How to install a contact log in the Russian alphabet on Xiaomi Mi 8: detailed instructions

Owners of Xiaomi Mi 8 smartphones often face the inconvenience of having contacts in the phone book displayed in Latin alphabetical order, even if all names are written in Russian. This problem is due to the features of MIUI firmware, which uses international sorting by default, which can result in the names of the letter "A" at the bottom of the list, and finding the right contact turns into a real puzzle.

Fortunately, there are several ways to fix this, both through standard settings and with additional applications. In this article, we will go through all the working methods, including hidden system parameters that are not always obvious even to advanced users. You will learn how to get the Mi 8 to sort contacts in the Russian alphabet without losing data and without having to reset.

We will focus on the nuances that arise when using different versions of MIUI (from 10 to 14), and consider alternative solutions for cases where standard methods do not work. If you have already tried to change the sorting through the contact settings, but nothing has worked, do not despair: there is a section in the article with non-obvious tricks that work even on old firmware.

Before you start setting up, make sure your Xiaomi Mi 8 has the latest version of the Contacts app installed. Sometimes the problem is solved with a simple update via Google Play. Also check if you are using third-party contact management apps (such as Truecaller or Sync.ME) - they can override the system sorting settings.

Why are contacts not sorted by the Russian alphabet?

The reason is because MIUI is an architecture that is initially focused on the international market, and by default, it uses Unicode sorting, where Russian letters are placed after Latin, which means that contact with the name "Alexandrov" will be on the list after "Zimmerman", which is extremely inconvenient for Russian-speaking users.

The second common reason is incorrect regional settings, and even if the phone has the Russian language of the interface, the system region may remain, for example, "USA" or "China", which affects not only the sorting of contacts, but also the display of dates, number formats and other local parameters.

The third possible problem is that there's a data conflict between different accounts, if your contacts are synced with your Google Account, your Mi Account, and your contacts. SIM-In this case, the system can get confused in the priorities of sorting. In such cases, it helps to force the synchronization or cleaning of the cache of the application Contacts.

Finally, some versions of MIUI (especially 10–11) have had a bug where sorting settings are reset after a firmware update, and if you recently upgraded your phone, it may come back even after manual adjustment, in which case a more radical solution is needed.

Method 1: Change sorting through contact settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in Contacts app options. It works on most versions of MIUI, but may not be available on heavily outdated firmware (below MIUI 12).

Instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person's silhouette).
2. Tap the three-point menu (⋮) top-right.
3. Select Settings (or Contact Management in some versions).
4. Scroll down to the Contact Display section.
5. Click on Sort and select By Name (A-Y).
6. Below, find the option of sorting language and install Russian.
7. Save the changes and restart the application.

If you don't have a Sort Language option on your menu, it means your version of MIUI doesn't support direct customization, so move on to the next one.

Make a backup copy of contacts

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Update the Contacts app via Google Play

Close all background applications-->

Important: After changing your settings, you may need to force your contacts to sync. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google, select your account, and enable the Contact Slider if it is disabled.

Method 2: Change the regional settings of the system

If the first method didn't work, try changing the phone's regional settings, which will force the system to use Russian localization for all operations, including sorting contacts.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the phone settings.
2. Go to the section Additional → Language and Input (or just Language and Region in the new versions).
3. Tap the Region.
4. In the list of countries, choose Russia or Ukraine (if you need Ukrainian sorting).
5. Confirm the change and restart the phone.

After the reboot, check the sorting of contacts. If the changes are not applied, try additionally:

• 🔄 Clear the cache of the application Contacts in Settings → Annexes → Application management.
• 📱 Delete the app data (Warning: This will delete all local contacts that are not synced to your account!).
• 🔗 Disable and enable sync with Google Account again.

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If some applications (e.g. banking) stop working after a region change, return the old region and use alternative methods of sorting contacts.

Critical detail: on some MIUI 13+ firmware, changing the region may block access to Google services (e.g. Play Market), in which case, after setting up contacts, return the region back to the US or the UK, and leave the sorting to the Russian one - it will remain.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Applications

If system methods don’t work, third-party contact management apps will come to the rescue, not only sorting names by Russian alphabet, but also offering additional features: duplicate merging, backup, and advanced search.

Top.-3 applications for Xiaomi Mi 8:

• 📱 Truecaller -- besides sorting, it blocks spam calls and identifies unknown numbers. → Contacts → Sort and select the Russian alphabet.
• 🔍 Contacts+ — Supports custom sorting rules and design themes, and there is a separate Language & Sorting section in the settings.
• 📇 Simpler Contacts is a minimalist application with flexible display settings.

Warning: Before using third-party applications, export contacts to the.vcf file (via Settings → Import / Export in standard contacts).

How to transfer sorting to a third-party application:

1. Install the selected application from Google Play.
2. At the first start, allow access to contacts.
3. In the application settings, find the Sorting or Display section.
4. Choose Russian alphabet or Cyrillic alphabet.
5. Make the app standard for calls and contacts in Android settings.

Standard MIUI Contacts

Truecaller

Contacts+

Other appendix

I do not use third-party applications-->

Method 4: Manual editing of contacts (for power users)

If all the previous methods didn't work, you have to manually edit your contacts, which is time-consuming, but it's guaranteed to solve the problem, and the point is to add an invisible symbol before each name, which will make the system sort the contacts correctly.

Instructions:

1. Export all contacts to the.vcf file via Settings → Import/Export.
2. Connect the phone to your computer and copy the file.
3. Open the file in a text editor (e.g. Notepad++).
4. Before each Russian surname, add a symbol (indissoluble gap of zero width). Example: FN: Ivan Alexandrov
5. Save the file and import it back into your phone.

This method works because Unicode sorting takes into account hidden characters. An invisible gap will cause the system to perceive Russian letters as priority.

An alternative option for advanced users is the use of ADB-commands to change system sorting parameters, however, this requires an unlocked bootloader and can cause the phone to malfunction.

Compatibility table with MIUI versions

Not all methods work on all firmware versions. Below is the compatibility table for Xiaomi Mi 8:

If your version of MIUI is not listed in the table, try to identify it by the build number in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. For firmware older than MIUI 9, it is recommended to upgrade to at least MIUI 12, where the sorting problem is solved at the system level.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting up a contact sort, users often make mistakes that lead to data loss or no results, and the most common ones are:

• 🚫 Ignoring backup. Before any manipulation of contacts, be sure to export them to.vcf. In case of a failure, you can restore all numbers.
• 🔄 Incomplete synchronization: If the contacts are stored simultaneously in Google Account and on the Internet SIM-map, triage changes may not apply. Make sure all contacts are synchronized to one source.
• 📱 Use outdated versions of apps. Update Google Play Contacts and Services through the Play Market. Older versions may not support Russian sorting.
• ⚙️ Incorrect regional settings. Sometimes users change only the interface language, but forget about the region".

⚠️ Note: If banking applications (e.g. SberBank or Tinkoff) stop working after a region change, return the region to the U.S. or China, and sort contacts will continue if you have already applied the changes.

Another common problem is the duplication of contacts after a change, which is due to the conflict between local and cloud data, to avoid duplication.

1. Before setting up the sort, turn off sync with Google and Mi Account.
2. Apply the changes.
3. Turn on the synchronization back and wait for the process to be completed.

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If you still get sorted after all the manipulations, check if you have a cache cleaner app on your phone (like Clean Master), which can reset system application settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions