How to edit contacts on Xiaomi Redmi: from basic edits to synchronization with the cloud

Editing contacts on Xiaomi Redmi smartphones only seems like a simple task — until you encounter duplicates after sync, missing numbers after reset, or the inability to change the link to your Google account. Unlike iPhone, where contacts are managed through a single Apple ID, the MIUI ecosystem offers three storage sources at once: device local memory, Xiaomi account and Google contacts. This is flexible but often confuses users.

In this article, we will not only discuss the basic steps (how to change the name or add a number), but also solve typical problems: why contacts are duplicated after the MIUI update, how to transfer them from the SIM- cards to the cloud without loss, and what to do if editing is blocked due to corporate policies.

If you've used smartphones from other brands (such as Samsung or Huawei), be prepared to have some nuanced logic about how to use contacts in MIUI, such as the Contacts app, which is not a separate app, but is integrated into the standard Phone app, and the sync settings are hidden deep in the account menu, but everything in order.

1. Where are the contacts stored on Xiaomi Redmi: deal with sources

Before you edit contacts, you need to understand where they are physically stored. MIUI has three main repositories:

• 📱 Local device memory -- contacts are stored only on the phone, and the risk of loss is when you dump or break.
• ☁️ Xiaomi account (Mi Cloud) - synced with Xiaomi servers, available on all devices with your Mi-account.
• 🔗 Google account — stored in Google Contacts, synced with Gmail and other Android devices.

To check where a particular contact is saved, open the Phone app, go to Contacts, tap the number you want, and look at the Account box at the bottom of the screen. If it says Phone is local storage, if Xiaomi or Google is the cloud.

Important: When editing a contact, the changes only apply to the source you select, for example, if you fix a number in Google contacts but you have a duplicate in Mi Cloud, the second instance will remain unchanged. This is a common cause of confusion.

2. Basic actions: Adding, editing and deleting contacts

To add a new contact to Redmi, let's start with the basics.

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Go to the Contacts tab (bottom of the screen).
3. Slip on the + (plus) button in the lower right corner.
4. Choose where to keep contact: Phone, Xiaomi or Google.
5. Fill in the fields (name, number, email) and click Ready.

To edit an existing contact:

1. Find the contact on the list and tap on it.
2. Press the Edit button (pencil icon).
3. Make changes and save.

A critical feature of MIUI is that if the contact is synced to Google or Mi Cloud, after editing, the changes will apply to all devices associated with this account.

Make a backup copy (export to VCF)

Check the storage source of each contact

Turn off automatic synchronization (if necessary)

Remove duplicates with built-in tool-->

To remove the contact, swipe it left in the list and tap it on the basket. Alternatively, open the contact card → More (three dots) → Delete.

⚠️ Warning: When you delete a contact from your Google account, it will disappear from all devices that have synced. If you need to save the number, first export it to VCF- file: Contact settings → Import/Export → Export to device memory.

3. Transfer contacts from SIM- card to Xiaomi Redmi

Many users still store contacts on the SIM- card, especially after switching from button phones, to transfer them to Redmi memory:

1. Open Contacts → More (three points) → Settings → Import / Export.
2. Select Import with SIM-map.
3. Tick the required contacts (or click Select All).
4. Specify your target account: Phone, Xiaomi or Google.
5. Confirm the import.

Important: The MIUI does not support importing contact photos with the SIM- card, only names and numbers will be transferred, and some models (e.g. Redmi 9A) may not have the option of importing with the SIM2 if you have a dual-sim phone.

If the contacts are not displayed correctly after import (for example, names in Cyrillic have turned into Krakozabras), check the encoding of the SIM- card in the operator settings. UTF-8 is the optimal encoding for Redmi.

4.Sync Contacts with Google and Mi Cloud: Setup and Problem Solving

Automatic synchronization eliminates the need to manually transfer contacts when changing phones.

Synchronization with Google

1. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Choose your account (if there are several).
3. Activate the Contact Switch.
4. Slip on three dots in the top right corner and choose Sync now.

Synchronization with Mi Cloud

1. Open your Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud
2. Turn on the Contact switch.
3. Click Sync for Forced Update.

Typical problems and solutions:

• 🔄 Contacts are out of sync: check your internet connection, restart your phone, update MIUI to the latest version.
• 👥 Duplicate contacts: Open Contacts → More → Combine and fix and follow the instructions.
• 🚫 Sync is turned off with a gray button: this means that the device administrator (e.g., corporate policy) has blocked the function. Check in Settings → Passwords and Security → Device Administrators.

💡

If after synchronization with Google missing photos of contacts, open the web version of Google Contacts on your PC, upload the photo again and wait for sync on your phone.

Mass editing: combining duplicates and group editing

If you have hundreds of contacts, editing them one at a time is not rational. MIUI offers tools for mass operations:

Combination of duplicates

1. Open Contacts → More → Combine and Fix.
2. The system will automatically find possible duplicates and suggest combining them.
3. Check the proposed pairs and confirm the merger.

Group removal

1. In the contact list, tap on Still → Contact Management.
2. Select a few contacts (long press on the first, then mark the rest).
3. Click on the Remove Cart or the pencil icon for mass editing.

Constraints: Group editing only works for contacts from the same source, for example, you can't change local contacts and those on Google at the same time.

For advanced users, if you want to massively change the format of numbers (for example, add a country code), use export to VCF, edit the file on a PC (via Excel or Notepad++), and then import back. This is more difficult, but gives you complete control.

💡

Before a mass operation, always back up your contacts via Settings → Import/Export → Export to file. This will save your data if you crash.

6. Editing contacts via computer: Google Contacts and Mi Cloud

Sometimes it's more convenient to manage contacts from the big screen, and there are two official ways to do this:

Through Google Contacts

1. Open in the browser contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
3. Choose a contact to edit or create a new one.
4. Changes are synchronized with the phone for 5-10 minutes.

Through the Mi Cloud

1. Go to i.mi.com.
2. Enter your Mi-account.
3. Select the Contacts section.
4. Edit the required records – changes will be applied to the phone after synchronization.

The advantage of the web version is that there are extended fields (e.g., birthday, notes, address) available, which may not be available in the MIUI mobile application.

⚠️ Warning: If you edit contacts simultaneously on your phone and in the web version, there may be a sync conflict. MIUI usually saves the latest changes, but it is best to avoid simultaneous edits.

7 Recovery of Remote Contacts: Backups and Change History

If you accidentally delete an important contact, it can be returned:

Recovery from Google Contacts

1. Open contacts.google.com.
2. In the left menu, select More → Cancel the changes.
3. Please specify the time interval (up to 30 days ago).
4. Confirm recovery.

Recovery from Mi Cloud

Unfortunately, Mi Cloud does not offer a rollback feature, but you can restore contacts from a backup:

1. On the phone go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Contacts.
2. Slip on Restore with backup (if available).
3. Select the backup date.

If you don’t have backups, try using third-party utilities like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare UltData, but they require root access and don’t always work on the latest versions of MIUI.

Prevention: set up automatic contact backup in Settings → System → Backup. MIUI allows you to create local backups once a day.

8. Frequent errors and their solutions

Even after you set it up properly, users have problems, and we're going to look at the most common ones.

If none of the solutions worked, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
3. Warning: this will remove all local contacts! Pre-export them to VCF.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions