How to Transfer Contacts to Xiaomi Redmi from iPhone: A Complete Guide to 5 Ways

Switching from an iPhone to a Xiaomi Redmi smartphone is a crucial step, especially when it comes to storing important data. Contacts are the information users lose most often when changing platforms. Unlike photos or messages, it can take hours to recover them if they do not know proven methods.

The problem is that iOS and MIUI (Xiaomi firmware) work on different synchronization principles: Apple devices are default to iCloud, and Android smartphones are tied to a Google account. However, this does not mean that you can not transfer contacts. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of migrating contacts, including those that work even without the Internet or when you lose access to iCloud.

Important: If you’re using an iPhone with iOS 17+ and Xiaomi Redmi on MIUI 14/15, some steps may be different – we’ll point this out in the instructions. Also note that methods using third-party apps (like Move to iOS) often fail when transferring large phone books (1000+ contacts).

1. Transfer contacts via iCloud (the most reliable way)

This is a good method if you have access to an Apple ID and a stable Internet connection, and the advantage is that sync is done in the cloud, without having to connect devices to each other.

Steps for iPhone:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → [Your name] → iCloud.
• 🔄 Make sure the contact switch is active (green).
• 🌐 Go to iCloud.com from your computer or Xiaomi Redmi (in Chrome or Mi Browser).
• 🔐 Sign up for your Apple. ID.
• 👥 Select the Contacts section, then click ⚙️ → Export vCard..vcf file will be saved to the device.

Steps for Xiaomi Redmi:

• 📲 Open the Contacts app.
• 🔧 Press. ⋮ → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import from file.vcf.
• 📁 Select the downloaded file and confirm the import.

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If contacts are not displayed after import, check if they are duplicated. MIUI There is a function of merging duplicates: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Combine duplicates.

⚠️ Note: If you have two-factor authentication on Apple ID, Signing into iCloud.com with Xiaomi may require generating a confirmation code on a trusted device (iPhone, iPad or Mac).

2. synchronization through Google account (universal method)

This is a good way to do it if you’re already using a Google account on your iPhone or are planning to create one, and the main advantage is that contacts are automatically synced with Xiaomi Redmi when you first sign in.

Instructions for iPhone:

1. Download the Google app from the App Store.
2. Open it and log in (or create a new account).
3. Go to iPhone Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add an account → Google.
4. Enter your account details and turn on the Contacts switch.
5. Wait 5-10 minutes for your contacts to load into Google Contacts.

Instructions for Xiaomi Redmi:

• 🔑 When you first turn on your smartphone, select Log in to Google account and specify the same data.
• 📱 If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Google and enable contact sync.

3. Transfer of contacts by means of SIM-maps (without internet)

If you do not have access to Wi-Fi or mobile Internet, you can use it. SIM-This method is suitable for a small number of contacts (up to 250), as it is limited by the memory of the card.

How to move:

1. On iPhone go to Settings → Contacts → Imports SIM-Contacts (if no option, use the app) SIM Contacts from the App Store).
2. Select contacts for export and confirm copying to SIM.
3. Extract. SIM-Map from iPhone and paste Xiaomi Redmi.
4. On Redmi, open your contacts. → ⋮ → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.

⚠️ Note: When transferring through SIM-Cyrillic names (in Russian) can be displayed in Krakozabra. To avoid this, change the encoding of contacts in the iPhone settings to the port before exporting. UTF-8 (You need jailbreak or special utilities like iMazing).

4. Bluetooth Contact Transfer (for small volumes)

Bluetooth is not the fastest, but it works if other methods are not available. It's suitable for transmitting up to 100 contacts.

Step-by-step:

1. On your iPhone, turn on Bluetooth at Control Point or in Settings → Bluetooth.
2. On Xiaomi Redmi, do the same and start searching for devices.
3. Connect devices (on the iPhone, confirm the code displayed on Redmi).
4. On iPhone, open Contacts, select the right ones (or click Allow), then Share → AirDrop. Since Xiaomi does not support AirDrop, select Other options → Bluetooth.
5. Accept the file on Redmi and import contacts from the received.vcf.

Turn on Bluetooth on both devices | Make sure devices see each other | Charge both smartphones (minimum 30%) |Free memory on Xiaomi (minimum 100 MB) | Turn off power saving mode on Xiaomi-->

⚠️ Attention: On iPhone with iOS 17+ The Bluetooth contact option may be hidden. To activate it, go to Settings. → Contacts → Transfer of contacts → Turn on Bluetooth transmission.

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

If standard methods don’t work (for example, when blocking iCloud or a large amount of data), third-party software will help.

1.The Move to iOS app (from Apple)

• 📲 Install Move to iOS on Xiaomi Redmi from Google Play.
• 🔄 On iPhone go to Settings → Mainstream → Removing or resetting iPhone → Prepare for Android.
• 🔢 Enter the code generated on Redmi and select Contacts to Transfer.

2. iMazing program (for PC)

• 💻 Download iMazing to your computer (imazing.com).
• 🔌 Connect your iPhone to USB Export contacts to.vcf or.csv file.
• 📥 Flip the file to Xiaomi Redmi and import through Contacts.

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An app like Move to iOS often doesn’t fully support contacts if your iPhone is synced to iCloud and Google at the same time.

Transfer problems and their solutions

Even when following the instructions, errors can occur, and let's look at the typical cases and how to fix them:

Problem 1: Contacts are duplicated on Xiaomi Redmi.

• 🔍 Check if sync with multiple accounts is enabled (Google, Mi Account, SIM).
• 🧹 Use the Merge function in Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Combine duplicates.

Problem 2: Not all contacts are moved (numbers or names are missing).

• 📊 Export contacts in small batches (200-300 pieces each).
• 🔄 Try a different export format (e.g..csv instead of.vcf).

Problem 3: Xiaomi displays Krakozabra instead of Cyrillic.

• 📋 Before export, change the regional settings of the iPhone to Russia or Ukraine (Settings) → Mainstream → Language and region).
• 🔤 Use apps like Contacts Backup to manually edit the encoding.

7. How to check that all contacts have been transferred correctly

After the transfer, make sure that the data is not lost. Here is a checklist for verification:

• 🔍 Open Contacts on Xiaomi Redmi and scroll through the list to the end – are there any passes?
• 📞 Try calling 2-3 random numbers from the list.
• 🖼️ Check if your contact photos are saved (if they were on your iPhone).
• 📧 Make sure that email addresses and additional fields (such as "Birthday") are in place.

If you miss contacts, repeat the transfer using another method, for example, if 10% of the numbers are not copied through iCloud, try Google sync or iMazing.

FAQ: Frequent questions about contact transfer