Changing a smartphone is always an exciting process, especially when it comes to transferring personal information. The most valuable asset for most users is their phone book, the loss of which can be a real disaster. Device owners Xiaomi and Redmi have a significant advantage thanks to the rich functionality of the shell MIUI and ecosystem Androidoffering many ways to migrate data. You can choose the method that best suits your current situation: Internet availability, type of old device or transfer speed.
In this article we will analyze in detail all the current synchronization methods, from cloud services to local transmission via cable or Wi-Fi Direct. It doesn't matter whether you are switching from another smartphone, or simply changing the SIM card. We will look at the nuances of the application Android-smartphone, iPhone or just change the SIM card. We will look at the nuances of the application Mi Mover, features of export via .vcf files and hidden account capabilities Google. Choosing the right method will save you time and eliminate the need to manually enter hundreds of numbers.
Synchronization through a Google account: the most reliable method
Using cloud storage Google is the “gold standard” for users Android. This method ensures that your data is preserved even if your device is physically lost or damaged. To get started, make sure contact synchronization is enabled on your old phone. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google and check whether the switch next to the “Contacts” item is active. If the checkbox is checked, the system will automatically upload all records to the server.
On the new one Xiaomi Redmi the recovery process takes just a few minutes. When setting up your phone for the first time, simply enter the same Gmail address password that you used on your old device. The system will offer to restore data from a backup copy. If your phone is already configured, go to Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Google, select the desired account and click the sync button. In a few seconds, the entire phone book will appear in the Contacts application.
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where contacts are not displayed immediately after logging into their account. In this case, you need to check the display settings in the phone book application itself. Open the application Contact, click on the three dots in the corner or the menu button and select “Display Settings”. Make sure there is a checkmark next to your account Google, and not just “Phone” or “SIM”. This is a common mistake that creates the illusion of data loss.
⚠️ Attention: Synchronization requires a stable Internet connection. If you have a tariff with limited traffic, it is better to perform this operation via Wi-Fi, since downloading a large database can require a significant amount of megabytes.
Before synchronizing, go to contacts.google.com from your computer to visually verify that all numbers are actually saved in the cloud. This will give you a 100% guarantee of data security before resetting your old phone.
Using the Mi Mover application for local transfer
The company Xiaomi has developed its own solution for data migration, which is called Mi Mover. This application is pre-installed on all brand devices and allows you to transfer information directly from your old phone to a new one without using the Internet. The operating principle is based on creating a temporary Wi-Fi access point, which ensures high transfer speeds even for large amounts of data. This method is ideal if you are switching from another smartphone. Android-smartphone.
To start the process, open the application Mi Mover on both devices. On the new one Redmi select the role “I am the recipient”, and on the old one - “I am the sender”. The old phone will scan the QR code that appears on the screen of the new device, and a secure connection will be established between them. You can select not only contacts, but also photos, messages, music and even installed applications. The process is fully automated and does not require user intervention after start.
☑️ Preparing to work with Mi Mover
It is important to note that when transferring contacts via Mi Mover they are by default saved to the local memory of the device or account Mi, depending on the settings. To avoid losing this data in the future, it is recommended to export it to your account after the transfer. Google. Go to the contacts settings on the new phone, select “Import/Export contacts” and select the “Export to Google account” option. This will create a backup copy in the cloud.
⚠️ Attention: Do not interrupt the transfer process or lock your phone screens until the operation is complete. Losing the connection can lead to damage to contact files or the appearance of duplicate entries.
Transferring contacts from a SIM card to Xiaomi
Despite the development of cloud technologies, many users habitually store numbers on SIM card. This method has limitations on the number of characters in the contact name and the lack of additional fields (for example, email or address), but it is universal and works on any phone. If you have just inserted your old SIM card into a new one Xiaomi Redmi, the first thing you need to do is copy the entries to the internal memory.
The import procedure is as simple as possible and does not require installing third-party software. Open the standard Contacts application, tap the menu (three bars or dots) and select Settings. Find the "Import and export contacts" section and click the "Import from SIM card" button. The system will prompt you to select a destination: it is recommended to select your account Google or phone memory, but not the SIM card itself, to avoid storage format limitations.
After selecting the source and destination, the system will show a list of all found entries. You can mark all contacts at once or select only the ones you need manually. Confirm the action and the phone will start copying. This process takes from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on the number of subscribers. Once complete, you will see a notification that the import was successful.
Why you shouldn't store contacts on your SIM?
SIM cards have a limited amount of memory and only support short names (often cutting them to 10-15 characters). In addition, if the SIM card is lost or damaged, it will be impossible to restore the numbers, unlike cloud accounts.
Manual export and import via a vCard file (.vcf)
The method using a file vCard is the most flexible and allows you to transfer contacts even without a direct connection between phones. You can create one file containing the entire phone book, save it to a flash drive, send it by mail or via instant messenger, and then open it on a new device. The format .vcf is supported by all modern operating systems, including Android, iOS i Windows.
