How to safely move contacts from one Xiaomi to another: all working methods

Why Xiaomi’s Connectivity Transfers Need a Special Approach

The switch to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to keeping a phone book safe. Unlike other brands, the MIUI ecosystem offers unique synchronization tools but also its pitfalls. For example, standard export through VCard may not keep contact-bound avatars or notes, and synchronization through Google Account sometimes duplicates entries.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to transfer contacts between Xiaomi devices - from classic (via the traditional one). SIM-map or Bluetooth) to advanced (Mi Cloud cloud sync and backup) MIUI We will pay special attention to the nuances that the manufacturer does not say: why contact groups disappear when migrating through Google, how to avoid failures with a large amount of data (1000)+ What to do if the new smartphone does not see old backups.

Important: the methods will be suitable for all models Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO based on MIUI 12-14 (including Xiaomi 13/14 Pro, Redmi Note 12, POCO F5). For devices older than 2018 (for example, Xiaomi Mi 8) may require updating the firmware to the current version.

Method 1: Synchronize with Mi Account (the most reliable way)

The Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary backup and synchronization solution, which has a key advantage: not only phone numbers, but also attached photos of contacts, call histories (optional) and even notes to records, but there is a limitation: a free account provides only 5 GB of cloud storage, which is enough for ~2,000 contacts with avatars.

To transfer contacts through Mi Account:

• 📱 On an old smartphone: open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and enable sync for Contacts. Wait until the process is complete (cloud icon turns green).
• 🔄 On a new device: log in under the same Mi Account and enable contact synchronization in Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. Data will be automatically downloaded within 5-10 minutes.
• ⚡ If no contacts appear: Check your internet connection (preferably via Wi-Fi) and reboot both devices.

A critical nuance: if you have previously used Google Contacts, before syncing through Mi Cloud, disable autosynchronization with Google in Settings → Accounts → Google.

Update MIUI to the latest version

Make sure there is enough space on your account (5GB)

Turn off sync with Google Contacts

Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network

Charge your smartphone by at least 50%

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Method 2: Export/import via VCard (for advanced users)

The.vcf (or VCard) format is a universal standard for storing contacts that all smartphones support, and it works if you want to back up or transfer contacts to another brand’s device, but it has its downsides: no contact avatars are saved, and with a large amount of data (500+ records), the file can be broken up into multiple parts.

Instructions for export/import:

1. On the old Xiaomi, open the Contacts app, tap on three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management → Imports/Exports → Export to file. Specify the save path (e.g., Internal Memory) → Download).
2. Transfer the contacts.vcf file to your new smartphone via Bluetooth, USB-Cable or cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive).
3. On the new device, open "Contacts" → ⋮ → Imports/Exports → Import from the file and select the transferred.vcf.

⚠️ Note: If you have edited contacts in Google Contacts, exported.vcf may contain duplicates. Before importing, it is recommended to clear the phone book on the new device through Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Warehouse → Clear the data.

Method 3: Transfer through SIM-Card (for small number of contacts)

The old-fashioned way is through SIM-card – relevant if you have no more than 250 contacts (restriction of the standard number of contacts) SIM) The main advantage is that it does not require authorization in accounts and works even on dead devices. + phone numbers).

Step-by-step:

• 📶 On your old smartphone: open "Contacts" → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-Select the right contacts (or all) and confirm.
• 🔄 Move it. SIM-map to the new Xiaomi.
• 📱 On a new device: Repeat the Contact path → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.

* Limited to cloud storage (5GB for free account)

💡

If you have a two-sim Xiaomi, before exporting to the SIM-Check which one is the default for contacts. You can do this in Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Contacts SIM-map.

Method 4: Use Google Account (alternative to Mi Cloud)

Synchronizing with Google Contacts is convenient if you actively use Google services (such as Gmail or Google Drive), the advantages of the method are cross-platform (contacts will be available on both iPhone and Android) and automatic backup. However, there is a critical disadvantage: Xiaomi by default duplicates contacts between Mi Account and Google, which leads to chaos in the phone book.

How to transfer contacts via Google:

1. On an old smartphone: open Settings → Accounts → Google, select your account and enable sync for Contacts.
2. Wait for the sync to be completed (check at contacts.google.com).
3. On a new device: add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts and enable contact sync.

⚠️ Note: if after synchronization in the phone book appeared duplicates, use the built-in tool: → ⋮ → Contact management → Combining and correcting → Combine duplicates.

💡

Google Contacts is the best choice if you change smartphone brands frequently (from Xiaomi to Samsung, Pixel, etc.).For the Xiaomi ecosystem, Mi Cloud is a priority because of the support for avatars and notes.

Method 5: Backup through MIUI Backup (for full migration)

MIUI Backup allows you to create a full system backup, including contacts, SMS, call logs and even application settings. This is ideal if you transfer data to the new Xiaomi from scratch. However, the method requires caution: when you restore a copy to a device with another version of MIUI, there may be failures (for example, on Xiaomi 12 with MIUI 13, the backup from Redmi Note 10 to MIUI 12.5 is not always correctly restored).

Instructions for the creation and restoration of the backup:

1. On an old smartphone: go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. Select Contacts (and other data if necessary) and click Create a Backup.
2. Copy the backup file (located in MIUI/backup/AllBackup) to your new smartphone via USB or Wi-Fi Direct.
3. On a new device: Repeat the Settings path → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup → Restore and select the transferred file.

Important: If you experience an error called “Incompatible version of MIUI” when you restore, try updating the firmware on both devices to the latest stable version via Settings → System Update.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

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

• 🔴 Contacts are not synced via Mi Cloud: Check if Settings are enabled → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Contact sync. Make sure your account has enough space (clean up unnecessary backups in Mi Cloud) → Storage management. Reboot your device and force the sync update by pulling down the contact list.
• 🔴 VCard file won't open on new smartphone: Try renaming the file to contacts.vcf (no spaces and Cyrillic). Use a third-party app like Contacts+ Or Simpler Contacts, for import. Open the file on your PC via Excel (pre-converting via VCF to CSV).
• 🔴 Duplicate contacts after sync with Google: Disable autosynchronization with Mi Account in Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. Manually combine duplicates in Google Contacts on the web (contacts.google.com). Install the Duplicate Contacts app to automatically search and merge duplicates.

⚠️ Note: if the contacts are displayed in hieroglyphics after transfer, the problem is encoding the.vcf file. ASCII, to bring the text to a readable form.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions