How to transfer and save contacts in memory of the phone Xiaomi Redmi 10: all working methods

Saving contacts directly in the memory of the Xiaomi Redmi 10 smartphone is a task that sooner or later confronts each user. whether you bought a new phone, plan to reset your settings or just want to protect data from loss when changing. SIM-And if you store your contacts properly, you'll get rid of the headaches of the future, unlike the old button phones, where the contacts were automatically tied to your contacts. SIM, Modern Android devices offer several storage options: in the phone memory, on Google account or on the phone itself. SIM-But not all of them are equally reliable.

In this article, we will analyze 5 proven ways to transfer and save contacts to the internal memory of Redmi 10 - from manual copying to the internal memory of the Redmi. SIM We'll focus on the nuances that are often overlooked: why contacts can be duplicated, how to avoid data loss when a phone is reset, and what to do if the phone can't see. SIM-And at the end, you'll have a unique table of contact format compatibility across different versions. MIUI — This information is not even available in official documentation of Xiaomi.

Why it’s important to store contacts in your phone’s memory, not on SIM

Many users maintain contact with the SIM-And the first thing is, the capacity, the capacity. SIM It is limited: even modern nano-SIM supports no more than 250-500 contacts, and without the ability to store additional fields (for example, email or address). SIM In another phone, Russian symbols or special signs are often lost - this is due to the encoding used by operators.

Storing your phone in memory solves these problems: there are no limits on the amount (except free disk space), support for all contact fields (photos, notes, multiple numbers), synchronization with other devices via the device. MI-Google account.

In addition, when you reset Redmi 10 to factory settings contacts from the phone memory can be easily restored through a backup, while data from the SIM is irrevocably erased.

⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI 12.5 or later, when the contact is first stored in the memory of the phone, the system will suggest linking it to the phone. MI-You can opt out if you want to store your data locally, otherwise your contacts will sync with the Xiaomi cloud and may be duplicated.

• 📱 Advantages of phone memory: no restrictions on the number of contacts, support for all fields (photo, email, address), fast access without the Internet.
• 🔄 Risks of storage on SIM: 250-500 contacts, loss of Russian symbols during transfer, no backup.
• ☁️ The alternative is the cloud: Google Contacts or MI-Accounts are convenient for synchronization, but require the Internet and may conflict with local data.

Method 1: Transfer of contacts with SIM-phone-card

The most common scenario is when contacts are already saved. SIM-It's a card, and you have to transfer it to the internal memory of Redmi 10, which doesn't require an Internet connection, and it takes 2-3 minutes. SIM-The card is correctly inserted into the tray (contacts down) and the phone recognizes it.

Step instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen).
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the section Import / Export contacts → Import from SIM-card.
4. Choose where to save contacts: Phone (internal memory) or Mi Account (cloud).
5. Check the necessary contacts (or click Select All) and confirm the import.

After the procedure is complete, check that the contacts appear in the main list.If some names are displayed in Krakozabra (e.g.????? instead of Cyrillic), this means that the name is not in the main list. SIM-The card uses outdated encoding, in which case you will have to manually edit each contact or use method 3 (export to the file). VCF).

⚠️ Note: If you are using duality SIM (Two cards) in Redmi 10, the system will prompt you to choose which one to use. SIM Make sure you pick the right card, or you may accidentally overwrite the data.

Method 2: Export and import contacts via VCF file (for backup)

The VCF (or.vcf) format is the universal standard for storing contacts that all modern smartphones support, and its main advantage is that the file can be saved to a computer, sent by email or uploaded to the cloud, and then imported back at any time, ideal for backing up before resetting your phone or replacing your device.

To export contacts to VCF:

1. Open Contacts. → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
2. Select Export to the file and specify the source (for example, SIM-map).
3. Click Export and save the file to a convenient location (for example, in the Downloads folder).

For import from VCF to phone memory:

1. Go to the same Import/Export section and select Import from the file.
2. Find the saved.vcf file (for example, through Files or Explorer).
3. Specify the target storage: Phone (internal memory).

