How to sync contacts from your phone to Xiaomi Redmi 9: all working ways

Why are your contacts not automatically synchronized?

Transferring contacts to a new smartphone is one of the first tasks that users face. Xiaomi Redmi 9, despite the budget price category, supports all modern ways of synchronization, from cloud services to manual export. However, many owners complain that contacts “disappear” after changing their device or are duplicated, most often due to incorrect account settings or conflict between multiple sources (for example, when one contact is saved in both Google Contacts and Google Contacts). SIM-map).

Another common problem is that you don't have an Internet connection when you first set up your phone. Redmi 9 offers you to skip the sign-in step to Mi Account or Google, but without that, synchronization will be impossible. If you're already experiencing contact loss, don't panic: you can restore them even without a backup, using the Contact cache or.vcf backup files, which often remain in the memory of your old phone.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer contacts, including cloud services, physical media and even little-known MIUI functions. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances of Redmi 9: for example, why photos of contacts can disappear when synchronizing through Mi Cloud, and how to fix it.

Method 1: Sync through Google Account (recommended)

This is the most reliable and versatile method, since Google Contacts works on any Android device, and the main condition is that both phones must be linked to the same Gmail account. If you have not already added an account on Redmi 9, do it in advance:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Add an account → Google.
2. Enter your Gmail account (if you don’t have an account, register a new one).
3. Activate the Contacts switch in the Synchronization section.

Now, we'll move the contacts from the old phone:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Contacts → Settings (⚙️) → Contact management → Exports/imports → Exports to Google.
• ☁️ Wait for sync to complete (check in the web version of Google Contacts).
• 📲 Redmi 9: Go to Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Imports from Google.

Google account added to both phones

Contact synchronization is enabled in account settings

On an old phone, contacts exported to Google

Redmi 9 is now imported from Google-->

If contacts don't show up on Redmi 9, check:

• 🔄 Update your Google Contacts page in your browser – sometimes sync is delayed.
• 📶 Make sure that Redmi 9 has mobile internet or Wi-Fi enabled.
• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Memory and press Clear cache.

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If you have two Google accounts, contacts can be duplicated, so to avoid this, export contacts to one account before syncing on your old phone, and disable the others in sync settings.

Method 2: Using Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi owners)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically backs up contacts if the option is enabled, a method that is convenient if both phones are from Xiaomi (for example, you switch from Redmi Note 8 to Redmi 9). However, Mi Cloud has a limitation: only 5 GB of storage is available for free, and if you exceed the limit, contact synchronization can be blocked.

How to transfer contacts through Mi Cloud:

1. On an old Xiaomi phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure the Contacts switch is active and press Sync.
3. On Redmi 9, sign in to the same Mi Account and enable contact sync in Mi Cloud.
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 10 minutes).

⚠️ Note: If you reset Redmi 9 to factory settings before entering your Mi Account, all data from Mi Cloud will be deleted from your device.

Method 3: Transfer of contacts through SIM-map

This is a good method if you don't have access to the Internet or prefer physical media, but it has some significant limitations.

• 📵 Number limitation: SIM-The card usually contains no more than 250 contacts.
• 📇 No additional data: only names and numbers will be saved (no email, addresses or photos).
• 🔤 Coding problems: Cyrillic names can be displayed by crack-toots.

Instructions for transfer:

1. On your old phone, open Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to SIM-card.
2. Select contacts for export (or click Select All).
3. Extract. SIM-Insert the map and insert it into Redmi 9.
4. On Redmi 9, go to Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.

💡

SIM-A card is the most unreliable way to transfer contacts, and use it only as a backup if other methods are not available.

⚠️ Note: If you use nano-SIM in Redmi 9 and your old phone only supports micro-SIM, you'll need an adapter. SIM-cards on their own there is a risk of damaging the chip - it is better to contact the communication salon.

Method 4: Export and import via VCF file

A.vcf file (vCard) is a universal format for storing contacts, and its advantage is that it stores all the information: numbers, email, addresses, photos, and even social media accounts that are linked, and it takes only a few minutes to transfer via VCF and does not require Internet access (just to send a file).

Step-by-step:

1. Export on old phone: Open Contacts → Settings → Import/Export → Export to file. Select a folder to save (e.g. Downloads) and confirm export.
2. Transfer of the file to Redmi 9: 📎 Send the file via Bluetooth, Email or via messenger (Telegram, WhatsApp). 💾 Save the file to Google Drive or another cloud service. 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC and copy the file to Redmi 9 memory.

Redmi 9

• Open Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Import from the file.
• Select the.vcf file and confirm the import.

If the VCF file doesn’t open on Redmi 9, try the following:

• 📂 Check that the file is not corrupted (open it to the PC via Notepad – there should be readable text).
• 🔄 Rename the file by removing the extra characters (for example, from contacts (1).vcf to contacts.vcf).
• 📲 Use a third-party app, such as Contacts+ or Truecaller for importation.

Google account

Mi Cloud

VCF file

SIM-map

Bluetooth/Messaging Services

Other-->

Method 5: Transfer contacts over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct

If you don’t have internet access, but you can turn on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, this is a good alternative.It works between any Android phone, including the Redmi 9, and doesn’t require any additional apps.

How to transfer contacts over Bluetooth:

1. On both phones, turn Bluetooth on in the Quick Settings Panel.
2. On your old phone, open Contacts, select the contacts you want (or click Choose All).
3. Click Share → Bluetooth and select Redmi 9 from the list of devices.
4. On Redmi 9, confirm the file and save the contacts.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

1. Activate Wi-Fi Direct in Settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct on both phones.
2. Connect devices to each other (code confirmation is required).
3. On an old phone, send a.vcf file through any file manager (like Explorer).
4. On Redmi 9, import the received file through Contacts.

⚠️ Note: When you transfer a large number of contacts (more than 500), Bluetooth can “hang”, in this case, break the contacts into groups of 100-200 pieces or use Wi-Fi Direct, which is more stable.

What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?

If neither of these methods worked, the problem could be in system settings or application conflict. Here are the generic solutions for Redmi 9:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone: Sometimes it’s enough to turn off and turn on the device to resume sync.
• 📱 Update the Contacts app: Go to Google Play → My apps. → Contacts → Update.
• 🔧 Reset the application settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Warehouse → Clear the data and cache
• 🔒 Check Permissions: Make sure the Contacts app has access to Warehouse and Contacts in Settings → Permits.

If the contacts are missing after resetting Redmi 9:

1. Log in to the same Google or Mi Account you used before.
2. Go to Settings → Accounts and sync and manually enable contact sync.
3. If contacts are not restored, check the MIUI/Backup/Contacts folder in internal memory – there may be backups in.vcf format.

FAQ: Frequent questions about synchronization of contacts on Xiaomi Redmi 9