How to transfer and save contacts in Google to Xiaomi: full instructions with pictures

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

Losing contacts is one of the most frustrating situations for a smartphone owner, and imagine if you accidentally reset the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 to the factory settings, and all phone numbers were stored only in the device's memory, it's almost impossible to restore them without a backup, which is why synchronizing contacts with a Google Account is not just a convenience, it's a necessity.

By saving contacts in Google Contacts, you get:

• 🔄 Automatic backup when adding a new number
• ☁️ Access to contacts from any device (even if your smartphone is broken)
• 📱 Instant recovery when changing phone or resetting settings
• 🔍 Easy search and editing through the web version of contacts.google.com

On Xiaomi smartphones (including POCO, Black Shark) the synchronization process has its nuances due to the proprietary shell MIUI. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to save contacts - from the basic settings to solving possible problems.

Preparation: checking the current status of contacts

Before you set up sync, make sure your contacts are not duplicated in your Google Account.

1. Open the Contacts app on your Xiaomi.
2. Tap it on three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Check the list of accounts – if there is Google, then some contacts can already be synced.

It is also useful to check how many contacts are stored directly on the device:

• 📱 Local contacts – stored only in the phone’s memory (risk of loss when resetting).
• 📧 Google Contacts – synced to the cloud.
• 📇 Contacts SIM — limited in number (usually up to 250) and do not support photos.

💡

If you have more than 500 contacts, it is better to divide them into groups in Google Contacts (for example, “Work”, “Family”).

Method 1: Automatic synchronization through MIUI settings

It is the easiest and most reliable method, and it is suitable for all Xiaomi models on MIUI 12/13/14 and later, including Redmi 10/11/12, POCO F4/F5, Xiaomi 13/14.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync (or Google depending on the version of MIUI).
2. Select your Google Account (if not, add it through Add Account).
3. Activate the Contact Synchronization switch.
4. Press three points (⋮) → Synchronize now.

And then all the contacts that you have on your phone will be copied to Google Contacts, and the new contacts will automatically sync, and the important thing is that if you've already had contacts on Google, they will merge with local contacts, you can duplicate them, you can delete them later on the web.

Method 2: Manual export/import via VCF file

If automatic synchronization does not work (for example, on older versions of MIUI or after reset), you can manually transfer contacts through the.vcf file (business card).

Steps for export:

1. Open Contacts. → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
2. Select Export to the file and specify the location of the save (for example, Internal Memory).
3. Check all contacts (or select the right ones) and click Export.

Steps to import to Google:

1. Open contacts.google.com on your computer.
2. In the left menu, select Import → upload the.vcf file.
3. Wait until the import is complete (may take a few minutes for large lists).

⚠️ Note: When importing through VCF Contact photos may not be saved. To transfer them, use specialized applications like Copy My Data.

Method 3: Sync through the Google Contacts app

Some Xiaomi models (especially those with pure Android, like the POCO F5 or Xiaomi A3) have a standard Google Contacts app installed.

How to set up:

1. Install Google Contacts from the Play Market (if it is not available by default).
2. Open it and log in to your Google Account.
3. Go to Settings (⚙️) → Synchronization of contacts.
4. Enable the option of Automatic Synchronization.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔍 Smart combination of duplicates (function to drain and fix).
• 📊 Contact statistics (e.g. “unused numbers").
• 🌐 Ability to edit contacts directly from the browser.

Problem Solving: Why Contacts Are Not Synchronized

Even after you set it up properly, synchronization may not work, so let's look at the typical causes and ways to fix them.

1. There is no Internet connection

Google contacts are synced only when you have a network.

• 📶 Connection to Wi-Fi or mobile internet.
• 🔄 Flight mode (must be turned off).
• 🔒 Background restrictions for the App Contacts or Google Play Services.

2. Google authentication error

Sometimes MIUI resets the permissions to access the account to fix:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Delete your Google Account and add it again.
3. When adding, make sure the Contact tick is included.

Conflict with other accounts (Mi Account, SIM)

If you have multiple accounts (e.g. Mi Account + Google), contacts can be saved in different locations to avoid confusion:

• Open Contacts. → Contact management.
• Turn off the display of contacts from unnecessary accounts (for example, Mi Account).
• Set Google as the default account for new contacts.

⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Cloud for backup, disable the contacts sync there to avoid conflicts with Google.

How to Restore Contacts from Google to New Xiaomi

When you buy a new smartphone (for example, Xiaomi 14 Ultra) or after resetting your settings, you can restore contacts from Google in 2 minutes:

1. When you first turn on your phone, select Copy Data and log in to your Google Account.
2. If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → Accounts and sync, add an account and enable contact sync.
3. Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes depending on the number of contacts).

If no contact is made:

• Check that the account settings have enabled the autosynchronization option.
• Update the Google Play Contacts and Services app in the Play Market.
• Reboot your phone – sometimes it helps to “wake up” the background processes.

💡

When restoring contacts to the new Xiaomi, first check if sync with Mi Account is enabled by default, otherwise the contacts may be saved to the Xiaomi cloud, not to Google.

Additional tips for managing contacts in Google

Keeping your contacts on Google is just the first step, and here are some life hacks to manage effectively:

Grouping of contacts

Contacts.google.com allows you to create groups (e.g., "Colleagues," "Friends," "Family"), which makes it easier to search and send messages to the public, so you can create a group:

1. Open the web version of Google Contacts.
2. In the left menu, select Create a label.
3. Give the group a name and add contacts.

2. Backup of contact photos

Photos in contacts are often lost during transfer, to avoid this:

• Use the Sync.ME app to automatically add photos from social networks.
• Export contacts with photos through My Contacts Backup (saves to VCF with images).

3. Automatic update of contacts

If your friends often change numbers, turn on automatic update:

1. In the Google Contacts app, go to Settings → Contact Updates.
2. Enable the option to automatically update contacts.

This will allow you to receive notifications when someone from your contacts updates their Google Profile number.

FAQ: Frequent questions about synchronizing contacts on Xiaomi