Why are there no contacts on Xiaomi Redmi 8 – a complete analysis of the problem

You add a new number to the Xiaomi Redmi 8 phone book, but after rebooting or updating the application, the contact disappears without a trace? This problem is familiar to many owners of budget Xiaomi smartphones, especially after prolonged use of the device. In 80% of cases, it is not hardware defects that are to blame, but software conflicts between the standard Contacts app, Google services and MIUI.

In this article, we will analyze all possible causes – from the banal lack of synchronization with a Google account to hidden failures in the file system. /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts. You will receive step-by-step diagnostic instructions, checklists, and ways to restore lost contacts (including backups you may not have known about). 8 his 32/64 GB of memory and features of work MIUI 11/12 Android-based 9/10.

1. Checking the basic synchronization settings

The first thing to avoid is the lack of linking contacts to a Google account or MI. On Redmi 8, by default, contacts can only be saved locally (in the phone’s memory), which can lead to their loss when resetting or updating the system.

Open the Contacts app → tap three dots in the top right corner → Contact management → Import/Export. Here you will see where your contacts are stored:

• 📱 Device – contacts are stored only in the phone’s memory (the risk of loss is maximum)
• 🔄 Google – synced with the cloud (the most reliable option)
• 📱 Mi Account – synchronization via Xiaomi server (less stable than Google)

If you see contacts saved only on your device, export them immediately to the VCF file via the same Import/Export section. This is your crash insurance. For automatic sync, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google and turn on the switch opposite Contacts.

⚠️ Attention: Redmi 8s MIUI 11 sometimes sync settings are lost after a system update. If the Contacts switch in your Google account is gray and inactive, delete your account and add it again.

2. Conflict between the "Contacts" and "Phone" applications

In MIUI, the Contacts (com.android.contacts) and Phone (com.android.dialer) apps can conflict over a different data source, such as adding a contact via a call, but it doesn't show up in the phone book (or vice versa).

Check it out.

1. Open the phone → magazine → find a number that is not saved → tap on it → Save.
2. If the Save button is inactive, the contact already exists but is hidden because of the filter (see next section).
3. If after saving the contact does not appear in the "Contacts" application, clear the cache of both applications in Settings → Applications → Application Management.

Try to keep in touch with the phone.

Try to save through "Contacts"

Clear the cache of both applications

Reboot the phone-->

Redmi 8 also has a bug where contacts are saved but not displayed in search.This is due to damage to the contacts2.db database. The solution is to reset the Contacts app settings (in the same menu, Application Management → Storage → Reset).

3. Hidden contacts and display filters

MIUI automatically hides contacts without phone numbers, duplicates or those associated with inactive accounts (such as a remote Google account) to see all contacts:

1. Open Contacts → Three Points → Settings → Display Contacts.
2. Make sure all available sources are selected (Google, Device, SIM-map).
3. Check the Hidden Contacts section (in some versions of MIUI it is available through search in the settings).

If you use two of them SIM-Check if the contact is not active. SIM. To do this, in the settings "Contacts" select Copy contacts with SIM Make sure all numbers are copied to your phone or Google memory.

4. Damage to the contact database

On Redmi 8, with a long usage time (1.5+ years), it is common to see corruption of the database file /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db.

• 🔄 Contacts disappear after adding new ones
• 📱 The "Contacts" app hangs when scrolling through the list
• ⚠️ Error: There was an error when reading the contacts"

Solutions (increasing radicality):

1. Clearing the cache of the Contacts and Contact Store (in the application settings).
2. Reset your Contacts app settings (remove all local contacts!).
3. Delete the database file via ADB: adb shell su rm /data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db reboot Root rights or unlocked bootloader are required.

If you're not ready for radical measures, try a temporary solution: export all contacts to a VCF file, then delete and re-add your Google account. After importing the contacts back, this often resets the damaged database.

5. Phone memory problems

Redmi 8 with 32 GB of memory is particularly prone to problems with the storage of contacts due to the lack of space in the /data partition.When less than 1 GB is free, the system begins to "reset" cache and temporary files, which can affect the contact database.

Check the vacant space:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Storage.
2. If the system section is occupied more than 8-10 GB, this is an alarming sign.
3. Clear the cache through Settings → Storage → Clear the cache.

💡

On the Redmi. 8 s 32 GB of memory, keep a minimum. 2-3 GB of free space. Use it. SD-A card for transferring photos and videos, but not for applications (this slows down the system).

If memory is critically low and cleaning does not help:

• 📸 Transfer photos and videos to SD-map.
• 🎮 Remove unused games (they take up to the end of the game) 1-2 GB).
• 🗑️ Clean up the Download folder and the messenger cache (Telegram, WhatsApp).
• 🔄 Make a reset to factory settings (pre-export contacts!).

⚠️ Attention: On Redmi 8 firmware MIUI 12.5+ A bug occurs when the system shows 5-10 GB of "unknown" occupied space, due to an error in the calculation of occupied space by the file system. F2FS. The solution is to stream a more recent version MIUI via Fastboot.

6.Failures after MIUI update

MIUI updates often disrupt contacts due to changes in the database access API.

• 🔄 Once updated, the contacts are duplicated.
• 📱 The Contacts app stops opening.
• ⚠️ Error: Contacts are stopped".

How to restore the workflow:

1. Reverse the Contacts app update via Settings → Apps → Three Points → Cancel Updates
2. Install an older version of the APK Contacts app (e.g. version 12.1.4 for MIUI 11).
3. Clean up the com.android.providers.contacts (remove all local contacts!)
4. Firmware the full MIUI package through Settings → System Update → Three Points → Select the Service Pack.

💡

If the problem occurs after the MIUI update, never reset your phone through Recovery, which will result in a complete loss of unsynchronized contacts.

For Redmi 8 with MIUI 12.5+, there is a special patch from Xiaomi that corrects contact errors. Download it from the official forum (en.miui.com) and install it through System Update → Select a Service Pack.

7 Hardware problems and memory damage

If none of the software methods worked, physical memory degradation (especially relevant for the 2019-2020 Redmi 8 release) is possible.

• 📱 Contacts disappear even after resetting to factory settings.
• 🔄 The phone spontaneously reboots when working with contacts.
• ⚠️ Errors such as “Memory damaged” or “I failed to mount” appear /data".

Diagnosis:

1. Run a memory test using ###6484## (entered as a phone number).
2. Check the error logs via ADB: adb logcat | grep -i "contacts\|database\|storage"
3. If the phone is warranty - contact the service center (memory defect is covered by the warranty).

Interim solution for critical cases:

• Use cloud contacts (Google or Mi Account) and opt out of local storage.
• Install a third-party contact app (such as Simple Contacts or Contacts+).
• Move all important numbers to SIM-card (maximum 250 contacts).

⚠️ Attention: If in the lairs ADB You see mistakes like E/SQLiteDatabase(1234): Failed to open database '/data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts2.db' — This is a direct sign of memory damage, and if you continue to use your phone without repair, you'll lose all your data.

FAQ: Frequent questions about contacts at Redmi 8