Why the name in the contacts on the Xiaomi Redmi phone does not change: 7 reasons and ways to solve it

Are you trying to edit the contact name on your Xiaomi Redmi, but nothing changes after saving? or are the changes reset in minutes? This problem is familiar to many Xiaomi smartphone users, especially after the updates MIUI In most cases, it's not technical problems that are to blame, but rather the way the synchronization and caching systems work.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible reasons why contacts don’t change, from commonplace user errors to hidden firmware bugs, how to check your sync settings, clear your Contacts cache, and what to do if the problem is related to a Google account or Mi Account, and for the most difficult cases, we’ve prepared instructions for resetting your settings without losing data.

If you've tried to reboot your phone before and it didn't work, don't rush to reset your device before the factory settings. 90% of the time, the problem is solved in 5 minutes using standard tools. MIUI. Let’s start with the simplest and gradually move on to more radical methods.

1. Problems with contact synchronization

The most common reason that changes in contacts don’t persist is the conflict between local and cloud data. Xiaomi Redmi smartphones support synchronization through a Google account, Mi Account, and even some third-party services (such as Yandex or Mail.ru). If multiple sources are active at the same time, the system may “not understand” where to save the changes.

To see if that's the point:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the Contact Synchronization section.
4. See which accounts are connected and active (check next to the name).

If multiple accounts (e.g., Google and Mi) are displayed here, the system can save changes to only one of them, and the other can overwrite data. SIM-maps or created in another application (such as WhatsApp or Telegram).

How to Fix Synchronization Conflict

Here is a step-by-step guide that will help fix the problem:

Turn off sync for all accounts except one (e.g., leave only Google)

Reboot the phone.

Open a contact that is not editable and save the changes.

Turn back sync for other accounts (if necessary)

Check if the changes have been maintained.-->

If the contact name does not change after this action, try to force the data to be updated:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Choose your Google account (or Mi Account).
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Sync Now.

⚠️ Note: If you turn off sync for your Google account, all contacts stored in it will disappear from your phone (but remain in the cloud.

2. cache and data of the "Contact" application

The second most common cause is a contaminated cache or corrupted contact data. Over time, temporary files accumulate and the system starts to work incorrectly: changes do not persist, contacts are duplicated or disappear. MIUI 12–14, where cache optimization leaves much to be desired.

Cache clearing is a safe procedure that won't delete your contacts, but resetting the app will delete all local contacts (those that aren't synced to the cloud), so first try to clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts (or Contacts and Calls in newer versions of MIUI)
3. Press Warehouse.
4. Choose Clear the cache.
5. Reboot the phone.

If that doesn’t work, try resetting app data (but only if your contacts are synced to Google or Mi Account!):

1. In the same menu, click Clear Data (or Reset).
2. Confirm the action.
3. After rebooting, open Contacts and wait until they load from the cloud.

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Before clearing the data, make a backup of contacts: open Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to file. The file will be stored in the phone's memory and can be imported back.

What to do if your contacts are gone after cleaning

If you have reset your app data and your contacts have not been restored from the cloud:

1. Check your internet connection (better use Wi-Fi).
2. Go to Settings. → Accounts and sync and enable sync for Google or Mi Account.
3. Wait 5-10 minutes – contact will appear automatically.
4. If this does not happen, click Sync Now manually.

⚠️ Note: If you are not sure if your contacts are synced to the cloud, do not clear the Contacts app data. Better export it to a file first or check for a backup in Google Contacts (via your browser on your computer).

3 Mi Account and Google Account Errors

Sometimes the problem isn't with the phone, it's with the cloud account itself.

• 🔄 Version conflict: You edit a contact on your phone, but the changes are overwritten by data from the cloud (for example, if someone else edited that contact on another device).
• 🚫 Account Blocking: If your Mi or Google account is blocked or requires confirmation, sync may not work.
• 📱 Limitations MIUI: In some firmware versions, Xiaomi artificially limits editing contacts if they are tied to a Mi Account.

To check if this is the case, follow the following steps:

For a Google account

1. Open Google Contacts in your browser on your computer.
2. Find a problem contact and try editing it directly in the web version.
3. If the changes are saved in the cloud but not displayed on the phone, the problem is syncing on the device.
4. If the changes are not saved in the cloud, you may not have the rights to edit the contact (for example, it belongs to another account).

For the Mi Account.

Mi accounts are more difficult, as Xiaomi doesn’t have a public web interface for managing contacts.

1. Open the Settings. → Mi-account.
2. Make sure you are logged in and there are no blocking notifications.
3. Try to log out of your account and log in again.
4. If the problem persists, turn off synchronization of contacts with your Mi Account and use only Google.

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If the contact was imported with SIM-You can't edit it directly, you can copy it to a phone book or a cloud ledger, and then you can make changes.

4. Contacts with SIM-Maps: Why they can't be edited

Many Xiaomi Redmi users are faced with the fact that contacts imported from the SIM-It's not a bug, it's a feature of Android: contacts on the Internet. SIM stored in a format that does not support extended fields (e.g. multiple numbers, email, photos) so the system allows you to view them, but not change them.

To circumvent this limitation:

1. Open a problem contact from SIM-map.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Copy to your phone or Copy to Google.
3. The contact will now appear in the main phone book and can be edited.

If there is no copy option:

• 📱 Export all contacts with SIM phone: Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM.
• 🔄 Delete contacts with SIM (unless they're needed like this).
• 📝 Now edit copied contacts in the phone book.

⚠️ Attention: Contacts to SIM-The map takes up limited space (usually up to 250 entries) and does not support Cyrillic in some Xiaomi models. If you edit contacts often, it is better to store them on Google or on your phone.

5.Firmware bugs MIUI: How to Update or Reset the System

Sometimes the problem with editing contacts is associated with bugs in the firmware MIUI. For example, in versions MIUI 13.0.4–13.0.6 was an error that caused changes in contacts to not persist if Google sync and Mi sync were active at the same time. MIUI 14 This problem has been partially fixed, but in some regional assemblies it may reappear.

To see if that's the point:

1. Go to the Settings → About the phone → MIUI version.
2. Check out the current version of the firmware.
3. Check for updates: Settings → Updating the system.

If you have an update, install it. If you have a version of it, MIUI The most recent, but the problem remains, you can try the following actions:

Ways to solve firmware problems

• 🔄 Resetting the Contacts app settings: How to do this, we told in Section 2.
• 📥 Manual installation of the update: If OTA-Update does not come, download the firmware for your model from the official Xiaomi website and install it through System Update. → Three points. → Select a firmware file.
• 🔙 Backtracking to stable version: If the bug appeared after the last update, you can roll back to the previous version MIUI (But it requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to data loss).

For manual firmware installation:

1. Download the correct version MIUI For your Redmi model from en.miui.com.
2. Place the file in the root folder of the phone (not in the folder!).
3. Go to Settings → System Update → Three Dots → Select a firmware file.
4. Confirm the installation and wait for the reboot.

⚠️ Note: If you have never installed firmware manually, it is better to wait for the official update by air (OTA). Incorrect installation can lead to a device blink (complete inoperability).

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Before updating the firmware, make a backup of the data through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backup. This will save your contacts, messages and app settings.

6. Contacts from messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber

If a problematic contact was added via a messenger (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber), editing can be limited, because such contacts are often linked to the messenger account and updated from its database, rather than from the phone book.

To see if that's the point:

1. Open a problem contact.
2. See if there is a messenger icon next to the name (for example, a green WhatsApp icon).
3. Try editing this contact directly in the messenger.

If the contact is really related to the messenger, you have two options:

• 📱 Untie contact from messenger: Open contact in the phone book. Click Edit. Delete all fields associated with the messenger (for example, WhatsApp number). Save changes.
• 🔄 Copy contact to phone book: Open contact in messenger. Click on three dots and select Add to contacts (or similar option). Select save to Phone or Google.

If you delete a contact from the messenger, it can disappear from the phone book (if it was copied there automatically).

7. Setting reset: a last resort

If none of these methods work, it’s a radical solution that will bring all settings back out of the box, but remove all local data (including contacts if they’re not synced to the cloud).

Before discharge, it is mandatory:

1. Check that all contacts are synced with Google or Mi Account.
2. Make a backup through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
3. Remember or write down the login and password from all accounts (Google, Mi, social networks).

Resetting instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Settings Reset.
3. Check Clear all data (or similar item).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

1. When you first turn on, log in to your Google or Mi Account.
2. Wait until your contacts are synced from the cloud.
3. Try to edit the problem contact – now the changes must be saved.

⚠️ Note: If you are not sure that all contacts are saved in the cloud, do not perform a reset.It is better to contact the Xiaomi service center or try other methods from this article.

FAQ: Frequent questions about editing contacts on Xiaomi Redmi