Changing a device is always stressful, with the risk of losing important data. Especially worrisome when it comes to a phone book containing hundreds of numbers from colleagues, friends and delivery services. Fortunately, Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers sophisticated migration tools to avoid manually dialing or finding old notebooks. Today’s Chinese-branded smartphones are equipped with powerful utilities that make copying data almost invisible to the user.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at all the current synchronization methods, from the Mi Mover app to Google’s cloud services and Mi Cloud. You will learn how to avoid duplicates, what to do if names are displayed by “krakozyakers”, and how to restore deleted numbers from backup. Whether you switch from the Redmi Note 10 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 or simply change. SIM-Map, these instructions will help keep your digital social life intact.
Before you start active, you need to do basic training for both devices. Make sure that both smartphones are charged at least 50-60%, as active data transfer over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth can quickly consume energy. Also check for a stable Internet connection if you plan to use cloud synchronization methods. The fastest and most reliable way to transfer is using a local Wi-Fi channel through Mi Mover, which does not require mobile traffic.
Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration
The most effective and recommended way by the manufacturer is to use the built-in Mi Mover app. This tool is pre-installed on all modern Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones running MIUI or HyperOS. It allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, applications, system settings and even placement of icons on the desktop. The main advantage of the method is the creation of a direct Wi-Fi channel between devices, which ensures high speed transfer without using the Internet.
To get started, open the app on both smartphones. On the new device, select Recipient and on the old device, Sender. QR-If you have a code or access point, you'll see a list of data categories to transfer once you've established the connection, and you'll need to be careful, if you only need contacts, uncheck heavy files like videos or games to speed up the process.
⚠️ Warning: During the operation of Mi Mover smartphone screens may fade or flicker - this is the normal behavior of the energy saving system, do not interrupt the process.
The copying process takes from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on the volume of the phone book. Once completed on a new device, it can take several minutes to index and sort the data received. If you move contacts from an old Android smartphone of another brand, the Mi Mover application can also be downloaded from Google Play, but the functionality can be limited only to basic data.
Synchronization with your Mi Cloud account
The second most popular method is the use of cloud storage Mi Cloud. This is ideal for those who are already deeply integrated into the Xiaomi ecosystem. Synchronization occurs in the background, and your contacts are always available even if the phone is lost or broken. To implement this method on an old device, you need to log into your Mi Account and activate the contact sync slider in the cloud settings.
Once the data has been uploaded to the server, take a new smartphone. When you first set up or through the Settings menu → Mi Account → Mi Cloud, log in with the same login. The system automatically prompts you to restore data from the cloud. If the phone is already configured and in use, you can simply turn on sync, and the numbers will appear in the address book in a few minutes.
- 📲 Open Settings on your old phone and go to the Mi Account section.
- ☁️ Select Mi Cloud and make sure the Contacts switch is active (blue on).
- 🔄 Click the Sync button or wait for the automatic status update.
- 📥 On the new device, log in to the same account and enable contact synchronization.
It's important to note that free space in the Mi Cloud is limited to 5GB. For thousands of contacts, that's more than enough, because text data takes up a minimum of space. However, if you store large photos and videos there, the space may run out and sync will stop, in which case it's worth temporarily clearing the cloud or using another method.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
Transfer via Google Contacts
For users who frequently change smartphones or use devices of different brands, Google Contacts is the “gold standard” method that ensures that your phone book is safe regardless of the phone model. All numbers saved in a Google account are automatically pulled up to any Android smartphone immediately after entering your login and password.
To check where your numbers are stored right now, open the Contacts app on old Xiaomi. Go to the display or contact management settings. If they are stored in your phone's memory or on the phone. SIM-In the Google Contacts app (or the standard Xiaomi call), select the export menu and specify the.vcf format or just make sure that the checkbox “Sync with Google” is ticked».
On the new device, when you first run the Android Customization Wizard, you'll be asked to restore data from a Google backup. Select the last restore point. If the phone is already configured, just add a Google account in Settings → Acca and Sync. After that, the system will pull up all the numbers associated with the mail.
| Parameter | Mi Cloud | Google Contacts | Local file. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed. | High (depends on Wi-Fi) | Medium (background) | Instant. |
| Network dependency | We need the Internet. | We need the Internet. | No need. |
| Risk of loss | Minimum | Absent. | High (if you delete the file) |
| Duplicate | Possible. | Automatic merger | Possible. |
The advantage of this method through Google is that it's a smart take merger, if you have it in your phone memory and on your phone. SIM-The map has the same numbers, and Google will suggest that you combine them into a single card, clearing the list of unnecessary garbage, which is especially true when you move from very old phones, where data is often stored in a piecemeal form.
Export and import via VCF file
The classic method that helps when there is no Internet or cloud services are unstable is to create a business card file in.vcf (vCard) format, which contains all the information about contacts. via instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp), Bluetooth, email or simply copy through USB-cable to the computer and then to the new phone.
To back up on the old Xiaomi, open the Contacts app. Click on three dots in the corner or the menu button, select Import/Export Contacts. Specify the source (usually Phone Memory or «SIM-map) and destination — “.vcf file” — the system will create a file that is stored by default in the root of internal memory or in a folder MIUI/Contacts.
⚠️ Note: When exporting all contacts to a single file, make sure that the receiver device has enough free memory, although the weight of the text file usually does not exceed a few megabytes even for several thousand numbers.
Once you transfer the file to your new smartphone, just click on it in the file manager. The system will prompt you to open the file with the Contacts or Google Contacts app. Confirm the import, and all the entries will be added to the phone book. This method is good for its versatility - the.vcf file is read by almost all phones, from button Nokia to the latest iPhone.
☑️ Checklist before transfer
Copying contacts with SIM-map
The simplest, but morally outdated way that is still relevant for users of button phones or when changing. SIM-map. SIM-The card has a limited memory and allows you to store only basic information: name and number. Photos, addresses, email addresses and additional numbers will be lost during this transfer.
To copy the data, insert SIM-Go to the Contacts app, select the settings menu or import/export menu. Select the option Import from SIM-The system will suggest you choose an account where to save data — be sure to choose Google or Memory of the phone, but not the phone itself. SIM-map to avoid creating duplicates.
After importation, it is recommended to SIM-And then you put it back in your old phone to see if all the numbers were copied correctly. SIM You may have encoding problems, and instead of names, you may have some strange characters, and then you might want to use software methods like Mi Mover or Google that handle the encoding correctly. UTF-8.
Problem Solving: Duplicates and Synchronization Errors
A common problem after data transfer is the appearance of duplicates, which occurs when the same contact is stored in the memory of the phone, in the Google account, and on the phone. SIM-In modern shells. MIUI And HyperOS has a built-in cleaning tool. Go to Contacts, click on your profile or settings menu, and select "Combine Repetitive Contacts».
The system will analyze the database and suggest combining records with the same numbers or names, a secure operation that does not delete data, but only structures it. If automatic integration does not work, you can use the web version of Google Contacts (contacts.google.com), where the cleaning functionality is implemented more flexibly.
- 🧹 Open the web version of Google Contacts on your computer.
- 🔍 In the menu on the left, select "Combine and correct».
- ✅ Confirm the merger of the proposed pairs of contacts.
- 📲 Wait for synchronization on your smartphone.
Another possible problem is that contacts don't show up after the transfer. Check the display settings in the Contacts app. Often the default is the Phone Only filter, and new entries could be uploaded to a Google account. Click on the menu (three bars or dots) and select All Contacts or a specific account to see the full phone book.
💡
Tip: Export contacts to.vcf file regularly and save them in a safe place (for example, send yourself to Telegram in the Favorites or upload to Yandex.Disk).
Final recommendations on data security
Data portability is a great excuse to revisit your digital life. While you're moving your contacts from Xiaomi to Xiaomi, look out for the extra entries you can delete. Cleaning up the database will not only make room, but also speed up the search algorithms in the phone book.
Remember that contacts are key to your digital identity. Many services use your phone number for two-factor authentication and password recovery. So keeping that information safe is critical. Using Google Contacts + Mi Cloud provides double backup, which reduces the risk of loss to zero.
⚠️ Warning: After successfully transferring and verifying all numbers on the new device, it is recommended to perform a full reset on the old phone before selling or disposing of it, so that your data does not fall into the wrong hands.
Following these instructions, you can easily migrate to a new smartphone without losing any important number.The Xiaomi ecosystem provides flexible enough tools for any scenario, whether it’s quickly configuring a new device out of the box or recovering data after an old one breaks.
💡
Optimal strategy: Use Mi Mover for initial fast transfer of the entire dataset, and for permanent protection, enable synchronization with Google Contacts.