How to effectively manage contacts on Xiaomi smartphones: from basic operations to hidden features

Contacts on Xiaomi’s smartphone are not just a phone book, but a powerful tool for personal and business communication, from basic number additions to advanced features like tagging or cloud synchronization, MIUI capabilities often go unused, while managing contacts wisely saves time, prevents loss of important data, and makes communication easier.

Many users face typical problems: duplicate entries after importing, missing numbers after resetting their phone, or not being able to find the right contact on a huge list. This article will help you understand everything from basic operations to the little-known MIUI 14/15 chips. We will look at both the standard features of the Contacts app and hidden features that are not written in the official manuals.

We will focus on synchronization with Xiaomi and Google accounts, which ensures the safety of data even if you lose or replace your phone, and how to restore remote contacts, configure only the necessary records and automate routine tasks. The instructions are relevant for all modern models, from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Basic Operations: Adding, Editing and Deleting Contacts

Let's start with the basics of how to add a new contact to Xiaomi, and the easiest way is through the Phone app:

1. Open the Phone app (the tube icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Contacts tab in the lower menu.
3. Click on the + icon in the lower right corner.
4. Fill in the fields: name, phone number, if necessary, add an email or address.
5. Click Save - the contact will appear in the general list.

To add quickly, you can use voice input: say, "OK, Google, add contact Ivan, phone 89123456789" - the system will create the record itself. Also, the contact is automatically saved after the first call or SMS if you click Create in the missed call notification.

To edit an existing contact:

1. Open the contact in the Contacts app.
2. Click on the pencil icon ✏️ top-right.
3. Make changes and save.

Removal is done in the same way: open the contact → menu ⋮ → Delete. For mass removal, go to Settings. → Contact management → Delete contacts and select unnecessary records.

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If you call the same person often, add them to your favorites: Open contact → click on the star in the top corner. Now it will appear on a separate tab in the Phone app.

Synchronization of contacts with Xiaomi and Google accounts

One of MIUI's key features is automatic synchronization of contacts with cloud services, which protects data from loss when a phone is dropped or replaced. Xiaomi has two main synchronization options:

• 🔄 With Xiaomi account: contacts are saved in the Mi Cloud and available on all devices with your account.
• 🔗 With Google Account: Sync with Google Contacts, convenient for users of other Android devices.
• 📱 Local storage: contacts are only saved on the phone (risk of loss when resetting!).

To set up synchronization:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Choose Xiaomi Cloud or Google.
3. Activate the switch next to Contacts.
4. For Forced Sync, press Sync Now.

Important: If you use both accounts (Xiaomi and Google), contacts can be duplicated. To avoid this, choose one primary sync service or set up the doubles merge manually.

Check which contacts are synchronized:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Click on the menu. ⋮ → Settings → Contact management.
3. Select Displayed Contacts and select the appropriate accounts.

Import and export of contacts: transferring from other devices

When switching to Xiaomi from another smartphone (such as iPhone or Samsung), it is important to transfer contacts correctly.

• 📱 From Android Device: Export contacts to.vcf file on old phone, then import it to Xiaomi via Settings → System and device → Imports/exports.
• 🍎 With iPhone: Use iCloud to export to.vcf, then import to Xiaomi or sync through Google Contacts.
• 💾 S SIM-Insert the maps SIM In Xiaomi, open contact → Settings → Imports/exports → Import with SIM.
• ☁️ Through the Cloud: If your contacts are already synced with Google or Mi Cloud, just sign in to your account on your new phone.

For exporting contacts with Xiaomi:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Import / Export.
2. Select Export to Device (for.vcf file) or Export to Device SIM-map.
3. Please specify the contacts for export (you can choose all or only from a certain account).
4. Confirm the export – the file will be saved in the Downloads folder.

⚠️ Note: When importing with SIM-Xiaomi maps may show contact names in incorrect encoding (e.g., Cracosabra instead of Cyrillic). To fix this, export contacts from the SIM In the.vcf file, then import it back to the phone.

Grouping and tagging: how to organize contacts for convenience

When you have hundreds of records in your phone book, it's hard to find the right contact, and MIUI has tools to structure the list.

• 🏷️ Tags: Tag contacts with tags like "Work," "Family," "Friends." To add a tag, open the contact. → Edit → Tags.
• 👥 Groups: Create groups (e.g., “Colleagues” or “University”) through Contacts → Groups → To form a group.
• ⭐ Favorites: Mark frequently used contacts with an asterisk for quick access.
• 🔍 Category Search: Type a tag (e.g. #family) in the search bar to filter out contacts.

To form a group:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Go to the Group tab.
3. Click Create a Group and specify a name (e.g., Project X).
4. Add participants from the contact list.

Labels are easy to sort, for example, a single contact can have multiple tags: #work, #suppliers, #important. To manage tags:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Tag Management.
2. Here you can create new labels, rename or remove old ones.

⚠️ Note: Groups and tags are not synced with Google Contacts – they are only available in the Contacts app from Xiaomi.If you use multiple devices, this data will not show up on phones from other brands.

Recovering Remote Contacts: Rescue Lost Data

Accidental deleting of contacts is a common problem, but in most cases, the data can be restored. The methods depend on whether the synchronization was enabled:

• ☁️ Through Xiaomi Cloud: If contacts are synced to the cloud, they can be restored within 30 days of deletion. → Contacts → Basket.
• 🔗 Google Contacts: Go to contacts.google.com → Recycle bin (contacts are kept there for 30 days).
• 📱 Local Recovery: If sync is disabled, try programs like Dr.Fone or EaseUS MobiSaver (root rights required).
• 🔄 From backup: if you did backup through Settings → System and device → Backup, restore data from there.

Step-by-step, recovery instructions through Xiaomi Cloud:

1. Open your browser and go to i.mi.com.
2. Sign in with your Xiaomi account.
3. Select the Contacts section.
4. On the left menu, press the basket.
5. Mark the necessary contacts and click Restore.

⚠️ Note: If you deleted a contact more than 30 days ago, you can't restore it through the cloud, and then you just have to try local recovery with specialized software, but you can't guarantee success.

To avoid future data loss:

• 🔄 Enable automatic sync with Xiaomi Cloud or Google.
• 📅 Regularly (once a month) make manual backups through Settings → Memory. → Backup copy.
• 📎 Export contacts to a.vcf file and save them to Google Drive or your computer.

Hidden features of the “Contacts” app on Xiaomi

The MIUI Contacts app contains some useful but little-known features, and here are the most interesting ones:

• 🔍 Advanced search: In the search bar you can enter not only names, but also phone numbers, email, addresses or even phrases from notes to contact.
• 📞 Quick dial: on the Set tab in the Phone application, you can assign quick call shortcuts (hold the number). → Choose a contact).
• 🎨 Color tags: In contact settings, you can assign it a color (for example, red for important, green for personal).
• 📊 Call statistics: Open contact → Journal → All calls, their duration and dates are displayed here.
• 🔒 Hidden contacts: You can hide individual contacts from prying eyes (see next section).

One of the most useful features is to combine duplicate contacts, if you have multiple records for one person (e.g., from different contacts). SIM-Cards or accounts, they can be merged:

1. Open Contacts → Settings → Contact Management.
2. Choose to Join Contacts.
3. The system will automatically find possible duplicates and offer to combine them.

Another hidden feature is that you can set up the display of names, and by default, contacts are sorted by name, but you can change that to a last name.

1. Go to Contacts → Settings → Display of names.
2. Select the format: Name or Surname Name.

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The dual-takes function only works for contacts from one account, and if duplicates are stored in different accounts (e.g., one in Xiaomi Cloud, another in Google), they will have to be manually combined.

How to hide contacts on Xiaomi: privacy is a priority

If you want to hide individual contacts from strangers (for example, when handing over the phone to colleagues or relatives), there are several ways to use MIUI:

• 🔐 Hiding through the Contacts app: Open the contact you want to hide.Click Edit → More. → Hide the contact. Confirm the action, the contact will disappear from the main list. To return it, go to Settings. → Hidden contacts and uncheck the flag.
• 📵 Use of the second space: create a separate profile in Settings → Special facilities → Second space. No contacts from the main space will be displayed there.
• 🔑 Safe apps: Use App Lock (built-in) MIUI) or third-party programs like Vault to block access to the "Contacts" application».