How to change the contact in the phone Xiaomi: all the ways in 5 minutes

Editing contacts on Xiaomi smartphones seems like a simple task, but users often face unexpected difficulties: duplicate records, sync with a Google account, MIUI shell limitations or missing numbers after an update. This guide will help you understand all the nuances from a basic name change to recovering remote contacts and adjusting the display.

We’ll look at 4 working editing methods (including the hidden features of MIUI 14/15), explain why changes sometimes don’t persist, and show you how to avoid typical errors. The instructions are relevant for all modern models, from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Method 1: Editing through the standard “Contacts” app

The most obvious method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background) preinstalled on all Xiaomi devices and supports both local and synchronized contacts.

To change the record:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app and find the right contact through search or scroll through the list.
• ✏️ You tap the tape, you open the card with the details. Press the edit button).
• 🔄 Make changes: correct your name, surname, phone number or add new information (email, address, birthday).
• 💾 Save the changes by the Ready button (check) in the top menu.

If the Edit button** is inactive or missing, check:

• 🔒 Contact is not blocked (in) MIUI There is a function of blocking individual records).

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If changes are not displayed in other apps after editing (such as WhatsApp or Telegram), reboot your phone or force your contacts to update in the sync settings.

Method 2: Change via Google Contacts (for synchronized records)

If your contacts are synced with your Google account, it is easier to edit them through the web version of the service.

• 📵 You lost your phone, but you need to update your phone number.
• 🔄 Changes to the phone are not saved due to a failure MIUI.
• 📱 You want to massively edit contacts (e.g., add a prefix to numbers).

Instructions:

1. Open your browser on your computer or phone and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same Google account that is linked to your phone.
3. Find the contact through search or manually, click on it.
4. Click Change (Crimea icon) and make edits.
5. Save the changes – they automatically sync with the phone for 1-5 minutes.

If the synchronization is not working:

⚠️ Attention: Check your phone settings along the way → Accounts and synchronization → Google → Contacts. Make sure the switch is active. If the sync is frozen, try turning it off and on again or restarting the device.

Method 3: Editing contacts to SIM-map

Contacts saved on SIM-The card has limitations: you can not add a photo, several numbers or additional fields, but they can be edited on a Xiaomi phone.

How to change your contact to SIM:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app and go to the tab SIM (If it is not, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Show SIM-contact).
• 🔍 Find the right contact and click on it.
• ✏️ Choose Edit (on some Xiaomi models, you need to keep your finger on the contact to make the menu appear).
• 📝 Make changes (only name and number available).
• 💾 Save by pressing Ready.

It's important: SIM-contacts are not synced to the cloud and can be lost when you change your card.

To transfer SIM contacts to your phone:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙️) → Imports/Exports.
2. Select Import with SIM-map.
3. Specify where to save contacts: in memory of the phone or Google account.
4. Confirm the import.

Method 4: Mass editing of contacts (for power users)

If you need to change dozens of contacts (e.g., add a country code or fix the format of numbers), manual editing will take hours, in which case export/import via a.vcf file will help.

Step-by-step:

1. Export of contacts: Open contacts → Settings (⚙️) → Imports/Exports → Export to file: Choose which contacts to export (all or only with) Google/SIM/Save the contacts.vcf file to your phone or computer.
2. File Editing: Open the.vcf file in a text editor (e.g. Notepad)++ or VS Use the function Replace everything (Ctrl)+H) to massively change numbers (e.g. add +7 instead of 8. Save the file in format UTF-8.
3. Import back: Return to Contacts → Import/Export → Import from file. Select the edited.vcf. Specify where to import (Google backup account is recommended).

⚠️ Attention: Before mass editing, back up your contacts! An error in the.vcf file format can cause all data to be lost. Check the changes on the contact test group.

Create a backup copy in Google Contacts|Export contacts to.vcf|Check the file format in the text editor|Editing a Test Contact Group|Import changes and check the results-->

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after editing correctly, contacts can disappear, duplicate, or display incorrectly, and let’s look at typical scenarios and how to fix them.

1. Contacts are not saved after editing

If after clicking Ready changes are reset, check:

• 📵 Sync with Mi Cloud: sometimes conflicts with Google. disable it in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account → Synchronization.
• 🔄 App cache: Clear Contact cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Memory. → Clear the cache.
• 📱 Application Rights: Make sure Contacts have access to memory and accounts (Settings) → Annexes → Permits).

Duplicate contacts

Doubles appear when synced with multiple accounts (e.g. Google + Mi Account) to combine them:

1. Open Contacts → Management → Combine Contacts.
2. Select duplicate records and click Combine.
3. If you don’t have an option, use the web version of Google Contacts (Other Actions Menu → Find and Combine Doubles).

3. Contacts are displayed incorrectly (hieroglyphs, question marks)

This is due to a coding failure in import/export.

• 📄 Re-export contacts to.vcf by selecting encoding UTF-8.
• 🔄 Import the file back by opening it in the text editor and making sure the characters are displayed correctly.
• 📱 If the problem persists, reset the Contacts app settings (Settings) → Annexes → Contacts → Warehouse → Drop it).

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If contacts “disappear” after the MIUI update, check the Internal Storage → MIUI → Backup → Contacts folder – there may be an automatic backup.

How to Restore Remote or Altered Contact

If you accidentally delete or edit a contact incorrectly, it can be restored within 30 days (for Google contacts) or 7 days (for Mi Cloud).

Recovery through Google Contacts:

1. Go to contacts.google.com.
2. In the left menu, select Cancel Changes.
3. Specify the time range (e.g., “the last 24 hours”).
4. Find the remote contact in the change list and click Restore.

Recovery through Mi Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Contacts
2. Click Restore and select the backup date.
3. Confirm the recovery (all current contacts will be replaced with the backup version!).

⚠️ Warning: Recovery from Mi Cloud will overwrite all current contacts! pre-export them to.vcf to avoid losing new data.

If you don’t have backups, try using third-party data recovery tools, such as:

• 📱 DiskDigger (for recovery from internal memory of the phone).
• 💻 Recuva (if the contacts were exported to the computer).
• 🔍 GT Recovery (specializes in re-establishing contacts and SMS).

Keep in mind that the chances of recovery depend on how long it has been since you deleted it and whether the phone has been used since then (new data can overwrite deleted data).

Additional settings for displaying contacts in MIUI

MIUI has hidden options that affect how contacts are displayed in the phone book and incoming calls, such as:

• 📞 Set up the format of the name (Family name or Surname name).
• 🔢 Change the order of sorting (by name or surname).
• 📵 Hide contacts without phone numbers.
• 🌐 Show or hide contacts from certain accounts (Google, Mi, SIM).

How to change these settings:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙️) → Contact display.
2. Select the settings you want: Name format: Name name or surname name. Sort by name or surname. Show contacts: turn on or off the display of records from certain accounts.

Hide contacts without phones

If you frequently call international numbers, turn on the option to Show country code in the display settings to help avoid dialing errors.

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To quickly find contact in a large list, use the gesture to swipe the letter scale on the right in the Contacts app. MIUI 14+ also searches the first letters of the name in Latin (for example, type "iv" for "Ivan").

FAQ: Frequent questions about editing contacts on Xiaomi