How to combine contacts in groups on Xiaomi: all ways and life hacks

If your Xiaomi phone is full of hundreds of contacts and you have to scroll through an endless list of people, groups will be your salvation. Category-based contact pooling (colleagues, family, friends, customers) saves time, simplifies mass messaging, and makes your address book more convenient. But how do you do it on MIUI firmware when standard features are hidden in an obscure way?

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can create contact groups on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, from the basic tools of the Contacts app to sync with Google Account and hidden MIUI 14/15 chips. And how to fix typical errors when groups suddenly disappear or don’t show up.

Why Contact Groups on Xiaomi Work Differently Than on Other Smartphones

MIUI is known for its unique approach to the interface, and the Contacts app is no exception. Unlike pure Android, where groups are created directly in Google Contacts, Xiaomi has two independent data storage layers:

• 📱 Local contacts – stored only on the phone, managed through the standard app Contacts from Xiaomi.
• ☁️ Google Contacts – synced to your account, available on all devices, but group settings are done via the web version.

This duality is often confusing: users create groups in one place and search for them in another and they don't find them. In MIUI 14+, the interface of the Contacts app has changed, and the old instructions have stopped working, and we've taken all the nuances into account and prepared up-to-date guides for both systems.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with global firmware (Global) ROM), Some group functions may not be available due to regional constraints, and this may help to change the region in settings or install an alternative contact application (e.g. Simple Contacts).

Method 1: Creating Groups in the Standard Contacts Application (MIUI)

This is the most direct method, but it only works for local contacts (those that are not synced with Google).If your contacts are tied to a Xiaomi account or saved to a phone, follow this instruction:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background).
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the Group tab (on some versions of MIUI it is called Tags).
4. Click Create a group and enter its name (for example, “Work” or “Sports Hall”).
5. Select contacts to add by clicking on the circle next to each name and save the changes.

Now, the group will appear in the main contact list, and to find it quickly, use the search bar at the top of the screen, type in the group name (e.g., "family"), and the system will show all the participants.

Double check that contacts are not linked to a Google Account|Make sure you have enough space in your phone’s memory.|Remember the name of the group – it is not edited after creation.|Sync your contacts with Mi Account if you are afraid of losing data-->

Method 2: Groups through Google Contacts (cloud sync)

If your contacts are synced with your Google Account, it is easier to manage groups via the web version of the service, which is suitable for users who want groups to be available on all devices (including iPhone or tablet).

Instructions:

1. Open contacts.google.com on your computer or phone and log in with the same account as you do on Xiaomi.
2. In the left menu, select Tags (the same as groups in Google).
3. Click Create a label, assign it a name and add contacts, ticking them.
4. Save the changes and wait for the synchronization (usually takes 1-2 minutes).

After that, groups will appear in the Contacts app on your Xiaomi, but with a caveat: they will appear as Tags, not as classic groups. To see them, open the side menu in the app and select Tags.

⚠️ Note: If you have created a group in Google Contacts but it doesn’t appear on Xiaomi, check your sync settings: go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Sync your account and enable the “Contacts” option».

I use only the standard application |Sync with Google Account |Store contacts in Mi Cloud |Using third-party applications-->

Method 3: Automatic grouping by category (MIUI 14+)

In recent versions of MIUI, we have Automatic Grouping, which categorizes contacts based on their data, for example, if the number has a city code of +7 (495), the system will take it to the Moscow group. Here's how to turn it on:

1. Open Contacts. → Settings (⚙️) → Contact management.
2. Select Automatic Grouping.
3. Activate the switch and wait for the system to analyze your contacts (it can take up to 5 minutes).
4. Ready-made groups will appear in the Group tab marked “Auto”.

This feature is useful for initial sorting, but the results are not always accurate. For example, contacts with the same city code can be relevant to different areas of life, we recommend using automatic grouping as a starting point, and then manually adjust the groups.

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If automatic grouping is not working, check if Contact Analysis is enabled in the app settings. On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12), it is disabled by default due to privacy policy.

How to edit or delete contact groups

Group management on Xiaomi has its own nuances: you can’t rename a group, you have to create a new one and transfer contacts manually, and when you delete a group, the contacts themselves remain intact (unlike some other smartphones, where they are erased along with the group).

To edit the group:

• 📌 Open Contacts. → Contact management → Groups.
• 👆 Tap on the right group and select Change.
• ➕ Add or ➖ Remove participants by clicking on the circle next to the name.
• 💾 Save the changes.

To remove the group:

• 🗑️ In the list of groups swipe left on the unnecessary group and click Delete.
• 🔄 Or open a group, tap three points (⋮) and select Delete the group.

If a group was created through Google Contacts, it can only be deleted via the web version of the service. In the Contacts app on Xiaomi, such groups are simply hidden from view, but remain in the cloud.

Problem Solving: Groups are not displayed or saved

Xiaomi users often find that groups that are created suddenly disappear or don’t survive, and these are the most common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

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

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

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g, POCO F5 Xiaomi 13T) After resetting the Contacts app settings, you may need to re-authorize in your Mi Account!

Alternative methods: third-party applications and MIUI-chips

If standard MIUI tools don’t suit you, consider alternatives:

• 📱 Simple Contacts – supports flexible group management, export/import in.vcf format, and is independent of firmware.

For users who often send messages to groups, quick answers in MIUI will be useful:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Create a new message and enter the group name (e.g., “Family”) in the recipient field.
3. The system will automatically expose all participants of the group.

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The side of the application (such as Simple Contacts or Contapps) often offer more flexible group settings than the standard MIUI application. However, they do not sync with the Mi Cloud - consider this when choosing.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi contact groups