How to Add Contacts from Google Account to Xiaomi Phone: Full Guide

Transferring contacts from Google Account to Xiaomi smartphone seems like a simple task, but in practice users face a lot of nuances: from the lack of a sync button to duplication of records or complete disregard of the device cloud data. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways to import contacts (including hidden MIUI settings), explain why sometimes sync does not work, and show how to clean the phone from old takes without losing important numbers.

Xiaomi’s own Mi Account ecosystem is a feature that can conflict with Google’s services, and we’ll take this into account in the instructions, and we’ll also look at alternative methods for cases where standard synchronization fails. All steps are tested on the latest versions of MIUI 14/15 (2026) and are relevant for Redmi Note 12/13, POCO F5/X5, Xiaomi 13/14 and other Android 13/14 devices.

Preparation: What to check before synchronization

Before you move contacts, make sure your Xiaomi is ready to work with Google Account. Skipping these steps is the main cause of failure:

• 📱 Update MIUI: Go to Settings → About Phone → Update MIUI. Outdated versions (below MIUI 12.5) may not support Google’s current sync protocols.
• 🔄 Check your Internet connection: Synchronization requires stable Wi-Fi or mobile internet (3G/4G/5G). Disable VPN - it can block access to Google servers.
• 🔒 Make sure Google Account is added: Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. If your account is not listed, add it via Add Account → Google.
• 📝 Export backup contacts: On your computer, open Google Contacts, click Export, and save the.vcf file to disk. This is crash insurance.

If you've used your phone on iOS or another Android device before, Google Contacts may have duplicates or blank entries, clear them before syncing with Xiaomi, or they'll be transferred to the new phone.

1. Open contacts.google.com on PC.
2. On the left menu, select Duplicates → Combine all.
3. Go to More → Clear contacts and delete empty or irrelevant records.

⚠️ Warning: If you use Mi Account to back up, turn off its contact sync (Settings → Mi Account → Sync) to avoid conflict with Google. Otherwise, duplicates or missing parts of the numbers may appear.

Method 1: Standard synchronization through Xiaomi settings

This is the simplest method, and it works 90% of the time.

1. Open the settings on the Xiaomi phone.
2. Go to Accounts and Synchronization (in some versions of MIUI – Memory and Synchronization).
3. Select your Google Account from the list.
4. Activate the slider opposite Contact (if it is gray, tap it).
5. Click Sync (or More → Sync Now).

The process can take anywhere from a few seconds to 5-10 minutes depending on the number of contacts you have, and after you’ve completed, check the Contacts app, which should show up with your Google folder.

Make sure that Google Account is added to Xiaomi Settings|Enable manual contact synchronization|Check the Internet connection|Update MIUI last-minute-->

If no contact is made:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone and re-sync.
• 📱 Delete and re-add Google Account in Settings.
• 🚫 Check if sync is disabled in Google settings: open myaccount.google.com → Data and personalization → Sync settings.

⚠️ Warning: On some Xiaomi models (e.g., Redmi 9A or POCO M3), the Accounts and Sync section may be called Accounts or hidden in Additional Settings. Use the search by settings (the magnifier icon at the top of the screen).

Method 2: Import via VCF file (for complex cases)

If standard sync doesn’t work (for example, because of a “Sync Stopped” error), export your contacts from Google to a.vcf file and import it manually.

Instructions:

1. Export from Google: On your computer, open Google Contacts. Click Export → select vCard (to import into the iOS or Android Contacts app) → Export. Save contacts.vcf to disk or cloud (Google Drive, Mi Cloud).
2. Transfer the file to Xiaomi: 📎 Send the file to your email and open it on your phone. 📲 Connect the phone to your PC via USB and copy.vcf to the Download folder. ☁️ Upload the file to Mi Cloud or Google Drive and download it to your device.
3. Import to Xiaomi: Open the Contacts app. Click on the three dots (⋮) in the top right corner of → Contact Management → Import/Export. Select Import from the.vcf file and specify the path to the downloaded file. Confirm the import by selecting Google Account as your save location.

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If you see a file too big error when you import, divide the contacts into 2,000 entries, use tags (Tags) in Google Contacts and export them separately.

Method 3: Sync through the Google Contacts app

The official Google Contacts app often works more stable than the built-in MIUI tools. Install it from the Play Store and follow the instructions:

1. Download and set up Google Contacts.
2. Open the app and log in to your Google Account.
3. Click on the profile icon in the upper right corner → Contact Synchronization settings.
4. Turn on Automatic Sync and select your account.
5. Return to the main screen and wait for the synchronization to be completed (the indicator at the top of the screen).

Advantages of this method:

• 🔍 More reliable synchronization compared to the built-in Xiaomi app.
• 📊 The ability to manage contacts directly through Google’s web interface.
• 🔄 Automatically update contacts when changing on any device.

If your numbers are not displayed after you have set up Google Contacts:

1. Check that the application settings (⋮ → Settings → General) select Display contacts from: All accounts.
2. Make sure that Settings → Accounts and sync on your phone are synced for Google Contacts.

Standard synchronization through Xiaomi settings|Import via file VCF|Google Contacts app|Another way.-->

Problem Solving: Why Contacts Are Not Synchronized

If neither of these methods worked, it could be a system limitation of MIUI or conflicts with other accounts, and consider common errors and their solutions:

Error 1: “Synchronization stopped” or “Failure to sync”

This problem often arises on Xiaomi due to:

• 🔒 Blocking background activity: MIUI It's aggressively optimizing the applications. Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Google Contacts (or Google Play Services) → Battery → No restrictions.
• 📵 Mobile Data Restrictions: Check if syncing is allowed via mobile internet: Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Data Transfer → Data Synchronization.
• 🛠️ Cache failure of Google Services: Clear the cache and application data of Google Play Services (Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google Play Services → Storage → Clear the cache / Clear the data).

Error 2: Contacts are duplicated

Doubles appear if:

• 🔄 Sync is enabled in both Google Account and Mi Account.
• 📱 Contacts were imported from a variety of sources (e.g., from SIM- maps and from Google).
• 🔄 A different Google account was previously used on that phone.

To remove the duplicates:

1. Open the Contacts app → ⋮ → Contact Management → Combine and fix.
2. Select Duplicates and click Combine All.
3. For deep cleaning, use the web version of Google Contacts (Duplicate section).

Error 3: Contacts are displayed but not edited

If you can view numbers but can’t change them or add new ones, the problem is access rights:

• 🔑 Verify that the Contacts app is allowed to access your account: Settings → Apps → Permissions → Contacts.
• 📝 Make sure contacts are saved to your Google Account, not to your phone’s memory: when you add a new number, select Google as your account to save.

How to transfer contacts from SIM-card to Google Account

If your contacts are stored on the SIM- card, they can be transferred to the Google Account directly from the Xiaomi phone:

1. Put it in. SIM-phone-card.
2. Open the Contacts app.
3. Press. ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM-map.
4. Select your Google Account as your save location.
5. Confirm the import and wait until it is completed.

Please note:

• 📱 Limitation SIM-maps: On one SIM Usually, no more than 250 contacts are stored. If you have more, move them in pieces.
• 🔤 Character encoding: Cyrillic names can be displayed by Krakozabras, in which case edit the contacts after import.
• 📞 No-name numbers: Contacts without stored names (numbers only) may not be imported. Add at least one letter to them before transferring.

After importing, we recommend removing contacts from the SIM- card to avoid duplication in the next transfer.

1. Go to the → SIM- card.
2. Press ⋮ → Delete everything.

Alternative methods: synchronization through third services

If the standard methods don't work, use third-party tools. We only recommend proven services:

Method 1: Application "My Contacts Backup"

This application allows you to back up your contacts and restore them to the new device:

1. Install My Contacts Backup from Play Store.
2. Click Backup and send backup to your email.
3. On Xiaomi phone, open the letter, download the file and import it through Contacts → Import / Export.

Method 2: Transfer through a Microsoft account (Outlook)

If you have a Microsoft account (e.g., @outlook.com or @hotmail.com), you can use it as an intermediary storage:

1. Export your contacts from Google to a.vcf file (see Method 2).
2. Import them to Outlook: open outlook.live.com → People → Management → Import contacts.
3. Add a Microsoft account to Xiaomi (Settings → Accounts and Sync → Add an account → Outlook).
4. Enable contact sync for Outlook.

⚠️ Warning: Avoid little-known contact transfer applications - they may request redundant permissions (e.g., access to SMS or geolocation) and pose a security risk. Use only official tools (Google, Microsoft) or proven high-rated utilities in the Play Store.

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If you need to move your contacts from your iPhone to Xiaomi, use Apple’s official Move to iOS app (available on the Play Store), which creates a private Wi-Fi network for data transfer, including contacts, without cloud services.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving contacts to Xiaomi