Owners of smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco often face the need to move their contacts with the Internet. SIM-This is a critical step when buying a new phone or before resetting to factory settings, because it allows you to instantly restore the entire phone book after authorization. MIUI, Google account is the main repository of personal information of the user.
The synchronization process does not require third-party software, since all the necessary tools are already built into the operating system. However, the HyperOS shell interface or MIUI can have its own features of the location of menu items that vary from version to version. We will analyze each step in detail so that you can safely transfer your data and be sure of its safety.
Understanding the principles of cloud synchronization will help you not only save numbers, but also establish automatic backup, which will work in the background. This will eliminate manual work in the future and protect against accidental loss of important data when the gadget breaks.
Preparation of the device and account verification
Before you start manipulating contacts, you need to make sure that your Xiaomi smartphone is connected to the Internet and has an active account. Without a stable Wi-Fi connection or mobile Internet, you can not upload data to the cloud. Also check that your device has all the necessary system updates, since old versions of MIUI can encounter sync bugs.
Google profiles are logged in through system settings. If you just bought a phone and haven't signed in yet, do so first. This account will anchor all your data, including contacts, calendar and email.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure you remember the password from your Google account.When you transfer data to a new device or after resetting the settings, the system will be sure to request authorization to confirm the owner's rights.
To check your account status, go to the settings section. The path may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same. You need to find the account and sync point.
If you're in the account menu, select Google, which will show you a list of all the email boxes that you're linked to, if your address isn't in the list, click Add Account and enter the data, and after you've logged in, the system will suggest you choose which data to sync.
In the service list, look for Contacts and make sure the switch in front of it is activated. If the slider is blue or green, then the basic setting is correct. You can now move on to importing numbers directly.
Import of contacts with SIM-phone-cards
Users often store numbers directly on the SIM-It's not a secure method, if you damage the SIM or if you crash the system, the data can be lost forever.
To get started, open the standard Contacts or Phone app on your Xiaomi. In the upper right corner of the screen is a menu represented by three dots or a settings button. Click on it to see the action list drop down.
In the menu that opens, select "Import/Export Contacts" and the system will prompt you to select a data source. If your numbers are on the SIM, select "Import from the SIM". SIM-If they are stored in the device memory, select the appropriate option or "Import from.vcf file" if you have a backup copy.
- 📂 Select the data source (SIM-map).
- ☁️ As a target storage, be sure to include your Google account, not “Phone".
- ✅ Confirm the action by pressing “OK” or “Import".
Once you've selected a source, the system will ask where to keep your contacts, which is critical. In the list of available storages, you'll see "Phone" and your email address. Choosing "Phone" will save the numbers locally, and they're not synced to the cloud, so always choose your Google account.
The copying process will take a few seconds, and when it is completed, you will see a notification of successful import, and now your numbers are physically in the cloud, but it is worth checking the sync status for complete certainty.
☑️ Checking the import of contacts
Automatic synchronization in MIUI
Just saving numbers is not enough, you have to configure the system so that any changes to the phone book are instantly reflected in the cloud, and in the MIUI and HyperOS shell, the system synchronization mechanism is responsible for this, which can sometimes be disabled by default to save traffic.
Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. Search your Google account in the list. When you click on it, you will see a list of all services that can be updated in the background. Make sure that the contact box is ticked or the switch is active.
Some firmware versions have a separate Contacts app with their own sync settings. Open the app, go to the settings, and find the Sync section, where you can set the update rate or start forced sync right now.
If you use a dual-sim phone, the system may offer a choice. SIM-maps for certain activities, but it doesn't matter if you sync with Google, because you use an Internet channel.
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Turn on Wi-Fi-only sync in your mobile traffic settings if you have every megabyte charged to avoid unnecessary costs.
It’s also worth checking the battery settings. Aggressive power optimization in Xiaomi can kill the sync process if the screen doesn’t burn for a long time. Go to the battery settings, look for the Contacts or Google Play Services app, and select No Limits mode.
Solving Duplicate Contact Problems
When you move data frequently or use multiple sources (SIM, phone, other account), the phone book often contains duplicates, and the same person can be listed three times: mobile, work, home, or just with different avatars.
Google’s Contacts app, which is often installed by default or available in the Play Market, has a powerful merge tool built in: Open the app, click on the menu and select “Configure and Manage” then “Merge and Fix”.
The system will analyze the database and suggest that you combine the records with the same names or numbers, so you can agree to the offer for all contacts at once or check them one at a time, which will help to clean up the phone book.
| Type of problem | Cause of occurrence | Method of decision |
|---|---|---|
| Double names | Imports from different sources | The “Consolidate” tool in the annex |
| Contacts without names | Save only numbers with SIM | Manual card editing |
| Absence of avatars | Failure to synchronize photos | Verification of access to the storage facility |
| Old rooms | Backup rollback | Removal and re-synchronization |
Once cleaned, the contact list will be much smaller and more convenient, and any changes you make during the process will also be automatically uploaded to Google’s cloud profile.
Checking the safety of data through the web interface
The best way to make sure that the numbers are actually saved in your account, rather than just lying in your phone’s memory, is to check them through a computer or browser of another device, which will give you a 100% guarantee that when you lose your smartphone, the data will not be lost.
Open any browser and go to contacts.google.com. Sign in with the same account you used on your Xiaomi smartphone. If sync is successful, you will see a full copy of your phone book.
And here, in the web interface, you can do a little more subtle setup: delete the extra, add new entries, create groups and tags, and any change you make on the site will instantly affect your phone when you have the Internet.
On the left side of the web screen, there's a "Basket" section, and if you accidentally delete an important contact on your phone, it goes in there and it's stored for 30 days, another layer of protection for your data that Google provides.
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The web version of Google Contacts is a truth-source reference: if a contact is there, it is stored securely, regardless of the state of the smartphone itself.
Restore contacts on a new device
When you buy a new Xiaomi or any other Android smartphone, the number return process will take a couple of minutes. When you first turn on the device, the system will ask you to enter a Google account. Use the same email you saved contacts to earlier.
Once you log in and connect to Wi-Fi, the phone automatically pulls data from the cloud. You don't have to import anything manually, the phonebook will fill itself out. That's the advantage of the Android ecosystem over closed systems.
If automatic sync is not running, go to your account settings on your new device, select Google and click "Sync Now." Contacts will appear in the list in a few seconds.
Xiaomi owners also have a Mi Mover tool available that lets you transfer data from your old phone to your new phone over Wi-Fi, but using a Google account remains a more versatile and reliable method, working even when switching to a smartphone of another brand.
Additional capabilities and label management
Google Contacts allows you to not only store numbers, but also structure them. You can create your own shortcuts (e.g., Work, Family, Gym) and distribute contacts over them, which makes it easier to search and lets you send group messages.
You can also manage the contacts you display in sync settings, so if you don't want to see contacts from social networks or other connected services, you can hide them in the display filter without removing them from the database.
Check regularly to see if your Google account is full, even though your contacts are running out of space, but if you store thousands of photos and videos, the space may run out, stopping new data from syncing.
⚠️ Note: When selling or transferring a phone to a new owner, be sure to complete a full Wipe Data reset after making sure you sync. Simply removing contacts from the list is not enough, as they can be restored when you log in to your account.
Compliance with these simple rules will allow you to always have an up-to-date and secure copy of your phone book. Xiaomi’s technology, in conjunction with Google’s services, ensures a high level of reliability if you configure the system correctly.