Modern Xiaomi smartphones offer many ways to manage contacts, but the basic task of saving a new number sometimes raises questions for users who have switched from other platforms. Owners of Redmi and Poco devices often encounter the nuances of the MIUI or HyperOS shell interface, where standard actions can be hidden behind additional menus.
Properly saving a number is critical not only for communication, but also for the correct operation of messengers such as WhatsApp or Telegram. If the contact is recorded incorrectly or synchronization is not configured, you risk losing important data when changing your device. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods for adding subscribers.
We will look at both the classic methods through the phone book and the automatic functions that allow you to save numbers directly from the history of calls or messages, and we will pay special attention to the choice of storage location, since the security of your data depends on it.
Keeping a new contact through the phone book
The most obvious and frequently used method is to create a recording manually through the standard Contacts app, which gives the user full control over the information entered, allowing you to immediately add a photo, email address and link the number to a specific account.
To get started, you need to open the Contacts or Phone app and find the add button, which usually looks like a plus or a plus person icon, and then click the system will prompt you to select a save location, which is a critical step for further synchronization.
⚠️ Note: If you choose storage for SIM-You will lose the ability to add email, photos and social profiles to this contact. Always choose a Google account for full functionality.
In the window that opens, fill in the fields: first name, surname and phone number. Please note that the format of the number is better to enter immediately in the international format (for example, +7 instead of 8) to avoid problems with determining the number when roaming or using instant messengers.
After you have entered all the data, click the Save button or the box in the corner of the screen. Now the recording is available in the device's shared database and, when synchronized, instantly appears on your other gadgets.
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Use the “Company” field to add tags that you can then quickly search for contacts through a search, for example, by typing “School” or “Sports Hall” there.
Recording of the number from the history of calls and messages
Often we need to save the number from which the call just came or SMS arrived. In this case, there is no need to enter the numbers manually, since the Xiaomi system allows you to do this in a single tap from the event log.
Open the Phone app and go to the Recent tab, find the number you want in or out of your incoming or outgoing calls, and tap the arrow next to the number, or the number itself, to reveal the additional action menu.
- 📞 Click “Create Contact” if the number is not already in the database.
- ➕ Select “Add to an existing one” to add a new number to an existing record (e.g. mobile and work).
- 📝 Use the “Send Message” option if you need to first contact the subscriber before saving.
A similar algorithm works for SMS-When you open a dialogue with an unknown sender, click on the avatar or number at the top of the screen. In the menu that opens, select the option to add to contacts. This saves time and eliminates errors when manually dialing digits.
If you add a number to an existing record, the system will suggest you choose which contact to update, which is convenient for maintaining a complete history of communication with the person, combining his various phone numbers into a single card.
Selection of storage location: Google, Phone or SIM
When you create a new record, MIUI always asks where to store the data, and understanding the differences between these options will help you avoid losing information in the future, and each type of storage has its own technical limitations and advantages.
Storage for SIM-The card is a relic of the past, which should be used only in extreme cases, for example, to transfer the base to a button phone. The memory of the SIM is extremely limited, usually no more than 250 entries, and the length of the number and name is strictly limited.
| Type of storage | Synchronization | Limits | Supplementary fields |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google account | Automatic. | 15 GB (total) | All fields available |
| Phone memory | No (locally) | Depends on memory. | All fields available |
| SIM-map | Absent. | ~250 contacts | Name and number only |
The best choice is a Google account, which provides automatic backup, and even if you crash your smartphone screen or lose your device, all contacts will be restored immediately after you enter your username and password on the new gadget.
Storage in the memory of the phone ("Device") is convenient because the data is available without the Internet, but when you reset settings to factory (Factory Reset) they will be irrevocably deleted, if you do not make a separate backup of the system.
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Always choose a Google account when you create a contact – this is the only way to ensure the safety of data in case of a breakage or loss of a smartphone.
Import of contacts from other sources
If you’ve just bought a new Xiaomi, you’ll probably need to move hundreds of numbers from your old device, and the system’s built-in tools allow you to do it quickly and without using third-party apps.
Go to the Contacts app, click on the menu (three dots or bars) and select Import Contacts: SIM-card,.vcf file or other device via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
The most universal way is to use a.vcf file. You can export contacts from an old phone (Android or iPhone) to this format, transfer the file to a new smartphone and import it. The process takes minutes even for thousands of records.
⚠️ Note: When importing with SIM-Make sure the names are written correctly, often because of the SIM's limitations, long names are cropped and have to be edited by hand.
For iPhone owners, a great solution would be to use the “Move to iOS” app (although it’s more for moving to Apple) or use sync via a Google account on both devices. Just add your Gmail on your iPhone, enable contact sync, and then sign in to the same account on Xiaomi.
☑️ Checklist before import
Set up synchronization and backup
To keep contacts up and running on all devices, you need to set up syncs correctly. In Xiaomi smartphones, Google is responsible for this, but there is also the Mi Cloud cloud, which can also store data.
Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. If the slider is turned off, new records will not fly to the cloud, and changes to other devices will not show up here.
It’s also worth checking the settings of the Contacts app itself. The Contacts Filter menu often includes a “Contact Filter” option, and make sure it ticks the “All Contacts” box or selects the account you’re using, otherwise you may not see the numbers saved in the list.
For increased reliability, you can also enable sync with Mi Cloud. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Sync and activate contacts. This will create an additional copy in the Xiaomi ecosystem, which is useful if you use other devices of the brand.
What to do if your contacts are lost after the update?
Removal of duplicates and database management
Over time, the phone book accumulates garbage: duplicate records, old call center numbers and contacts without names. MIUI has a built-in tool for cleaning the base that works quite efficiently.
Open Contacts, go to the settings or management menu, and find either "Combine Repetitive Contacts" or "Clean Up." The system will automatically scan the database, find the records with the same numbers or names, and suggest combining them.
Manual editing is also available for fine-tuning, so you can add fields, change ringtones to specific contacts, and group them together, and you can create a personalized phone book where you can customize each caller.
Not only does regular cleaning free up space (though minimal), it also speeds up search and dialing, and the contact database is indexed by the system, and the cleaner it is, the faster it is to find matches when entering the first digits.