where ID — unique contact number).
- Reboot the phone.
⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing of system files can cause the Contacts app to crash. Before you act, back up the folder. ID Contact is available through apps like Contact Editor (available on Google Play).
How do I find out the contact ID?
Why does a photo disappear after adding it?
If you successfully assigned an avatar, but it disappears after syncing, rebooting, or updating your MIUI, the problem is one of three:
- Synchronization conflict: MIUI Google and Google overwrite each other's data. Solution: disable the synchronization of contacts for one of the accounts (Settings) → Accounts. → Google/Mi Account. → Synchronization of contacts).
- Damaged cache: Clear the Contacts and Contact Warehouse (Settings → Applications → Application Management).
- MIUI Restrictions: Some firmware versions block editing from Google contacts. Solution: Create a local contact (without linking to your account) and assign a photo to it.
🔧 Radical method: If nothing helps, export contacts to.vcf file → ⋮ → Imports/Exports → Export to the vault, delete all contacts and then import them back.This will reset all synchronization conflicts.
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Local contacts (without linking to the account) keep the photo more reliable, but do not synchronize between devices.