How to put a photo in the phone Xiaomi: 5 ways with pictures

Do you want your Xiaomi phone to display a subscriber photo on your incoming call instead of a boring icon? Contacting a photo is a simple procedure that takes less than a minute, but many users face difficulties: the Contacts app doesn’t save changes, the photo is cut off, the sync with Google Account gets lost. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to add photos to contacts on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones (including models from 2023-2026), and also explain how to fix typical errors.

It’s important to understand that the process may vary depending on the version of MIUI (Xiaomi shell) and the contact app used. We tested the instructions on MIUI 14 and HyperOS, but they will also work for older versions with an interface adjustment. If you have custom firmware installed (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience), some menu items may be called differently — we’ll mention that too.

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1. Method: through the standard application "Contacts"

The most obvious and quickest method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background) preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones and synced with Google Account if you added it when you set up your phone.

To add a photo:

1. Open the Contacts app and find the contact you want (you can use the search bar at the top).
2. Slip on the contact to open his card.
3. Click on the camera icon (or the human silhouette if the photo isn’t already) in the upper right corner.
4. Select the source of the photo: 📷 Take a picture — if you want to take a picture of the person right now. 🖼️ Gallery — to select an existing photo from the memory of the phone. 🎨 Avatars — a collection of standard icons from Xiaomi.

Ready.

Save.

If the camera button is inactive or not, check if the contact is saved on the SIM- card. These contacts do not support the addition of photos, they need to be transferred to the memory of the phone or Google Account.

Check your internet connection (to sync with Google)

Make sure that the contact is saved in your Google account, not on SIM.

Restart your phone if the changes don’t apply

Update the Contacts app on Google Play-->

⚠️ Warning: On some POCO models (e.g., POCO X5 Pro), the Contacts app may be called People. The functionality remains the same, but the interface is slightly different - look for the camera icon at the bottom of the screen when viewing the contact.

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2. Method: through Google Contacts (synchronization with the account)

If you use Google Contacts for sync, you can add photos via the web version or mobile app, which is convenient because the changes will immediately appear on all devices where you are logged in to the same account (for example, on a tablet or computer).

Instructions for Google Mobile Contacts:

1. Open the app (an icon with a blue mug and a white silhouette).
2. Find the right contact and tap it.
3. Click on the camera icon at the top (near the name).
4. Select the source of the photo (gallery or camera) and edit it.
5. Save the changes – the photo is synced automatically.

For the web version:

1. Go to contacts.google.com and log in.
2. Select a contact and click on the camera icon in his card.
3. Download a photo from your computer or select from Google Photos.
4. Save – changes will be applied to the phone within 1-2 minutes.

Standard "Contacts" Xiaomi

Google Contacts

Other (specify in the comments)

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If you add a photo to Google Contacts and it does not appear on your phone, check your sync settings:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Make sure the switch opposite the Contact is active.
3. If not, turn on synchronization and wait for the data update.

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3. Method: via the application "Phone" (during the call)

Few people know, but you can add a photo to your contact directly during an incoming or outgoing call, which is convenient if you need to quickly assign a photo to the caller who just called.

How to do this:

1. When you call (or immediately after) open the call screen.
2. Slip the contact icon (silhouette or current photo) at the top of the screen.
3. In the card that opens, click on the camera icon (similar to the first method).
4. Select a photo from the gallery or take a new photo.

This only works for contacts stored in your phone or Google Account memory, and if the number is not saved, the system will prompt you to create a new contact.

💡

If you frequently call unsaved numbers, turn on Auto-Save Contacts in the Phone settings, which will automatically add numbers with names from messengers (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) to your call history.

⚠️ Warning: Some firmware MIUI (especially older Redmi Note 8/9 models) may not have a camera icon on the call screen, in which case use the standard Contacts app or upgrade MIUI to the latest version.

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Method: through the Gallery app (quick addition)

If you already have a picture of a subscriber in your gallery, you can assign them to a contact directly from there — without opening the Contacts app. This saves time, especially if you update avatars frequently.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Gallery app and find the photo you need.
2. Slip it to open it in full size.
3. Click on the Share button (the icon with three dots and arrows).
4. In the menu, select Set as → Contact Photo.
5. Select a contact from the list or find it through a search.
6. Edit the photo (trimming, turning) and save.

This method works on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later. On older versions, the Install as may be missing option - in this case, use other methods.

If you want to assign the same photo to multiple contacts, use the packet mode:

1. In the gallery, highlight the photo with a long tap.
2. Click on the Share icon and select Set How.
3. In the contact list, tick the person you want to assign this photo to.

How to set up Truecaller:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Register and allow access to contacts.
3. In the settings, enable the option to Update photos of contacts.
4. Wait for the app to update the avatars (may take a few minutes).

The advantage of this method is automation: photos will be updated without you.

• 🔒 Data leakage risk (apps need access to contacts)
• 📶 Requires a constant internet connection for synchronization.
• 🚫 Some photos may not be uploaded correctly (e.g. old or irrelevant).

💡

The app side is convenient for automatic photo updates, but using them may violate privacy. Before installing, check permissions and reviews on Google Play.

Important: Apps like Truecaller can conflict with Xiaomi’s standard Contacts. If photos stop showing after they’ve been installed, clear the Contacts app’s cache in your phone’s settings.

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6. How to correct typical errors

Sometimes the photo doesn't get set up or disappears after synchronization, and let's look at the most common problems and their solutions.

Problem 1: Photos are not saved

Possible causes and solutions:

• 📵 Contact saved on SIM- card → Move it to your phone memory or Google Account.
• 🔄 Sync is disabled → Enable it in Settings → Accounts → Google → Contacts.
• 🗑️ The Contacts app cache is filled → Clear the cache to Settings → Apps → Contacts → Memory.

Problem 2: Photo is cut crooked

If important details are lost when cutting photos:

• Use third-party editors (such as Photo Editor) for pre-cutting.
• Choose a photo with the right aspect ratio (for example, square).
• Manually scale the photo while editing, holding two fingers on the screen.

Problem 3: Photos are not displayed when you call

Check the following settings:

• 📱 Version MIUI → Update your firmware to the latest version.
• 🔍 Call settings → Go to Settings → Apps → Phone → Display contacts and enable the option to Show photos.
• 🎨 Design topic → Some themes may hide photos (try changing themes to standard ones).

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7. Optimization of photos for contacts

To make the contact photo look clear and not cropped unsuccessfully, follow these tips:

• 📏 Size: Optimal resolution is 500×500 pixels or larger. Minimum size is 200×200, otherwise the photo will be blurred.
• 🎭 Background: Use contrasting backgrounds (e.g., monochromatic) to make your face clearly visible.
• 👤 Frame: The face must occupy at least 60% of the area of the photo, otherwise it may be cut off when cropped.
• 🔄 Format: Supported by JPEG, PNG and WEBP Avoid GIF or HEIC (may not be displayed).

If you want to create a universal photo for contact that will look good on both the call screen and in the contact list, use the template:

1. Open the photo in the editor (for example, Snapseed or Lightroom).
2. Cut it to a square format (1:1).
3. Increase contrast and brightness so that the face is clearly visible.
4. Save it in JPEG format with 80-90% quality.

💡

For mass editing of photo contacts, use the Contact Photo Editor app, which allows you to apply the same settings to all avatars at the same time.

Some Xiaomi models (such as the Xiaomi 13T or Redmi K60) display contact photos in a round frame. Keep this in mind when cropping, the angles of the photo will be hidden.

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8 Additional features: animated photos and widgets

Xiaomi’s standard Contacts doesn’t support animated photos (GIF or Live Photo), but there are workarounds:

• 🎬 Contact Widget: Add a widget to the home screen (long tap → Widgets → Contacts). Some widgets display avatars larger than the standard interface.
• 🤖 Third-party launchers: Install Nova Launcher or Apex Launcher – these support animated contact icons.
• 📱 Topics MIUI: Some design themes change the style of the photo display (for example, adding frames or effects). Download them to Settings → Themes.

To create an animated photo contact:

1. Take Live Photo on your iPhone or use the Motion Stills app on Android.
2. Convert it to GIF using GIPHY or ImgPlay.
3. Install it through Truecaller or another third-party application (standard “Contacts” GIFs do not support).

If you want a contact photo to be displayed on the lock screen when an incoming call is made, check the settings:

1. Go to Settings → Lock screen.
2. Turn on the option to display notifications.
3. Make sure that in Settings → Notifications → Phone enabled display photo contacts.

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FAQ: Frequent questions