Smartphone personalization is not just a matter of aesthetics, it’s a way to instantly visually identify a caller. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices often face the need to quickly find the right number on the list or figure out who is calling without looking at the lock screen.
MIUI and its successor HyperOS offer several built-in mechanisms for working with multimedia content of subscribers. However, the shell interface can be confusing and functions are scattered across different menus, which creates difficulties for inexperienced users. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods, from standard to advanced, so that you can customize your phone book as conveniently as possible.
And then we'll talk about technical issues like image resolution and file formats that affect display quality, and understanding these aspects will help you avoid blurry images or loading errors, and get ready to turn a boring list of numbers into a personalized reference book with the bright faces of your friends and colleagues.
Image preparation and technical requirements
Before you start installing it directly, you need to make sure that the photo file meets the system specifications. The optimal resolution for the contact avatar is from 500x500 pixels and above, although modern screens are able to scale larger images without loss of quality. Too small pictures can look blurry when displayed to the full screen during an incoming call.
The Android system that underlies MIUI natively supports JPG, PNG and WEBP formats. If your photo is saved in a rare format (for example, HEIC with an iPhone or RAW from a camera), the system may offer to convert it or simply not see the file in the gallery when you choose, in which case it is better to convert the image in advance to a standard JPEG.
⚠️ Warning: Avoid using photos with transparent background (format) PNG with alpha channel) for contacts if you are not sure about the support of the theme. On some standard themes Xiaomi transparency can be replaced by black or white, which will spoil the appearance of the avatar.
Also worth paying attention to the composition of the frame. Since the contact area is often round or square with rounded corners, the center of the photo should be free. The face or main object should be in the center so that when trimming (croup) important details do not fall outside the visible area.
- 📸 Use high quality source files, avoiding screenshots from messengers where compression has already been applied.
- ✂️ Cut the photo in a 1:1 proportion (square) in advance so that the system does not cut the extra automatically.
- 💾 Make sure that the photo is stored in the device’s local memory, not just in cloud storage.
If you plan to install the same photo on a group of contacts, it makes sense to create a separate folder “Avatars” in the gallery, which will make it easier to navigate and find the desired file at the time of setting up, especially if the phone has thousands of pictures in memory.
Installation of photos through a standard gallery
The fastest and most intuitive way to make a picture contact is to use the built-in Gallery app, which doesn't require you to go into your phone's settings and lets you see the results immediately. The algorithm is the same for most versions of MIUI and HyperOS, regardless of the smartphone model.
To start, open the Gallery app and find the photo you want. Click on it to open in full screen. In the bottom menu or in the drop-down list of additional options (often indicated by three dots or the word "More"), you need to find the "Appoint" or "Install as" item. After selecting this action, the system will offer several options for using the image.
What to do if there is no “Appointment” item?
In the menu that appears, select Contact, and you'll see a list of your phone book, find the right subscriber and click on it, and the system will automatically go into editing mode, where it will prompt you to fraternize the image, and when you move the sliders, select the optimal frame area, and confirm the action with the "Done" button or tick.
⚠️ Note: When you install a photo through the gallery on some Xiaomi models with an older version of Android, you may be asked for permission to access contacts. Be sure to agree with this request, otherwise the system will not be able to save changes in the address book.
The advantage of this method is that you can preview a photo in the context of the interface before it is saved, and you can immediately assess how well the image is read and if important details are cropped.
- 🖼️ Open the desired photo in the Gallery app.
- 🔽 Click “More” (three dots) and select “Appoint».
- 👤 Select the "Contact" item and find the subscriber in the list.
- ✅ Scan the image and save the result.
☑️ Pre-conservation checks
Editing the contact through the Phone Book
If you don't have a photo in the gallery yet, or if you want to change an existing avatar, the best way to use the Contacts or Phone app is to use the classic method of managing all subscriber information, including number, address and, of course, image.
Open the Contacts app and find the entry you want, and if you click on the subscriber's name, you'll see a card with the details. At the top of the screen, where the first letter round or the standard icon usually shows, there's an edit button (pencil) or the photo area.
The system will suggest you choose the source of the image: take a new picture on the camera, select from the gallery or delete the current photo. Choose "Gallery" and find the desired file. After choosing, the framing step will follow. The editing interface in the phone book often has more settings than in the gallery, allowing you to more accurately fit the image to a round format.
| Action. | Description | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Clicking on the avatar | Opens the photo selection menu | Transition to gallery or camera |
| Choice of "Camera" | Starting the survey module | Creating a new photo of contact |
| The Gallery's Choice | Opening of the file manager | Downloading an existing image |
| Save button | Fixing changes | Updating the subscriber card |
It is important to note that changes made through the Contacts app sync with your Google or Mi Account account if the option is enabled, which means that the photo you have installed can automatically appear on other devices you have signed in to.
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If you change a photo to a contact that is part of a linked record (joint contacts from different sources), the system may ask where to save the image.
Use of the Google Contacts app
Many Xiaomi users prefer to replace the standard Chinese or customized shell with a pure Google Contacts.This app provides better integration with the Google ecosystem and ensures that your avatars will display correctly when you switch to any other Android smartphone.
To set up a photo, open the Contacts app from Google (an icon with a K on a color background). Find the right subscriber and click on their name. In the card that opens in the upper right corner, click the Change button (an icon of a pencil). Under the current image (or empty circle), a camera will appear - click on it.
The app will suggest you pick a photo from a gallery or take a picture. Once you pick an image, you can zoom in and move it with your fingers for precise positioning. Google Contacts is that they automatically use smart framing to try to center your face, but manual adjustment always gives you the best result.
The main advantage of this method is instant synchronization, because once you click Save, the photo will be uploaded to Google servers, and if your person also has Android installed and your number saved, they can see your new photo in their own room, as Google distributes user avatars.
- 📲 Launch the Google Contacts app.
- ✏️ Click "Change" in the subscriber card.
- 🖼️ Select a photo and edit its position.
- 💾 Save Changes to Sync with the Cloud.
Setup of the photo display on the full screen
One of the popular features in MIUI is the ability to display a full-screen photo of a caller even if the device is locked. However, by default this feature may be disabled or not work properly due to power saving settings. To activate full-screen avatars, you need to check the theme and (incoming call) settings.
Go to the Themes app (a standard Xiaomi app). Click on the user profile (a person icon) and go to the settings. Find the section associated with Inbound Call or Lock Screen. There should be an option to Show Contact Photo or similar. Make sure the switch is active.
It’s also worth checking the permissions for Contacts and Phone. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Contacts → Permissions. Make sure that access to memory and display on top of other applications is allowed. Without these permissions, the system won’t be able to pull the picture out of memory and show it over the lock screen.
⚠️ Note: On some global firmware versions, the full-screen photo feature may be called “Visual Alerts” or integrated into the settings of a specific theme. If the standard method doesn’t work, try changing the theme to the standard one (‘Classic’ or ‘Default’) to eliminate the conflict of styles.
If the photo still doesn’t show up on the full screen, try clearing the cache of the Topic and Contacts app, and sometimes old temporary files prevent the incoming call’s visual interface from being properly updated.
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For full screen photo work, it is critical that the theme supports this function and all the necessary permissions are available for system applications.
Problem Solving and Synchronization
Even if all instructions are followed, users may encounter problems: a photo is not saved, a black square is displayed or disappears after a reboot, most often due to crowded contacts cache or sync conflict between Mi and Google accounts.
If the photo goes off, check where it's stored. When you create a contact, the phone may suggest you choose an account to save. If you choose "Phone" (local storage) and then clear the application data, the photo will disappear. It's recommended that you always keep contacts with a Google account link.
To solve problems with display, follow the following steps:
1. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps →
2. Find "Contacts" and "Phone."
3. Select Clear Cache (not data if you are afraid of losing your history, but for contacts it is better to back up).
4. Reset the device.
The problem can also be in file format, and if you download a photo from the Internet, it can be corrupted or have a custom encoding, try to take a screenshot of this photo and install a screenshot, which often helps to "fix" the file for the system.
Why is it that only I can see the photo of the contact and the caller cannot?
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Can we determine GIF-contact-motion?
In conclusion, setting a picture to a contact in Xiaomi is a simple process, but it requires attention to storage details and formats. Using the built-in tools of the Gallery and Phone Book, as well as understanding the principles of synchronization, you can make the communication process more convenient and visually enjoyable. Remember to periodically update avatars to keep the contact list up to date.