Changing a smartphone often turns into a real stress test for the owner, especially when it comes to the safety of personal data. Owners of devices Xiaomi and Redmi are faced with the need to transfer the phone book when upgrading to a new model or after resetting the settings to factory settings. Fortunately, the ecosystem Android offers a reliable automatic backup tool that is integrated directly into the operating system. Proper configuration of this mechanism allows you to forget about manually forwarding numbers through a SIM card or third-party applications.
The main task of the user is to make sure that all records are not stored in the local memory of the device, but are linked to the cloud storage of the search giant. This ensures that even if the gadget is physically lost, your phone book will remain safe and sound. In this manual, we will analyze in detail all the stages of activation and verification of this process, paying attention to the specific features of the shell MIUI and HyperOS.
Preparing an account and checking the current status
The first step before starting any data manipulation is account verification. Without an active Google Account synchronization is simply impossible, since it is he who acts as a unique identifier in the cloud. Go to the settings of your smartphone and find the section responsible for managing accounts. Depending on the firmware version, the path may differ slightly, but the logic remains the same for all devices based on Android.
You need to make sure that you are logged in with the same login that you plan to use to recover data in the future. Often, users have multiple mailboxes and may mistakenly activate synchronization on a secondary account, which will lead to confusion during recovery. Check whether your primary email address is displayed in the list of connected services.
⚠️ Attention: If you recently changed your Google mail password, the system may require you to re-authorize. In this case, synchronization will be suspended until new credentials are entered in the security settings.
After logging into your account, pay attention to the status of your Internet connection. For the initial download or upload of a large amount of data (more than 500 contacts), it is recommended to use a stable Wi-Fi connection to avoid session interruptions and possible errors in writing to the database. mobile data is also suitable, but may consume traffic.
Activation of synchronization through system settings
The process of enabling automatic data exchange is intuitive, but the shell MIUI has its own nuances menu display. You need to go to section Settings, then scroll down to item Accounts and synchronization (or Users and accounts on pure Android). Here you will see a list of all services associated with your device.
Find the logo in the list Google and click on it. A detailed menu for managing a specific account will open. Here is a list of all types of data that can be transferred to the cloud: calendar, disk, mail and, of course, contacts. Make sure the switch next to Contacts is in the active position. If it is turned off, just tap on it.
- 📱 Make sure that the "Contacts" switch is lit blue or green, which signals activity.
- 🔄 Click on the three dots in the corner of the screen or the "More" button to select "Synchronize" to force the process to start.
- 👁️ Check the time of the last synchronization - it should be updated to the current moment.
After activating the switch, the system will begin background data transfer. This process may take from a few seconds to several minutes depending on the size of your phone book and the speed of your Internet connection. During this time, you can continue to use your smartphone as usual, without fear of interface freezes.
☑️ Checking the synchronization settings
Setting up the Contacts application and selecting storage
Even if system synchronization is enabled, it is important to check the settings of the application itself for working with numbers. Smartphones Xiaomi can have a proprietary application installed by default, which sometimes tries to save new entries locally or in Mi Cloud, ignoring Google. Open the Contacts application and go to its internal settings through the menu or gear icon.
Find the section responsible for organizing the list or importing/exporting. It's critical to set Google Account as the default storage location for all new posts. This will prevent a situation where you save a new number, but it does not end up in the cloud due to the wrong choice of storage location.
| Storage type | Advantages | Disadvantages | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Account | Auto-sync, access from any device | Requires Internet for initial setup | Main choice |
| Phone memory | Works instantly without the Internet | Data will be lost if reset or breakdown | Not recommended |
| SIM card | Versatile when changing operator | Limited number of characters in the name, no photo | Only for reserve |
| Mi Account | Integration with the Xiaomi ecosystem | More difficult to transfer to Samsung or Pixel | Secondary option |
It is also worth checking the filter in the display settings visibility. Sometimes users complain about missing contacts, although in fact they are simply hidden by a filter. Make sure that “All contacts” or yours specifically is selected in the display settings to see the full picture. Google Accountto see the full picture.
If you create a new contact, always pay attention to the “Save in” field. Change it from “Phone” to your Google account before each save, until you set it as the default.
Manually merging duplicates and cleaning the database
During the long-term use of a smartphone, duplicate entries often accumulate. This happens when the same number is stored on the SIM card, in the phone memory, and in the cloud. Before the final synchronization, it makes sense to audit the database so as not to upload “garbage” to the cloud. Modern versions of Android and the Google Contacts application have built-in tools to solve this problem.
