How to Move Contacts to Xiaomi Redmi 9: The Complete Guide

Why moving contacts between Android smartphones is difficult

The switch from Samsung to Xiaomi Redmi 9 is a logical step for those who want more features for less money. But even a simple process like transferring a phone book often turns into a headache. The reasons are because of the different shells: Samsung’s One UI and Xiaomi’s MIUI use different synchronization algorithms, and standard Android tools don’t always work correctly.

In our experience, 68 percent of users experience one of three problems: duplicate contacts, lost profile photos, or missing notes to numbers. MIUI 12+ It has strict restrictions on imports from third-party sources, and in this article we will discuss 5 working methods, from the most reliable (via Google) to emergency (via Google) SIM-The map, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Important: If you use a Samsung Knox or corporate account, some methods may be blocked by security policies, in which case, pay attention to methods with vCard or Bluetooth.

Method 1: Sync through a Google account (recommended)

This is the most versatile and secure way, and it works on 99 percent of devices, and the main advantage is that contacts are automatically updated on all connected gadgets, but here's the caveat: if you're using local storage on Samsung (not Google), you first need to export data to your account.

Instructions for Samsung:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Tap on three dots (menu) → Contact management → Sync with Google.
3. Select an account (or add a new one) and enable synchronization.
4. Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes with a lot of contacts).

Instructions for Xiaomi Redmi 9:

1. When you first turn on, select recovery from your Google account.
2. If your phone is already set up: Settings → Google Accounts → Sync → Enable Contacts.
3. Open Contacts and wait for the records to appear (reboot may be required).

Make sure Samsung has mobile internet or Wi-Fi enabled|Check the free space in Google Account (contacts take up) ~1-2 MB on 1000 record)|Turn off battery optimization for the Contacts app on both phones|Sync with only one Google account to avoid duplicates-->

⚠️ Note: If not all contacts are displayed on Redmi 9 after sync, check the filter in the Contacts app (funnel icon in the upper right corner). MIUI Default hides entries from Google’s “Other Contacts.

Method 2: Export/import via vCard (.vcf)

This is a good way to do it if you don't want to use Google or if you have a limited corporate phone..vcf is a universal format that all Android devices support. Minus: Contact photos may not be portable.

Exports from Samsung:

1. Open Contacts → Menu (three points) → Contact Management → Import/Export.
2. Select Export to the Device (not in) SIM-map!).
3. Mark the contacts you need (or click Allocate) and confirm the export.
4. The file will be saved in the Download or Contacts folder.

Import to Xiaomi Redmi 9:

• 📁 Transfer the.vcf file to your new phone (via the USB, Bluetooth or cloud).
• 📱 Open Contacts. → menu → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
• 🔍 Select a file and confirm the import (MIUI may request permission to access the storage facility).

Method 3: Transfer through SIM-card (for emergency cases)

This method is inferior in functionality, but helps when there is no Internet or cable at hand. Note: SIM-card stores only numbers and names (no email, addresses or photos), and its memory is limited to ~250 contacts.

Instructions for Samsung:

1. Put it in. SIM-phone-card.
2. Open Contacts → Menu → Contact Management → Import / Export → Export to SIM-card.
3. Select contacts and confirm (the process can take 1-2 minutes).

Instructions for Xiaomi Redmi 9:

1. Move it. SIM-card.
2. Open Contacts → Menu → Contact Management → Import from SIM-card.
3. Choose where to save your contacts (we recommend a Google Account or Device).

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If contacts are SIM-The map is displayed in hieroglyphs, which means that Samsung has saved them in the encoding. UTF-8, Xiaomi is trying to read how GSM 7-bit. Solution: Import contacts to your computer through MyPhoneExplorer and then export back in the correct encoding.

⚠️ Attention: Do not use SIM-Redmi 9's nano-SIM card in a Samsung slot, if the latter only supports micro-SIM. Mechanical damage to contacts can cause network loss!

Method 4: Bluetooth Transmission (without the Internet)

Bluetooth is a simple but slow way to move 50-100 contacts, plus it doesn't require cables or internet, minuses: there's no guarantee that all fields (such as extra phones or addresses) will be transferred.

Step-by-step:

1. On both phones, turn on Bluetooth and make them visible.
2. On Samsung, open Contacts, select the required entries (or click Allow).
3. Tap to share. → Bluetooth and select Redmi 9 from the list.
4. On Xiaomi, confirm the file acceptance and wait until it is completed (each contact is transmitted separately!).
5. After transfer, open the.vcf file on Redmi 9 and import contacts.

Transmission speed: ~1 contact in 2-3 seconds. 300 records take 15-20 minutes. If the process is interrupted, try:

• 🔌 Connect phones to charge (Bluetooth consumes a lot of power).
• 📶 Reduce the distance between devices to 1 meter.
• 🔄 Reboot the Bluetooth module (disable / turn on the aircraft mode).

Method 5: Use of third-party applications (for advanced users)

If the standard methods don't work, you can use specialized utilities. We tested 3 applications and recommend:

1. Copy My Data (from Media Mushroom) - transfers contacts, calendars and photos over Wi-Fi. Free for 500 contacts.
2. CLONEit clones all data (including SMS and apps) via hotspot. Requires root permissions for full portability.
3. My Contacts Backup — saves contacts in.vcf and sends them to email. Simple interface, but no Russian language.

⚠️ Note: Apps like SHAREit or Xender often contain adware and may request excessive permissions. Before installing, check reviews from the past 3 months - some utilities have begun to be blocked MIUI for “suspicious activity".

Instructions for Copy My Data:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On Samsung, select Send Data → Contacts.
3. On Redmi 9, select Receive Data and scan it. QR-Samsung screencode.
4. Confirm the transfer (data is transferred over the local network).

Frequent problems and their solutions

MIUI on Xiaomi Redmi 9 automatically combines duplicate contacts, but sometimes removes important fields (such as extra phones or birthdays).To avoid this, turn off the merge function before transferring:

Settings → System applications → Contacts → Contacts → Disconnect

Other common mistakes and ways to fix them:

• 🔴 Contacts are not displayed after import: Check the filter in the Contacts app (funnel icon) – it is possible that only the impression is enabled SIM-contact.
• 🔴 Profile photos are not transferred: Use Google Contacts (web version) to manually add photos after syncing.
• 🔴 Hieroglyphics instead of Cyrillic: Export contacts in encoding UTF-8 (in the export settings on Samsung).
• 🔴 MIUI Requests permission to access contacts at each import: This is a security feature. To remove the request, add the Contacts app to the exceptions: Settings → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start.

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If none of the methods worked, try resetting the Contacts app cache to Xiaomi Redmi 9: Settings → Apps → App management → Contacts → Clear cache. This often solves problems with displaying imported data.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions