How to transfer contacts from one Xiaomi phone to another quickly and safely

Introduction

Transferring contacts between Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or changing a gadget. MIUI They offer multiple built-in synchronization methods, but not all of them are equally convenient or secure. For example, Bluetooth transmission can take hours if the phone book has thousands of entries and exports to the Internet. SIM-The card is limited to 250 contacts and does not save profile photos.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven methods – from standard functions MIUI We will pay special attention to the nuances: why when synchronizing through Google, some contacts are duplicated, how to avoid data loss when using Mi Mover, and why transferring through the Internet is a very important part of the process. QR-The code doesn't work on all Xiaomi models, and if you need to move not just numbers, but also your call history, notes, or messages, there's a separate solution section at the end of the article.

Method 1: Sync with Xiaomi account (Mi Account)

The most reliable method for Xiaomi owners, as it does not depend on third-party services and works even without the Internet (if contacts have already been synchronized before), the main condition is that both phones must be linked to the same Mi Account. This method saves not only numbers, but also associated data: email addresses, birthdays, notes to contacts.

How it works:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. Make sure the switch opposite Contact is active (green).
3. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable contact sync.
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 5 to 30 minutes depending on the number of records).

Check that both phones are on mobile internet or Wi-Fi.

Make sure you have enough space in the Mi Cloud (free – 5 GB)

Turn off battery optimization for the Contacts app (Settings → Applications → Battery Management)

Sync contacts on your old phone in advance if you plan to transfer without the Internet-->

⚠️ Note: If you used Google sync before and now switch to Mi Account, you may have duplicate contacts. To avoid this, export your phone book to a.vcf file before syncing (see Method 3) and clear the contacts on your new device.

Method 2: Transfer through a Google Account

A universal method that works not only for Xiaomi, but for all Android devices, and the main advantage is that contacts will be available on all gadgets where you log in under the same Google account (including tablets and computers), but there is a caveat: if you previously synced contacts through Mi Account, when you connect to Google, you can get duplicates.

Step-by-step:

• 📱 On your old phone, go to Settings. → Google accounts → Synchronization of the account.
• 🔄 Enable Contact Synchronization (if disabled).
• 📲 Add the same Google account on your new phone and enable sync.
• ⏳ Wait until it is completed (usually 5-15 minutes).

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If contacts are not synced, check if background activity for the Contacts app is turned off in the battery settings. Also make sure there is enough space on your Google account (15GB free).

⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI 12 and below, after syncing through Google, contacts can appear in the "Other Contacts" section. To fix this, open the Contacts app, click on the three dots in the top right corner. → Contact management → Display contacts and select your Google account.

Method 3: Export and import via VCF file

This is the only method that allows you to fully control the process and avoid duplicates..vcf (vCard) is a universal format for storing contacts that all modern smartphones support. The advantage of the method is that you can edit the file before importing (for example, delete unnecessary records) or save it as a backup.

Export instructions:

• 📄 Open the Contacts app on your old phone.
• 🔍 Press three dots (menu) → Contact management → Import/Export of contacts.
• 📤 Select Export to file and specify the location of the save (for example, Internal Memory). → Download).
• 📁 The file will be called contacts.vcf (or similarly).

How to import on a new phone:

• 📥 Transfer the.vcf file to your new phone (via Bluetooth, Mi Share or cable).
• 📱 Open the Contacts app → Menus. → Imports/Exports → Import from the file.
• 🔍 Select the downloaded file and confirm the import.

Method 4: Using Mi Mover (Official Xiaomi App)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi's proprietary tool for transferring data between devices, allowing you to transfer not only contacts, but also messages, photos, apps and even system settings.

• It only works between Xiaomi phones (not supported on other brands).
• Requires a physical connection via an OTG cable or wireless bridge (on newer models).
• Phones with MIUI 14 and above may not transmit a call history.

How to use Mi Mover:

• 📲 Install the Mi Mover app on both phones (unless preinstalled).
• 🔌 Connect devices to each other with the help of OTG-cable (old phone as old as a cable) USB-host, new as USB-device).
• 📱 On the old phone, select Send, on the new phone, Receive.
• ✅ Check Contacts and start transferring.

Method 5: Alternative methods (Bluetooth, SIM-map, third-party applications)

If the standard methods don't work, you can use alternatives, but there are significant limitations to each of them:

• 📞 Bluetooth: Suitable for 10-20 contacts. MIUI The limit is 1 contact at a time. To send a few, you need to create a group.
• 📱 SIM-Map: Stores only names and numbers (no photo, email, addresses) Maximum - 250 contacts. on the new Xiaomi (for example, Redmi Note 12) may not work due to the lack of a slot for two SIM.
• 🌐 Third-party apps: Apps like CLONEit or Send Anywhere transmit contacts quickly but require access to personal data!

⚠️ Attention: When transmitting through SIM-map on Xiaomi phones with MIUI 13+ This can be a bug: contacts duplicate or lose Cyrillic characters. SIM-maps in operator settings.

1. Enable the visibility of the device (Settings → Bluetooth → Visibility).

2. In the "Contacts" application, select the desired contact → Share → Bluetooth.

3.On the second phone, take the file and save it to the phone book.-->

Transfer of additional data: messages, call history, notes

If you need to move not only contacts but other data as well, here are the brief instructions:

• 💬 Communications (SMS/MMS): Use Mi Mover or App SMS Backup & Restore. MIUI There is a built-in function of backing up messages in Settings → Memory. → Backup.
• 📞 Call history: Transfers only through Mi Mover or manually exported to.xml file (requires root rights).
• 📝 Notes: Synced via Mi Account or Google Keep.In the Notes app, click on three dots → Settings → Synchronization.

⚠️ Note: When transferring your call history through third-party apps (such as Super Backup) to Xiaomi with MIUI 14 may work the system protection, and the data will not be restored. Before using such programs, make a backup through Settings. → The phone. → Backup.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users face problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

FAQ: Answers to popular questions