How to transfer contacts with Sony to Xiaomi: all ways with nuances

The transition from Sony to Xiaomi is not only a brand change, but also a migration of all important data, among which contacts are the first in importance. Losing the phone numbers of colleagues, friends or loved ones can be a serious inconvenience, so the process of transferring must be approached responsibly. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of transferring contacts - from classical ones (via the traditional one). SIM-Map or Google Account to modern (using Mi Mover or cloud services), and also tell you how to avoid typical errors.

The peculiarity of the transfer between Sony and Xiaomi is the differences in operating systems: even if your Sony Xperia has a pure Android, the MIUI shell on Xiaomi can add nuance. For example, the standard Contacts app on Xiaomi syncs with Mi Cloud by default, not with Google, which sometimes confuses users. We took all these points into account and prepared instructions that will work regardless of the model - whether it is Sony Xperia 1 V or Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Before you start, check out two key points:

• 🔋 The battery charge on both devices is at least 50%. The data transfer can take up to 30 minutes, and discharging in the process can lead to loss of information.
• 📶 Stable Internet connection (for cloud methods) If you use mobile Internet, disable background restriction for Contacts and Google Play Services.

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

Google sync is a universal method that works on all Android devices, including Sony and Xiaomi, and its main advantage is automatic backup: even if you lose your phone, contacts will remain in the cloud.

To move your contacts through Google, follow the following steps:

1. On Sony's phone: 📱 Open the Contacts app. 🔧 Go to Settings. → Contact management → Imports/Exports. ☁️ Select Export to Google Account (if contacts are already linked to your account, skip this step). 🔄 Enable synchronization: Settings → Accounts. → Google → [your email] → Synchronization of contacts.
2. On Xiaomi's phone: 📱 When you first turn on, select Restore from Google Account (if your phone is already set up, go to Settings). → Accounts. → Add an account → Google). ☁️ Enter the same Google Account as you do on Sony. 🔄 Wait for the synchronization to be completed (may take up to 10 minutes). 📞 Check the contacts in the Contacts app (they may be in the Google tab or All Contacts).

If no contact appears, check:

• 🔍 The correctness of the Google Account (sometimes users confuse work and personal accounts).
• 📵 Xiaomi Internet availability (synchronization does not work without a network).
• 🔄 Manually run synchronization: Settings → Accounts. → Google → [your email] → Synchronize.

⚠️ Note: If your Sony contacts are stored only on SIM-In the card or in the memory of the device, they must first be imported into Google Account (SIM or the phone and the target - Google.

2. Transfer of contacts through SIM-card (if there is no internet)

Method SIM-The card is inferior to cloud synchronization in terms of convenience, but remains relevant in two cases: when there is no access to the Internet or when contacts are initially saved on the Internet. SIM. Keep in mind that SIM-The card has a limitation – it usually can accommodate no more than 250 contacts, and the fields for additional information (email, address) may not be saved.

Instructions for transfer:

1. Exports to SIM Sony: 📱 Open Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM-map. ✅ Select contacts for export (or click Select All). 💾 Confirm the export. The process can take 1-2 minutes.
2. Imports to Xiaomi: 📱 Put it in. SIM-map. 📞 Open Contacts. → Settings → Contact management → Import with SIM-map. 📥 Select contacts for import and confirm.

If after importing to Xiaomi, contacts are displayed incorrectly (for example, instead of names - phone numbers), check:

• 📛 Format of conservation SIM: Some old cards only support numbers without names.
• 🔠 Character encoding: If names are displayed by Krakozabras, try resaving contacts in format UTF-8 (on Sony in the export settings).

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Before exporting to SIM, sort contacts alphabetically – it is easier to check whether all data has been transferred correctly.

3. Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct Transfer (without computer)

If you don't. SIM-Cards of the right format or you do not want to use Google Account, you can transfer contacts directly over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct. This method is suitable for transferring a small number of contacts (up to 50-100), since manual selection of each number takes a long time.

