How to combine contacts with Xiaomi MIUI 12: 5 working ways

Duplicate contacts in Xiaomi’s address book are a problem that every second user faces, especially when synchronized with multiple accounts (Google, Mi Account, WhatsApp) or imported backups. The MIUI 12 shell offers built-in tools to combine records, but they are hidden in non-obvious menu sections. Without the right setup, the system can create up to 3-4 copies of a single contact — with different numbers, mail or messengers.

In this article you will find 5 Proven ways of connecting contacts: from standard functions MIUI We will discuss how to avoid data loss during a merger, why some contacts are not automatically merged, and what to do if, after updating to the new site, you can use the data to help you. MIUI 12.5/13 The duplicates appeared again. We will pay special attention to the nuances of working with Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO F3 and other popular models based on this firmware.

Before starting work, we recommend you back up your contacts, which will take no more than a minute, but will prevent you from accidentally losing important numbers. MIUI 12 reservations available through Settings → The phone. → Backup or directly in the Contacts app → ☰ → Management → Exports/imports.

1. Standard association through the “Contacts” application

The easiest way is to use the built-in Connection feature in the Contacts app, which is available on all Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and above, but doesn’t always work correctly with contacts from WhatsApp or Viber.

To combine the takes:

1. Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person's silhouette).
2. Tap on. ☰ (three lines in the upper left corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the section "Connect Contacts".
4. The system will automatically find possible duplicates. Opposite each will be a "Connect" button.
5. Check the data in both contacts and click Confirm.

⚠️ Note: If duplicate records have different names (e.g., Ivan Petrov and Vanya), the system may not recognize them as the same).

After the merger, all numbers, mail and notes from the second contact will be transferred to the first, and the duplicate will be deleted. MIUI 12.5 introduced the function “Smart Association”, which analyzes not only names, but also phone numbers based on format (for example, +7 999 123-45-67 and 89991234567).

Create a backup of the address book | Check synchronization with Google-account | Disable automatic contact creation in messengers | Close background applications (WhatsApp, Telegram)

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2. Google Contacts (for synchronized accounts)

If your contacts are synced with your Google account, it is more convenient to use the web version of Google Contacts, which is suitable for owners of Xiaomi Mi 11, Redmi 9T and other models where the main account is Gmail.

Instructions:

1. Open your browser on your PC or phone and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in under the same account as on your smartphone.
3. In the left menu, select Duplicates (section "Fix and Manage").
4. The system will show all possible matches. Click Combine opposite each take.
5. For a mass merger, use the Combine All button (at the top of the page).

The advantage of this method is that you can view the history of changes, and if important data is lost after the combination, it can be restored within 30 days through Settings → Cancel changes.

⚠️ Note: If your smartphone is disabled sync with Google, changes to the web version will not apply. To enable it, go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Sync your account and activate the switch opposite Contacts.

3. Manual association for "invisible" doubles

Sometimes MIUI 12 doesn’t offer to merge contacts automatically, for example, if they are saved in different accounts (Mi Account and Google) or have minor differences in names.

Steps:

1. Open the contact you want to leave (main).
2. Tap on. ✏️ Edit (in upper right corner).
3. Scroll down and click Combine with another contact.
4. Select a duplicate entry from the list.
5. Confirm the merger – the data from the second contact will be added to the first.

This also works for WhatsApp or Telegram contacts if they are displayed in a shared address book, and the key is to make sure you combine the records with the same phone numbers, otherwise the data will get mixed up.

💡 Useful advice: If there are many duplicate contacts, use sorting by name or number. ☰ → Display settings → Sort by and choose a convenient option.

4. Use of third-party applications

The built-in MIUI 12 tools don’t always handle large address books (1000+ contacts), and these are the ones that can be used by specialized utilities:

• 📱 Simpler Merge analyzes duplicates by algorithm with names, numbers and mails. Supports mass mergers.
• 🔍 Contacts Optimizer – finds not only full takes, but also records with similar data (for example, “Ivanov I.” and “Ivan Ivanov Ivanov»).
• 📊 Dedup Contacts – Suitable for cleaning contacts before transferring to a new phone.

Before using third-party applications:

1. Check the reviews in Google Play – some utilities can delete data without the possibility of recovery.
2. Only allow access to contacts (not SMS, calls, or files).
3. Create a backup through Settings → Google → Backup.

⚠️ Note: Applications like Clean Master or CCleaner often offer “contact optimization,” but their algorithms can mistakenly delete important entries.

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If after the combination in the application there are “empty” contacts (without numbers), delete them through Contacts. → ☰ → Management → Delete contacts without numbers.

5.Contacts Combination after MIUI Update

After upgrading to MIUI 12.5 or MIUI 13, many users experience a reappearance of duplicates, due to a change in the structure of the contact storage and conflicts between Mi Account and Google account.

To avoid the problem:

1. Before updating, turn off contact synchronization in Settings → Accounts.
2. After installing the new version of MIUI, reset the Contacts app cache via Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Storage → Clear the cache.
3. Enable sync with only one account (e.g., only Google).

If the doubles have already appeared, use a combination of methods:

1. Connect your contacts through Google Contacts (Section 2).
2. Remove the remaining duplicates manually (Section 3).
3. Reset the Contacts app settings to factory (Settings → Apps → Contacts → Additional → Resetting).

📌 Key takeaway: The main reason for post-update duplication is the conflict between local contacts and cloud copies.

Comparison of methods of contact combination

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, users make mistakes that lead to data loss or duplicated data.

• 🔄 Multi-account syncs: If you sync with both Google and Mi Account, contacts will be duplicated with each update. Solution: leave only one primary account.
• 📱 Ignoring backup: Mergers through third-party apps risk losing notes or additional fields (such as birth dates.
• 🔍 Unverified doubles: Automatic unification can merge contacts with the same numbers but different names (e.g. "Mama" and "Anna Ivanovna"). Check each take manually.

⚠️ Note: If you are using Xiaomi with two SIM-With cards, doubles can be created because of the number binding to different slots. To avoid this, go to Settings. → SIM-map → Contact settings and disable the option Save Contacts SIM.

💡 Useful tip for business users: If you have many contacts with the same names (for example, Ivan Petrov from different companies), add unique labels to the Company or Notes field (for example, “Ivan Petrov [LLC Romashka.

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The most common reason for duplicate contacts is simultaneous synchronization with multiple accounts (Google, Mi Account, Exchange). → Accounts.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions