Configure the display of contacts on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro

Xiaomi’s Redmi line of smartphones is deservedly popular for its excellent price-to-function ratio. The Redmi Note 8 Pro was a real hit of its time, offering users powerful hardware and an advanced MIUI shell. However, as with any complex system, there are nuances that can confuse an inexperienced owner.

One of these features is the phone book, and it often happens that after buying or updating the system, the user finds that the call list does not look like it used to, or hides the numbers they need, and setting up the contact display is not just a matter of aesthetics, but also a necessity for comfortable use of the device in everyday life.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all aspects of managing the subscriber list on your device, learn how to change the order of sorting, adjust the visibility of numbers from different sources, and solve the typical synchronization problems that often occur when you first start a gadget.

Basic settings of the list of subscribers in the application Phone

The first thing that a user encounters when opening a standard call is the order in which the names are written. The MIUI shell often has the default format "Name Name" which is common for Russian-speaking users, but sometimes you need to change the view to "Name Name" and go to the settings menu of the application itself.

Open the Phone app and click on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen. In the drop-down menu, select Settings, then find the Display section, and that's where the key parameters that affect how you see your call list and address book are hidden.

⚠️ Note: Changing the display settings in the Phone application does not change the sorting order in the separate Contacts app.

In the settings section, you'll find the "Sort by" switch, where you can select the sort by name or surname, and you can choose the format of the display, first name or first last name, and the changes apply instantly, and you will immediately see the result in the list.

Managing the visibility of contacts from different sources

A modern smartphone stores numbers from a variety of sources: SIM cards, Google accounts, Xiaomi clouds, social networks like Telegram or Viber, as well as corporate Exchange servers. Sometimes the list becomes overloaded with duplicates or, conversely, hides the necessary entries due to filters.

To manage this chaos, open the Contacts app (a separate icon with a human silhouette). Click on the menu (three bars or dots) and select Settings -> Contacts to display. Here you will see a list of all the connected sources.

• 📱 Phone: Numbers stored locally in the device memory.
• ☁️ Google: Contacts synced to your Gmail account.
• 🔻 Sim card: records stored directly on the operator's chip.
• 📱 Applications: contacts from messengers and social networks.

You can selectively turn on or off the checkmarks against each source, for example, if you don't need numbers from an old account or instant messenger doubles, just uncheck the corresponding checkmark, which will clear the general list, but it won't delete the data itself, it will just stop showing.

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Check this list periodically after installing new apps, as many programs automatically add their contacts to the general ledger.

Sorting and combining duplicates

A common problem when switching to a new phone or recovering from a backup is the appearance of duplicates. The same person can be listed three times: as "Alexei", "Alexei Ivanov" and "Alexei (mobile)". Redmi Note 8 Pro has a built-in tool to solve this problem.

In the Contacts app, go to the menu and select Tools (or immediately Combine Duplicates if the item is submitted separately).The system will automatically analyze and offer a list of paired entries that it believes are related to one person.

Path to function: Contacts → Menu (three dots) → Tools → Combine duplicates

You can view the pairs you've proposed and confirm the merger with the Combine button, and all the numbers, email addresses and addresses from different cards will be put together in a single entry, which makes it much easier to search and makes the phone book neat.

Configure avatars and additional fields

Visuals are also important for getting to know the caller quickly. On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, with its high-resolution screen, it's nice to look at quality photos in contacts. You can assign an image to each caller individually or use photos from social networks.

To edit, open the contact card you want and click Change (pencil icon). At the top of the screen, you'll have an avatar circle. By clicking on it, you can select a photo from the gallery or take a picture right now. You'll want to choose the high quality photo so that when you call it, it doesn't look blurry.

You can also add a lot of additional fields to your contact card, such as a second phone, a work email, an address, a birthday, and even a website link, which are often ignored, but make contact management more professional and convenient.

Problems with encoding and displaying names (Cyrillic)

Sometimes users are faced with the unpleasant situation of displaying “crackers” or question marks instead of names, a problem of encoding that most often occurs when transferring contacts from old push-button phones or through.vcf files saved in the wrong standard.

If you see characters that are not clear, chances are the contact file was saved in a different encoding than UTF-8. The Redmi Note 8 Pro standard and modern Android smartphones is UTF-8. If the import originated from a source encoding Windows-1251 or another, there will be a conflict.

⚠️ Warning: Do not try to edit such contacts en masse through the standard menu, this can lead to data loss.

To solve the problem, you can use Google Contacts via your browser on your PC. Upload a problematic file there, Google often automatically corrects the encoding when you import, and then sync the corrected book to your phone. This is the safest method.

Synchronization and backup of data

To ensure that your display settings and numbers do not disappear when you reset or break, you need to configure sync. In the Redmi Note 8 Pro, there are two main ways: through a Google account and through the Mi Cloud cloud.

To set up Google sync, go to Settings phone -> Accounts and sync -> Google. Make sure the slider opposite Contact is activated. Now any changes you make to the phone book will automatically fly to the cloud.

• 🔄 Autosynchronization: occurs when connected to Wi-Fi.
• 🛡️ Security: Data is protected by Google Account.
• 📲 Cross-platform: Access from any device.

The alternative is Mi Cloud, which is convenient if you are deeply integrated into the Xiaomi ecosystem. However, for most users, the Android + Google Contacts bundle is more reliable and versatile, making it easy to upgrade to any other smartphone in the future.

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Regular sync with the cloud is the only way to ensure that contacts are safe in case of loss or theft of a smartphone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)