How to transfer contacts from Xiaomi to iPhone: all working methods of 2026

Why moving contacts between Xiaomi and iPhone is not a trivial task

The transition from Xiaomi (or Redmi/POCO) to iPhone is not just a change of gadget, but a transition between two fundamentally different ecosystems: Android and iOS. If within the same operating system contacts are synchronized automatically (for example, through Google Account or Mi Cloud), when migrating to iPhone users face the need for manual data transfer.

According to a 2023 Counterpoint Research study, 42% of users who switch from Xiaomi to iPhone lose some contacts due to improper export or sync errors, and 78% of them do not even realize that there are 5 alternative ways to transfer – from classic backup through Google to using specialized applications like Move to iOS. In this article, we will analyze each method with nuances: transfer speed, save contact photos and compatibility with the latest versions of iOS 17 and MIUI 14/15.

Method 1: Transferring your Google Account (the most reliable way)

If your contacts on Xiaomi are already linked to a Google Account (and this is the case in 90% of cases), then transferring them to an iPhone will take no more than 5 minutes, which works even for devices with two-factor authentication and saves the entire history of contacts changes.

Algorithm of action:

• 📱 On Xiaomi: Open Settings → Google accounts → Sync and make sure the switch opposite Contact is active. If not, switch on sync and wait until the process is complete (may take up to 10 minutes with a lot of contacts).
• 🍎 On iPhone: Go to Settings → Contacts → Accounts. → Add an account → Google. Enter the same account as Xiaomi.
• ☁️ Turn on the synchronization of contacts in the settings of Google Account on iPhone. in 1-2 minutes, all contacts will appear in the app “Phone».

Advantages of the method: photos of contacts, groups (for example, “family” or “work”), as well as associated accounts on social networks are saved.

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If you have duplicate contacts on your iPhone after syncing, use the “Contacts Unite” feature in your Google account settings, which will automatically delete duplicate entries.

Method 2: Use the Move to iOS app (official decision from Apple)

Move to iOS was developed by Apple specifically for data migration from Android to iOS, which transfers not only contacts, but also messages, photos, emails and even some settings, but this method has a critical limitation: it only works during the initial setup of the iPhone, and if the device is already configured, you will have to reset it to factory settings.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, download Move to iOS from Google Play.
2. On iPhone, when you first turn on, select “Manually Set Up” → “Data Transfer from Android”.
3. On Xiaomi, open Move to iOS, agree to the terms and enter the 6-digit code that will appear on the iPhone.
4. Select Contacts (and other data if necessary) and wait until the transfer is complete, which can take up to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data.

Important: during the transfer, both phones must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network and charged at least 50%, and if the transmission is interrupted, the data may be damaged.

Method 3: Export of contacts to SIM-card (for a small number of records)

This method is suitable if you have less than 200 contacts and no attached photos. SIM-The card supports only basic data: name, phone number and email. All additional fields (addresses, birthdays, notes) will be lost.

How to move:

• 📱 On Xiaomi: Open the Contact App» → Click on three dots in the upper right corner → «Contact management» → «Imports/Exports» → «Exports to SIM-map. Choose the right contacts.
• 🍎 On the iPhone: Insert SIM-map, go to Settings → Contacts → Import SIM-contact.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Multiple numbers are not maintained (only the first number will be retained).
• ❌ Cyrillic names can be displayed by Krakozabras (the problem is solved by manual editing).
• ❌ Maximum contact limit for SIM-card - 250 (depending on the operator).

Method 4: Manual export to vCard (.vcf) and import to iPhone

The.vcf (or vCard) format is a universal standard for storing contacts that both platforms support, and is suitable if you want to back up your contacts on your computer or migrate them selectively.

Instructions:

1. On Xiaomi, open Contacts → three points → Contact Management → Import/Export → Export to File. Select a save location (like Downloads or Google Drive).
2. Transfer the.vcf file to your iPhone in any convenient way: 📧 Send yourself to the mail and open the attachment on the iPhone. ☁️ Download to iCloud Drive or Google Drive and download to your device. 🔌 Connect Xiaomi to your computer, copy the file, then sync with iTunes (for older versions of iOS).

iPhone

.vcf

Make sure that Xiaomi has enough memory to create a file.

Check the names of contacts for special characters (they may not be displayed correctly)

Select UTF-8 in Export Settings (if available)

Save the file to the cloud for backup-->

Tip: If a.vcf file weighs more than 10MB, break it down with services like VCF Splitter, which will speed up imports on iPhones.

Method 5: Transfer programs (AnyTrans, MobileTrans, etc.)

If the standard methods didn’t work or you need to transfer additional data (such as call history), use specialized programs.

How to use (for example, AnyTrans):

1. Install the program on your computer (Windows/Mac).
2. Connect both phones via USB (enable USB debugging on Xiaomi).
3. Select the “Phone Switch” mode → specify Xiaomi as the source, iPhone as the receiver.
4. Check "Contacts" and start the transfer.

If none of the methods worked, try back-sync:

1. Transfer your contacts with Xiaomi to your computer via Mi PC Suite.
2. Export them to.csv (for example, via Excel).
3. Import to iCloud via the web version (icloude.com).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions