How to Keep Contact in Xiaomi Phone: All Ways (including SIM, Google, and MI Cloud)

Why Xiaomi Contacts Can Be Lost – and How to Avoid It

You have added a new number to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 phone book or POCO X5 Pro, but it disappeared after a week? Or did all the contacts disappear after reset? The problem isn't with the smartphone, it's where the data is stored. By default, Xiaomi offers several storage options: from the outdated one. SIM-Maps to Google Cloud Services and MI Choosing the wrong way can lead to loss of numbers when you replace your phone, reinstall your firmware, or even change your phone. SIM.

In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to save contacts on Xiaomi smartphones (including models). 2023–2026 years MIUI 14/15 And HyperOS, and their pros and cons, and we'll give you a backup checklist. MIUI, Which can cause contacts to be duplicated when synced with multiple accounts – and how to fix it.

Method 1: Keeping contact in SIM-map - when justified

It's a good old-fashioned method, familiar from the early 2000s, and it works at Xiaomi, too, but with reservations. SIM-The card stores a limited number of contacts (usually up to 250), and the fields for information are scant: only name and number (no email, address or photo), but this method does not depend on the Internet or cloud services.

How to save:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
• ➕ Press «+» lower-right → Choose to Create a Contact.
• 📇 In the Save to (or Account) field, select SIM 1 SIM 2.
• 💾 Fill in the name and number. → Press Save.

💡

If there is no option to save on the menu SIM, Check if the card is inserted into the slot. On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T) SIM-Contacts are only displayed after the phone is restarted.

⚠️ Attention: When transferring SIM The other phone will have contacts, but if you lose the card, it will be impossible to recover the data, Tele2) block the record SIM default.

Method 2: Keeping a Google Account is the Best Choice for Most

If you have Gmail, this method is the gold standard. Contacts are automatically synced to the Google Contacts cloud, available on any device (including a PC), and restored even after a phone is reset. In MIUI, this method is set by default, but many users accidentally change it to local storage.

Instructions:

1. Open Contacts. → press «+».
2. In the Save in box, select your Google account (usually an email like your name@gmail.com).
3. Fill in all fields (you can add a photo, email, birthday).
4. Press Save.

To check the synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Make sure the switch opposite the Contact is active.
3. Click Sync (if the data hasn’t been updated for a long time).

⚠️ Note: If you use multiple Google accounts, Xiaomi can save contacts to a random one!

Make sure your phone is connected to the internet.|Check what's in the Settings → Accounts added to Google's required|Enable automatic contact synchronization|Check that contacts are displayed on contacts.google.com-->

Method 3: Local storage in phone memory – risks and when warranted

Xiaomi allows you to save contacts directly to the device's internal memory (phone or local option), which is convenient if you do not have Internet or do not trust the clouds.

• 🔄 When you reset the phone to the factory settings, all contacts will be deleted irrevocably.
• 📱 When replacing the phone, it will be difficult to transfer them (you need a backup through the phone). MIUI Backup).
• 🔒 There is no protection against accidental deletion (unlike Google, which has a shopping cart).

How to save locally:

1. In the Contacts app, press "+".
2. In the Save in field, select Phone or Local Storage.
3. Fill in the data and save it.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 10A, POCO M4 Pro) Local contacts can be duplicated when you connect to Mi Account. To avoid chaos, use only one storage method.

Method 4: Cloud MI Cloud is Google’s Alternative for Xiaomi Users

MI Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically backs up contacts, SMS, photos and notes, and Google’s advantage is integration with the Xiaomi ecosystem (for example, contacts sync with Mi Band smartwatches or Xiaomi Book laptops).

• 🌍 It only works when connected to the internet.
• 📦 Free available only 5 GB (with photos and files).
• 🔒 When deleting an account MI Contacts are erased forever.

How to save in MI Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → MI Cloud
2. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (or create a new one).
3. Activate the Contacts switch and press Sync.
4. Now, when you add a new contact, select the option MI Cloud in the Save in field.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google, and MI Cloud, Xiaomi can create duplicate contacts. To avoid this, select one main service and disable sync in another.

💡

MI Cloud is convenient for owners of multiple Xiaomi devices, but less versatile than Google.If you are planning to change the brand of the phone, it is better to use Google Contacts.

Method 5: Export and import contacts via VCF file – backup

The.vcf file (vCard) is a universal format for backing up contacts, which can be saved to a computer, a flash drive or a cloud, and then imported to any phone, and this will save data when:

• 🔄 Resetting the phone to factory settings.
• 📱 Switching from Xiaomi to another brand (Samsung, iPhone).
• 💥 Breakdown of the device.

How to create a backup copy:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙) → Contact management → Imports/exports.
2. Select Export in the VCF file.
3. Please indicate where to export (Google, SIM, where to store the phone (internal memory or SD-map).
4. The file will appear in the Download or MIUI folder.

How to import:

1. Copy the.vcf file to your new phone.
2. In the same menu, select Import from the VCF file.
3. Specify the file and target storage (Google or MI Cloud).

💡

You can open a VCF file on a PC in Outlook, Excel, or any text editor, and it's convenient for editing large contact lists.

How to fix duplicate contacts in Xiaomi

If you've saved contacts to multiple accounts (Google + MI Cloud + SIM), Xiaomi can create duplicates. This not only clutters the phone book, but also interferes with synchronization.

Method 1: Automatic merger

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙) → Contact management → Combine the takes.
2. Click Scan and the system will find the repeated recordings.
3. Confirm the merger for each take.

Method 2: Manual cleaning

1. Go to contacts.google.com (if you have Google doubles).
2. In the menu on the left, select Doubles → Combine all.
3. For MI Cloud, use the web version of i.mi.com.

⚠️ Note: Before the merger, back up contacts (method 5) – sometimes the system mistakenly combines different contacts with similar names.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced Xiaomi users face problems when working with contacts.-5 mistakes and their solutions:

Another common situation is that you have contacts, but you don't have a name on the call, which happens when the number is saved in one account (like SIM) and the call is made through another (Google), so you can transfer all contacts to one primary account.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions