How to delete contacts on Xiaomi Redmi: all ways (including hidden ones)

Why is the removal of contacts on Redmi raising questions?

Owners of Xiaomi Redmi smartphones often face the fact that a remote contact suddenly appears again, duplicate recordings or changes are not synchronized between devices. MIUI It can store contacts in multiple locations at the same time: on the phone itself, in the Mi Account cloud, in Google Contacts, and even on the phone. SIM-If you delete the record from only one source, it will be recovered from another.

Another common problem is hidden contacts from messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber), which appear in the phone book as “recommended.” They can not be removed by standard methods, because they are pulled up from social networks. In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios from basic deletion to cache cleaning and sync reset.

Before you start, check where the problem contact is stored. Open the Contacts app, tap the record and look at the Source field (usually at the bottom of the screen) to help you choose the correct method of deleting.

Method 1: Standard removal through the "Contacts" application

The most obvious method is deletion from the phone book, which is suitable for contacts stored locally on the device or in the Mi Account, but does not always work for entries from Google or the Internet. SIM-map.

Instructions:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app (a icon with a person's silhouette on the home screen).
• 🔍 Find the right contact through search or scroll through the list.
• 🖊️ Slip on the record, then click Edit (pencil in upper right corner).
• 🗑️ At the bottom of the screen, select Delete and confirm the action.

If the Delete button is inactive or not, the contact is synced to Google or another account, in which case move on to the next method.

Sync with Google is disabled|Contact is not tied to SIM-map|No duplicates on other accounts|Backup created-->

⚠️ Note: Deleting a contact from your Mi Account will cause it to disappear on all Xiaomi devices where you are logged in. If the phone is used by multiple people (such as a family phone), let them know in advance.

Method 2: Delete via Google Contacts (for synchronized records)

If a contact is linked to a Google account, it must be deleted via the web interface or Google Contacts app, which ensures that the record disappears from all devices where sync is enabled.

Step-by-step:

1. Open your browser and go to contacts.google.com (sign up with the same account as your phone).
2. Find the right contact through search or manually.
3. Check the box to the left of the record and click on the basket icon. 🗑️ Remove in the top panel.
4. Confirm the action.

Alternatively, through the Google Contacts app on your phone:

• 📱 Open the app (if not, download it from Google Play).
• 🔍 Find a contact and tap on it.
• 🖊️ Click Change. → Delete → Confirm.

⚠️ Note: If you deleted a contact from Google Contacts but it still appears on your phone, check your sync settings in Settings. → Accounts. → Google → Contact synchronization, it may be necessary to force the data to be updated.

On the phone (locally)|On Google account|In Mi Account.|Nana SIM-map|I don't know.-->

Method 3: Clearing contacts from SIM-card

Contacts saved on SIM-This is a method that is relevant for old records that have been transferred from previous phones, or if you're using a phone. SIM backup.

How to delete:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Tap it on three points. ⋮ in the upper right corner and select Contact Management.
3. Go to the tab. SIM-Card (may be called Contacts) SIM).
4. Select the contact you want, press and hold it, then tap Delete.

Please note: Redmi with MIUI 12 and newer control menu SIM-It can be hidden by the contacts:

• 📌 Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → [Yours. SIM] → Contacts SIM.
• 🔄 If there is no option, try to remove and paste. SIM-card again - sometimes it resets the cache of contacts.

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Before deleting your contacts with SIM, back them up. To do this, export them to the VCF file via the Contact Management → Export/Import menu.

Method 4: Removal of "recommended" contacts (from messengers)

One of the most annoying features of MIUI is the automatically uploadable contacts from Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber and other messengers, which are displayed in a phone book marked "Recommended" and not deleted by standard methods.

Step 1: Turn off the display of recommended contacts:

1. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Settings → Recommended contacts.
2. Turn off the slider opposite Show recommended contacts.

Step 2: Clear the cache of the Contacts app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Cache and Clear Data (Warning: This will remove any unsaved changes!).

Step 3: Delete the messenger data (if contacts continue to appear):

• 📱 For Telegram: Settings → Confidentiality → Contacts → Clear the cache.
• 💬 For WhatsApp: ⋮ → Settings → Account. → Confidentiality → Contacts → Drop it.

Method 5: Mass removal of duplicates

If a phone book has a lot of duplicate contacts (for example, after importing from different accounts), it is not effective to delete them one at a time. MIUI has a built-in tool for merging and cleaning duplicates.

How to use:

1. Open Contacts. → ⋮ → Contact management → Combining and correcting.
2. The system will automatically find the duplicates and suggest that they be combined. Press Combine all or select the recordings manually.
3. For mass removal, go to the Duplicates tab, tick next to unnecessary entries and click Remove.

If the built-in tool failed, use third-party applications:

• 🛠️ Contacts Optimizer – analyzes and cleans duplicates, supports backup.
• 🧹 Simpler Merge – specializes in merging records from different accounts.

⚠️ Warning: Mass removal risks losing important contacts. Before the procedure, export the phone book to a file. VCF: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Exports.

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Regular cleaning of duplicates not only frees up space, but also speeds up the phone book. In MIUI, duplicate contacts can cause delays in search and synchronization.

Method 6: Reset contact settings (extreme case)

If none of these methods worked, and contacts continue to duplicate or recover, you’ll have to reset your Contacts app, a radical way that will bring all settings back to factory settings, but won’t affect the records themselves (if they’re synchronized to the cloud).

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear all data and confirm.
4. After reset, restart your phone and reset your sync with Google or Mi Account.

If the problem is related to MIUI-Try to log out and log in again:

1. Open Settings → Xiaomi account.
2. Click on your avatar. → Get out.
3. Reboot your phone and log in again.

In the most advanced cases (for example, after a failed MIUI update), you may need to completely reset your phone.

• 🔄 Create a backup of contacts through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.
• 📤 Export contacts to the file VCF (see the instruction above).
• 🔐 Make sure all important data is synced with Google Drive or Mi Cloud.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many Xiaomi Redmi users make the same mistakes when working with contacts, which leads to their reappearance or loss.

Mistake 1: Removing from a single source

If a contact is duplicated in Google and Mi Account, it must be deleted from both locations, otherwise the next time you sync, the record will be restored.

Mistake 2: Ignoring backup

Before a massive change, always export contacts to a VCF file. This will take less than a minute, but saves recovery hours in the event of a crash.

Error 3: Incorrect synchronization setting

If in Settings → Accounts enabled contact sync for multiple accounts at once, this leads to conflict. Leave only one primary source (e.g. Google).

Error 4: Removing Contacts Through Messengers

Deleting a number on WhatsApp or Telegram does not remove it from the phone book. These apps work separately from system contacts.

Mistake 5: Using third-party cleaners

Applications like Clean Master or DU Speed Booster often delete the contacts cache without warning, resulting in loss of change. Use only the built-in MIUI tools to clean.

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To avoid duplicates in the future, prioritize your contact source. → ⋮ → Settings → Display contacts and select one primary account (e.g. Google).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions