Transfer contacts from Xiaomi to iPhone: a complete guide with pictures and secrets

Moving from Xiaomi to iPhone is not just about changing the ecosystem, it’s also about moving all the important data. Contacts are often the main headache: losing them can take hours to recover. Fortunately, there are at least 5 reliable ways to transfer a phone book from a Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 or any other Xiaomi model to a new iPhone 15 (or older model).

Many users mistakenly think that you need a computer or a special cable to move contacts, and in fact, 90 percent of the ways work without a PC, a fairly stable Internet or even a regular Internet connection. SIM-We'll go through each method in detail, from the simplest (via iCloud) to the most versatile (via vCard), and focus on the nuances that are not covered in the standard instructions, such as why some contacts may not be transferred and how to fix them.

If you've tried to reschedule contacts and you've encountered errors, don't close the article. At the end, there's a problem-solving section (e.g., duplicated posts or missing contact photos), and for those in a hurry, we've prepared a quick one, which takes no more than 5 minutes.

⚡ Quick way: transfer via iCloud (in 5 minutes)

This is the most reliable method if you already have an Apple ID account, which works even on older Xiaomi models (like the 2017 Redmi 5) and ensures that all contact fields are safe, including photos and additional numbers.

The algorithm is simple:

1. On Xiaomi, export contacts to the.vcf file via the Contacts app.
2. Send this file to the email associated with your Apple ID.
3. On iPhone, open the letter and import contacts through an attachment.

More on each step:

1. Export of contacts to Xiaomi:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app on your Xiaomi.
• 🔍 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Select Contact Management.
• 📤 Choose Import/Export Contacts → Export to file.
• 📄 Save a file with the.vcf extension in your phone’s memory or on Google Drive.

2. Send the file to iCloud:

File saved in an accessible place (not in a secure folder)| File size does not exceed 25 MB (otherwise iCloud will not accept)| Mail to send is tied to Apple ID| iPhone enabled mobile Internet or Wi-Fi

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Send the.vcf file to your email (e.g. yourname@icloud.com).The alternative is to upload it to iCloud Drive via a browser on Xiaomi.

Imports on iPhone:

• 📧 Open the letter on the iPhone and click on the attached file.vcf.
• 🔄 Choose Add All Contacts (or Selectively).
• ☁️ Make sure your contacts are synced with iCloud (Settings) → [Your name] → iCloud → Contacts).

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If contacts don't show up after importing, check if iCloud sync is enabled in your iPhone settings.Sometimes you need to reboot the device.

🔄 Method 2: Sync with Google Account (without a computer)

If you’ve used Google Contacts on Xiaomi, this method will take no more than 3 minutes, and the main advantage is that contacts can be automatically updated when you add new entries to any device.

Instructions:

1. On Xiaomi, check that contacts are synced with Google: Settings → Accounts and sync → Google → [Your account] → Sync contacts
2. On iPhone, add the same Google Account: Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add an account → Google
3. Turn on the Contact switch and wait for the synchronization to be completed.

⚠️ Note: If your iPhone already has contacts, they can duplicate those that are downloaded from Google:

• 🔄 Before syncing, make a backup of contacts on the iPhone.
• 🧹 After import, use the function of Combine duplicates in iCloud (available at icloud.com).

Using iCloud (.vcf file)|Through Google Account|Through SIM-map|Special apps (such as Move to iOS)|Another option-->

📱 Method 3: Transfer through SIM-map (for older models)

This method is suitable if you have:

• 📵 No Internet access.
• 🔋 Both phones are dead (SIM-The card consumes minimal energy).
• 📱 Outdated models (Xiaomi Redmi) 4A, iPhone 6 and older).

Limitations:

• ❌ Only name and number are transferred (without photos, email and additional fields).
• ❌ SIM-The card should support the format of contacts (not all operators allow this).

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, export your contacts to SIM-map: Contacts → Settings (⚙️) → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-If you have more than 250 contacts, divide them into parts.
2. Put it in. SIM-iPhone-card.
3. Import contacts: Settings → Contacts → Import contacts with SIM

🤖 Method 4: Move to iOS (official method from Apple)

Apple has developed a special application Move to iOS for transferring data from Android to iPhone. It is free and works on all Xiaomi with Android 5.0+. The main advantage is that not only contacts are transferred, but also:

• 📸 Photos and videos.
• 📅 Calendars.
• 🎵 Songs (if not protected) DRM).

How to use:

1. On iPhone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer from Android (if the phone is already configured, reset it via Settings → Main → Transfer or Reset).
2. On Xiaomi, download Move to iOS from Google Play.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions: connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network, enter the code from the iPhone to Xiaomi.
4. Select Contacts and other data to transfer.

⚠️ Attention:

• 🔌 Both phones must be charged at least 50% – the process can take up to 30 minutes.
• 🚫 Don’t use mobile internet – only Wi-Fi.
• 📵 If the transfer is interrupted, it will start from the beginning (you will have to erase the data on the iPhone).

💡

Before using Move to iOS, turn off the Xiaomi Battery Optimization feature for this application (Settings → Apps → Move to iOS → Battery → Without restrictions).

💻 Method 5: Through a computer (for advanced users)

If you need to transfer not only contacts, but also call logs or SMS, You can use software like iMazing or Syncios. Windows/Mac and USB-The cables, but give you maximum control over the data.

Instructions for iMazing (free version allows you to transfer up to 50 contacts):

1. Download and install iMazing from the official website.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB (enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → For Developers).
3. In iMazing, select Contact Management → Export (.vcf or.csv format).
4. Disable Xiaomi, connect your iPhone and import the file.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔍 Only the necessary contacts can be selectively transferred.
• 📊 A history of change (good for business).
• 🛡️ Data is not transferred over the cloud (safe for corporate contacts).

Disadvantages:

• ⏳ It takes longer (about 40 minutes for the first time).
• 💻 You need a computer with free USB-port.

❌ Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Even if you follow the instructions, you can have problems, and here are the most common solutions.

1. Contacts were rescheduled, but without photos:

• 🖼️ If you used.vcf, photos are not portable. Use Move to iOS or Google Contacts (they save images).
• 🔄 If the photos were in Google Photos, they are not linked to contacts – they need to be moved separately.

Duplicate contacts:

• 🔗 On the iPhone, open contact → Editing → Tie up.
• ☁️ Or use the Combine Duplicates feature on icloud.com.

3. Not all contacts have been transferred:

• 📂 Check if they were saved in Xiaomi’s local memory (not in the local memory). Google/iCloud).
• 🔍 On Xiaomi, open contacts → Settings → Show contacts from and make sure all sources are selected.

4. Google sync error:

⚠️ Note: If you add a Google Account to your iPhone, you can check the error “Unable to establish a connection: 🔒 On Xiaomi, disable Two-Factor Authentication for Google at Transfer Time. 🌐 Connect your iPhone to another Wi-Fi network (sometimes locking on your iPhone) IP dystopia).

🔍 FAQ: Answers to frequent questions