How to copy contacts from phone to phone Xiaomi without loss: all working ways

Shifting contacts from the old Xiaomi to the new one is a challenge that every user faces when changing devices. Even if both phones are of the same brand, copying errors can lead to loss of important numbers, duplication of records or synchronization failure. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to transfer contacts between Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi models, including nuances for devices with MIUI 12/13/14.

Xiaomi's ecosystem is very well integrated with Mi Account and Google, but even there are pitfalls, like when you sync through Google Contacts, you might not be able to transfer notes or extra fields, and when you use Mi Cloud, you might sometimes have avatars of subscribers, and we'll tell you how to avoid these problems and choose the best method depending on your situation.

1. Sync through Google Account (the most reliable way)

This method is suitable if both phones are linked to the same Google account, the advantage is automatic update of contacts on all devices, including tablets and PCs. However, before transferring, make sure that the old phone is synchronized contacts with Google, not only with Mi Account, otherwise the data will not get to the cloud.

How to check and enable synchronization:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google.
• 🔄 Make sure the switch opposite Contact is active (if not, turn on).
• ☁️ Wait for synchronization to complete (the cloud icon in the status bar should disappear).
• 📲 Add the same Google account on your new phone and enable contact sync.

If the contacts do not appear on the new device:

1. Go to Contacts → Settings → Contact Management.
2. Choose Display Contacts and make sure you select the Google option (not the Device or Mi Account).
3. Update the list manually by pulling the screen down.

⚠️ Note: If you used multiple Google accounts on your old phone, contacts could be shared between them. → Management → Exports/imports.

2. Transfer via Mi Account (for MIUI users)

Mi Account is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud that automatically backs up contacts if the appropriate setting is enabled, which is convenient if you are not using Google services or want to migrate additional data (such as notes to contacts), but Mi Cloud only stores contacts for 3 months after the last sync if the device is inactive.

Step-by-step:

• 🔧 On an old phone: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Contact synchronization (turn on if turned off).
• 📥 On a new phone: sign in to the same Mi Account and enable contact sync.
• ⏳ Wait until it is completed (it can take up to 10 minutes with a large number of records).

Challenges and solutions:

⚠️ Warning: If you reset your old phone to factory settings before the contacts are transferred, data from Mi Cloud may be lost.Always check for backup!

3. Copying through SIM-Card (for a small number of contacts)

This method is suitable if you have few contacts (up to 250) and no access to the Internet, but it has serious limitations:

• 🚫 No photos, notes, additional fields (email, address) are transferred).
• 📵 Names longer than 14 characters can be cut off.
• 🔢 Numbers are stored only in international format (for example, in the, +79XXXXX).

How to copy contacts to SIM:

1. On the old phone: Contacts → Management → Import / Export → Export on SIM.
2. Select contacts (or click Select All).
3. Move it. SIM-card.
4. On the new phone: Contacts → Management → Import with SIM.

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Before exporting to SIM, edit contacts: remove unnecessary characters in names (e.g. emoji) and bring numbers to +7XXX.

4. Local backup via VCF file (for full control)

VCF (vCard) is a universal contact storage format that all smartphones support, which allows you to save all data (including photos and notes) and transfer it over USB, Bluetooth or the cloud.

Instructions:

1. On old phone: Contacts → Management → Export to file → Save as.vcf File will be saved in internal memory (usually in the Downloads folder).
2. Transfer the file to your new phone (via Bluetooth, USB, or cloud).
3. On the new phone, open the.vcf file and confirm the import.

If the file does not open:

• 📂 Check that the file extension is.vcf (sometimes saved as.txt).
• 📱 Use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager) to open the file.
• ☁️ Upload the file to Google Contacts via the web version (contacts.google.com) and sync.

Delete duplicate contacts | Check the number format (+7 or 8) | Make sure there is space on your new phone |Save the file to the cloud (in case you lose it)

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5. Bluetooth transmission (without internet)

Bluetooth is an easy way to transfer if both phones are close, but it is only suitable for a small number of contacts (up to 50-100), as it is transmitted one at a time, and there may be problems with encoding names (for example, Cyrillic will appear as question marks).

How to move:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones and pair them.
2. On an old phone: Open Contacts, select the contact you want → Share → Bluetooth.
3. Select a new phone from the list of devices.
4. On the new phone, confirm the file acceptance and keep the contact.

⚠️ Note: Contact photos are not transferred to Bluetooth. To save avatars, use the file method VCF or synchronization through the cloud.

6. Use of third-party applications (for advanced users)

If standard methods are not suitable (for example, you need to transfer contacts selectively or with additional tags), you can use third-party applications:

• 📱 My Contacts Backup – Exporting contacts to file and sending them by email.
• ☁️ Super Backup & Restore – Contact Backup, SMS applications.
• 🔄 Cloneit – transferring data between phones over Wi-Fi (including contacts, photos, messages).

Example of transfer via Super Backup & Restore:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On an old phone: Backup → Contacts → Save it on. SD-map/cloud.
3. Transfer the backup file to the new phone.
4. On the new phone: Restore → Contacts → Select a file.

Warning: Some apps require access to SMS and call logs. Check Google Play permissions and user reviews before installing.

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The app side is easy to migrate selectively, but always check what data they request. Prefer programs with a high rating (4.5+) and a large number of downloads (10M+).

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi