How to Transfer Android Contacts to Xiaomi: All Ways to 2026

Switching to a new smartphone Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO — It's always a bit of a thrill, especially when it comes to keeping important data safe, and contacts are the minimum that should migrate without loss, but many users are faced with problems: duplicated records, missing profile photos, or missing notes to numbers. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to transfer contacts from one Android device to Xiaomi, including nuances for models with a mobile phone. MIUI 14/15 and the features of working with a Google account, SIM-map and brand instrument Mi Mover.

We will pay special attention to hidden traps: why some contacts may not be transferred over Bluetooth, how to avoid data loss when using the Internet. VCF-What to do if Xiaomi doesn't see contacts after synchronization, and you'll find a table comparing methods for speed, reliability and Internet requirements to help you choose the best option for your situation.

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1. Transfer contacts through a Google account (the most reliable way)

If you’ve used an Android smartphone before Xiaomi, chances are your contacts are already linked to a Google account, which requires no additional software and works even when you change your firmware or reset your phone to factory settings, and the main condition is that sync should be enabled on the old device.

To check this, go to Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync and make sure the slider opposite Contact is active. If not, turn it on and wait for the process to complete (can take up to 10 minutes with a large number of records).

• ✅ Pros: Automatic synchronization, saving contact photos, history of changes (you can roll back deleted records within 30 days).
• ⚠️ Cons: Requires a stable Internet, not all users remember the password from Google.
• 🔄 Nuance: Xiaomi with MIUI Google contacts can be duplicated with local contacts – this is solved manually through the Contacts menu. → Management → Unite.

On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, the system will prompt you to log in to your Google account — do this and the contacts will be automatically loaded. If the phone is already set up, go to Settings → Accounts → Add an account → Google and log in. After that, open the Contacts app, click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Import / Export → Import from Google.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone only stores your contacts in the device’s memory (not Google), you must first export them to your account. → Settings → Export and select Export to Google.Without this step, data will be lost!

2.Use of the Mi Mover branded tool

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s official app for data migration between devices, which supports not only transferring contacts, but also messages, photos, apps and even system settings, and works without the Internet (via Wi-Fi Direct), which is convenient with limited traffic.

Instructions:

1. Download Mi Mover on both phones from Google Play (if it’s not in standard apps).
2. On the old phone, choose I’m the sender, on Xiaomi, I’m the recipient.
3. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen with an old phone or enter PIN-manually.
4. Select data for transfer (mark Contacts) and confirm the transfer.

Mi Mover copies your contacts to Xiaomi's local storage, not your Google account, which means that when you reset your phone, you'll lose your data if you don't back it up. To avoid that, export your contacts to Google or to Google after you transfer them. VCF-file.

Charging both phones > 50%|Shut down. VPN flight mode|Make sure that Xiaomi has enough memory|Do not interrupt the connection until completion-->

⚠️ Note: On some Samsung or Huawei models, the Mi Mover may not see contacts due to manufacturer restrictions. VCF-file.

3.Exports and imports through VCF-file (universal method)

A file with the.vcf extension (vCard) is the standard format for storing contacts that all smartphones support, and it is suitable if you want to save a backup or transfer contacts to a device without Google services (for example, Xiaomi with custom firmware).

How to export on an old phone:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Click on three dots (menu) → Contact management → Import/Export → Export to file.
3. Choose where to save the file (e.g., device memory or SD-map).
4. Confirm the export – the contact.vcf file will be created.

How to import to Xiaomi:

1. Copy contacts.vcf to your new phone (via Bluetooth, email or cloud).
2. Open Contacts → Menu → Import / Export → Import from the file.
3. Select the contacts.vcf file and confirm the import.

Important: if the contact in VCF-The file is not imported to Xiaomi, check the file encoding.Some Chinese firmware does not support UTF-8 — Open the file on your PC via Excel and save it in format. ANSI.

4. Transfer through SIM-Card (for a small number of contacts)

This method is useful if you have fewer than 250 contacts and no access to the Internet or computer, but it has serious limitations: no photos are saved, long numbers are cropped (for example, with additional characters), and notes or groups are not transferred.

Instructions:

• 📱 On an old phone: Contacts → Menus. → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-Select the right contacts (or all) and confirm.
• 🔄 Move it. SIM-map.
• 📱 On the new phone: Contacts → Menus. → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12) have contacts with the SIM-The cards are imported into local storage, not into a Google account. To avoid losses, export them to your local storage after import. VCF or sync with Google.

If SIM-A nano-SIM card, and an old phone only supports micro-SIM, use an adapter. But remember, changing adapters frequently can damage the card contacts, leading to read errors.

5. Bluetooth Contact Transfer (an alternative for older models)

This method is suitable if other methods are not available (for example, on a phone without Google services), but Bluetooth has a limitation: you can send no more than 500 contacts per transmission, and profile photos are not transferred.

How to move:

1. On your old phone, open Contacts, click on three points → Share (or Export).
2. Select contacts (or highlight all) and press Bluetooth.
3. Select your Xiaomi device list and confirm the transfer.
4. On Xiaomi, accept the file and save it (usually it is suggested to import it right away).

If contacts are not automatically imported, check the Bluetooth folder in the file manager – there should be a contact.vcf file. Import it manually through Contacts → Import/Export.

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If Bluetooth doesn’t see Xiaomi, turn on Visibility for All on both phones in Bluetooth settings and reboot the devices.

6. Synchronization through third-party services (for advanced users)

If standard methods do not work (for example, due to custom firmware), you can use third-party services:

• 🌐 My Contacts Backup (export to the United States) VCF or email).
• ☁️ Dropbox/Google Drive (boot) VCF-file in the cloud and download to Xiaomi).
• 🔗 SHAREit/Xender (File transfer over Wi-Fi Direct, but requires the application to be installed on both phones).

When using SHAREit or Xender, watch for permissions: these applications often request access to contacts, messages and files. Once the data is transferred, delete them from both devices to avoid leaks.

For Xiaomi owners with MIUI, there is another life hack: if contacts aren’t synced with Google, try resetting the Contacts app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → App Management → Contacts → Storage → Clear the cache.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the correct transfer of contacts, errors can occur, and here are the most common ways to correct them:

• 🔴 Contacts are not displayed after import: Check if they are hidden in the display settings. → Menus. → Select All Contacts instead of Only with SIM-Maps or Google only.
• 🔴 Contact photos are not transferred: Photos are kept separate from the main data. To transfer them, export contacts to the photo. VCF (In the export settings, select Enable photos or use Mi Mover.
• 🔴 Google Sync Error: Delete your Google account on Xiaomi and add it again.Before doing so, make sure that your old phone has your contacts actually saved to Google (check on the web version of contacts.google.com).

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings (not to be confused with a full phone reset!).

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Press Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Restart the phone and repeat the import.

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Before resetting your Contacts app data, make sure you have a backup (e.g., Google or Google). VCF-Otherwise, all local contacts will be deleted!

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FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions