Why not add contact to the phone book on Xiaomi: 7 reasons and fixes

You try to save a new number in the Xiaomi phone book, but the system stubbornly ignores your actions? Contact does not appear in the list, disappears after the reboot or does not save at all - this is the problem faced by owners of Redmi, POCO and Mi smartphones based on MIUI of any version. 80% of cases are to blame for synchronization problems, account conflicts or cache errors of the Contacts app.

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible reasons why a contact isn’t added to a Xiaomi phone book, from the banal (incorrectly selected account to save) to the technical (damage to the com.android.contacts database). For each problem, we will give step-by-step solutions, including hidden settings. MIUI, Not described in the official documentation, but with the dual-engineered models. SIM-Maps and devices after updating to MIUI 14/15, where the problem is most often.

Before you move on to radical measures (resetting or flashing), check out 5 basic points:

1. Incorrectly selected account for saving

The most common mistake is to try to keep a contact in an inactive account (e.g., Google when your phone is disabled synced, or Mi Account if you are not logged in). Xiaomi defaults to save the number to the last account used, which is often confusing.

How to check and correct:

• 📱 Open the Contacts app and click + Add contact.
• 🔍 At the top of the screen will appear the field "Save in" - tap it.
• 📋 Select "Device" (or SIM-card if you want to save it to a physical chip).
• 🔄 If the Device option is missing, the local phone book is disabled (see Section 3).

Important: Contacts saved on SIM-maps that are not synced to the cloud and may disappear when you replace the chip. Use Google Contacts or Mi Cloud for backup.

2. Google Sync Conflict or Mi Account

If a contact is added but disappears after a reboot or after a few minutes, automatic synchronization is to blame. Xiaomi may conflict with Google or Mi Cloud servers, especially if:

• 🔄 You recently changed your password from your Google or Mi Account.
• 📱 There are two on the phone. SIM-cards with accounts linked to them.
• 🔄 In the settings disabled option Autosynchronization of data.
• ⚠️ Google or Xiaomi servers have temporary crashes (check status on Google status page).

How to fix it:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google (or Mi Account).
2. Slip on your account and turn off contact sync.
3. Return to Contacts, delete the “problem” number (if it appears) and add it again by selecting “Save on Device”.
4. After 5-10 minutes, turn on synchronization in your account settings again.

⚠️ Warning: If you've lost your contacts after you've turned off sync, don't panic! They're temporarily hidden and will regenerate after you turn on the option again. But if you've manually deleted your contacts before you turn off sync, they'll be lost forever.

Make sure that mobile internet or Wi-Fi is enabled|

Check if your Google/Mi Account is authorized in the settings |

Disable/enable contact synchronization manually|

Try adding a contact to another account (for example, to a new account). SIM-map)-->

3. No local phone book (MIUI error)

Some MIUI firmware (especially POCO F3/F4 and Redmi Note 10/11) have the local phone book disabled by default, meaning that all contacts are forcibly saved to the cloud (Google or Mi Cloud), and if sync fails, new numbers “disappear”.

How to turn on local storage:

1. Open the "Contact» → ⋮ (three-point) → Settings → Contact management.
2. Find the Local Phone Book (or Device) option and activate it.
3. If you don’t have an option, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Contacts → Storage and click Clear Data (this will reset the application settings to factory settings).

A critical feature of MIUI 14+ is that once upgraded, the system can automatically transfer all contacts from local storage to Mi Cloud without notice.

4.Cache or data of the Contacts application is damaged

If contacts are not saved even after changing your account, and the Contacts app is unstable (hangs, gives errors), it is the fault of the damaged cache or database files. This is a common problem after updating MIUI or cleaning memory through Optimizer.

How to clean the cache:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Contacts (or com.android.contacts) and open it.
3. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
4. If it doesn’t work, click Clear Data (this will delete all local contacts, but restore the functionality).

For advanced users: if the data cleanup didn’t help, you can manually delete database files via ADB:

adb shell pm clear com.android.contacts


adb shell pm clear com.miui.contacts

⚠️ Note: pm clear will reset the Contacts app completely and delete all unsynchronized data.Be sure to export contacts to.vcf file via the app menu before executing.

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Before clearing the data, make a backup of contacts: open Contacts» → ⋮ → «Imports/Exports» → «Export to file. Save the file to SD-map.

5 Mistakes SIM-card or double-chip

On Xiaomi smartphones with two SIM-cards (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ or POCO X5 Pro) contacts may not be maintained because of:

• 📱 Incorrectly selected slot for saving (selected by default) SIM1, even if it's inactive).
• 🔄 Identity conflict (if both are SIM-card).
• 🚫 Blocked. SIM-Cards (for example, if required) PUK-code).
• 📵 The lack of communication on one of the SIM (Contacts will not be saved if the slot is inactive).

Decisions:

1. Before maintaining contact with SIM-Make sure it is active (the top panel displays the operator name).
2. If you use two SIM-cards of one operator (for example, two MTS), try to keep contact with the second operator SIM.
3. Reboot your phone with the second one disabled. SIM--Physically remove it and try adding contact.

6 Viruses or third-party applications block access

Less commonly, but accurately, some antiviruses (such as Avast or 360 Security) and optimizers (such as Clean Master) block access to the phone book, considering it a “suspicious activity”, and the problem can occur after installing Magisk modules or custom firmware.

How to diagnose:

• 🛡️ Temporarily disable the antivirus and try adding contact.
• 🔍 Check the permissions for the Contact app in Settings → Annexes → Permits.
• 📱 If you have root rights, follow the command: su -c "pm grant com.android.contacts android.permission.WRITE_CONTACTS"

Symptoms of a virus infection: If, in addition to contact problems, you notice a browser opening yourself, the appearance of unknown applications or a quick battery discharge, perform a full check through Google Play Protect or Malwarebytes.

7. Hardware malfunctions or firmware failure

If none of the methods did not help, and the problem appeared after the fall of the phone, the MIUI update or the unsuccessful reset - to blame:

• 💾 Memory damage (especially on budget models like Redmi) 9A or POCO M3).
• 🔄 Unsuccessful updates (e.g., with a MIUI 12 on MIUI 14 through OTA).
• 🔧 Failure of the controller SIM-cards (contacts are not stored on the device or on the SIM).

Action:

1. Reset the settings to factory (Settings → About the phone → Reset settings), pre-saving the data.
2. If the reset didn’t help, search the phone through the Mi Flash Tool (see xiaomiflash.com for instructions for your model).
3. If you suspect a hardware malfunction (for example, the phone does not see) SIM-- card) contact the service center. On Xiaomi with a valid warranty for the repair of the controller SIM free.

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If the contact is not maintained only on SIM-card, but normally added to the device - a problem in the slot SIM Or the card itself. Try inserting it into another phone to check it.

FAQ: Frequent questions about contacts on Xiaomi