Go to Google's Contacts application (it is often pre-installed on Redmi or available in the Play Market). In the settings menu or home screen, you can find the Merge and Fix feature. The system will automatically analyze the list, find entries with the same numbers or names and offer to combine them into one card.
⚠️ Attention: When automatically merging, the system may mistakenly merge different people with the same names (for example, two “Alexeis”). Always review the proposed pairs before confirming the action so as not to lose unique data.
After manually cleaning and merging the takes, run forced synchronization again through the system settings, as described in the previous sections. This ensures that an optimized and up-to-date version of your phone book goes to the cloud. A clean database takes up less space and loads faster when restoring.
What to do if contacts are not merged?
If automatic merging does not work, try exporting contacts to a .vcf file, importing them back by selecting the “Merge with existing” option, and then starting synchronization again.
Checking the result via the web interface
The most reliable way to make sure that everything was successful is to check the data not on your phone, but on a third-party device. To do this, use a computer or any other gadget by going to the official website of the contact service. This will eliminate any local cached display errors on the smartphone itself Xiaomi.
Go to contacts.google.com and log in using the same login that is used on the phone. If the synchronization was successful, you will see a complete list of your numbers, including those that were added or changed a few minutes ago. The web version interface also allows you to edit data, add photos and groups.
- 🌐 Open the browser in incognito mode to avoid conflicts with other saved sessions.
- 🔍 Use the site search to find a specific number that you recently added to your phone.
- 📸 Check if profile photos have been loaded if you added them.
The presence of data on the site is the final confirmation that a backup has been created. Now, even if something happens to your smartphone, you can restore all the information in a couple of minutes on any new Android device. The web interface also shows the history of changes, allowing you to roll back actions if accidentally deleted.
The web version of Google Contacts is “the ultimate truth.” If the number is there, it means it is securely stored in the cloud, regardless of what is displayed on the phone screen.
Restoring contacts on a new device or after a reset
The recovery scenario is as simple as possible thanks to the work done previously. When setting up a new smartphone for the first time Redmi or after performing a hard reset (Hard Reset), the system will prompt you to sign in to your Google Account. Enter the same username and password that were used for synchronization.
During the initial setup process, the installation wizard will ask if you want to restore data from the cloud. Agree with this proposal. The system will automatically pull up all saved contacts, applications and settings. If the phone is already set up and working, just add an account in the settings section and turn on the synchronization toggle switch, as described at the beginning of the article.
Note: Settings interfaces may differ slightly depending on the version Android (11, 12, 13, 14) and shell version MIUI or HyperOS. If you do not find an item, use the search in the settings by entering the word “synchronization” or “account.”
After enabling synchronization on the new device, give the system a few minutes to load the data. Don't panic if the numbers don't appear immediately - the background process can take time if there is a large amount of data. Make sure that in the Contacts application the filter is selected to display all accounts, and not just the device memory.
Contacts did not appear after logging into your account?
Go to Settings -> Applications -> All applications -> Contacts -> Memory -> Clear data. Then restart your phone. This will force the application to request data from the server again.
Why are contacts saved only on the phone and not in Google?
This is due to the default settings of the Contacts application. When creating a new entry, the system prompts you to select a save location. If you previously selected “Phone” and clicked “Remember selection”, all new numbers will go into local memory. Change this in the application settings by selecting Google Account as the main storage.
Is it possible to sync contacts from a SIM card directly to Google?
Yes, it is possible. Go to the Contacts application, select the Import/Export menu and click Import from SIM card. Enter your Google Account as the destination. After importing, be sure to remove duplicates from the SIM card itself to avoid confusion in the future.
What to do if syncing gives you an "Not enough space" error?
Google provides 15 GB of free space, which is divided between Mail, Drive and Photos. If you run out of space, syncing contacts (which take up minimal space) is usually not completely blocked, but may not work correctly. Check the fullness of the storage in your account settings and, if necessary, delete unnecessary files or free up space.
How to disable synchronization so that contacts are not deleted from the phone?
When you disable synchronization, contacts stored in the cloud may disappear from the list on the phone, as they will no longer be loaded. To save them locally before disabling, export to a .vcf file through the Contacts application menu, save the file in the phone's memory, disable synchronization, and then import contacts back from the file by selecting the Phone storage.