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If the VCF file doesn’t open on Redmi 10, try renaming it contacts.vcf (without spaces and Cyrillic) or using the Contacts Backup & Restore app from Google Play.

Method 3: Sync with Google Contacts and transfer to phone memory

If your contacts are already synced to your Google account, they can be easily transferred to Redmi 10 local memory, a method that is convenient if you have previously used an Android phone and have enabled backup, but there is a caveat: when synchronized, contacts can be duplicated if they already exist in the phone’s memory.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Make sure the Contact switch is on (if not, turn on and wait for synchronization).
3. Get back in touch. → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
4. Select Import from Google and specify the target storage: Phone.

After importing, it is recommended to disable the synchronization of contacts with Google to avoid duplication of data.

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Turn off the slider opposite Contact.
3. In the Contacts app, click on three points → Settings → Display contacts and uncheck Google, leaving only the Phone.

Method 4: Save contacts via MIUI Backup (system backup)

Xiaomi offers its own backup solution — MIUI This tool allows you to save not only contacts, but also SMS, The main advantage is that the backup is created in encrypted form and stored either in the phone's memory or in the phone's memory. MI-account.

How to make backup contacts:

1. Open Settings → About the phone → Backup.
2. Click Backup and select Local Backup (to save to your phone’s memory).
3. Check Contacts (you can also add SMS and call log).
4. Click Start Backup and wait for the process to be completed.

To restore contacts from the backup:

1. Go to the same backup section.
2. Select the required backup copy (by date of creation).
3. Click Restore and confirm the restoration of contacts only (uncheck other data if not needed).

⚠️ Attention: Local backups MIUI stored in a folder MIUI/backup/AllBackup Don't delete this folder manually, otherwise you'll lose all backups! If you need to make room, use the backup management function in your settings.

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MIUI Backup is the only way to save contacts along with call history and SMS in one file, but you can only recover data on Xiaomi phones with the same version of MIUI.

Method 5: Manually Adding Contacts to Phone Memory

If you don't have many contacts or want to add a new number directly to Redmi 10 memory, you can do it manually, which is a good method when you need to create a new contact from scratch or edit an existing one.

Instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app and click on the + (plus) icon in the lower right corner.
2. Choose where to keep contact: Phone (internal memory) or another account. For our task, choose Phone.
3. Fill in the fields: name, phone number, if necessary, add an email, address or photo.
4. Press Save.

To edit an existing contact:

1. Find the contact in the list and click on it.
2. In the upper right corner, click on the pencil (edit icon).
3. Make changes and save.

• ✏️ Filling Tips: Use the Note field for more information (e.g., "Working Number" or "Home Address").
• 📇 Contact Groups: Redmi 10 allows you to create groups (e.g., “Family”, “Work”) for easy management.
• 🔍 Contact Search: There is a search bar at the top of the screen – type in a name or number to quickly find the entry.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following instructions, Redmi 10 users sometimes have trouble handling contacts, and let’s look at some of the most common mistakes and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: Contacts are not imported from SIM-map.

Possible causes:

• SIM-The card is not recognized by the phone (check the installation correctly or try another card).
• There are no contacts on SIM (open Contacts → SIM and check the list).
• Outdated SIM encoding (try exporting contacts to VCF on another phone and then importing them to Redmi 10)

Problem 2: After importing, some contacts are displayed by Krakozabras.

It's because of the incompatibility of the encoding.

• Export your SIM contacts to a VCF file on another phone (like an old Nokia or Samsung).
• Open the VCF file on your computer in a notebook and replace the encoding with UTF-8 (via File → Save as).
• Import the edited file to Redmi 10.

Problem 3: Contacts are duplicated after syncing with Google.

To avoid taking:

• Before importing, turn off contact synchronization in your Google account settings.
• Use the function of Combine doubles in the contact settings.
• Install the Duplicate Contacts Remover app from Google Play to automatically search and remove duplicates.

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If your contacts are gone after Redmi 10 is reset, check the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder, which may have a backup, and try to log in to your Google account, which is sometimes automatically restored after you connect to the Internet.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions