Creating Groups in Xiaomi Phone Book: A Complete Guide to MIUI

Xiaomi’s phone book running MIUI offers convenient contact tools, but the grouping function often goes unnoticed. Many users store hundreds of contacts in a chaotic manner, wasting precious time searching for the right number. Meanwhile, properly grouping — like “family,” “work,” or “friends” — simplifies not only navigation, but also mass messaging, managing contact visibility in messengers, and even backup.

In this article, we will discuss all the ways to create groups in the standard Contacts app on Xiaomi, including nuances for different versions of MIUI (from 12 to 14), features of synchronization with Google Account and solving typical problems. You will learn how to combine contacts into groups through the app menu, how to import ready-made lists from other services, and why groups sometimes disappear after updating the system. And for those who prefer automation, we have prepared a manual on using Google Contacts to manage groups directly from the browser.

Why are the groups in Xiaomi’s phone book useful?

At first glance, grouping seems unnecessary, because MIUI has a name search and quick access to frequently used numbers, but in practice, groups solve several key tasks:

• 📱 Quick access to the right contacts: instead of scrolling through the entire list, you tap on the “Colleagues” group and see only work numbers.
• 📤 Mass mailing: send out SMS or WhatsApp/Telegram The entire group without manual selection of each recipient.
• 🔒 Visibility control: Hide personal contacts from apps that request access to the phone book (such as taxis or delivery).
• ☁️ Sync: Groups created through Google Contacts are automatically transferred to a new smartphone when you change device.

Moreover, MIUI 14 introduced the Smart Groups feature, which automatically categorizes contacts based on profile data (e.g., "Family" for relatives with the same surname). However, this option does not work smoothly on Redmi budget models, so manual group management remains the most reliable way.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with global firmware (Global) ROM), Some group features may not be available due to restrictions of Google Mobile Services, in which case we recommend you switch to Google Contacts as the main app.

Method 1: Creating a group in the "Contact" annex

The most obvious method is to use the standard Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette on a green background). The interface may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the general logic is maintained:

1. Open the Contacts app and tap on three points (⋮) top-right.
2. Select Contact Management (or Settings in older versions).
3. Go to the Group section (may be called the Tags or Categories).
4. Click Create a group and type in its name (e.g., "University").
5. Add contacts to the group by ticking them in the list.

In MIUI 13/14, the algorithm is simplified: once you create a group, you can drag and drop contacts directly into it from a shared list (keep your finger on the contact and move to the desired category). However, this method does not work on all models - for example, on the Redmi Note 10 with MIUI 12.5 you will have to add contacts manually through the edit menu.

Contacts app is open

Version of MIUI (Settings → About the phone)

Google sync is disabled (if you plan local groups)

The list of contacts is sorted alphabetically for convenience of choice-->

Important: Groups created in this way are stored locally on the device, and when you reset or change your smartphone, they will be lost if you do not back up.

Method 2: Using Google Contacts to Manage Groups

If you prefer cloud storage or change smartphones frequently, it’s better to create groups through Google Contacts.This method ensures synchronization between all Android devices and access to groups via a web interface.

Instructions:

1. Open your browser on your PC or smartphone and go to contacts.google.com.
2. Sign in with the same Google account that is linked to your Xiaomi.
3. In the left menu, select Tags (or Groups in the English version).
4. Click Create a Label, enter a name (e.g., “Customers”) and add contacts.
5. On your smartphone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and enable contact synchronization.

The advantage of this method is the ability to mass edit. For example, you can export a group to a.vcf file, send it to a colleague, and he imports it to his Xiaomi without manual input. In addition, Google Contacts supports nested groups (for example, "Work → Marketing Department"), which is not in the standard MIUI application.

Through the "Contact" app on Xiaomi

Through Google Contacts in the browser

Import groups from other services (VK, Telegram)

I don't use bands.-->

⚠️ Note: If after synchronization groups do not appear in the Xiaomi phone book, check the display settings: open Contacts → ⋮ → Settings → Contacts to display and select your Google Account.Sometimes groups are hidden due to conflict with local contacts.

How do I add a contact to an existing group?

If a group is already established, you can add a new contact in several ways:

• 📇 Contact card: Open contact → press edit → Slip on the field of the Group and select the desired.
• 📋 Through the Group List: Go to Contacts → Groups, select a group → Click Add Add Participants.
• 🔄 Massive Addition: In the Google Contacts web version, tick a few contacts → tap on the tag icon → select a group.

Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 models have a Quick Add-on feature: Hold your finger on the contact in the shared list and drag it to the desired group at the bottom of the screen. However, this method only works for groups created locally (not through Google).

Solving problems: Groups do not persist or disappear

Xiaomi users often experience groups disappearing after a MIUI update or reset, and here are the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:

• 🔄 Sync conflict: If you have sync with both Google and Mi Account enabled, groups may be duplicated or disappear.Solution: disable sync with Mi Account in Settings → Accounts.
• 📱 Cache Error: Clear the cache of the Contacts app in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Warehouse.
• ☁️ Cloud failure: If groups are missing after changing the device, check if they were tied to the old smartphone's Mi Account.
• 🔧 Version incompatibility: On some models (e.g, POCO X3 s MIUI 12) Groups are created but not displayed in the contact list, in which case use Google Contacts as the main application.

If the groups are missing after upgrading to MIUI 14, try the following algorithm:

1. Make a backup of contacts through Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local backup.
2. Delete your Google account in the settings and add it again.
3. Restore contacts from backup and check for groups.

Export and import groups between devices

Transferring groups between Xiaomi smartphones or other brands is possible through.vcf (vCard) files. Here’s how to do it:

Exports of the group:

1. Open Google Contacts in your browser.
2. Select the desired group in the left menu.
3. Press three points (⋮) → Exports → Choose the vCard format.
4. Save the file to your device or to the cloud.

Group imports:

1. Send the.vcf file to a new smartphone (for example, via Telegram or email).
2. Open the file – the system will prompt you to import contacts to Google Contacts or a local phone book.
3. Select your target account and confirm the import.

On Xiaomi with MIUI 14, you can import groups directly through the Contacts app:

1. Go to Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
2. Select the.vcf file and specify where to save contacts (on your device or in your Google Account).

⚠️ Note: When importing groups from iPhones (via iCloud), some special characters in names (such as emojis) may not be displayed correctly in the iPhone. MIUI. Before importing, we recommend renaming the groups using only the Latin alphabet or Cyrillic alphabet.

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If you need to migrate groups from Xiaomi to iPhone, export them through Google Contacts and then import them to iCloud via a web interface.This will preserve the group structure better than direct exporting through.vcf.

Automation: Smart Groups and Integration with Other Services

MIUI 14 introduced the Smart Groups feature, which automatically categorizes contacts based on profile data.

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 "Family: Contacts with the same surname or marking".
• 💼 "Work": Contacts with corporate domain email (e.g, @company.com).
• 🎓 "Study: contacts with the labels "University" or "School" in the field "Organization".

To include smart groups:

1. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Settings → Smart groups.
2. Turn on the switch and set up the rules for each category.
3. Confirm the changes and wait for automatic sorting (can take up to 5 minutes).

For advanced users, integration with IFTTT or Tasker is available:

• 🤖 Automatic addition to the group upon receipt SMS from a new number (for example, for a group of "Customers").
• 📅 Calendar synchronization: creating events for the entire group (e.g., a birthday reminder).
• 📧 Mass mailing by email for contacts from a particular group.

Example of settings through Tasker:

Profile: New contact in the group "VIP"




Event: SMS received from an unknown number




Task:




1. Add a number to the contacts




2. Designate a “VIP” team




3. Send notification "Added new VIP- contact: %SMSRF"

FAQ: Frequent questions about groups in Xiaomi phone book

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For maximum reliability, keep groups in Google Contacts and regularly export backups. Local groups on Xiaomi are vulnerable to system crashes and updates.