How to synchronize contacts between smartphones Huawei and Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Why synchronizing contacts between Huawei and Xiaomi is difficult

The transition from Huawei to Xiaomi (or vice versa) often comes with unexpected problems when moving contacts, because both companies use different ecosystems: Huawei actively promotes its own services Huawei Mobile Services (HMS), and Xiaomi is traditionally focused on Google Mobile Services (GMS), which creates technical barriers: for example, backup contacts in Huawei Cloud are not compatible with Mi Account, and standard export through vCard can crop fields or name encoding.

Further confusion is the lack of a universal standard for storing contacts: Even if you use Google Contacts, Huawei can default to storing data in its cloud database rather than in a Google account. As a result, users lose some records or receive duplicates when changing a device, according to a Counterpoint Research (2023) study, up to 38% of smartphone owners face data portability problems when switching between brands – and contacts rank first in this ranking.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to synchronize contacts between Huawei and Xiaomi, including workarounds for devices without Google Play Services (relevant to new Huawei models after the 2019 sanctions). Each method is illustrated with screenshots and contains unique nuances for specific models, for example, the Huawei P60 Pro or Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Method 1: Sync through your Google account (the most reliable method)

If both devices have access to Google Play Services, this method guarantees 100% data security and automatic update of contacts, suitable for most Xiaomi and Huawei models released before 2020 (for example, Huawei). P30, New Huawei devices (such as the Mate 50) will require Googlefier or pre-installing. GMS Installer.

Instructions for Huawei → Xiaomi:

1. On Huawei: Open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure the Contacts switch is on. If not, turn on and wait until sync is complete (may take up to 10 minutes).
2. Go to the Contacts app, click ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Export to file. Select the.vcf format and save a backup to Google Drive.
3. On Xiaomi: When you first turn on, select Restore from Google or manually add the same Google account to Settings → Accounts.
4. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Import from the file and select saved.vcf.

For reverse portability (Xiaomi → Huawei), the actions are similar, but Huawei may need additional confirmation in the Huawei ID to unlock imports from external sources.

Google account added to both devices|Contact synchronization is enabled on Huawei|There is a backup of.vcf on Google Drive|Xiaomi has disabled duplicate contacts in Mi Account-->

⚠️ Note: If Huawei is used EMUI 12+, Standard export to.vcf may not include the Birthday and Note fields. To save them, use the Contacts Backup & Restore app from Simpler Apps.

Method 2: SIM-transfer (for devices without Google)

This method is suitable for devices without Google Play Services, such as the Huawei Mate 60 Pro or Xiaomi for the Chinese market. SIM-cards, usually up to 250 entries, and loss of additional fields (photos, emails, addresses).

Step-by-step:

• 📱 On the original device: Open Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM. Choose the right contacts (or all) and confirm.
• 🔄 Transfer SIM: Remove the card and paste it into the target device. If you use eSIM, activate the physical device. SIM temporarily.
• 📲 On the target device: Go to Contacts → ⋮ → Management → Import with SIM. Specify where to save (e.g., to the Device or Mi Account).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14 when importing with SIM Contacts can be duplicated if they already exist in Mi Account. Before perenosom, clear the contact list in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account → Synchronization.

Method 3: Use Bluetooth (for a small number of contacts)

Bluetooth is convenient for a one-time transfer of 10 to 50 contacts, but is not suitable for mass synchronization. the transfer rate is low (about 5 contacts per minute), and some Huawei models (for example, the Mate X3) require confirmation for each contact separately.

How to move:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both devices and pair.
2. On the source device, open Contacts, select the required entries (or click on) ⋮ → Highlight everything).
3. Click Share → Bluetooth and select the target device.
4. On the target device, confirm the.vcf file and save the contacts.

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If Bluetooth does not find the device, on Xiaomi, turn off power saving mode for Bluetooth in Settings → Connections → Bluetooth → More.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ No contact photos are transmitted.
• ❌ On Huawei with HarmonyOS 3.0+ You may need to install the Huawei Share app on Xiaomi.
• ❌ Transfers of more than 30 contacts may crash (especially on the Redmi Note series).

Method 4: Third-party applications (for advanced users)

If the standard methods don't work, specialized software will help. 7 Apps and selected top-3 reliable and fast:

1. Copy My Data by Media Mushroom): ✅ Transmits contacts, calendars, photos. ✅ It works on Wi-Fi Direct (does not require internet). ❌ Huawei with HarmonyOS must be allowed to install from unknown sources.
2. CLONEIT (from Sharet Technologies): ✅ Clone contacts, SMS, applications. ✅ Supports Huawei without GMS. ❌ Contains ads, can slow down on weak devices (for example, Redmi). 9A).
3. My Contacts Backup (from Glu Mobile): ✅ Exports contacts to.vcf and sends them to email. ✅ No restrictions on the number of contacts. ❌ Does not support Cyrillic tags of contact groups.

Instructions for CLONEit (the most versatile option):

1. Install the app on both devices (you can download from APKPure for Huawei without Google Play).
2. On the original device, select Send, on the target - Receive.
3. Connect to a single Wi-Fi network or use Hotspot.
4. Select Contacts and start the transfer. Xiaomi may need to confirm Mi Account rights.

Method 5: Manual export/import via.vcf file (for technical users)

This method gives you maximum control over data, but requires accuracy, and is suitable for transferring contacts between Huawei with HarmonyOS and Xiaomi with HyperOS, where standard methods may not work.

Step-by-step:

1. Exports to Huawei: Open Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Export to file. Select the.vcf format and specify the save folder (such as Downloads). Connect the device to the PC and copy the file to a secure location.
2. Edit (optional): Open.vcf in a text editor (like Notepad++). Remove duplicates or correct encoding (replace UTF-8 with UTF-8-BOM if there are Krakozabras).
3. Import to Xiaomi: Move the file to Xiaomi (e.g., via Mi Drop or cable). → ⋮ → Management → Import from the file and select.vcf.

Critical feature: On the Huawei Mate 60 Pro, the exported.vcf may contain X-HUAWEI-CLOUD service tags that Xiaomi does not recognize. To remove them, use the command in Terminal (ADB required):

adb shell sed -i '/X-HUAWEI-CLOUD/d' /sdcard/Download/contacts.vcf

⚠️ Note: If a.vcf file weighs more than 10MB, break it down into 2,000 pins by using vcfsplit (available on GitHub.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔧 On Huawei: In Settings → Confidentiality → Permissions to access contacts for the application used.
• 🔧 On Xiaomi: In Settings → Additionally. → Developer Mode Disable Background Process Limitation.
• 🔧 On both devices: Update your firmware to the latest version (Huawei via HiSuite, Xiaomi via System Update).

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Before any synchronization method, back up contacts manually – this will save data in case of a failure.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions