How to Flip Contacts from Xiaomi Phone: The Complete 2026 Guide

Transferring your contacts from Xiaomi to a new phone is a challenge that every user faces when changing their device. Even if you have never saved a backup, you can return all the numbers in minutes. In this article, we will examine 5 proven ways, from standard MIUI features to workarounds for older models.

The main problem with the forwarding of contacts is the risk of data loss due to format incompatibility or synchronization failures. We tested each method on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra to ensure that it works, and we will pay special attention to hidden MIUI settings that are not written in the official instructions.

If you’re moving from Xiaomi to an iPhone or a device from another brand (like Samsung), some of the ways you’ll need to do things, which we’ll describe, and for older smartphone owners (before MIUI 10), we’ve prepared a separate section with alternative solutions.

1. sync through Xiaomi account (Mi Account)

The most reliable way to use Xiaomi services is to automatically reserve contacts in the cloud and be available on any device with the same account, the main condition is that sync should be enabled in advance.

To check or activate backup:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Choose. MI Cloud → Synchronization.
3. Make sure the switch opposite Contact is active (green).
4. Click Sync now if the data hasn’t been updated for a long time.

To transfer to the new phone:

• 📱 Sign in to the same Mi Account on your new device.
• 🔄 Enable contact synchronization in MI Cloud.
• ⏳ Wait 5-10 minutes for numbers to appear automatically.

⚠️ Note: If you logged out of your Xiaomi account on an old phone, your contacts may have been removed from the cloud.

Check the Wi-Fi connection|Make sure there is enough space on your account. MI Cloud|Update. MIUI last-minute|Make a manual backup of your contacts (just in case)-->

Export contacts to VCF file (via MIUI)

The.vcf (vCard) format is a universal standard for storing contacts, supported by all modern smartphones, including iPhones and Android devices. MIUI has a built-in export tool:

Instructions for MIUI 12-14:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three points (⋮) top-right → Contact management.
3. Select Import/Export Contacts → Export to Device
4. Tick the required contacts (or click Select All).
5. Confirm the export – the contacts.vcf file will be saved in the Download folder.

To transfer the file to another phone:

• 📎 Send contacts.vcf via Bluetooth, Telegram or email.
• 📱 Open the file on the new device – the system will prompt you to import contacts.
• 🔍 Check duplicates: sometimes importing copies of existing numbers.

💡

If the contacts.vcf file does not open on the new phone, rename it to contacts.vcf.txt, send it via messenger, and then delete the.txt extension after downloading.

3. Synchronization through Google Account

If you use Google services, this is the fastest way to do it, and it syncs to the cloud and automatically shows up on any Android device with the same account, even for switching from Xiaomi to Samsung or Pixel.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Select your account (or add a new one).
3. Activate the Contact Switch.
4. Press Sync (Icon) ⚙️ top-corner).

On the new phone:

• 📱 Log in to the same Google Account.
• 🔄 Enable contact synchronization in account settings.
• 🔍 Check the Contacts app – numbers should appear in 1-2 minutes.

⚠️ Note: If contacts are duplicated after synchronization, open Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Memory and select Show contacts only from Google.

Mi Account|Google Account|File. VCF|SIM-map|Other-->

4. Transfer of contacts through SIM-map (for older models)

This method is relevant for devices up to MIUI 9 or if you do not have access to the Internet. Restrictions: SIM-card stores only names and numbers (no photos, email and other fields), and the maximum number of contacts is 250.

How to export contacts to SIM:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⋮) → Contact management.
2. Select Import/Export → Export to SIM-card.
3. Make the necessary contacts and confirm the export.

To import on a new phone:

• 📶 Put it in. SIM-map.
• 📱 Open Contacts. → Settings → Import with SIM.
• 🔄 Choose where to save contacts (on your phone or account) Google/Xiaomi).

5. Transfer of contacts via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct

If you don’t have access to the internet or cloud services, you can transfer contacts directly via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, which works even between Xiaomi and iPhone, but requires manual confirmation on both devices.

Instructions for Bluetooth:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones.
2. On the old Xiaomi, open your contacts. → Settings (⋮) → Send contacts.
3. Select contacts and click Send via Bluetooth.
4. Confirm acceptance on the new device.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

• 📶 Activate Wi-Fi Direct in Settings → Wi-Fi → Additionally.
• 🔗 Connect to the network created by the second phone.
• 📎 Send contacts.vcf files through any file manager (e.g. Mi File Explorer).

💡

Bluetooth is good for 10 to 20 contacts, and a large phone book is better for a VCF file or a cloud.

Problem Solving: Contacts are not carried over

If none of these methods worked, check out these points:

• 🔌 The Internet is not available: synchronization through MI Cloud or Google requires a network connection. Try switching from mobile data to Wi-Fi.
• 🔒 Contacts retained on SIM: If the numbers were originally on SIM-You can't export them to the cloud. First, import them into your phone's memory.
• 📵 Failure MIUI: Restart your phone or update your Contacts app via Play Market.
• 🔄 Duplicates: If contacts are repeated, use the function “Connect and correct” in the Contacts settings.

For Xiaomi based on MIUI 14 and later, there is a hidden synchronization reset feature:

adb shell content call --uri content://com.android.contacts/settings --method CALL_METHOD --arg "reset_sync" --extra "account_name: your email@gmail.com"

This command will reset the sync cache of the Google Account (developer and ADB rights are required).

FAQ: Frequent questions about contact transfer