To create a backup on your old phone, go to the contacts application, select “Settings” → “Import and export” → “Export to storage”. The phone will create a file with the extension .vcf (usually in the root of the internal memory or folder Downloads). This file can be transferred to Xiaomi in any convenient way: via Bluetooth, Telegram, WhatsApp or by copying it to a computer and then to the phone via a USB cable.
On the receiving device Redmi just open the file manager, find the received file and click on it. The system will automatically offer to open it through the Contacts application and ask where exactly to save the imported entries. Select the desired account and all data will be added to the phone book. This method is especially convenient if you need to transfer contacts from iPhone to Android, since iOS can also create and send vCard.
| File transfer method | Speed | Convenience | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | Low | Average | Proximity of devices |
| Messengers (TG, WA) | High | High | Internet availability |
| USB cable (PC) | Very high | Low | Computer and cable |
| Medium | High | Mailbox |
Migration of data from iPhone to Xiaomi Redmi
Moving from the ecosystem Apple on Android often raises concerns about data loss, but in the case of contacts this procedure has been worked out to the point of automaticity. The easiest way is to use iCloud cloud synchronization if the corresponding option is enabled on your iPhone. However, since direct synchronization of iCloud with Android is impossible without intermediaries, it is best to use export via the web interface or application Move to iOS (in reverse order) or the same Mi Moverif the iOS version allows it.
The most universal algorithm of actions is as follows: go to your computer or iPhone browser to website icloud.com, log in using your Apple ID and open the “Contacts” section. Select all entries (on a PC this is done using the key combination Ctrl+A or Cmd+A), click on the gear in the corner and select “Export vCard”. Send the resulting file to your email or messenger installed on your new one Xiaomi, and open it for import.
An alternative option is to install the Move to Android application on your iPhone, although the functionality may be limited. A more reliable option for owners Xiaomi is to use the “Get data from iOS” function in the application Mi Mover. On your iPhone you will need to install a special application Mi Mover from the App Store, scan the code and allow access to contacts. The system itself will transfer the data via the Wi-Fi channel.
⚠️ Attention: When transferring from an iPhone, make sure that the numbers are not divided into different groups, which may not be displayed correctly on Android. After importing, check that all names are written correctly in Cyrillic or Latin, as encodings sometimes conflict.
The fastest way to switch from iPhone is to export all contacts to one .vcf file via the iCloud website and then upload this file to Xiaomi. It takes no more than 5 minutes.
Solving problems with duplicates and display
After a bulk data transfer, users often encounter the problem of duplicating records. This happens when the same contact is saved simultaneously to the phone memory, SIM card and Google account. The shell MIUI has a built-in tool to solve this problem, which works much more efficiently than manual removal. It analyzes names and phone numbers, finding matches and offering to combine them.
To clear your phone book, open the Contacts app, go to Settings and look for Organize Contacts or Remove Duplicates. The system will offer to view the found pairs and combine them. You can accept the automatic suggestion or manually choose which information to keep as a priority (for example, keep the number from the SIM, and the photo and email from Google). This feature is critical to maintaining order in your address book.
It is also worth paying attention to the display settings if you do not see some contacts after transfer. In the Contacts app, tap the filter or menu icon and make sure the All Contacts view is selected. Sometimes the default filter is “Only contacts with numbers” or contacts from only one specific account, which hides part of the database from the user.
What to do if names are displayed in hieroglyphs?
If after the transfer you see strange characters instead of Russian names, the problem is in the encoding of the vCard file. Try opening the file on your computer using Notepad and saving it with UTF-8 encoding, then re-importing it to your phone.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Is it possible to transfer contacts if the old phone does not turn on?
If the phone is completely dead, but the SIM card is intact, you can insert a SIM card into a new device and import numbers from it. If the contacts were saved only in the internal memory of the faulty phone, it is impossible to restore them without repairing the device unless synchronization with Google or the manufacturer’s cloud was previously configured.
Is it safe to transfer contacts via Bluetooth?
Yes, transferring contacts via Bluetooth is safe, since the connection is established directly between two devices without the participation of third-party servers. However, this method is slow when transferring a large number of entries individually, so it is better to first export all contacts into one vCard file and transfer it.
How many contacts can you store in a Google Account?
The contact limit in a Google Account is 25,000 entries. For the average user, this is an almost unlimited amount.
What to do if Mi Mover freezes at the connection stage?
Try to turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data on both devices before launching the application, as sometimes the phone tries to use an external network instead of creating a local access point. Also make sure that geolocation is enabled on both phones, as this is required for the device discovery protocol to work.
Will contacts disappear from the old phone after the transfer?
No, when using copy methods (Mi Mover, Bluetooth, vCard), the data on the old device remains intact. Deletion will only happen if you specifically select the “Move” function (which is rare for contacts) or manually delete them, or if you used synchronization and then deleted the account from the old device.