How to Transfer Android Contacts to Xiaomi: All Working Methods for 2026

Why is it that moving contacts to Xiaomi can be a problem?

Moving from one Android device to Xiaomi (be it Redmi Note 13, POCO X6 or Xiaomi’s flagship 14 Ultra) often comes with unexpected complications. It would seem that both systems run on Android – why are contacts not transferred automatically? The fact is that manufacturers modify standard firmware to suit their needs: Xiaomi’s MIUI has unique synchronization algorithms, and some brands (such as Samsung or Huawei) use their own cloud services instead of Google Contacts.

As a result, users are faced with a situation where, after insertion, SIM-Maps on the new Xiaomi are not displayed all numbers, and when you try to import through Settings → This article will help you avoid common mistakes and choose the best way to transfer depending on your situation - whether it is a lack of Internet, a broken Google account or the need to transfer only selected contacts.

We tested all the methods on current Xiaomi models (2022-2026 release) and identified 5 reliable ways, including little-known life hacks for complex cases. For example, did you know that Mi Mover can transfer not only contacts, but also call history, and using Bluetooth there is a risk of losing profile photos?

Method 1: Sync through Google account (most reliable)

This method works on 99% of Android devices, including all Xiaomi models, if they are connected to the Internet. The main advantage is automation: once set up, contacts will be updated on both devices in real time. SIM-card or device memory (not Google), sync will not work.

How do you check where your contacts are stored? Open the Contacts app on your old phone, click on three dots (menu) and select Contact Management → Settings → Import/Export. If there is an Export to Google item, then your contacts are already linked to your account. If not, export them to Google first (instruction below).

• ✅ Pros: Automatic updates, backup, access from any device.
• ⚠️ Cons: requires a stable Internet, on some firmware (for example, ColorOS from Oppo) Google contacts can be duplicated.
• 🔄 Relevance: Works on all versions MIUI, including MIUI 14 and HyperOS.

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure the switch opposite Contact is on.
2. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes with a large number of contacts).
3. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Restore from Google Account and log in under the same login. If your phone is already set up, go to Settings → Accounts → Add an account → Google.
4. After authorization, enable manual contact synchronization (path: Settings → Synchronization → Google → Contacts).

⚠️ Note: If the old phone used a Samsung account, Huawei ID Or another branded service, export contacts to.vcf format first (see Method 3!

Check your internet connection on both devices|Make sure your old phone has your contacts saved to Google (not yours) SIM)|Remember the login and password from the Google account|Shut down. VPN (can block synchronization)-->

Method 2: Transfer through SIM-card (if there is no internet)

This method is suitable for emergencies where there is no Wi-Fi or mobile Internet at hand: SIM-The card stores only the name and number (no photos, addresses or additional fields), and the maximum number of contacts depends on the card model (usually 250-500). POCO F5) importation SIM may not work due to the lack of a physical card slot (eSIM only).

Importantly, if your old phone only supports nano-SIM and the new Xiaomi only supports eSIM, this is not the right way to go, so use Bluetooth (Method 4) or export to the file (Method 3).

• 📱 Suitable for: old Xiaomi models (until 2021) with a physical slot under SIM.
• 🚫 Not suitable for: Xiaomi 13T, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ and other devices without a slot under nano-SIM.
• ⚡ Speed: ~2-5 minutes (depending on the number of contacts).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open your contacts. → Menu (three dots) → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-map.
2. Select contacts for export (or click "Select all") and confirm.
3. Extract. SIM-Map and paste it into Xiaomi.
4. On your new phone, go to Contacts. → Menus. → Contact management → Import with SIM-map.
5. Choose where to save contacts (we recommend "Device" or "Google").

⚠️ Note: If after importing to Xiaomi, contacts are displayed without names (numbers only), check the encoding SIM-On some operators (e.g. Tele2), Russian characters are saved in format. UTF-8, non-supported MIUI. Solution: Export contacts to.vcf file (Method 3).

Synchronization through Google|Export to.vcf file|Transfer through SIM-map|Bluetooth or NFC|Another way.-->

Method 3: Export/import via.vcf file (for selective transfer)

The.vcf (vCard) format is the universal standard for storing contacts that all modern smartphones support, and its main advantage is to store all information: photos, addresses, birthdays and even social media accounts.

This method is ideal if you don’t need to move all contacts, but only a part (for example, only work numbers), and it works only if the old phone has custom firmware without Google services (for example, LineageOS).

• 📁 Where to save a file: internal memory, SD-Map, cloud (Mi Cloud, Google Drive, Yandex Drive).
• 🔗 Compatibility: Works between any Android device, including Xiaomi, Samsung, Honor.
• ⚙️ Settings: MIUI.vcf file can be imported even through Explorer (without starting Contacts").

How to export contacts on an old phone:

1. Open Contacts → Menu → Contact Management → Import / Export → Export to File.
2. Select contacts (or click “Secret All”) and specify the folder to save (we recommend Downloads or the root of memory).
3. The file will be called contacts.vcf or 00001.vcf (if there are many contacts, multiple files are created).

How to import to Xiaomi:

1. Transfer the.vcf file to your new phone (via cable, Bluetooth, or cloud).
2. Open Contacts → Menu → Contact Management → Import from the file.
3. Select a file and specify an account to save (e.g., "Device" or "Google").

Method 4: Transfer via Bluetooth or Mi Mover (for Xiaomi)

If you don’t have a cable or internet connection, SIM-The card is not supported, you can use Bluetooth or Xiaomi’s Mi Mover app. The first method is universal, but slow (transfer speed). ~1–2 MB/s), and the second works only between devices on the MIUI/HyperOS, Not only does it carry contacts, but it also SMS, photos, applications.

Mi Mover is an analogue of Samsung Smart Switch, but with limitations: it does not work on phones with root rights or unlocked bootloader. Also, when transferring a large amount of data (for example, along with photos), there may be an error “Insufficient memory”, in which case, transfer contacts separately from the rest of the data.

• 📲 Mi Mover: Supports Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO (but not Black Shark).
• 🔵 Bluetooth: Works between any Android device, but loses profile photos.
• ⚡ Speed: Mi Mover — ~10MB/s, Bluetooth — ~1 MB/s.

Instructions for Mi Mover:

1. Install Mi Mover on both phones (you can download from Google Play or Mi App Store).
2. On the old phone, select “I am the sender” and on the new Xiaomi, “I am the recipient.”
3. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of the new phone (it will appear after the choice of mode).
4. In the data list, only mark “Contacts” (to speed up the process) and click “Send”.
5. Wait until the connection is complete (don’t interrupt!) and contacts will appear on Xiaomi in 1-2 minutes.

Instructions for Bluetooth:

1. On your old phone, open Contacts → Menu → Send → Bluetooth.
2. Select contacts and send them to Xiaomi (the device must be visible to pair).
3. On Xiaomi, confirm the file acceptance and save the contacts in the device memory.

⚠️ Note: When transmitted via Bluetooth, contacts with Cyrillic names (e.g., "Ivan Petrov") may appear as "????????" due to an encoding failure. Solution: Rename contacts to Latin before sending or use Mi Mover.

💡

If Mi Mover does not find an old device, check if it is enabled with the mode "Data Transfer" in the Wi-Fi settings (path: Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Data Mode).

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (for complex cases)

If standard methods don't work (for example, because of custom firmware or damaged contacts), third-party applications will come to the rescue. We tested 5 popular utilities and selected the two most reliable ones:

1. Copy My Data (from Media Mushroom) - transfers contacts, calendars and photos over Wi-Fi without limiting the scope, supports MIUI and HyperOS.
2. CLONEit clones data from one Android to another, including contacts, SMS and app settings, and even works on phones without Google services.

These applications are useful if:

• 🔄 You need to transfer your contacts from iPhone to Xiaomi (via iCloud).
• 📱 The old phone has an unofficial firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience).
• 🔧 Standard methods give an error "Unknown file format".

Step-by-step instructions for CLONEit:

1. Install the app on both phones from Google Play or APKPure.
2. On the old phone, select “Sender” and on the new Xiaomi, “Receiver”.
3. Scan it. QR-Xiaomi screen code (like in Mi Mover).
4. In the data list, mark only "Contacts" and click "Start".
5. Confirm the data reception on Xiaomi and wait for the completion (takes ~3-5 minutes).

⚠️ Note: When using third-party apps, disable battery optimization for them in settings MIUI (Path: Settings → Annexes → Permits → Autostart, otherwise the transmission may be interrupted in the middle.

💡

The app side is the only way to transfer contacts from phones based on HarmonyOS (Huawei) or iOS to Xiaomi without losing data.

What if the contacts are not transferred or duplicated?

Even after a successful transfer, you may encounter problems such as duplicate contacts, missing photos, or synchronization errors, and here are 3 common mistakes and solutions:

• 🔄 Duplicate contacts: This happens if you have imported contacts from multiple sources (e.g., from a different source). SIM Solution: Open Contacts. → Menus. → Combine and correct and select "Find duplicates".
• 🖼️ No profile photos: if the transfer was via Bluetooth or SIM, Solution: export contacts to.vcf (Method 3) or sync through Google.
• ❌ Contacts are not displayed: check if they are hidden in the settings. → Menus. → Settings → Display contact → Select "All contacts".

If after importing some numbers are displayed in the wrong format (for example, +7 (9XX) XXX-XX-XX instead of 8 9XX XXX-XX-XX), correct this by setting the number format:

1. Open Contacts → Menu → Settings → Number format.
2. Choose “Russia” or your country.
3. Click "Apply to all contacts".

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Storage → Clear data

Then import the contacts again.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions