Contact Groups on Xiaomi: How to Create, Edit and Sync

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones offer convenient contact management tools, but the grouping feature often goes unnoticed. Meanwhile, properly grouping contacts saves time: you’ll find colleagues, friends, or family members faster, send a group messenger, or limit notifications to certain categories. In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can create groups, from the standard Contacts app to Google Account integration.

It’s important to understand that the algorithm for working with groups depends on the version of MIUI and the device model. For example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 14, the interface may differ from the Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5. We took these nuances into account and prepared universal instructions that are relevant to most devices of the brand, and you will learn how to avoid typical synchronization errors and why some groups may disappear after the system update.

Why you need a contact group for Xiaomi

Grouping is not just a matter of organization, but also a tool for automating everyday tasks. Here are some practical scenarios:

• 📞 Quick access to frequently used contacts: Create a Family or Work group to avoid looking for the right number in a long list.
• 🔇 Notification management: in MIUI You can configure separate rules for groups (for example, turn off the sound for Collegue after 18:00).
• 📤 Group mailings: send out SMS or instant messenger messages to multiple recipients without manual addition.
• 🔒 Privacy: Hide groups with sensitive contacts (such as “Doctors” or “Customers”) from prying eyes.

And groups are also useful when you move data, so if you sync your contacts to Google or Mi Cloud, the groups will be saved when you change your device, so you don't have to reconfigure everything.

Method 1: Creating Groups in the Standard Contacts App

The easiest method is to use the built-in Contacts app (an icon with a person's silhouette on a green background) and the instructions are suitable for MIUI 12-14:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Slip along three horizontal lines (☰) in the upper left corner or swipe to the right to open the side menu.
3. Select Group (on some models – Group Management).
4. Click Create a Group (the + icon in the lower right corner).
5. Enter the group name (such as “Friends”) and click Ready.
6. To add participants, tap on the created group → Add participants → tick the necessary contacts.

Nana POCO F4 and some of the Redmi models with MIUI 13 Groups can be hidden behind the button» (⋮) If you don't find an option, update the Contacts app via Play Market.

Check the version of MIUI (Settings → About the phone)

Update the Contacts app in the Play Market

Sync contacts with Mi Cloud or Google (optional)

Connecting the Internet to avoid errors-->

Method 2: Groups through Google Contacts (Sync)

If you use a Google Account, groups can be created on the web version of Google Contacts and then synced to your smartphone, a method that is convenient for backing up and accessing contacts from different devices.

Instructions:

1. Open contacts.google.com in your browser and log in.
2. In the left menu, select Tags (formerly Groups).
3. Click Create a Label, enter a name (such as “Customers”) and save.
4. Tick the contacts and add them to the created label.
5. On your smartphone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync and turn on the option.

Once synchronized, groups will appear in the Contacts on Xiaomi app. Please note: in MIUI, Google tags may appear as “Groups”, but you can only edit them via the web version.

How to edit and delete groups

Group management in MIUI is intuitive, but there are nuances: you can't remove standard groups like Family or Friends, you can only clean them up.

If you deleted the group by mistake, you can only restore it through a backup of Mi Cloud or Google Contacts. There are no changes to the Contact History app itself.

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To quickly find a group, search the Contacts app, and type the group name (e.g., Work) and the system will show the group and all of its members.

Problems with Xiaomi Groups and Their Solutions

Xiaomi users often experience groups disappearing after a MIUI update or reset, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

⚠️ Note: If after updating to MIUI 14 groups are gone, check if your sync settings are reset. → Accounts. → Mi Cloud and enable contact backup.

• 🔄 Groups are duplicated: This happens when you sync with Google and Mi Cloud at the same time. Solution: turn off sync in one of the services.
• 📵 Groups not displayed: Check if they are hidden (swipe the group screen to the left and click Show All).
• 🔒 You can’t edit groups: If a group is created through Google Contacts, you can only edit it on the web version.
• ⚠️ Groups disappear after reset: Always back up through Settings → The phone. → Backup.

If the problem is not solved, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
4. Reset the device.

Warning: Clearing the Contacts app data will remove all local groups and settings, but the contacts themselves will remain if they are synced with Google or Mi Cloud.

Synchronize groups between Xiaomi devices

If you have multiple Xiaomi devices (such as a smartphone and tablet), contact groups can be synchronized via Mi Cloud.

1. On both devices, sign in to one Mi Account (Settings → Accounts → Mi Cloud).
2. Enable contact synchronization on both devices.
3. Wait until the synchronization is complete (may take a few minutes).

Groups created on one device will appear on another, but there are limitations.

• Only groups created in MIUI (not from Google Contacts) are synchronized.
• On devices with different versions of MIUI, group names may differ (for example, “Favorites” instead of “Favorites”).

For reliability, we recommend using Google Contacts – this service is better synchronized between different brands and versions of Android.

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Sync via Mi Cloud only works between Xiaomi devices. For universal access (including iPhones or other Android smartphones), use Google Contacts.

Alternative ways to manage groups

If standard MIUI tools don't suit you, consider third-party apps that offer advanced features like color tags or automatic sorting rules.

• 📱 Truecaller: in addition to spam detection, allows you to create “smart groups” by the frequency of calls.
• 🔍 Contacts+: Supports cloud synchronization and integration with social networks.
• 📊 Simpler Contacts: Minimalist interface with easy group management.

Before installing, check the app’s permissions – some request access to SMS and call logs, which may be redundant for simple grouping of contacts.

You can also manage groups through Microsoft Outlook if you sync your contacts with the service.

1. Add Outlook account in your smartphone settings.
2. Create groups on the web version of Outlook.
3. Enable contact synchronization in Settings → Accounts → Outlook.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi contact groups