Where did the contacts in the phone Xiaomi Redmi 7A: a full recovery guide

Why Contacts Can Disappear With Xiaomi Redmi 7A

You picked up your Xiaomi Redmi 7A to call a friend or colleague, but instead of the usual contact list, you saw an empty book or a message “No contacts”? This problem is familiar to many owners of budget Xiaomi smartphones, especially after system updates or failed manipulation of accounts. In 80% of cases, contacts do not disappear without a trace – they simply become invisible due to synchronization failures, application errors or incorrect display settings.

The Redmi 7A, released in 2019 with Android 9 Pie (and the ability to upgrade to Android 10), has the contact features associated with MIUI firmware. For example, synchronization with Mi Account, not Google, is enabled by default, which often confuses users. In addition, the budget stuffing of the phone (1-2 GB of RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 439) can lead to accidental crashes when working with large phone books (500+ contacts).

Before you panic, check out three key points:

• 🔍 Are contacts displayed in other apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram)? If so, the problem is with settings on the standard Contacts app».
• ☁️ Is the Internet connected? Without the network, you can't sync to the cloud, and contacts can hide until the connection is restored.
• 🔄 Have you recently reset or updated? MIUI? This is a common cause of loss of contact visibility.

Reason. №1: Contacts are hidden in the display settings

The most common and common reason is the display filter in the Contacts app. 7A can only show contacts from a particular account (e.g., Mi Account or SIM-- I'm hiding the rest of them:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) top-right → Settings.
3. Select Contact Management → Display contacts.
4. Make sure you have all the sources: Mi Account, Google, SIM-maps, device.

If there was a filter (for example, “SIM Only”), after removing it, contacts should appear in 10–30 seconds. On Redmi 7A with MIUI 11 firmware and below, this bug occurs in 35% of cases of calls to Xiaomi service centers.

Make sure all sources are included (Mi Account, Google, SIM)

Reboot your phone after changing your settings

Check if contacts are hidden manually (Hidden contacts section)

Update the Contacts app in Google Play-->

Reason. №2: Sync failure with Mi Account or Google

Redmi 7A uses two main cloud services for storing contacts: Mi Cloud (from Xiaomi) and Google Contacts. If sync is disabled or there is a failure, contacts can disappear from the screen, when in fact they are stored in the cloud.

For Mi Account (Mi Cloud):

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Make sure the contact slider is on (should be blue).
3. Slip on Synchronize and wait for the process to be completed.

For Google Account:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account → turn on synchronization of Contacts.
3. If sync is not started, delete your account and add it again.

If no contacts appear after synchronization is enabled, try forced synchronization:

Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (shap 7 times to turn on Developer Mode)


Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers → Enable Debugging by USB




Connect your phone to your PC, install ADB, and execute the command:




adb shell am start -n com.android.contacts/.activities.PeopleActivity

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If sync is stuck in the "Waiting" phase, try switching from mobile to Wi-Fi or vice versa. Redmi 7A sometimes helps with changing the type of network.

Reason. №3: Contacts retained on SIM-card, not in the phone's memory

Many Redmi users 7A In the olden days, they keep contact with SIM-And the map, not knowing that today's Android smartphones, by default, hide these records:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⋮) → Contact management.
2. Select Import/Export → Import from SIM-card.
3. Specify where to import contacts (Mi Account or Device is recommended).

Pay attention: SIM-The cards only support the name + number (no photos, additional fields or account attachments) If your contacts were previously only stored on the SIM, They could have "disappeared" after:

• 📱 Shifts SIM-Cards (for example, when switching to another tariff).
• 🔄 Updates MIUI (The firmware can reset the display settings).
• 🛠️ Phone repairs (masters sometimes retrieve) SIM diagnostic).

Reason. №4: Viruses or malicious applications

Budget smartphones like Redmi 7A They are more likely to be targeted by viruses, especially if you are exposed to them. APK-files from unverified sources:

• 🦠 Block access to the application "Contacts».
• 📤 Remove or hide contacts for blackmail (less often).
• ☁️ Replace synchronization data with the cloud.

To check your phone for viruses and restore contacts:

1. Install an antivirus (such as Dr.Web Light or Malwarebytes) and scan the device.
2. Check the list of installed apps in Settings → Apps → Application Management. Remove suspicious ones (especially with contact permissions).
3. If the antivirus didn't find anything, but the problem persists, try Safe Mode: Press the power button → long tap on "Stop" → "Safe Mode." Safe Mode only runs system applications. If contacts appear, it's third-party software that's to blame.

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 7A With 1 GB of RAM, some antiviruses can cause brakes. Use lightweight versions (e.g., Avast Mobile Security - Antivirus in Battery Savings mode»).

Reason. №5: Resetting settings or update MIUI

After a hard reset or firmware update, contacts may disappear if:

• 🔄 They were stored only in the memory of the phone (without linking to the account).
• ☁️ Cloud sync was disabled before reset.
• 📦 Update MIUI It contains a bug (relevant to versions) MIUI 11.0.2–11.0.5 for Redmi 7A).

To restore contacts after resetting:

1. If you have previously synced contacts with Mi Account or Google, just add the account again – the data will be automatically pulled up.
2. If you haven’t synced, try recovering data from backup: Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local backups Look for files with the.bak or.vcf extension (for contacts).
3. If you don't have backups, use data recovery software (e.g. EaseUS MobiSaver or Dr.Fone) and note that Redmi 7A, without root permissions, will only restore some contacts.

Reason. №6: Damage to system files or memory

If none of the above methods worked, the problem may be hardware or software damage:

• 💾 Damage to the memory partition where contacts are stored (occurs after phone drops or abrupt power outages).
• 🖥️ Failure of the Contacts app (for example, after a failed update via MIUI Updater).
• 🔋 Flash memory wear (relevant to Redmi) 7A older than 3-4 years).

For diagnosis:

1. Check the integrity of the file system through Settings → Memory → Memory Check.
2. Install an alternative contact app (such as Simple Contacts or Truecaller) and check if it displays entries.
3. If the phone often overheats or turns off on its own, the problem may be hardware wear, in which case only replacing the memory in the service center will help.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use "memory cleaners" like Clean Master or CCleaner - they can delete temporary files needed to restore contacts. 7A With low RAM, such utilities often do more harm than good.

Reason. №7: Contacts tied to another device

If you used a different Xiaomi smartphone (or Android device) and logged into the same Mi Account or Google account, the contacts might have remained tied to the old phone. 7A:

1. On your old device, export contacts: Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Export to the device (.vcf format)
2. Move the.vcf file to Redmi 7A (via Bluetooth, email, or cloud).
3. On Redmi 7A, import contacts: Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Import from your device

If the old phone is not at hand, check the web versions of the services:

• For Mi Account: Go to i.mi.com → Contacts.
• For Google: Open contacts.google.com.

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If contacts are displayed in the web version but not on the phone, the problem is precisely in the sync settings or the Contacts app on Redmi 7A.

FAQ: Frequent questions about missing contacts on Redmi 7A