How to Add a Contact Icon to Xiaomi’s Home Screen: 3 Ways to Work with MIUI

Creating a contact shortcut on Xiaomi’s desktop is a convenient way to quickly call or write to an important person without searching the phone book. Many Redmi, Poco or Mi users don’t even realize that this feature is built into MIUI by default and does not require installing third-party apps. However, after interface updates (especially in MIUI 14-15), the location of options often changes, which causes confusion.

In this article, we’ll look at three current ways to add a contact icon to the home screen, including the hidden features of MIUI Settings and workarounds for older firmware versions: how to create a shortcut for a call, SMS, or even quick chat access on WhatsApp/Telegram, and why the icon sometimes disappears after a reboot and how to fix it.

If you're using a Xiaomi smartphone on Android 10 and later, all of the methods described here will work without restrictions. For devices with MIUI Global, MIUI China or HyperOS (2026), the instructions are universal — the difference is only in the design of the menu. Let's start with the simplest method, which takes less than a minute.

Method 1: Standard shortcut creation through the Contacts app

This is a basic method that works on all versions of MIUI 12 to 15, and it doesn't require superuser rights or extra software, but the main condition is that the contact must be stored in the Xiaomi phone book (not just in Google Contacts).

Open the Contacts app, find the right contact in the list and hold your finger on it for 2-3 seconds, and you will see a context menu where you want to select "Create a shortcut," and the system will automatically suggest options for a call, a message, or a video call.

1. Make sure the contact is saved in the local phone book.

2. Check that there is free space on the main screen (at least 1 cell)

3. Close all background applications (sometimes they block widget creation)

4. Update the Contacts app on Google Play (if available)-->

Once you select an action, the shortcut will appear on your desktop. It can be dragged anywhere, like a regular app icon. If the "Create a shortcut" option is not active, then the contact is only saved in your Google Account. To fix this, open the contact → Edit → More (three dots) → Copy to your phone.

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 11, Poco) X5) Once you create a shortcut, you might get a duplicate of the contact. MIUI 14 – just remove the extra contact through the editing menu.

Method 2: Use the Contacts widget for quick access

If the first method didn't work or you need to display multiple contacts on one screen, use a built-in widget that allows you to place up to 4 shortcuts in a compact unit.

1.Push and hold the empty space on the home screen.

2. In the menu that appears, select "Widgets".

3. Scroll the list to the Contacts block (phone handset icon).

4. Select the size of the widget (e.g. 2×2 or 4×1).

5. Drag the widget to the desktop and set up the contacts displayed.

The advantage of this is that it can switch between multiple people quickly, for example, you can put a widget with contacts of family or colleagues at work, and minus the widget takes up more space than a single shortcut.

Standard shortcut (1 click – call)

Multi-contact widget

Third-party applications (e.g. Direct Chat)

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Method 3: Creating a shortcut for messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber)

If you need to add not just a phone contact, but a shortcut to quickly open a chat in the messenger, standard MIUI methods will not help.

For WhatsApp:

1. Open the chat with the right contact.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner → “More” → “Create a shortcut.”
3. Confirm the placement on the main screen.

For Telegram:

1. Hold your finger on the chat in the main list.
2. Select “Secure” (if you need to in the top panel) or “Add to the main screen”.

If these options are not available, install the Direct Chat app from Google Play, which allows you to create shortcuts for any messenger, including Viber, Signal, and even Slack.

1. Open Direct Chat and give access to your contacts.
2. Choose messenger and contact.
3. Click "Create a label."

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi with HyperOS (2026), messenger shortcuts may disappear after a system update. To avoid this, back up the home screen through Settings before upgrading → Desktop → Backup of the layout.

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If the messenger shortcut doesn’t work after clicking, check if notifications for that application are disabled in Settings → Apps → Notifications. Without permission to notify, some shortcuts become inactive.

Why the contact label disappears from the home screen and how to fix it

Many Xiaomi users are faced with a problem: the created contact shortcut disappears after rebooting or updating MIUI. This is due to the peculiarities of the shell, which resets the widget cache.

• 🔄 Update MIUI: After major updates (for example, with the MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) the system resets all widgets, and can be restored through a backup of the screen layout.
• 🗑️ Cache cleanup: If you cleaned the cache of the Contacts or Launcher app, the shortcuts will disappear. The solution is to recreate them.
• 🔒 Energy saving restrictions: C Settings → Battery → Power saving mode check if background processes for the Contacts app are disabled».
• 📱 Launcher reset: Press and hold the blank space on the screen → «Desktop settings» → «Reset the layout. It'll bring back all the labels, but it'll reset their location.

If the problem recurs regularly, try an alternative launcher, such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher.They are independent of MIUI updates and keep shortcuts even after a system reset.

Additional settings: changing the icon and shortcut actions

The standard contact shortcuts in MIUI are modestly designed, with initials in a gray circle, but can be customized if you use third-party tools or hidden system features.

To change the icon:

1. Install the Shortcut Maker app from Google Play.
2. Select “Contacts” in the action list.
3. Find the right contact and click “Create”.
4. In the shortcut editing menu, select “Change the icon” and upload your image.

To change the default action (for example, make the chat in Telegram open by a shortcut rather than a call):

1. Create a shortcut through Direct Chat (see Method 3).
2. In the shortcut settings, select the desired action: call, SMS or opening the messenger.

Xiaomi with HyperOS (2026) has the ability to group contact shortcuts into folders.

1. Create a few shortcuts (see Method 1).
2. Drag one label to another and a folder will appear.
3. Name a folder (for example, “family” or “work”).

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Shortcut icons created through third-party applications (such as Shortcut Maker) will not disappear after the MIUI update, as they are registered as separate “apps” in the system.

Comparison of methods: which way to choose?

The choice of method depends on your tasks and the version of MIUI. Here is a quick comparison:

• ⚡ For a quick call./SMS: Use the Way 1 (It's the most reliable and versatile option.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For multiple contacts: Method 2 (widget) is fine. Family or team friendly.
• 💬 For messengers: Only the method 3 (Direct Chat or built-in options WhatsApp/Telegram).
• 🎨 For customization: Combine Method 1 + Shortcut Maker to Change Icons.

If you use Xiaomi at work and need to quickly contact colleagues, it is optimal to configure the widget with the best way to use it. 4-I am a contact (head of accounting, accounting, IT-division) + Telegram corporate chat label, enough for personal use 2-3 tags on the main screen.

On devices with MIUI 15 (2026), the feature "Favorites contacts" in the notification panel was introduced. Now you can add up to 5 contacts to quick access by swiping down from the top edge of the screen → "Favorites." This is an alternative to shortcuts, if you don't want to clutter your desktop.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When creating contact shortcuts, Xiaomi users often face typical problems, and here are the most common solutions:

• 🚫 No “Create a shortcut” option: Contact is only saved in your Google Account. Copy it into your local phone book (see the instructions in Method 1).
• 📵 Shortcut does not open WhatsApp chat: Set Direct Chat or create a shortcut through the WhatsApp app itself (three dots) → «More» → «Labeling»).
• 🔄 Shortcut resets after update: Before update, back up the screen layout in Settings → Desktop → Backup of the layout.
• 🔒 You can’t change the icon: Use Shortcut Maker or Nova Launcher to customize your icon.

Another common mistake is to label a non-existent contact: If a person is removed from the phone book but their label is still on the screen, there will be an error when pressed. To avoid this, regularly check the relevance of contacts in the Contacts App → Contact Management → Clear duplicates.

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If the contact label stops working after the change SIM-Check if it's tied to an old number, update the contact information in the phone book, remove the old label, and create a new one.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions