How to create a contact group on a Xiaomi phone: 3 working ways

Creating contact groups on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature that helps structure the phone book, simplifies mass mailings and saves time when finding the right subscribers. Despite the apparent simplicity, many users face difficulties in different versions. MIUI The interface of the Contacts app changes, and some features are hidden in non-obvious menus.This article will help you understand all the nuances from basic group creation to synchronization with Google Account and using alternative methods.

We will look at the current ways to MIUI 12-15 (including the latest updates from 2026), consider the features of working with local contacts and synced through Google, and provide solutions for cases where standard tools do not work. Why do groups disappear after the update, how to transfer them to a new phone and whether it is possible to automate the distribution of contacts.

Method 1: Creating a group through the standard Contacts app

The most obvious method is to use the built-in Contacts app (or Contacts on global firmware). MIUI The group creation function is hidden or incorrect due to the timing features. Consider the step-by-step instructions for the latest firmware versions.

Before you start, make sure that:

• 📱 Your phone is working on MIUI 12 or later (check in Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI).
• 🔄 Contacts are synced with Google Account or stored locally (otherwise, groups may not be displayed).
• 🔍 Contacts app updated to latest version via Google Play.

Now let’s move on to the creation of the group:

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on the home screen or in the app menu).
2. Press three horizontal lines (☰) in the upper left corner to open the side menu.
3. Select Contact Management (or Manage Contacts in English firmware).
4. Slip on the Groups option, and you'll see existing groups (if any).
5. Click the Create a Group button (usually located in the lower right corner of the screen).
6. Enter the name of the group (for example, “Family”, “Work”, “Friends from the University”).
7. Press Ready or Save.
8. Now add members: click on the created group → Add participants → Select contacts from the list → preserve the changes.

If the group creation button is missing, it could mean:

• 🔄 Contacts are synced only with the Mi Account (in this case, groups are created through the Xiaomi cloud).
• 📵 The Contacts app reset to factory settings (try clearing the cache in Settings) → Annexes → Contacts → Memory).
• 🛠️ A modified firmware is installed (for example, customized firmware). MIUI third-party).

Method 2: Using Google Contacts to Manage Groups

If the standard Xiaomi app doesn’t allow you to create a group or you prefer to use Google services, you can use the web version of Google Contacts. This method is universal and works on any device, including Xiaomi, Samsung or even a computer.

Advantages of this method:

• ☁️ Groups automatically sync to all devices where you are logged in.
• 🔧 More management options (e.g., mass-addressing contacts through the CSV-file).
• 🛡️ More reliable local storage – data will not be lost when resetting the phone.

Instructions for creating a group through Google Contacts:

1. Open your browser on your phone or computer and go to https://contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same Google account that is used on your Xiaomi.
3. In the left side menu, select the tags (formerly called “Groups”).
4. Click Create a Label and enter a title (e.g., “Colleagues”).
5. After creating the tag, click on it and select Add Contact.
6. Check the necessary contacts and save the changes.

Important: Tags in Google Contacts are displayed as groups in the Contacts app on Xiaomi only after full sync. If no changes appear, go to Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize contacts and force data updates.

💡

If you send out often SMS To one group (e.g., colleagues), create a label in Google Contacts, and then in the Messages app on Xiaomi, select the option “New message for the group” – the system will automatically pull contacts from the tag.

Method 3: Alternative applications for group management

If you don’t like the built-in tools of Xiaomi or Google, you can use third-party apps, which offer advanced features such as:

• 📊 Automatically allocating contacts into groups by keyword (e.g. all contacts with the word “Work” in the name).
• 🔔 Birthday notifications of group members.
• 📤 Export/import of groups in format VCF or Excel.

Top.-3 Applications for working with contact groups:

To move groups from a third-party app to standard Xiaomi Contacts:

1. Export the group in format VCF (business card).
2. Open the file on your phone and select import to Contacts.
3. Make sure that your contacts are saved in your Google Account or on your account. SIM-map (local contacts may not be displayed in groups).

Why Contact Groups Are Losing on Xiaomi and How to Fix It

One of the most common problems is the disappearance of groups after updating. MIUI, You may have resets or switched to a new phone, but it's more likely to be related to a new phone:

• 🔄 Incorrect synchronization between local contacts and Google Account.
• 📱 Resetting the Contacts app to factory settings.
• ☁️ Data Conflict Between Mi Cloud and Google.

Solutions for each situation:

⚠️ Attention! Before you do any activity, back up your contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to the device and save the file VCF.

Problem 1: Groups disappeared after the update MIUI

Often after major updates (e.g., with the MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) Contacts app is reset to return groups:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts.
2. Press Memory. → Clear the cache (not data!).
3. Reboot the phone.
4. Open Contacts and wait for the sync to re-sync (it can take up to 10 minutes).

Problem 2: Groups are not displayed, although contacts are

This happens if the contacts are saved locally and the groups are saved in Google Account (or vice versa).

1. Check where the contacts are stored: open any contact → click "Edit» → Check the Account field (it should be Google or Phone).
2. If your contacts are local, export them to VCF, Then import into Google Account.
3. Update synchronization in Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronize now.

Issue 3: Groups are duplicated

Doubles occur when the same contact is saved both on Google and locally to fix:

1. Open Google Contacts on your computer.
2. In the menu on the left, select Duplicates. → Unite everything.
3. On the phone, go to Contacts. → Settings → Connecting contacts.

How to transfer contact groups to a new Xiaomi phone

When buying a new Xiaomi smartphone (for example, Redmi Note 13 Pro)+ Xiaomi 14, or Xiaomi, is important to transfer not only the contacts themselves, but also their grouping. There are several ways to choose the right one depending on where the data was stored on the old device.

Method 1: Transfer through Google Account (recommended)

If the groups were created in Google Contacts, they will automatically appear on the new phone after logging in.

1. On the new phone, when you first turn on, log in to the same Google Account as on the old one.
2. Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Google and enable contact sync.
3. Wait for the synchronization to be completed (check in the Contacts app).

Method 2: Export/import via file VCF

If the groups were local:

1. On your old phone, export contacts: Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Export to device.
2. Copy the resulting.vcf file to a new phone (for example, via Mi Drop, Google Drive or cable). USB).
3. On the new phone import the file: Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import from the device.
4. Select Google Account as your save location so that the groups are displayed correctly.

Method 3: Transfer over Mi Cloud (if you used Mi Account)

If you have created a group in the Xiaomi cloud:

1. Sign in to the same Mi Account on the new phone.
2. Go to Settings. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud → Synchronize and enable the “Contact” option».
3. Open the Contacts app and check the Groups section.

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The most reliable way to transfer groups is synchronization through Google Account. Local groups (without being linked to the cloud) can get lost when changing phones.

Automation of work with groups: useful chips

Manually adding contacts to groups is time-consuming, especially if the phone book has hundreds of entries, and fortunately there are ways to automate this process. Let's look at the most effective ones.

1. Automatic Keyword Distribution

Some applications (e.g. Contacts)+) They allow you to create smart groups according to the rules:

• 🏢 All contacts with the word “Work” in the name or organization automatically fall into the “Colleagues” group».
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Contacts marked “Family” in notes are added to the same group.

2. Massive addition through Excel/CSV

If you have a contact table (e.g., exported from Outlook or 1C), You can import it to Google Contacts with already ready groups:

1. Open Google Contacts on your computer.
2. On the left menu, select Import.
3. Download. CSV-File and specify which group to add contacts to.

3. Voice commands for group management

Google Assistant can send messages to the entire group quickly, for example:

Okay, Google, send a message to Family: "Meet me at 18:00 by the subway."

For this:

1. Make sure that the group is created in Google Contacts.
2. Activate the voice assistant and say the command.
3. Confirm the message.

4. Automatic mailing on schedule

Apps like this SMS Scheduler allows you to set up the sending of messages to groups at a given time:

• 🎂 Happy holidays.
• 📢 Newsletters or reminders to colleagues.

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To quickly find a group in the Contacts app on Xiaomi, use a hashtag search. For example, if you call a group #Work, just type in the #slave search box and it will appear in the results.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When working with contact groups on Xiaomi, users often make the same mistakes that lead to data loss or incorrect function.

Mistake 1: Creating Local Contact Groups

If you create groups for contacts that are saved only on your phone (not in Google or Mi Cloud), they will disappear if:

• 📱 Resetting the phone to factory settings.
• 🔧 Firmware updates MIUI.
• 📲 Switching to a new phone.

Solution: Always keep contacts in Google Account or Mi Cloud.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Duplicate Contacts

Duplicate contacts lead to:

• 🔄 Incorrect synchronization of groups.
• 📞 Problems with the number number identifier (may show the wrong name).
• 📊 Slowdown of the “Contact” annex».

Solution: Clean duplicates regularly through Contacts → Settings → Connect Contacts or Google Contacts.

Error 3: Turning off synchronization to save battery

Many users turn off background synchronization to save battery power, which leads to:

• ☁️ Delayed updates to groups (changes only appear after manual synchronization).
• 🔄 Loss of data relevance (for example, if the contact changed the number on another device).

Solution: Enable automatic synchronization in Settings → Accounts. → Google → Contact sync and add the Contacts app to the battery optimization exception list (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery).

⚠️ Attention, if you use two SIM-Xiaomi maps, contact groups may not display correctly when trying to send SMS. To correct this, select the appropriate group before sending the message. SIM-hand-card in message settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions