How to change the retention of contacts with SIM-Xiaomi phone cards: 3 working methods

Transition from maintaining contacts to SIM-card for internal memory of the Xiaomi smartphone is an important step for owners of devices on the MIUI. SIM-The cards are limited in size (maximum) 250-500 Contacts, photos, groups, or additional fields like email, and when you change phone or lose your phone SIM All numbers can disappear forever. In this article, we will discuss how to transfer contacts correctly, set up automatic saving on the phone and avoid typical errors.

The procedure differs depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13 or 14) and the model of the smartphone — Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13T or older devices like Mi 9. We will look at universal methods that work on all devices of the brand, as well as the nuances for specific versions of the firmware. If you have previously tried to move contacts, but they were duplicated or lost — here you will find a solution.

Why you should transfer your SIM contacts to your Xiaomi phone

Maintaining contacts SIM-The map is a relic of the past that is still found in users who switched from button phones:

• 📱 Limited number of records: even modern SIM-The cards only hold 500 contacts, while the Xiaomi phone book supports tens of thousands.
• 🖼️ No support for photos and groups: SIM You cannot attach an avatar to a contact or distribute numbers into categories (e.g., Work, Family, and Family").
• ⚡ Slow access: when opening contacts with SIM The smartphone reads data from the card every time, which slows down the work.
• 🔄 Risk of loss on change SIM: If you lose or replace the card, all numbers will disappear (unlike syncing with Mi Account or Google).

Moreover, SIM contacts are not synced with cloud services, which means that when you reset your phone to factory settings or buy a new device, you will have to manually transfer each number, while contacts stored on your phone are automatically reserved in Mi Cloud or Google Contacts.

Preparing for the transfer of contacts: what to do in advance

Before you change the location of your contacts, follow a few mandatory steps to avoid duplicate or lost records.

⚠️ Attention: If you are on SIM And the phone already has the same contacts, and when you transfer them, they can be combined into a single record with duplicate fields.

• 📋 Make a backup: export contacts with SIM to.vcf file via the Contact Menu → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Exports to memory card.
• 🔍 Check the space available: make sure there is enough memory on the phone (contacts take up little space, but it is better to have a stock of storage).
• 🔄 Turn off sync: temporarily deactivate sync with Mi Account or Google in Settings → Accounts to avoid conflicts.
• 📵 Use a stable connection: If you plan to sync your contacts to the cloud, connect to Wi-Fi.

Pay special attention to the backup item. You can open a.vcf file on any device, so even if something goes wrong, you can restore the numbers, save it not only to your phone, but also to your computer or cloud storage (for example, Mi Drive or Google Drive).

Method 1: Transfer contacts through the standard Contacts app

The easiest method is to use the built-in Contacts app (or Phone in global firmware), which works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark, regardless of the MIUI version.

Instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner (or swipe left in MIUI 14) and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the Import/Export Contacts section.
4. Select Import from SIM-card (in some firmware, the item may be called Copy with SIM).
5. Tick the contacts you want to move (or click Select All) and confirm the action.
6. In the window that appears, select Save to your phone (or Local Storage).

After the procedure is completed, check that the contacts appear in the phone book, they should be marked Phone or Device instead of SIM. If some numbers are not moved, repeat the process or check if the SIM limit is exceeded (usually 200-250 contacts).

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If you have duplicates in your contact list after the transfer, use the "Contacts Combine" function in the "Contact Management" menu. The app will automatically find the duplicate entries and prompt them to merge.

Method 2: Change the default save location for new contacts

Transferring existing contacts is only half the task, and to automatically save all new numbers to your phone instead of SIM, you need to change the default settings, which are hidden in the depths of MIUI, and are often overlooked.

How to set up:

1. Open the Contacts app and go to Settings (cog in the top menu).
2. Select Contact Save (or Contact Management → Saving Settings in MIUI 14).
3. In the Save New Contacts section, select Phone or Google Account (if you use sync).
4. Save the changes and restart the Contacts app.

Now, all manually added or imported numbers will be saved on your device. Please note that if you choose a Google Account, your contacts will automatically sync to the cloud, but this will require an active Internet connection.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) Save contacts may not be available in the standard application, in which case use method 3 with account settings.

Method 3: Sync contacts with Mi Account or Google (for reliability)

If you want to not only transfer contacts to your phone, but also back them up, connect sync with Mi Account or Google Contacts. This will protect your data even if you lose or reset your phone.

For synchronization with Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account.
2. Turn on the contact sync switch.
3. Click Sync Now to start the process.

To sync with Google:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Select your account and enable the Contacts option.
3. Wait until the synchronization is complete (may take a few minutes).

Once activated, all contacts stored on your phone will be duplicated in the cloud, which means that when you change your device or reset your settings, you can easily restore them just by logging in to your account, but remember that syncing with Google can conflict with Mi Cloud if both services are active at the same time.

Problem Solving: Contacts are not transferred or disappear

Sometimes, when you transfer your SIM contacts to your Xiaomi phone, you get some mistakes. Let's look at typical situations and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Contacts are not imported with SIM

• 🔌 Check if it is inserted correctly SIM-Reboot the phone.
• 📱 Update Contacts via Google Play (if you use global firmware).
• 🔄 Try to export contacts with SIM to a.vcf file and then import it back to your phone.

Problem 2: Contacts are duplicated

• 🧹 Use the function of Combine contacts in the control menu.
• 🔍 Check if sync is active with multiple accounts at the same time.
• 📊 Remove duplicates manually or using third-party apps (such as Contacts Optimizer).

Problem 3: Contacts disappear after transfer

• 🔄 Restore them from a backup (.vcf file).
• 🔍 Check if contacts are hidden in the display settings (filter by group).
• 📱 Make sure you don’t accidentally delete them when cleaning your memory.

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings through Settings → Apps → App management → Contacts → Storage → Clear the data. After that, all local contacts (not synced to the cloud) will be deleted, so make a backup beforehand.

Additional tips for managing contacts on Xiaomi

Moving contacts is just the first step to making it easy to use a phone book, and here are some useful MIUI features that many people don't know about:

• 🔍 Contact search: Contacts can be searched not only by name, but also by number, email or even notes.
• 📎 Fixed contacts: Keep your finger on an important contact and select Secure so it always appears first on the list.
• 📞 Quick dial: in MIUI There is a favorites tab where you can add frequently used numbers for quick access.
• 🔄 Automatic backup: enable it in Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backups.

If you frequently call abroad, pay attention to the settings of the number format. In Settings → Additional → Format of numbers you can choose the display in an international format (for example, +7 9XX XXX-XX-XX instead of 8 9XX XXX-XX-XXX).

Business card function is useful for business users: you can add a position, company, website and even a contact profile QR-code for fast data exchange. To create your business card, open Contacts. → Profile → Editing a business card.

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After transferring contacts to your phone, be sure to set up automatic sync with the cloud (Mi Cloud or Google), which will protect your data from loss when the device is reset or broken.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi