The transition to a new smartphone is often accompanied by the need to restore all user data, and the most critical of them is the phone book. Owners of devices Xiaomi, be it old models with a shell MIUI or new ones based on HyperOS, are faced with the need to correctly transfer numbers from SIM cards to the internal memory of the phone. This action not only frees up space on the chip, but also allows you to use advanced contact management functions that are not available when stored on a SIM card.
Unlike some other manufacturers, the Xiaomi interface has its own characteristics in the location of the import menu. The process seems simple, but users often get lost in the numerous privacy settings or confuse synchronization accounts. The right approach ensures that not a single number is lost when changing operators or breaking down the device.
In this article we will analyze in detail the algorithm of actions for current firmware versions, consider hidden display settings and offer alternative backup methods. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes due to which contacts can be duplicated or disappear after a reboot.
Preparing a SIM card and checking compatibility
Before you start manipulating the smartphone menu, you need to make sure that the storage medium is in physical condition. Old SIM cards with a large volume of records may not be read correctly by modern readers, especially if the chip has physical damage or oxidation of the contacts. It is recommended to visually inspect the golden area and, if necessary, gently wipe it with a soft cloth.
It is also worth considering the limitation on the number of characters in the contact name, which is imposed by the storage standard on the SIM card. This is usually no more than 15-20 characters, and long names may be cut off during import. If your records contain Cyrillic, and the card was previously used in devices from other regions, problems with encoding may arise, although in modern networks Xiaomi this is handled automatically.
⚠️ Attention: If more than 250-500 numbers are recorded on the SIM card (depending on the capacity of the chip), the import process may take several minutes. Do not remove the card or reboot the phone at this time to avoid damaging the file table.
Make sure the SIM card is inserted correctly into the slot. In dual-SIM devices Redmi or Poco the system may request the selection of a specific slot for the operation. Determine in advance which slot contains the media with the necessary data, so as not to import an empty book from the second card.
Before importing, make sure that your phone has enough free RAM. Close background applications if the device is running slowly so that the copying process can proceed without freezing.
Standard import method through the Contacts application
The most reliable and built-in method of data transfer is implemented through the standard application Contact, which is pre-installed on all brand devices. The interface may differ slightly depending on the version Android, but the logic of actions remains the same for the entire ecosystem. Open the application and find the settings menu, which is usually hidden behind three dots or a profile icon.
Next, select contact management. In Russian-language localization it is often called Import and export contacts. The system will offer several options for the direction of data transfer. You need to select the option Import from SIM card. If you have two active SIM cards, the phone will ask you to clarify which one you need to read data from.
- 📱 Select the target storage: phone or Google account.
- 💾 Confirm the selection of all contacts or select the ones you need manually.
- ✅ Click the “Import” button and wait until the process is completed.
- 🔄 Check the result in the general phone book.
After the operation is completed, the system will automatically offer to delete duplicates if they were detected. This is a useful feature that helps you keep your call list organized. However, before mass deletion, it is better to manually scroll through the list to make sure that important entries with similar names were not marked as copies by mistake.
Import through the device system settings
If the Contacts application is for some reason unavailable or does not work correctly, the same operation can be performed through the deep system settings. This path is often used by advanced users who are accustomed to managing data through a single configuration center MIUI or HyperOS. Go to the main menu Settings and scroll down the list to the section Applications.
Here you need to find the item System applications and select from the list Contact. Inside the application menu you will find a section Import and export contactsthat duplicates the functionality of the application itself. This method is especially useful if the app shortcut was accidentally deleted from the desktop.
An alternative way is through the account settings. Go to the Accounts and synchronizationsection, select your profile Google and find the contact synchronization option. Although this is not a direct import from SIM, enabling synchronization after manual copying to the phone memory ensures the safety of data in the cloud.
⚠️ Attention: In new versions of the HyperOS shell, the path to the settings may be changed. If you don't find the item in the specified location, use the search bar at the top of the settings menu and search for "import."
Using system settings provides the benefit of more granular control over app permissions. You can ensure that the contacts service has access to the storage and SIM card, which eliminates "access denied" errors during the copy procedure.
☑️ Import checklist
Synchronization with Google account as an alternative
Storing contacts directly in the phone memory is convenient for speed of access, but carries risks in case of loss of the device. It is much more effective to use the link SIM card → Phone → Google Contacts. After you have imported to your device as described in the previous sections, it is strongly recommended to enable automatic synchronization.
To do this, go to the Google account settings on your smartphone Xiaomi. Make sure the slider next to Contacts is active. The system will automatically upload all locally stored numbers to secure cloud storage. This allows you to instantly restore your phone book on any other device, just enter your login and password.
The advantage of this approach is the ability to edit contacts via the web interface contacts.google.com. You can conveniently sort entries, merge duplicates, and add photos that are not supported by the SIM card storage standard. Changes made in the cloud will automatically be reflected on your smartphone if the Internet is available.
| Storage location | Record limit | Availability | Risk of loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIM card | ~250 pcs. | Only in a phone with a card | High (physical wear) |
| Phone memory | No restrictions | Only on this device | Medium (software failure, breakdown) |
| Google Account | No restrictions | On any device | Minimum (password protection) |
| Mi Cloud | 5 GB free | Xiaomi devices | Low |
The use of cloud technologies turns your phone book from a static list into dynamic database. You can easily share individual contacts, create groups for mass mailings, and search for people by additional fields, such as address or birthday, which simply do not fit on the SIM card chip.
Synchronization with Google is the only way to guarantee the safety of contacts in the event of a complete replacement or theft of a smartphone, since the data is tied to the account, and not to the hardware.
Problem solving: contacts are not displayed or duplicated
A common situation after import is that the user does not see the copied numbers in the general list. This is due to the display filtering settings. In the application Contact click on the three dots in the corner of the screen and select Display settings or Contacts to display.
By default, the phone can only show entries from a Google account, ignoring the phone's local memory or SIM card. You need to toggle the checkbox All contacts or explicitly check off the checkboxes of the repositories from which the import was made. After this, the list will be instantly updated.
The duplication problem occurs when the same number is recorded on the SIM card, in the phone’s memory, and in the cloud. The system Xiaomi offers a built-in merging tool. Go to contact settings and find the section Contact management → Combining duplicates. The algorithm will analyze the database and offer to merge records with matching phone numbers.
⚠️ Attention: When automatically merging duplicates, the system may select the wrong photo or the wrong name for the final record. Always review the merge result manually, especially if contacts have important notes.
If contacts are displayed in hieroglyphs or unreadable characters, this indicates an encoding conflict. Unfortunately, fixing this after the fact is difficult. In this case, it is better to delete the imported entries and try to read them again, after making sure that the names are written correctly on the SIM card (sometimes rewriting the names through an old push-button phone helps).
Why do contacts disappear after a reboot?
If you saved contacts to the phone's memory, but did not enable synchronization, they should not disappear. If this happens, it is possible that the Contacts application was cleared of data in the power saving settings, or you accidentally selected the SIM card storage as the main one and then removed it.
Export contacts to a VCF file for reliability
To create a complete backup, independent of the Internet and accounts, use the format .vcf (business card). This universal format is understood by any operating system. In the menu Import and export contacts select the option Export to storage.
The phone will create a file, usually called 00001.vcf or with the current date, and save it in the root folder of the internal memory. This file can be copied to your computer, sent to your email, or saved to a cloud drive. In case of a complete reset of your smartphone (Hard Reset), you can restore the entire phone book in a couple of clicks by simply opening this file on your phone.
The import process from a VCF file is the reverse of export. Just transfer the file to your smartphone and tap on it. The system will prompt you to select an application to open - specify Contact. Next, you will be asked to confirm adding all entries found in the file to the phone book.
- 📂 The VCF file contains names, numbers, addresses and photos.
- 🔒 The file can be password protected in the archive for additional security.
- 📤 Sending the file is possible via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct or instant messengers.
Regular creation of such backups is a sign of a competent user. This takes less than a minute, but saves hours of time that would have to be spent manually entering numbers in the event of an unexpected situation with the device.
Save the contacts backup file (VCF) not only in the phone memory, but also copy it to an external drive or to a cloud storage other than Google (for example, Yandex.Disk) for maximum reliability.
Is it possible copy contacts from Xiaomi to iPhone?
Yes, it is possible through a VCF file. Export contacts on Xiaomi to a file, send it to iPhone (via mail or messenger) and open it on your Apple device. The iOS system will offer to add all found contacts to the phone book.
Why are there no photos for contacts after copying?
The storage standard on the SIM card does not support images. When importing, only text data (name and number) is transferred. Photos must be added manually or uploaded from social networks if the contact is synchronized with a profile account.
Where is the backup file of contacts on Xiaomi stored?
Usually the file is located in the root of the internal memory along the path /storage/emulated/0/ and has the extension .vcf. You can search for it through the “Explorer” application in the “Internal shared storage” section.
How to transfer contacts if the phone screen is broken?
If the sensor does not work, but there is an image, connect a USB mouse via an OTG adapter. Using the mouse cursor, you can navigate the menu and export contacts to a SIM card or to the cloud.