Purchasing a new smartphone, especially from the popular Xiaomi brand, is always accompanied by a desire to quickly start its full use. However, the first and most important step for any user is to transfer a personal database, without which a modern phone turns into a useless piece of plastic. That is why the question of how to import contacts with the SIM card on Xiaomi is one of the most relevant for beginners in the ecosystem. MIUI HyperOS.
The process of transferring data on Redmi and Poco devices may seem obscure due to the features of the shell interface, but in fact it takes only a few minutes. You do not need third-party software or a connection to the computer, since all the necessary tools are already built into the system. Properly performing the procedure ensures that all your important numbers are stored in the device memory or cloud account, which will protect them from loss when replacing the SIM card.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the algorithm of actions for different versions of the Android operating system and MIUI shells. We will look at the nuances of working with different storage formats, explain the difference between local memory and the Google cloud, and also answer frequent questions that arise from users when working with a phone book.
Device preparation and verification SIM-map
Before you start importing directly, make sure your device is ready to work with the new storage medium. SIM-The card is installed correctly and the phone sees the operator's network. If you just inserted the chip into the slot, it can take the system 30 to 60 seconds to fully log in and read the phone book data.
It’s important to understand exactly where your numbers are stored at the moment. Older SIM cards often have limited memory for contacts, usually no more than 250 entries, and only support basic fields such as name and number. Modern Xiaomi smartphones allow you to store thousands of contacts with photos, email addresses and additional numbers, so transferring data to internal storage is a critical step.
⚠️ Note: Before you start any manipulation of the phone book, make sure that you SIM-In today's world, many users default to keep contacts in a Google account, so the SIM card may be empty.
It is also worth checking the battery power of your device. Although the import process is not energy intensive, suddenly turning off the phone during system operations with the database can lead to errors in the operation of the Contacts application. 20-30%.
☑️ Pre-import checks
Import contacts through the standard application
The main way to migrate data on Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices is built directly into the standard Contacts app. The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, but the logic of actions remains the same for all models. You do not need to search for hidden menus or use engineering codes.
To start, open the Contacts app on the home screen or in the Tools folder. In the upper right corner, you'll see a three-dot icon or menu button. Click on it and you'll open a list of activities available. Among the many options, we're interested in the Import and Export or simply Import/Export.
In the menu that opens, the system will suggest you select a data source. Since our goal is to pick up numbers from the SIM card, select Import from the SIM card. SIM-If you have two SIM cards on your phone, the system will ask you to specify which card to copy from (SIM 1 SIM 2).
Once you have selected a source, you will be asked to specify your destination, and here lies the important point: where exactly the numbers will be saved, the system will offer options: "Phone", "Google account" or "Mi Account." Choosing the right one determines the future safety of your database.
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Choose your Google account as your destination, which ensures that if you lose or break your phone, all numbers will automatically recover when you log in to your account on your new device.
Selection of storage location: phone or Google account
In the process of selecting the target storage, many users make the mistake of choosing the default Phone option. Saving contacts to the device's internal memory (Device) means they are tied exclusively to that particular smartphone. If something happens to the phone and you haven't backed up the system, it will be extremely difficult to restore those numbers.
The best solution is to choose your Google account (usually displayed as an email address).When you choose this option, all imported numbers are automatically synced with Google Contacts cloud storage. This provides cross-platform: you can see and edit your numbers from any computer or other smartphone just by logging into your profile.
In addition, Google’s cloud-based storage allows smart features such as automatic spam detection, duplicate bundling, and remote contacts recovery for 30 days. Local storage on the phone is devoid of these benefits and limited by the device’s technical capabilities.
| Parameter | Phone memory | Google account | SIM-map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Low (depending on the device) | High (cloud storage) | Low (physical wear and tear) |
| Data volume | Limited by memory | Almost unlimited. | Up to 250 contacts. |
| Contact details | Full details, photo | Full data, photo, history | Name and number only |
| Availability | Only on this phone. | From any device | Only if you have a card. |
If you do decide to keep your contacts locally, remember to regularly back up your contacts through the Mi Cloud app or the built-in MIUI backup, which will create an additional layer of protection for your personal data.
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Using a Google account to store contacts is an industry standard that ensures maximum data security and the availability of a numberbook from any device.
Using Mi Cloud for synchronization
Xiaomi smartphone owners have the unique ability to use the branded Mi Cloud.This service is integrated into the system and allows you to synchronize not only contacts, but also messages, notes, photos and system settings. Importing through Mi Cloud can be useful if you are switching from an old Xiaomi phone to a new one.
To activate this feature, go to your phone's settings and select "Mi Account" or "Xiaomi Cloud." Log in or create a new account if you don't have one. In the sync menu, make sure the switch opposite to "Contact" is active. The system automatically prompts you to combine local data with cloud.
The advantage of Mi Cloud is deep integration with the shell, for example, you can reconnect selectively or roll back a phone book to a specific date, which is especially useful when you accidentally delete records by mass.
It is worth noting that the free storage in the Mi Cloud is limited (usually 5 GB), while there is always enough space for contacts. However, for photos and large files, you may need a subscription.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
Solving Common Import Problems
Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users sometimes face difficulties, and one of the most common problems is the appearance of “crackers” instead of letters in the names of contacts, this is due to the mismatch of encodings when contacts were previously recorded on devices from different manufacturers or operating systems.
In this case, re-encrypt contacts using third-party converter apps from Google Play, or manually edit problematic entries after import, and you can also experience a situation where the system writes “failed to import”, which often involves overflowing SIM card memory or damage to the database file.
Another common problem is duplicate contacts. Once you import, you may find that one person now has two or three entries. Xiaomi has a built-in tool to solve this problem. Go to the Contacts settings, find Contacts Organization, and select Combine Duplicates. The system will automatically find matches and prompt them to merge.
- 📱 Check if your memory is full. SIM-Deleting old unnecessary entries directly on the map.
- 🔄 Make sure that the Contacts app has all the necessary permissions in the Apps section» → «Permits».
- 🛡️ Antivirus programs rarely block imports, but in case of a failure, try temporarily disabling third-party defenders.
If none of these methods help, import through the Google Contacts web interface on your computer, pre-exporting the data from the SIM card through another phone or a special reader, although for modern smartphones this is unnecessarily difficult.
Alternative ways of data transfer
If the standard method is not available for some reason or you are switching from a device on another platform (such as an iPhone or Samsung), you can use the specialized application “Mi Mover”, which is the official utility from Xiaomi, designed for rapid data migration.
Mi Mover allows you to transfer contacts, photos, apps and settings over Wi-Fi, and for this, the application must be installed on both devices, a process that takes slightly longer than direct import from SIM, but transmits data in a more complete and structured form.
There is also the option of importing via.vcf (vCard) file. If you have the ability to upload contacts from the SIM card to your computer (via a card reader or other phone), you can upload this file to Xiaomi and open it.
⚠️ Note: When importing from a.vcf file, be careful not to import the same contacts multiple times to avoid creating hundreds of duplicates that will take a long time to clean.
Using Bluetooth to transfer a phone book is also possible, but this method is considered obsolete due to low speed and limitations on the size of the file being transferred.It is only suitable for transferring small groups of contacts.
Display and filtering after import
After successfully completing the import, you may notice that the contact list does not display all the entries or, conversely, there are redundant ones. This is due to the display filtering settings. In the Contacts app, click three dots in the corner and select Settings → Contacts to Display.
Here you can choose whether to show all contacts, only those on your phone, or only from certain groups. SIM-After they're moved, so you don't see them as doubles «SIM», They will disappear from the list, while remaining on the map.
You can also set up a sorting system in this section, either by name or by surname, which is especially true for users who are used to different naming standards, and changing the display settings does not remove contacts, but only hides them from the visible list.
Make sure to check if the names and photos are correctly identified, often when importing from the country. SIM-Photo cards are not portable because the storage format on the chip does not support them. Photos will have to be added manually or wait for them to be downloaded from social networks if the corresponding feature is enabled in the settings of the Google account.