How to transfer contacts to Xiaomi Mi 10: everything from synchronization to manual copying

Xiaomi Mi 10 is a flagship smartphone with powerful stuffing, but even owners of top devices face basic tasks like transferring contacts. Changing the phone, resetting or switching from iPhone to Android often turns into a headache if you do not know the nuances. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to transfer contacts to the Mi 10: from automatic synchronization through the cloud to manual copying from the computer. SIM-map.

Feature Xiaomi Mi 10 – support MIUI, It offers unique tools like MI Cloud, but also standard methods (Google Account, VCF-We tested each method in practice and identified critical points that the manufacturer does not mention in the official instructions, such as why photos of contacts are lost when transferring from the iPhone and how to fix it.

1. Transfer contacts through Google Account (the most reliable way)

Sync with Google Account is a universal method that works on any Android device, including the Xiaomi Mi 10. The main advantage is that contacts are automatically updated on all associated devices, but there are nuances that are not written about in the official guides.

If you are transferring contacts from another Android smartphone, just follow a few steps:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → Accounts. → Google and make sure the switch next to Contacts is active. If not, turn on sync and wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes with a large number of recordings).
• 🔄 On Xiaomi Mi 10: When you first turn on, the system will prompt you to log in to Google Account. Use the same account as on your old phone. Contacts will be automatically downloaded.
• ⚙️ If the phone is already configured: go to Settings → Accounts. → Add an account → Google and log in. Then, in the account sync section, activate Contacts".

Important: if the contacts on the old phone were stored only on the SIM-You have to export them to Google first, or in your device's memory:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three dots (menu) → "Contact management" → "Imports/Exports".
3. Select the source (SIM or phone memory and export to Google Account.

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If some contacts are not displayed after synchronization, check the "Other contacts" folder in Google Contacts (web version), which sometimes includes entries with non-standard fields.

2.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi Mi 10: bypassing Apple's restrictions

The transition from iPhone to Xiaomi Mi 10 is complicated by Apple's closed ecosystem. Standard export through iCloud often results in loss of contact photos or failures in the encoding of Cyrillic characters. We tested 3 working methods:

Method 1: Through iCloud (official but with pitfalls)

Apple allows you to export contacts in vCard (.vcf) format, but there is a caveat: if the records use emoji or special characters, they may not display correctly.

• 🌐 On your computer, open iCloud.com and log in.
• 👥 Go to the "Contacts" section, highlight all the records (or necessary) and click on the gear. → "Export vCard".
• 📱 Transfer the received file to Xiaomi Mi 10 (via the USB, Bluetooth or cloud and import it via the Contacts app (menu) → "Imports/Exports").

Method 2: App "Switching to Android" (for lazy)

Google has developed a special application, "Moving to Android" (link for iOS), which transfers contacts, photos and even messages, but on the Xiaomi Mi 10 it works with restrictions:

• ⚠️ The app requires resetting the settings on the Mi 10 (if the phone is already configured, the method will not work).
• 🔌 You need to connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network and connect them with a cable (the Mi 10 comes with a complete set of cables). USB-C, iPhone needs Lightning adapter → USB-C).
• ⏳ The process can take up to 30 minutes if the contacts are more than 1,000.

Method 3: Through SIM-card if there are few contacts)

This method is only suitable if you have fewer than 250 contacts (limitation). SIM-When transferring from iPhone to map SIM lose:

• 📞 Contact photos;
• 📍 Addresses and additional fields;
• 🔤 Special symbols in names (replaced with "?").

Instructions:

1. On iPhone: Settings → Contacts → Imports SIM-Contacts (if no option, use the app "SIM Contacts from the App Store).
2. Move it. SIM-map in Xiaomi Mi 10.
3. Open "Contacts" → menu → "Imports/Exports" → "Import with SIM-map".

Synchronizing through Google/iCloud|Use it. SIM-map|Exporting to file VCF|I'm using special applications.|Never carried, hand-in.-->

3. Transfer through MI Cloud: Advantages and Hidden Limitations

MI Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud that offers 5GB of free space, and is convenient for transferring contacts between Xiaomi devices, but has a critical limitation: if you drop your phone to factory settings, contacts from the factory will be able to move your phone to the next location. MI Cloud may not recover if the “Backup” option is not enabled".

Step-by-step:

• 📱 On an old Xiaomi phone: go to Settings → Xiaomi account → MI Cloud.
• ☁️ Make sure the switch next to Contacts is active. If not, turn on sync.
• 🔄 On Xiaomi Mi 10: Sign in to the same Xiaomi account and wait until sync is complete (can take up to 5 minutes).
• 🔍 Check contacts: sometimes entries are duplicated if they were already in Google Account. delete duplicates through the "Join Contacts" menu in the app.

The advantages of MI Cloud:

• ✅ Automatic backup (if enabled).
• ✅ Contact photos and additional fields are stored.
• ✅ It works without the Internet (after the first synchronization).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Not working for no-Xiaomi device.
• ❌ When resetting your phone, contacts are restored only if a full backup has been enabled.

Contact sync enabled on old phone|The Mi 10 uses the same Xiaomi account.|V MI Cloud is enough free space (minimum 10 MB)|Traffic saving mode is disabled-->

4. Manual export/import via file VCF

Format VCF (vCard is a universal way to transfer contacts between any device. It is suitable if you want to save a backup or transfer records to the Xiaomi Mi 10 with Windows Phone, feature-phone or even from your computer.

Instructions for export from Android:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three dots (menu) → "Contact management" → "Imports/Exports".
3. Select Export to File and specify the location of the save (e.g., Internal Memory).
4. The file will be saved as contacts.vcf.

Imports to Xiaomi Mi 10:

1. Transfer the contacts.vcf file to your phone (via USB, Bluetooth or cloud).
2. Open the file through Contacts or any file manager.
3. Confirm the import and select an account to save (Google or local memory).

Important: if the file VCF weighs more than 10 MB, break it into pieces using services like VCF Otherwise, the Xiaomi Mi 10 may not import it entirely.

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Before importing, open the contacts.vcf file in a text editor (such as Notepad) and check the encoding. If Cyrillic is a Cracosabra instead of Crystal, save the file in encoding. UTF-8.

5. Transfer of contacts using third-party applications

If the standard methods don't work, you can use specialized applications, and we tested 5 popular tools and selected the best ones:

Recommendation: Copy My Data or My Contacts Backup is best for the Xiaomi Mi 10, as they do not require root rights and work stably. Samsung Smart Switch can be used if you have an adapter. USB-OTG, But the process is less reliable.

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The app side is convenient, but always check reviews before installing. Some programs (such as Super Backup) can save contacts in encrypted form, which will make it difficult to restore them.

6.Contact transfer after resetting on Xiaomi Mi 10

If you have performed a hard reset, contacts can be restored in several ways depending on whether synchronization has been enabled:

Option 1: Restore through Google Account

When you first turn on after reset, Xiaomi Mi 10 will offer to sign in to Google Account. If sync was enabled before reset:

1. Log in to the same account you used before.
2. In the Settings section → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize your account activate "Contacts".
3. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 15 minutes).

Option 2: Recovery through MI Cloud

If you've used it MI Cloud:

1. Sign in to your Xiaomi account at the initial setup stage.
2. Select the option "Restore from backup".
3. Please provide the latest backup (check the date of creation!).

Option 3: Restore from a local backup

If you have made backups through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backups:

1. Connect Xiaomi Mi 10 to the computer and find the folder. MIUI/backup/AllBackup.
2. Copy the backup file (for example, backup_20231015_123456.ab) internal memory of the phone.
3. In the phone settings, select "Restore from local copy".

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Local backups on Xiaomi are stored in a folder MIUI/backup. If you haven’t done the backup manually, this folder may be empty.

7. Problem Solving: Contacts are not carried over or duplicated

When migrating contacts to the Xiaomi Mi 10, users often face typical problems, and we have collected ways to solve them:

Problem 1: Contacts are not synced with Google

Causes and solutions:

• 🔌 No Internet: Check the network connection. Synchronization only works via Wi-Fi or mobile Internet.
• ⚙️ Synchronization disabled: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Sync your account and enable "Contacts".
• 🔄 Cache of the "Contacts" application: clear the cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Clear the cache.
• 📅 Google Contacts: Update the App via Google Play.

Problem 2: Duplicate contacts

Duplicates appear when contacts are synced simultaneously from Google and MI Cloud, to bring them together:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three dots (menu) → "Connecting contacts".
3. Select duplicate entries and click "Combine".

Problem 3: Contact photos are not displayed

This is a typical problem when porting from an iPhone.

• 🖼️ Use Google Contacts (web version) to manually add photos.
• 📱 Install the application “Sync.ME” (Google Play), which automatically pulls up avatars from social networks.

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If the phone numbers disappeared after the transfer, but the contact names were preserved, check if the fields are hidden. → "Edit" → Scroll down to see all the hidden fields.

8 How to avoid future contact loss

To avoid the problem of transferring contacts the next time you change your phone, follow the following simple rules:

• ☁️ Enable automatic sync with Google and/or MI Cloud. Check it once a month: go to Settings. → Accounts and make sure the switch next to Contacts is active.
• 📅 Create backup copies in format VCF time 3-6 Store the file in the cloud (Google Drive, Yandex Drive) or on your computer.
• 📱 Avoid storing contacts only on the SIM-It has a limited volume (maximum 250 records), and if the card is damaged, the data will be lost.
• 🔄 Check duplicates every six months. Google Contacts (web version) has a tool called Find and Combine duplicates".

For additional reliability, use double synchronization:

1. Set up sync with your Google Account.
2. Activate backup in the MI Cloud.
3. Install the Contacts Optimizer (Google Play) application, which automatically backs up your files.

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The safest way to never lose your contacts is to store them in three places: Google Account + MI Cloud + local VCF.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi Mi 10