Step-by-step instructions for Bluetooth:

1. 📱 On both phones, turn on Bluetooth (Settings) → Connected devices → Bluetooth).
2. 🔗 Connect devices: on Xiaomi, select Sony from the list of available devices and confirm the pairing code.
3. 📤 On Sony, open Contacts, select the right ones (or click Select All), then Share → Bluetooth.
4. 📥 On Xiaomi, confirm the file acceptance (usually.vcf is a business card).
5. 📑 Open the file after downloading – the contacts will be automatically added to the phone book.

The Wi-Fi Direct algorithm is similar, but it's faster.

• 📶 On Sony: Settings → The Internet and the Internet → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct.
• 📶 On Xiaomi: Settings → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Wi-Fi Direct.

⚠️ Note: When transferring over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, contacts can be duplicated if Xiaomi already has entries with the same numbers. Before transferring, it is recommended to clear the phone book on Xiaomi or use the “Combine duplicates” option in the contact settings.

4.Move with Mi Mover (official Xiaomi app)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary tool for migrating data from other Android devices, including Sony.The app supports transferring not only contacts, but also messages, photos, videos and even certain settings. The main condition is that Sony must have an Android version at least 5.0 Lollipop installed.

How to use Mi Mover:

1. 📱 Install Mi Mover on both phones: Xiaomi app is preinstalled (find it through the menu search). On Sony download from Google Play at the link.
2. 🔗 Run Mi Mover on both devices and select: On Sony: I'm the sender. On Xiaomi: I'm the receiver.

Wi-Fi

Xiaomi

Xiaomi

Sony

Contacts

Transfer time depends on the amount of data, but usually does not exceed 5-7 minutes. Upon completion, check the contacts in the Contacts app on Xiaomi - they can be in the Imported or Mi Mover folder.

5. Computer Transfer (for large contact bases)

If you have hundreds or thousands of contacts, manually transfer via Bluetooth or SIM-The card is inconvenient. In this case, it's better to use the computer as an intermediary.

Instructions for Windows/Mac:

1. 🖥️ Connect Sony to your computer via USB and select the File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. 📂 Copy contacts in.vcf format: Open on Sony Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to your device. Save the file (usually called contacts.vcf) to a folder on your phone, such as Downloads. 📋 Copy this file to a computer.

Xiaomi

.vcf

Downloads.

Xiaomi

contacts.vcf

Alternatively, use Google Contacts on your computer:

• 🌐 Go to contacts.google.com and log in.
• ☁️ Click Import and download the file.vcf or.csv.
• 🔄 Wait for the import to be completed and check the contacts.
• 📱 On Xiaomi, sync with the same Google Account (as described in the first method).

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Contacts.vcf is a universal business card format that all modern smartphones support and can be edited manually via a text editor (e.g. Notepad++) if you need to correct errors before importing.

6. Solving problems when transferring contacts

Even if you follow the instructions, you can have difficulties, and let's look at the typical mistakes and how to fix them.

If none of the methods worked, try alternative data transfer applications:

• 📲 Copy My Data (available on Google Play) – supports Wi-Fi transmission.
• 📲 CLONEit – Cloning Contacts, Messages and Multimedia.
• 📲 Send Anywhere – transferring.vcf files to a unique code.

7. How to avoid future contact loss

To avoid the problem of moving contacts, set up automatic backup on Xiaomi.

• ☁️ Sync with Google: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → [your email] → Contact sync: Enable the option and set the backup frequency (daily or when contacts change).
• 📱 Local Backup: In the Contacts app, select Settings → Imports/Exports → Backup. Save the.vcf file to your device or Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Recurrent Export: Once a month, export your contacts to a file and send them to email or the cloud (e.g. Google Drive).

It is also useful to use cross-platform services that synchronize contacts between devices automatically:

• 🌍 Google Contacts – a universal solution for Android, iOS and the web.
• 🍎 iCloud – if you have an Apple device.
• 📧 Outlook – Suitable for Corporate Contacts.

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Create a “Important” label in Google Contacts and mark key numbers (relatives, doctors, emergency services) with it, so you can quickly find them even on a new phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about contact transfer