How to put your photo on the call screen in Xiaomi Redmi Note 8: 3 proven ways

You want your Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 to display a subscriber photo on your incoming call, not a boring icon? Not only does it make the interface more personalized, it helps you identify the caller faster. MIUI This process is not always intuitive, especially if the contact is stored not in the phone book of the smartphone, but in the Google account or in the phone. SIM-map.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can set a photo to a call, from basic contact settings to bypassing system constraints. You’ll learn why sometimes a photo doesn’t show up even after adding it, how to sync contacts properly, and what apps will help if standard methods don’t work. And we’ll also reveal the hidden MIUI feature that allows you to assign unique melodies and vibrations along with a contact photo – this is not available on all Android smartphones!

Why is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 not showing a photo when you call?

Before we get to the settings, it's important to understand why a photo might not appear on the incoming call screen.

• 📱 The contact is not stored in your local phone book, but in your Google account, SIM-map or messenger (WhatsApp, Telegram). MIUI Default shows avatars only for local contacts.
• 🔄 If you have added a photo to Google Contacts but have not updated your phone, the changes will not apply.
• 📷 Incorrect format or size of the photo. MIUI can ignore images with resolution above 720×720 pixels or in.webp format.
• 🛠️ Limitations of the shell MIUI. In some versions of firmware (especially Android-based) 9-10) Photo display function on the call is disabled by default.

If you've tried to add a photo before but it didn't appear on the screen, check these points first. Most often, the problem is solved by simply synchronizing or changing the contact source.

⚠️ Note: Redmi Note 8 with firmware MIUI 12.5 or later, a bug may trigger where contact photos are reset after a system update. To avoid this, export contacts to.vcf via the Contacts menu before upgrading the software. → Settings → Imports/Exports.

Method 1: Adding a photo through standard contact

The easiest method is to assign a photo directly to the Contacts app, which works for local contacts and those that are synced with your Xiaomi account.

1. Open the Contacts app (an icon with a person’s silhouette).
2. Find the right contact in the list and tap it.
3. In the upper right corner, click on the pencil icon (Edit).
4. Slip on the round camera icon next to the contact name.
5. Select the source of the photo: 📸 Take a picture if you want to take a picture of someone right now. 🖼️ Gallery – to select an existing photo. 🎨 Avatars - standard icons from MIUI.

Cut the photo in a circle (if necessary) and save the changes.

After that, when you call from that caller, the photo you selected should be displayed on the screen. If that does not happen, move to the next method.

The contact is stored in the local phone book, not on the phone. SIM-map

The photo has a resolution of no more than 720×720 pixels

In the call settings, the display of the photo is enabled (see Method 3)

Synchronization of contacts with the account Xiaomi/Google included-->

Method 2: Synchronize your contacts with Google or Xiaomi Cloud

If the contact is saved in a Google or Xiaomi Cloud account, but the photo is not displayed, the problem is that it is not synced.

For Google Contacts:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and make sure that the slider opposite Contact is active.
3. Slip it again. → Synchronize now.

For Xiaomi Cloud:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Mi Account.
2. Activate the synchronization of contacts and wait for the process to be completed.

Once synchronized, open the contact again and check if the photo is displayed. If not, try removing the avatar and reassigning it.

Method 3: Enabling the display of photos in the call settings

In some versions of MIUI, the photo display function on incoming calls is disabled by default to activate it:

1. Open the phone application (pipe icon).
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Go to Incoming Calls (or Call Settings, depending on the MIUI version).
4. Find the option to Show Contact Photos (or Display Avatars) and activate it.

Example of settings in Sync.ME:

1. Install the app and give access to contacts.
2. Open the contact you want to assign a photo to.
3. Slip the camera icon and select the source (gallery, Facebook, Viber, etc.).
4. Save the changes and check the display when the call is in.

⚠️ Note: Apps like Truecaller and Sync.ME collect your contacts to build a database, if you're concerned, use them only for one-time photo assignments, and then delete and revoke permissions in your Android settings. → Annexes → Permits).

Through standard contacts

Sync with Google/Xiaomi Cloud

I use third-party apps (Truecaller, Sync.ME)

I don't assign photos.

Another way.-->

Additional settings: melodies, vibrations and themes

On the Redmi Note 8, you can not only assign a photo to a contact, but also customize a unique ringtone or vibration pattern for it, which is especially useful if you want to distinguish important calls from others without looking at the screen.

How to set up an individual signal:

1. Open the contact and tap Edit.
2. Scroll down to the Call (or Default) section.
3. Select the Melody of the Call and specify the desired audio file.
4. To vibrate, tap Vibration and select a pattern (such as Heartbeat or SOS).

If you're short on standard tunes, you can add your own.

1. Place the audio file (.mp3 or.m4a format, up to 30 seconds in duration) in the Ringtones folder on the internal drive.
2. Restart your phone (sometimes required to update your tone list).
3. Your file will now be available in the contact melodies list.

💡

To quickly distinguish between work and personal calls, assign short high-note tunes to your colleagues, and low-frequency long-signals to your friends and family, so you can determine the type of call you make even in a noisy place.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting up photos for calls, Redmi Note 8 users often encounter common errors, and here are the most common ones and ways to solve them:

• 🔄 Photos are available but not displayed when you call. → Check the settings of the Phone application (see Method 3) or restart the device.
• 📵 Photo clipped incorrectly → MIUI It automatically cuts the avatars into a circle, so to avoid losing important detail, place your face in the center of the original image.
• 🔒 You can't edit the contact. → Contact saved on SIM-Transfer it to the phone book: open the contact. → More. → Copy into the phone.
• 📱 After updating MIUI photos gone → This is a known bug.Restore contacts from the backup (see the warning box above).

If none of these methods helped, try resetting the Contacts app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the contact and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Reboot your phone and assign the photos again.

⚠️ Attention: Clearing the Contacts app data will delete all local contacts (but not those synced to Google or Xiaomi Cloud). → Settings → Imports/Exports.

💡

On Redmi Note 8, photos of contacts are cached by the system. If you changed the avatar, but the call shows the old version, clear the cache of the Phone application in the settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions