How to change your account for calls to Xiaomi: all the ways and nuances

Changing your account to make calls on Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that users face when buying a used device, moving to another country, or wanting to use a different phone number. SIM-cards, here we are talking about linking an account to services MIUI, Responsible for subscriber identification in Xiaomi ecosystem, including Mi Dialer calls, contact synchronization and Mi Cloud.

Complicating the problem, the manufacturer has integrated multiple levels of authorization: a local user profile, a Mi Account account, and a Google service link. Incorrect actions when changing an account can lead to blocking the call function, losing contacts, or even activating protection against theft (if the device was tied to the previous owner).

Why You May Need to Change Your Account for Calls

At first glance, the replacement SIM-The card must automatically update the subscriber's data in the system. MIUI The account for calls is not just a phone number, but a complex link to the phone:

• 📱 Local user profile (name, avatar, call settings).
• 🔑 Mi Account – Xiaomi’s global account that syncs contacts, call logs and settings through the Mi Cloud.
• ☁️ Google Account – if syncing is used through Google Contacts.
• 📞 Mi Dialer – a proprietary call application that can block outgoing calls when data mismatches.

Typical scenarios where a change is required:

• 🔄 Buying a used Xiaomi smartphone with a tied someone else’s account.
• 🌍 Moving to another country with a replacement SIM-maps and numbers.
• 🔒 Recovery after Mi Account blocking (for example, on suspicion of theft).
• 📱 Use of the two SIM-Cards with different accounts for work and personal calls.

It is important to understand that simply deleting Mi Account without first denouncing can result in IMEI blocking (if the device was blacklisted by the previous owner) or loss of access to call functions. For example, on Redmi Note 12 and later, when changing an account without resetting, Find My Device protection, which requires entering the old password, can work.

Method 1: Change your account through MIUI settings

The safest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which is suitable if you have access to your current account and want to link a new number or profile.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Choose Mi Account (or Xiaomi Account in the newer versions).
3. Click on the profile avatar in the upper right corner → Account management.
4. Scroll down and select Log out of your account (password entry is required).
5. After exit, restart the device.
6. Return to Settings → Accounts and add a new Mi Account or Google Account.

If your contacts are missing after changing your account, check:

• 🔄 Synchronization in Settings → Accounts. → Google/Mi Account → Synchronization of contacts.
• 📱 Contacts app settings (possibly local contacts only displayed).

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If you need a password when you log out of Mi Account, but you don’t remember it, use recovery via email or a linked number on account.xiaomi.com.

Method 2: Reset settings to completely clean accounts

If the previous owner hasn’t untie their Mi Account or you don’t remember the login details, the only reliable way is to completely reset your account, which deletes all accounts but also erases user data.

Step-by-step:

1. Make a backup copy of important data (photos, contacts, messages).
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Select Erase All Data (on some models – Delete All Data and Reset Settings).
4. Enter. PIN-code or pattern lock (if installed).
5. Confirm the action and wait for the reboot.

After discharge:

• 📱 When you first turn on the system will prompt you to log into Mi Account or create a new one.
• 🔑 If the phone requires the entry of the old account data (for example, on the screen This device is locked), then it was tied to the Mi Cloud with the Find My Device function.

Attention! On Xiaomi 13/14 series and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ models, confirmation via Mi Account may be required after a reset, even if the phone was not stolen.This is due to Xiaomi's security policy for 5G-enabled devices.

Method 3: Using ADB to force account deletion

For power users, there is a method to delete an account via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), which is suitable if resetting did not help or you want to avoid data loss, which can disrupt Xiaomi services and lead to locking the device if done incorrectly.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and install ADB drivers (e.g., via Mi PC Suite).
4. Open the command line on the PC and type:

adb shell pm list packages | grep "account"


adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.account

After the commands are executed:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 📱 Go to Settings. → Accounts and add a new Mi Account.

⚠️ Note: Deleting com.xiaomi.account may result in:

• 🚫 Loss of access to Mi Cloud, Mi Home and other Xiaomi services.
• 📵 Mistakes in Mi Dialer (calling app).
• 🔄 Need for complete reset to restore functionality.

Method 4: Changing your Google account to sync your contacts

If you’re only interested in syncing contacts and call logs (not the Mi Account itself), you can limit yourself to changing your Google Account, which is relevant for users who use Google Contacts as their primary source of data.

How to do this:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Click on your current account → Delete the account.
3. Add a new Google Account and enable sync for Contacts and Call Log.
4. Go to Contacts → Settings → Default account and select a new account.

Advantages of this method:

• ✅ No need to reset settings.
• ✅ Retains access to Xiaomi services (unless the Mi Account is deleted).
• ✅ Automatically updates contacts on all devices linked to Google.

⚠️ Note: If you use Mi Dialer as your primary calling app, changing your Google Account will not affect your Xiaomi subscriber identification.

Solving problems after changing your account

Even after a successful account change, users often encounter errors, and let's look at typical situations and how to fix them.

If you have lost your phone logs after changing your account, try:

• 🔄 Restore them from a backup of Mi Cloud (if it was created).
• ☁️ Enable log synchronization in Settings → Google → Synchronization.
• 📱 Use third-party recovery apps, such as Call Logs Backup & Restore.

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If after changing the account, the phone stopped determining the subscriber number when incoming calls, check the operator's settings in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Caller name. Sometimes manual data entry is required. APN.

Features for different Xiaomi models

The process of changing an account may vary depending on the model and version of MIUI, and below are the key nuances for the popular series.

On devices with MIUI 14 and later (such as Xiaomi 14 Ultra or Redmi K60 Pro), additional confirmation may be required when changing your account via:

• 📧 Email linked to Mi Account.
• 📱 SMS old phone number.
• 🔐 Two-factor authentication (if enabled).

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On models with MIUI 13+, it is recommended to update the firmware to the latest version after changing your account, which will help avoid conflicts between old account data and new settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing your account for calls