How to add a photo to a contact on Xiaomi: all the ways for MIUI and Google Contacts

Adding photos to your contacts on Xiaomi smartphones is a simple, but not always obvious procedure. Many users find that standard methods do not work due to the features of the MIUI shell or synchronization with Google Account. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of attaching photos to contacts on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices, from basic to hidden MIUI 14/15 functions.

You’ll learn how to add an image through the standard Contacts app, why photos sometimes don’t show up in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram), and how to fix common sync errors, and a secret way to massively add photos through Google Contacts that works even on older Xiaomi models.

All instructions have been tested on the latest firmware (2026) and adapted for scenarios ranging from manual additions to automatic downloads from social networks. If you want your address book to look well-groomed and incoming calls accompanied by photos of subscribers, read on.

1. Basic method: through the application "Contacts" on Xiaomi

The most direct method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a human silhouette on a green background), which works on all Xiaomi devices regardless of the version of MIUI, but there are nuances with synchronization, which we will discuss below.

Open the app and follow the following steps:

• 📱 Find the contact you want on the list and click on it. If you don't have the contact yet, tap the button. + Add contact in the lower right corner.
• 🖼️ At the top of the screen, you'll see a round camera icon (or an empty avatar.
• 📸 Select the source of the photo: Take a picture - activates the camera for instant photos Gallery - allows you to select the existing image of Avatars - a collection of standard icons from Xiaomi
• ✅ After selecting the photo, click Ready or Save (depending on the version). MIUI).

Important: if you add a photo to an existing contact, the changes may not be immediately displayed in other applications (for example, WhatsApp), this is due to data caching. To speed up the update, restart your smartphone or manually update the contact in the messenger (go to chat → click on the name of the interlocutor → update the information).

2.Why the photo of the contact is not displayed in calls and messengers

One of the most common problems is that you add a photo to your contacts, but it doesn't appear on an incoming call or on Telegram/WhatsApp. There are several reasons, and most of them are due to synchronization settings.

A critical feature of MIUI 14/15 is that if a contact is saved in multiple accounts (e.g., duplicated in Google and Xiaomi Cloud), the system can only show photos from one source.

1. Open the contact in the "Contacts" app.
2. Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Combine contacts.
3. Select all duplicates and confirm the combination.

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If the contact photo is not updated in Telegram, try to remove the interlocutor from the list of contacts of the messenger and add again. To do this, open a profile in Telegram → three dots → “Delete from contacts”, then update the page.

3. Add photos via Google Contacts (cloud sync)

If you use a Google Account to sync contacts, the easiest way to add photos is through the web version of Google Contacts, a method that ensures that images are available on all devices, including Xiaomi, iPhone and even your computer.

Instructions:

1. Open your browser on your phone or PC and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same Google account that is linked to your Xiaomi.
3. Find the contact you need in the list and click on it.
4. Click on the camera icon in the top left corner (near the name).
5. Download a photo from the device or make a new one through the webcam.
6. Save the changes.

After that, the photo will automatically sync with your Xiaomi for 5-10 minutes.

• 🔄 Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Google → Sync your account and switch on the switch for Contacts".
• 📱 Open the Contacts app on Xiaomi, pull the list down to update the data.
• ⚡ Restart your smartphone if the photo is not still displayed.

Synchronization enabled in Google | Contact saved in Google account (not on SIM) |Photo downloaded via contacts.google.com| Contacts app updated to the latest version-->

The advantage of this method is that you can add photos in a mass way, and in the web version of Google Contacts, you can select multiple contacts and assign them avatars at the same time, which is convenient if you want to quickly complete the entire address book.

4. How to transfer contact with SIM-card Xiaomi/Google

If your contact is saved to SIM-The map, the photo can not be added to it — SIM Supports only text data (name and number) to resolve this problem, transfer the contact to a cloud account:

1. Open the Contacts app on Xiaomi.
2. Go to Contact Management (three lines in the upper left corner).
3. Select Import/Export → Import from SIM-card.
4. Specify your target account: Google or Xiaomi Cloud.
5. Select the necessary contacts and click Import.

After importation:

• 🔹 Contact will be editable (you can add a photo, mail, additional numbers).
• 🔹 Data will be synchronized between devices.
• 🔹 In messengers (WhatsApp, Viber) will be able to display an avatar.

Warning: If you delete the contact from your account Google/Xiaomi, He'll also disappear from SIM-To avoid loss of data, first make a backup copy:

⚠️ Attention: Before mass import/export contacts, check to see if there is enough space in cloud storage.If you have more than 1,000 contacts, a free Google Drive (15GB) tariff may not be enough. clear out unnecessary files or expand storage in advance.

5. Automatic uploading of photos from social networks (VK, Facebook, Telegram)

The MIUI shell can automatically upload photos of contacts from social networks if phone numbers are linked to profiles, which works for VK, Facebook, Telegram and some other services, to activate it:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Contacts → Autoupload photos.
2. Turn on the switch Show photos from social networks.
3. Choose the services from which you can download avatars (we recommend leaving only those that you actively use).
4. Confirm access to your social media accounts.

Once set up, the photos will start to appear automatically within 24 hours.

• 🔒 The feature works only for contacts that are already on your phone and are tied to profiles in social networks.
• 🛡️ Xiaomi does not save these photos to the device – they are loaded temporarily and can disappear when you change your account.
• 📵 If the contact changes the avatar in the social network, the update in the phone will not happen immediately (may take up to 3 days).

If the automatic loading does not work:

⚠️ Note: Make sure that the Xiaomi Account settings (under the Privacy section) allow access to contacts for the Social Networks app. MIUI Cannot link phone numbers to profiles in VK Facebook.

6 Massive photo addition via Excel and Google Contacts

If you have hundreds of contacts, it's not rational to add photos manually, and for this, there's a semi-automatic method using Google Tables and Google Contacts.

• 📊 Exported contact list in.csv format.
• 🖼️ A folder with a photo named by phone numbers (for example, +79123456789.jpg).
• 🔗 Google Account with access to Google Contacts.

Step-by-step:

1. Export contacts from Xiaomi: Open Contacts → Contact Management → Import/Export → Export to your device. Choose.vcf or.csv format.

.csv

.vcf

VCF to CSV

Google Tables

Google Drive

.csv

Google Contacts

• Go to Google Contacts. → Imports.
• Select a file and confirm the import.

This method requires initial table skills, but saves hours of manual work.

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Ready-made template for mass photo addition can be downloaded here (replace the links to the photo on your own).

After importing photos synced with Xiaomi for an hour.If some images are not loaded, check:

• 🔗 Correctness of links in the photo (they must be public).
• 📞 Matching phone numbers in file and in Google Contacts.
• 📧 No duplicate contacts (they may block the update).

7. Solving problems with displaying photos in MIUI

Sometimes, photos of contacts are not shown even after all the manipulations, and let's look at the typical scenarios and how to fix them:

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the settings of the Contacts app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Press Warehouse. → Reset the settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

⚠️ Note: Resetting the Contacts app will not delete the contacts themselves, but may reset individual display settings (e.g., sorting by name/name). Google/Xiaomi Cloud is enabled.

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If the problem with displaying a photo only occurs in a particular messenger (for example, Telegram), clearing the cache of this application in 90% of cases solves the problem. To do this, go to Settings → Applications → [Messenger Name] → Storage → Clear the cache.

Frequently asked questions