Why contact with the SIM-Cards are best stored on your phone
Modern Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi line, POCO and Mi) offer convenient tools for managing contacts, but many users still store them exclusively on the Internet. SIM-This is a wasteful thing, because if you change a number, you damage a card, you change your phone, you lose all the data, and you move your contacts to the memory of your device or the cloud, you can use them to sync, back up and edit.
In this article, we will understand 4 Proven methods of copying contacts from SIM Xiaomi, including standard features MIUI, Third-party applications and workarounds for outdated models, and we will pay special attention to the nuances of working with different versions of firmware (MIUI 12/13/14) type SIM-Cards (normal, nano-SIM, eSIM).
⚠️ Important: Before starting the procedure, make sure that SIM-Older cards (mini-SIM or micro-SIM format) can support no more than 250 contacts, and their names are limited to 14 characters. MIUI 14 this problem is solved, but for models 2018-2020 release (for example, Redmi Note 7 or Mi 9) is relevant.
Method 1: Standard import through Contacts (MIUI 12–14)
The easiest method is to use the built-in Contacts app (or Phone in global firmware) that works on all current Xiaomi smartphones, including the Redmi 12, POCO X5 And Mi 11. The main condition: SIM-The card must be an active and recognized system.
Instructions:
- Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
- Tap it on three points (⋮) top-right → Select Contact Management.
- Go to the Import/Export Contacts section.
- Select Import with SIM-map → Check the contacts you need (or click Select All).
- Specify the target storage: Device (local memory) or Google/Mi Account.
⚠️ Note: If the option is Import with SIM-The card is inactive, check it out:
- 🔄 SIM-The card is inserted into slot 1 (on some Xiaomi models, the import works only with the main slot).
Make sure that SIM-card|Check the free space on the phone|Update the Contacts app in Google Play|Shut down. VPN (may block access to SIM)-->
Method 2: Export via Settings (for MIUI 13 and older)
An alternative way is through system settings, which is useful if the Contact app is unstable or missing (e.g., after resetting to factory settings), suitable for Xiaomi Mi 10, Redmi Note 11 and later.
Step-by-step:
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
- Find and select Contacts (or Phone).
- Slip on the Warehouse → Import / Export contacts.
- Select Import with SIM-maps and follow the system's prompts.
🔹 Advantage of the method: allows you to bypass the failures in the interface of the Contacts application if it has been modified (for example, after root rights or custom firmware).
⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 12.5 Enhanced for Redmi Note 9 Pro, the path may be different: → Memory. → Data import. If you can't find a section, search by settings (loop icon at the top).
Through Contacts | Through Settings | App Party (e.g. SIM Card) | Manual typing | I do not copy contacts from SIM-->
Method 3: Applications for working with SIM-card
If standard methods didn’t work (for example, on older Xiaomi Mi A1 or Redmi 5 models with Android One), third-party software will help. We tested 3 applications that are guaranteed to work with MIUI:
| Annex | Features | Compatibility | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIM Card | Allows you to edit contacts directly to SIM, export to VCF | MIUI 10–14, Android 8–13 | Google Play |
| Copy to SIM Card | Bilateral transfer (SIM ↔ phone support for Unicode | All Xiaomi models | Google Play |
| Contacts Backup | Backup in XML/VCF, cloud synchronization | Requires Android 9+ | Google Play |
🔹 How to use it:
- Install one of the applications (such as SIM Card).
- Open it and provide access to contacts and SIM-map.
- Select Copy from SIM or Import.
- Specify the target storage (phone or Google account).
⚠️ Note: Applications may request permission to read SMS Phone calls are necessary to work with SIM. You should not refuse, but after copying the permission can be revoked in Settings → Annexes → Permits.
💡
If the app does not see SIM-card, reboot your phone or temporarily turn off the second SIM (Some Xiaomi (e.g. Redmi 9) have a problem due to a two-card conflict.
Method 4: Manual transfer via VCF file (for power users)
This is a good method for moving contacts to another phone or backing up, and it takes a little bit more action, but it keeps the data safe even when there's a crash.
Instructions:
- Export contacts with SIM.vcf: Open Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Exports to SIM (If you have an option, or use the app. SIM Card (section Export to) VCF).
.vcf
Download
- In the Contacts app select ⋮ → Contact management → Import from the file.
- Specify the path to the.vcf file and confirm the import.
🔹 Advantages of the method:
- 📁 A.vcf file can be stored in the cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) or sent by email.
- 🔄 Supports mass editing of contacts before import (e.g., in Excel via conversion) VCF into CSV).
- 🛡️ More reliable than direct import from SIM (No risk of data loss in case of failure).
Critical nuance: VCF files created on older phones (before Android 8) may not display Cyrillic correctly. To avoid "pretty-bitty" open the file in the text editor and save it to UTF-8 encoding.
What to do if VCF-file won't open?
Frequent mistakes and their solutions
When you move your SIM contacts to Xiaomi, users face typical problems, and let's look at the most common and ways to fix them:
| Mistake. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| I couldn't read it. SIM-map | A damaged SIM chip or incompatible format | Try a different SIM or contact the operator for a replacement |
| Contacts are not displayed after importation | The importation occurred in a hidden group (for example, in the, "SIM-contact") | In the Contacts app, check the Group section and make the group visible. |
| The "memory is full" error | Nana SIM-There is no free space for temporary files. | Remove unnecessary contacts directly to the SIM or use the method of VCF-file |
| No import option on the menu | Outdated firmware or custom MIUI build | Update your phone or use a third-party app (see Method 3) |
⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO F3 s MIUI 12.5) The contacts are duplicated after importation, to avoid this before the procedure begins:
- Back up your current contacts (Settings → System → Backup).
- Remove old duplicates manually or using the Contacts Optimizer app.
💡
If the contacts after import are displayed in hieroglyphs, the problem is encoding. SIM-Solution: transfer contacts to another phone (e.g. Samsung) and then export them to another phone VCF correctly-coded (UTF-8).
How to avoid losing contacts in the future
Transferring your SIM contacts to your phone is just the first step. To avoid losing data, set up automatic synchronization:
- 🔄 Sync with Google: Open Settings → Accounts. → Google. Turn on the Contacts switch. Wait for the sync to be completed (check Google Contacts).
- ☁️ Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi users): Register a Mi Account (if not already done). → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud activate Contacts.
Local backup:
- In the Contacts app select ⋮ → Contact management → Backup.
- Save the file to your phone or SD-map.
🔹 Tip: Periodically (every 1-2 months) check the synchronization:
- Open Google Contacts in your browser.
- Make sure the number of contacts is the same as on the phone.
- If there are discrepancies, click More → Cancel Changes and restore the latest version.
Xiaomi offers convenient backup tools, but they only work when you are actively syncing. If you are not using Mi Cloud or Google, store the.vcf file in a secure location (for example, on a flash drive or in an encrypted archive).