How to put a photo in contacts on the phone Xiaomi: 5 ways + problem solving

Want to personalize your contacts on your Xiaomi by adding photos of friends or colleagues? Not only will it make the phone book more convenient, but it will also help you find the numbers you want. In Redmi, POCO and other brands, the process of adding photos to a contact depends on the version of MIUI and the call app you use. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways, from standard to hidden functions, and also tell you what to do if the photo is not displayed or reset after synchronization.

It is important to understand that on Xiaomi, contact photos can be stored in different places: in the memory of the phone, on Google account or in the Mi Account cloud. This depends on whether the image will remain after resetting or changing the device. We will explain in detail how to properly link the photo so that it remains in place even after the system update.

If you've ever seen an image that's been added disappear or not displayed correctly, there's a problem-solving section at the end of this article, and for those who like automation, we'll show you how to assign photos to your contacts en masse through Google Contacts or third-party apps.

1. Standard method: through the "Contacts" application

The easiest method is to use the built-in Contacts app (or Phone on some firmware), which works on all Xiaomi models, including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Mi 13, regardless of the MIUI version (12 to 15).

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen or in the app menu).
2. Find the contact you want in the list and click on it to open the card.
3. In the upper right corner, tap the camera icon (or plusic, if the photo is not already installed).
4. Select the source: 📷 Take a photo – the camera will start to take a picture of the person right now. 🖼️ Gallery – Select an existing photo from your phone’s memory. 🌐 Image search (on some models) – the system will offer options from the Internet (network connection is required).

MIUI

Ready.

Once saved, the photo will appear in the contact card and will be displayed when incoming calls. Please note that if the contact is synced with Google, the changes can take up to 5 minutes to show up on other devices.

Make sure that the contact is saved in the phone book, not just in the phone book. SIM-map

Check the permissions for the Contacts app (access to storage and camera)

Update the Contact App to the latest version on Google Play

Turn it off. VPN, If the photos are not uploaded from the Internet-->

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi firmware may not display contact photos in instant messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) due to the privacy policy of the applications – they use their own contact databases.

2. Alternative method: via the “Phone” application

If you can’t add photos through Contacts, try using the Phone app (Trainer icon), which is especially useful for POCO and Redmi owners with custom firmware, where the standard contact app can be replaced by Google Contacts.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and go to the Contacts tab (usually at the bottom of the screen).
2. Find the right contact and click on it.
3. Slip the pencil icon (Edit) in the upper right corner.
4. Tap the camera icon next to the contact name.
5. Select a photo from the gallery or make a new one, then crop it and save it.

If your phone application does not have an edit button, then the contact is saved to the SIM-In this case, first transfer it to the phone memory or Google account, as described in the next section.

In the memory of the phone

On Google account

Nana SIM-map

In Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)-->

3. Transfer of contacts with SIM-maps and photo addition

Contacts saved on SIM-If you're not using a map, you don't have photos, that's a limitation of technology. If you want to add a photo, you first transfer the contact to your phone's memory or to the cloud:

1. Open Contacts. → Contact management (three points in the upper right corner).
2. Select Import/Export → Import from SIM-card.
3. Mark the contacts you need and click Import.
4. Select the target storage: 📱 Device – Contact will only be kept on this phone. ☁️ Google – syncs with your account (recommended). 🔵 Mi Account – will be saved in the cloud Xiaomi (requires authorization).

After importing, edit the contact and add a photo as described in the first two sections. If you choose Google, the photo will be available on all devices where you are logged in (for example, on a tablet or computer via contacts.google.com).

⚠️ Note: If you are moving your contacts with SIM-maps on Xiaomi MIUI 14+, The system can automatically combine duplicates. Check the final list after importing -- sometimes photos are assigned to the wrong contact!

4. Massively add photos via Google Contacts

If you need to add a photo to multiple contacts (for example, for the whole family or colleagues), it is more convenient to do this through the web version of Google Contacts, which works even if you have firmware installed on your phone without Google services (for example, on Xiaomi for the Chinese market).

Instructions:

1. Open contacts.google.com on your computer or phone and log in.
2. Find the contact you need in the list and click on it.
3. Click on the camera icon in the upper right corner of the contact card.
4. Download a photo from your computer or select from Google Photos.
5. Cut the image (if necessary) and save the changes.

Then sync your contacts on your phone:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Turn on the Contact Switch (if it is turned off).
3. Press Sync (or wait for automatic sync).

To add a photo via Contact+:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and give access to contacts and storage.
3. Find the contact on the list and tap on it.
4. Click Edit → Camera icon → Select the source of the photo.
5. Save the changes (photo syncs with system contacts).

Third-party apps often offer automatic photo updates, such as Sync.ME, which can check once a month to see if your social media avatar contact has updated and suggest replacing it in the phone book.

6. Problem Solving: Photos not displayed or reset

Sometimes the added photo of the contact is lost or not shown during calls.

If the photo is missing for a specific contact, try:

1. Delete the photo and add it again.
2. Export the contact to the.vcf file, then import back.
3. Remove the contact and create it again (pre-copying the number).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 10C or POCO M4 Pro after updating to MIUI 14 can reset the photo to the contacts stored in the phone's memory, so the solution is to move all contacts to a Google account.

💡

To avoid problems with photo contacts, always save them to the cloud (Google or Mi Account), and not to the memory of the phone, which ensures the safety of data even after resetting.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photos in Xiaomi contacts