How to copy contacts with Xiaomi in Google Account: a complete guide to solving problems

Moving your contacts from Xiaomi to Google Account is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new smartphone, resetting settings or switching to another platform. Despite its apparent simplicity, the process can be complicated due to the features of MIUI firmware, duplication of records or synchronization errors. This article will help not only perform the transfer correctly, but also avoid the typical problems faced by owners of Redmi, POCO and other devices of the brand.

Many users mistakenly believe that it is enough to enable sync in the settings, but in practice this does not always work, for example, if the contacts are initially saved to the Local Phone Book or on the Internet. SIM-We'll look at all the scenarios that we can do, from standard export to manual transfer through.vcf files, and we'll also talk about how to clear duplicates and recover lost data.

We will focus on security: why not use third-party apps for transfer, how to check that contacts are actually saved in Google, and what to do if after synchronization some numbers disappear. At the end of the article, we will see the FAQ with answers to frequent questions and the method compatibility table for different versions of MIUI.

Why it’s important to keep your contacts on Google Accounts, not on your phone

Keeping contacts directly in the memory of a Xiaomi smartphone is the risk of losing them when you reset, break the device or even upgrade your firmware. Google Account offers cloud storage with automatic synchronization, access from any device and the ability to restore data.

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization: changes in contacts are immediately displayed on all connected devices (phone, tablet, PC).
• 🛡️ Loss protection: Even if your smartphone breaks or is stolen, your contacts will remain in the cloud and will be available after you log in to your account on your new device.
• 📱 Cross-platform: Google contacts can easily be transferred to an iPhone, Windows Phone or other Android smartphone.
• 🔍 Search and Management: Google Contacts’ user-friendly interface allows you to edit, merge duplicates and restore old versions of records.

There are nuances, however, such as if you use a Mi Account to back up, contacts can be duplicated between two cloud services, and some users have noted that synchronization via MIUI is sometimes unstable, especially on low-end models like the Redmi 9A or POCO M3, where manual exporting helps.

⚠️ Note: If you have previously used the function of Cloning applications in MIUI (For example, to duplicate WhatsApp or Telegram, contacts in cloned apps may not sync with Google.

Method 1: Standard synchronization through Xiaomi settings

This is the easiest method that works on most Xiaomi devices with MIUI 12 and later, but it only works if the contacts are initially saved to a Google or Mi Account, rather than to the phone’s local memory.

Step instructions:

1. Open the Contacts app on your Xiaomi.

If the sync option is missing or not working, check the following points:

• 📱 Make sure you have a Google Account added on your phone (check Settings). → Accounts and synchronization).

If contacts are still out of sync, try to force the data to be updated:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Slip on your account, then on Contact Sync.
3. Turn off the sync, wait 30 seconds and turn it on again.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi devices with MIUI 13/14 After updating the firmware, the synchronization of contacts may be reset.

Method 2: Exporting contacts to a VCF file and importing them to Google

If the standard synchronization does not work (for example, the contacts are saved to the SIM-You can export them to a.vcf file and upload them manually to Google, and this method is universal and works even on older models like the Redmi Note. 4X or Mi A1.

Steps for export:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press three points (⋮) → Settings → Import/Export of contacts → Exports to the vault.
3. Select the source (for example, SIM-Card or Phone) and press Export.
4. The contacts.vcf file will be saved in the phone’s internal memory (usually in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder).

Now Import the file to Google:

1. Open your browser on your PC and go to Google Contacts.
2. On the left menu, select Import.
3. Click Select File and download contacts.vcf from your phone (you can send it to yourself by mail or via Mi Cloud).
4. Confirm the import and wait for the process to be completed.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 It works even without an Internet connection at the export stage.
• 📁 Allows you to back up contacts on PC.
• 🛠️ You can edit the.vcf file in a text editor (e.g., delete unnecessary contacts before importing).

💡

If the contacts.vcf file is too large (over 50 MB), split it into parts using the VCF Splitter service. Google Contacts may not import files larger than 25 MB.

Method 3: Transfer over Mi Cloud (for Mi Account users)

If you used a Mi Account to back up your contacts, they could be saved to Mi Cloud, exported from there and uploaded to Google, which is a way for Xiaomi owners who didn't use Google sync, but backed up through standard MIUI tools.

Instructions:

1. Go to the Mi Cloud website and log in.
2. Select the Contacts section (if there is no backup, then the backup was not created).
3. Press the gear. ⚙️ → Exports of contacts.
4. Download the file. mi_contacts.vcf and import it to Google Contacts as described in the Method 2.

Please note:

• 🔒 Exports from Mi Cloud are only available if contact sync was previously enabled in your phone settings.
• 📅 Only the latest versions of contacts are stored in the cloud (old backups are not saved).
• 📱 If you reset your phone to factory settings, restore contacts from Mi Cloud to your device first, then export them to Google.

Problem Solving: Contacts are out of sync or disappear

Even after following the instructions correctly, Xiaomi users sometimes run into problems. Consider typical scenarios and ways to fix them.

If none of these methods worked, try an alternative method:

• 📲 Install the app SIM Contacts Backup for Exporting Contacts SIM-map.
• 🔗 Use Super Backup & Restore to back up all contacts (including those in local memory).

⚠️ Note: Do not use applications like Copy My Data or CLONEit to transfer contacts – they often create duplicates and can disrupt the data structure.

How to check if your contacts are saved successfully in Google

Many Xiaomi users face a false sense of security: they enable synchronization, but they don’t check if contacts are actually in the cloud.

Method 1: Through the web version of Google Contacts

1. Open contacts.google.com in your browser.
2. Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
3. Check that the number of contacts is the same as what was on the device.

Method 2: Through phone settings

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Slip on your account and check the date of the last contact sync.
3. If the date is current and the number of contacts is the same, the transfer was successful.

Method 3: Test reset (for confidence)

1. Create a backup copy of your phone data.
2. Remove 1-2 contacts from the device.
3. Go to Settings → System → Settings Reset → Delete all data (soft reset).
4. After rebooting, add a Google Account and check if your remote contacts have recovered.

If the contacts are not returned after reset, this means that they were only stored locally or on the site. SIM-In this case, restore them from the backup (if any) and repeat the transfer to Google.

Additional tips: optimization and security

Moving contacts is only the first step, and to avoid problems in the future, follow these guidelines:

• 🔐 Enable two-factor authentication for Google Account to protect contacts from unauthorized access.
• 📊 Check duplicates in Google Contacts (Duplicate section).
• 📱 Set up automatic backup in Settings → System system → Backup (select Google Drive as storage location).
• 🚫 Avoid storing contacts on SIM-card – it has limited memory (maximum 250 records) and no support for fields such as email or address.

If you change your smartphone frequently or use multiple devices (e.g., Xiaomi for work and iPhone for personal), set up cross-platform sync:

1. On iPhone: go to Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add a Google account.
2. On Windows PC: Use the Google Contacts app from the Microsoft Store.

💡

Export your contacts from Google to.vcf regularly (every 3-6 months) and save them to an external drive, which will protect you even if your account is blocked or your cloud service crashes.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions