Changing a smartphone or the need to temporarily move a SIM card to a push-button device often requires physically transferring the phone book. Owners of modern devices based on Android, in particular the popular model Redmi 9, may encounter the fact that by default all recordings are saved in cloud storage or the internal memory of the phone. This is convenient for synchronization, but creates problems when changing the physical communication medium.
The procedure for copying numbers to micro-SIM or nano-SIM in the shell MIUI (which is equipped Xiaomi Redmi 9) has its own characteristics that differ from "pure" Android. Security and memory optimization systems often hide direct export buttons to encourage the user to use the account Mi Cloud or Google. However, the classic transfer method remains workable and in demand.
In this guide we will look in detail at how to correctly migrate phone book data without losing a single important entry. You will learn about the hidden settings of the Contacts application, the nuances of working with two SIM cards and ways to solve common errors that occur when trying to save a number to a chip.
Preparing a phone book for transfer
Before you begin copying directly, you need to make sure that your data is in the correct format. Often, users import contacts from social networks or instant messengers, and these records are linked to accounts, and not to the device’s local storage. To transfer to a SIM card, recordings must be stored exclusively in the phone's memory.
Open the standard application Contact or go to settings via Settings → Applications → Contacts. Check the display filter: make sure that all sources are included, including accounts Google and Telegram. If you see numbers, but when you try to export they are not in the list, it means they are “virtual” and tied to the Internet service.
You need to consolidate the data. Go to the contact management menu (three dots or a gear in the corner of the screen) and select the function of merging duplicates. Xiaomi Redmi 9 automatically finds duplicate entries with different numbers and offers to merge them. This is a critical step, since the SIM card has a limited amount of memory, and duplication will take up precious cells.
⚠️ Attention: Old-style SIM cards or chips cut down by operators may have a limit of only 250 entries. Before starting mass export, clear the list of unnecessary delivery service numbers, spam and old work contacts.
If your contacts are synchronized with Google, they must be forcibly copied to the local memory of the device. In the Contacts app, select import/export settings and specify the source Googleand destination Phone. Only after all the entries are physically located in the internal memory of the smartphone, the transfer procedure to the SIM card will be successful.
Step-by-step guide for exporting to a SIM card
Interface MIUI 12 or newer versions installed on Redmi 9may vary slightly depending on the firmware region (Global, EEA or China). However, the operating logic of the Contacts application remains the same. First, make sure that the SIM card is correctly detected by the system and is displayed in the status bar.
The action algorithm is as follows. Open the application Contact. In the upper right corner, find the menu icon (three horizontal bars or dots). Click on it to expand the list of actions. In the drop-down menu, select Settings or immediately look for the section Import and export contacts.
In the menu that opens, you will see several options for actions. We are interested in the button Export to SIM card. The system may request confirmation of the action, since this operation is irreversible in automatic mode (you cannot simply “cancel” writing to the chip). Select a SIM card if your Redmi 9 has two communication modules installed. Usually they are designated as SIM 1 and SIM 2.
☑️ Checklist before export
After selecting the target SIM card, the system will prompt you to mark the contacts you want to transfer. By default, all available entries are often selected. Review the list carefully: if a number is too long or contains specific characters, the SIM card may not accept it. Click the button OK or Export to start the process.
The operation takes from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, depending on the number of records. At this time, it is not recommended to minimize the application or lock the screen so as not to interrupt the process of writing data to the chip. Upon completion, you will receive a notification about successful copying or an error report if some numbers did not fit.
If you have two SIM cards, it is better to transfer contacts one by one to each of them, creating a backup copy on both physical media.
Restrictions on the format and length of records
Users often They wonder why, after transferring to a SIM card, the contact names were cut off or additional numbers disappeared. This is due to archaic standards for storing data on chips SIMthat have not changed for decades, while smartphones like Redmi 9 use modern databases SQLite.
The main limitation concerns the length of the name. The standard GSM 11.11used by most operators allows you to store a contact name of no more than 14-16 characters (depending on the encoding). If you recorded a person as “Ivan Ivanovich Petrov (works in the office)”, only “Ivan Ivanovich Pe” or a similar truncated version will be stored on the SIM card.
The second critical limitation is the ability to store only one number per record. In the smartphone memory, you can link a mobile, home, work number, email and address to one contact. SIM card technically does not support such a structure. When exporting, the system usually saves only the first mobile number, ignoring other communication methods.
| Parameter | Phone memory (Redmi 9) | SIM card | Google Account |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name length | Up to 200+ characters | ~14-16 characters | Unlimited |
| Quantity numbers | Unlimited | Only 1 per entry | Unlimited |
| Add. fields (Email, Address) | Supported | Not supported | Supported |
| Contact photo | Supported | Not supported | Supported |
It is also worth considering the character encoding. Cyrillic names may not display correctly on some older devices or when roaming if the SIM card uses a specific encoding table. Although modern chips do a good job with UTF-8, the risk of "crazy words" appearing instead of letters still exists when you move the card into a very old phone.
⚠️ Attention: When exporting long names, the system automatically cuts them off without warning. Check critical contacts after the transfer to make sure that you can identify the caller by the truncated name.
Why can't you store everything on a SIM card?
A SIM card is an outdated medium with a tiny amount of memory (usually 64-128 KB). It is intended for authentication in the operator's network, and not for storing databases. Using SIM as the main contact storage deprives you of the ability to quickly search, group and synchronize with other devices.
Working with two SIM cards in Redmi 9
The model Xiaomi Redmi 9 is equipped with a hybrid slot that allows you to use two SIM cards simultaneously. This creates additional complexity when managing contacts, since the user needs to clearly understand which physical chip the data is being written to. An error in choosing a slot can lead to the fact that when you change the main SIM card, the contacts will remain in the phone or on an inactive card.
In the export settings MIUI provides an explicit selection of the target media. When you click the export button, a dialog box appears asking you to select SIM 1 or SIM 2. If you have swapped cards, the numbering in the system may change or remain the same depending on the firmware version.
To avoid confusion, it is recommended to set names for SIM cards in the main phone settings. Go to Settings → SIM cards and mobile networks. There you can rename the slots, for example, “Work” and “Personal”. Unfortunately, the contact export menu itself does not always display these custom names, showing standard SIM 1/2, so focus on the icons of telecom operators.
If you need to combine phone books from two different SIM cards into one base on the phone, use the import function. Select Import from a SIM card, specify one card first, then repeat the procedure for the second. The system will automatically offer to merge duplicates if the numbers match. This is a convenient way to collect scattered records into a single list before backing up to the cloud.
Restoring contacts from a SIM card
There are different situations: you could accidentally delete contacts from the phone’s memory, hoping that they remained on the SIM card, or You purchased a new device and want to transfer your old database. The procedure for importing from a SIM card to Redmi 9 mirrors the export process, but has its own security nuances.
Go to the application Contact and open the settings menu. Select item Import from a SIM card. The system will scan the chip and display a list of available entries. At this stage, you have the opportunity to selectively mark only the necessary numbers, and not copy all the garbage accumulated over years of use.
The key point is the choice of storage location. The system will ask where to save the imported data. Never select the "Save to SIM" option (this will create duplicates on the same chip). Select an account Google or Phone. Saving to a Google account is the most reliable option, as it provides instant synchronization and protection against loss if the device breaks down.
Import path:
Contacts → Menu (three dots) → Settings → Import/export → Import from SIM card → Select contacts → Save to Google Account
After the import is completed, it is recommended to check the integrity of the data. Open several random contacts and make sure that the numbers are written correctly, without extra characters or spaces at the beginning of the line. If you imported data from a card on which the names were cut off, you will no longer be able to restore the full version of the name - this information was lost during the previous export.
Always save imported contacts to a cloud account (Google or Mi Cloud), and not to the internal memory of the phone, so as not to lose them when resetting the settings or breaking the device.
Solving common problems and errors
Despite the simplicity of the procedure, users Redmi 9 sometimes encounter errors when working with a SIM card. The most common problem is the message “SIM card memory is full.” This occurs when you try to record more contacts than the chip's capacity allows, or when the card already has old records taking up space.
To solve this problem, you need to clear the SIM card. Go to the contact management menu, select display only from the SIM card and delete unnecessary or outdated entries. Be careful: deletion from a SIM card is irreversible unless you have a copy of these numbers elsewhere. After freeing up space, repeat the export procedure.
Another common mistake is that the “Export to SIM card” button is inactive (gray). This happens if there are no contacts in the phone book saved in the local memory of the phone or account that the system recognizes as a local source. Make sure that you do not try to export contacts directly from the cloud, bypassing the download stage to the device.
It is also possible that the contacts are copied, but do not appear on another phone. Check the storage format. Some operators use proprietary recording formats. Try saving one test contact, moving the card to another device and testing it. If the problem is widespread, it may be worth using a file .vcf to transfer instead of writing directly to the chip.
⚠️ Attention: If the system generates a write error when the memory is completely empty, the SIM card may be physically damaged or has a software prohibition on recording from the telecom operator. In this case, contact the communication store to replace the chip.
What to do if contacts are missing after updating MIUI?
Often after a major shell update, contacts are not deleted, but simply hidden due to reset of display settings. Go to Contacts Settings → Displayed contacts and make sure that the checkbox is next to “All contacts” or your Google account.
Alternative backup methods
Using a SIM card as the main method of transferring data in 2026-2026 is an obsolete method due to strict restrictions format. For owners Xiaomi Redmi 9 there are much more effective and reliable ways to migrate a phone book, which do not have the disadvantages of memory chips.
The most modern method is to use a file .vcf (vCard). This format supports all fields: long names, multiple numbers, addresses, photos and notes. You can export the entire phone book into one file, transfer it via Bluetooth Mi Share or instant messenger, and import it on any other smartphone in a couple of seconds.
To export to vCard, select the item Export to internal memoryin the contacts menu. The file will be saved in the root of the storage or in the folder MIUI/backup. It can be easily found through the app Explorer and sent anywhere. When importing on a new device, just click on this file, and the system will automatically recognize and add all records.
- 📂 File VCF: Ideal for a complete transfer of the entire database with all details and photos.
- ☁️ Google Contacts: Provides automatic synchronization in real time without user intervention.
- 📱 Mi Mover: Xiaomi proprietary application for quickly transferring data from an old phone to a new Redmi via Wi-Fi.
It is recommended to use the SIM card only as an emergency carrier for the most important numbers (close relatives, emergency services), and keep the main database in the cloud. This ensures that even if lost or broken Redmi 9, you will instantly restore contact with everyone you know by simply logging into your account on a new device.
Is it possible to transfer contacts if the phone does not turn on?
If the phone is completely dead, it is impossible to transfer contacts using software methods. However, if you previously saved them to a SIM card, you just need to remove the chip and insert it into any other working phone. If the contacts were only in the phone's memory, the device will need to be repaired to access the data.
Why did contact photos disappear after transferring them to the SIM card?
The SIM card does not technically support storing graphic data. When exporting to a chip, only text names and numeric numbers are saved. Photos remain in the phone memory or in the cloud account from which you exported.
How can you learn how many spaces are left on your SIM card?
In the standard Android interface, this information is often hidden. The most reliable way is to try to create a new contact and select a SIM card as the saving location. If the memory is full, the system will issue a warning. You can also go to the contacts menu, select the “On SIM card” filter and visually evaluate the list.
Is it safe to store numbers on a SIM card when selling a phone?
Yes, this is one of the safest methods. When selling or transferring Redmi 9 to a new owner, you simply remove the SIM card, and all the numbers recorded on it go with you. In this case, be sure to perform a complete reset of the phone settings (Wipe Data) to delete contacts from the internal memory and cloud accounts.
What to do if the SIM card cannot be read after transfer?
The process of recording contacts should not affect the performance of the SIM card on the network. If the card is no longer detected, try wiping the chip contacts with a soft cloth and inserting it again. If the problem persists, the card controller may have failed and will need to be replaced by your telecom operator.