Why are contacts not saved on the Xiaomi Redmi phone: 7 reasons and ways to fix

You added a new number to your Xiaomi Redmi phone book, but after a few minutes, the contact disappeared without a trace? Or did the entire address book reset after the device was reset? This problem is familiar to many owners of smartphones based on MIUI, Xiaomi's proprietary shell. Unlike "naked" Android, here, maintaining contacts depends not only on system settings, but also on the features of the firmware, Mi Account operation and integration with cloud services.

In this article, we will discuss 7 key reasons why contacts are not saved on the Redmi Note 12, Redmi 10, Redmi A2 and other models of the series, as well as give step-by-step instructions for data recovery. Particular attention will be paid to the hidden MIUI settings that the manufacturer does not advertise in the official documentation – their adjustment solves the problem in 80% of cases. If you have already tried standard methods (reboot, cache cleaning) and they did not help, here you will find non-obvious solutions.

1. Contacts are saved to the wrong account

The most common mistake Xiaomi Redmi users make is adding contacts to the phone’s local memory instead of syncing with a Google account or Mi Account.

• 🔄 Resetting settings to factory
• 📱 Firmware updates MIUI
• 🔋 Battery discharge up to 0% (on some models)
• 🛠️ Delete the Contacts app (yes, it is possible in the MIUI)

To check where the contacts are kept:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Contact management.
3. Select Import/Export → see which accounts are available for saving.

If you don’t have Google or Mi Account, you should add them to your system settings:

Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Add an account

2. sync failure with Google or Mi Account

Even if contacts are linked to a cloud account, they may not be saved due to synchronization errors.

• 🌐 No stable internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data).
• ⏳ Google or Xiaomi servers are temporarily unavailable (check status.google.com or mi.com).
• 🔒 Autosynchronization is off on the phone.
• 📵 In the account settings, ticks are removed from the “Contacts” option».

How to check the synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Choose your Google account or your Mi Account.
3. Make sure the contact sync switch is active.
4. Press More (⋮) → Synchronize now.

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If sync doesn’t start, try removing your account from your phone and adding it again. Pre-export contacts to your VCF file via Contacts → Manage → Export.

If the problem persists, check the permissions for the Contacts app:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Permissions

Make sure that:

• 📞 Contacts
• 📱 Storage (for export/import)
• 🌐 Internet (for synchronization)

3. Mistakes in MIUI firmware or update conflict

Xiaomi regularly releases updates for MIUI, but sometimes they contain bugs that affect the work of the phone book. For example, in versions MIUI 14.0.3 and MIUI 14.0.6 for Redmi Note 11, a bug was detected that caused contacts to be duplicated or disappear after the reboot. If the problem appeared after the update, try:

1. Reverse to the previous version of MIUI (if backup is available).
2. Clear the system cache:

Settings → About the phone → Memory → Clean the cache

1. Install a patch update (if available in Settings → System Update).

For Redmi models based on Android 13+ (MIUI 14/15), the reset of the Contacts app also helps:

Settings → Applications → Contacts → Storage → Clear data

If the error occurs after manual update via Recovery, the firmware may not be compatible with the region of the phone. For example, global firmware (Global) may conflict with the Chinese (China) version of MIUI.

4. Damage to the contact database

If contacts are lost selectively (for example, only new ones or with certain characters in the name), the damaged contacts2.db database is to blame. This file stores all phone book entries and can be broken due to:

• ⚡ Abrupt power outage during contact recording.
• 🛠️ Incorrect operation of garbage cleaning applications (e.g. Clean Master).
• 🦠 Viral software that modifies system files.

To restore the base:

1. Install a file manager with access to root folders (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Follow the path:

/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/

1. Delete contacts2.db and contacts2.db-journal files.
2. Reboot the phone. The system will create new database files.

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Deleting the database files will result in the loss of all local contacts. VCF!

If contacts are not saved after this procedure, try resetting the Contacts settings:

Settings → Applications → All applications → Contacts → Resetting settings →

5. Conflict with backup applications or optimizers

Many Xiaomi Redmi users install third-party apps to:

• 📊 Cache cleaners (CCleaner, SD Maid).
• 🔍 Search for Contacts (Simpler Contacts, Contacts Optimizer).
• 🔒 Spam Blocking (Truecaller, GetContact).

These programs often have permissions to file contacts and can accidentally delete or damage records. For example, Truecaller is known for a bug in which it glues contacts with the same numbers, and Clean Master sometimes clears the cache of system applications, including Contacts.

To check the impact of third-party applications:

1. Start the phone in Safe Mode (hold the power button → “Safe Mode”).
2. Try adding a new contact, and if it's saved, it's one of the apps that you installed.
3. Remove programs related to contacts or optimization and check the results.

Remove all cache optimizers

Disable applications for working with contacts

Check the permissions for Truecaller/GetContact

Clear the data of the “Contact” application

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Pay particular attention to Chinese applications (such as Mi Cleaner or Security) that are pre-installed on Redmi, which can block access to contacts for “suspicious” applications, including system ones, to fix this:

Settings → Applications → Permissions Management → Autorun

Make sure that Auto-Run is enabled for Contacts and Google Play Services.

6.Problems with SIM-phone-card

If the contacts are maintained on SIM-map, they may disappear because of:

• 📶 Unstable connection to the network (contacts to the SIM Only available on an active network).
• 🔧 Chip damage. SIM-cards (especially on older Mini-SIM cards).
• 📱 Limitations SIM Number of records (usually no more than 250 contacts).

To transfer SIM contacts to your phone:

1. Open Contacts → Management → Import / Export.
2. Select Import with SIM-map.
3. Specify your target account (e.g. Google).

If contacts are lost from internal memory, check the status of the memory:

Settings → About the phone → Memory → Diagnostics

If there are errors (e.g., Damaged Sectors), do:

1. Backup of data.
2. Resetting settings to factory (Settings → Additional → Resetting settings).

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On Redmi models with a hybrid slot for SIM/microSD (for example, Redmi Note 10 Pro), contacts may not be saved if the slot has a memory card installed. Try to remove it and repeat the addition of the contact.

7. Hardware malfunctions (what to look for)

If none of the software methods worked, the problem could be the hardware. Xiaomi Redmi is typically the following hardware reasons:

• 🔋 Wearing flash memory (especially on budget models like Redmi) 9A or Redmi A1 After 2-3 years of use).
• 🔌 Poor contact of the motherboard with the memory module (occurs after falls or moisture ingestion).
• 📶 Communication module malfunction (if only the contacts linked to the SIM-map).

How to diagnose a hardware problem:

1. Try adding a contact to another account (e.g. Telegram or Viber) if it is saved, the problem is in the system storage.
2. Connect your phone to your computer and check if the files are displayed in the DCIM or Downloads folder. If not, memory may fail.
3. Run the memory test through the engineering menu (enter the dial number ##4636# → Testing).

If you suspect a hardware malfunction:

• 🔧 Contact Xiaomi Service Center (Warranty covers memory defects for 12 months).
• 💾 Transfer all data to another medium (cloud, computer).
• 📱 Buy a new phone if repairs are not cost-effective (e.g. for Redmi). 8A Replacing memory can cost half the price of the device).

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On Redmi models with UFS 2.2 (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro+), hardware memory failures are less common than on cheap eMMCs (Redmi 9C, Redmi A1).

⚠️ Warning: If the phone has fallen into water or been overheated, do not attempt to reconnect yourself - this can lead to short circuit and complete loss of data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing contacts on Xiaomi Redmi