Transferring contacts from your phone Honor to a SIM card may seem like a trivial task, but in practice users are faced with a lot of nuances. Depending on the model (Honor 70, Honor Magic 5, Honor X9 etc.), shell version EMUI or Magic UI, as well as the type of SIM card (standard, nano-SIM, eSIM), the process may differ. Moreover, modern smartphones often hide this function deep in the menu or completely remove it from the interface, relying on cloud services.

Many users mistakenly believe that saving contacts to a SIM card is outdated, but this is not so. SIM card remains a reliable backup storage, especially if you often change phones, travel without access to the Internet, or just want to have a physical copy of important numbers. In this article we will analyze all the current methods - from standard settings to workarounds for models where the function is hidden.

Important: if your Honor works on EMUI 12/13 or Magic UI 7/8, some menu items may be called differently. We have taken these differences into account and will provide alternative ways.

1. Standard method: through the “Contacts” menu

The most obvious method is using the built-in application Contact. However, in the latest versions of EMUI this option may be hidden or absent altogether. Here's how to find it:

  1. Open the application Contact (icon with a silhouette of a person).
  2. Click on the three dots (⋮) in the upper right corner → select Manage contacts.
  3. Scroll down and find the item Import/Export contacts (in some models - Transfer contacts).
  4. Select Export to SIM card → mark the desired contacts (or press Select all) → confirm the transfer.

⚠️ Attention: If the item Export to SIM card is missing, then your model Honor does not support this function directly Go. to methods 2–5.

On some devices (for example, Honor 8X or Honor 10 Lite) the path may look like this:

Contacts → Settings (⚙) → Import/Export → Copy contacts to SIM

Check that the SIM card is inserted into slot 1 (main)

Make sure there is enough memory on the SIM (usually up to 250 contacts)

Close all background applications for stable operation

Connect the phone to charge if the charge is below 20%

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2. Alternative way: through the phone settings

If the application Contact does not have the desired option, try finding it in the system settings. This method works on most devices. data-i="84">Tap on Honor With EMUI 9–11:

  1. Go to Settings → Applications.
  2. Find and select Contact → Storage.
  3. Tap on Manage contacts → Import/Export.
  4. Select Export to SIM card and follow the instructions.

To Magic UI 7+ the path may be different:

Settings → Users and accounts → Contacts → Export contacts

⚠️ Attention: On some models (for example, Honor View 20 or Honor 20 Pro), export to the SIM card is blocked by the manufacturer. In this case, only third-party software will help (see method 4).

Honor 70/80/90 series|Honor Magic 4/5|Honor X6/X7/X8/X9|Honor 30/40/50|Another model|I don’t know the model-->

3. Using the “Backup” function

If direct export is not available, you can make a workaround through backup. This method is suitable for devices with EMUI 10–13:

  1. Open Settings → System and updates → Backup.
  2. Select Local backup → Contact.
  3. Create a backup copy (the file will be saved in the internal memory).
  4. Connect the phone to the PC, find the backup file (usually in a folder Huawei/Backup) and extract the contacts in the format .vcf.
  5. Transfer the file .vcf to another phone or import it via SIM card (if supported).

💡 Useful tip: Files .vcf can be opened on a PC using Outlook, Google Contacts or even Excel (after conversion). This is convenient for editing large lists of contacts before transferring to SIM.

What to do if the backup is not created?

If the backup process freezes or gives an error, try:

1. Clear application cache Backup in settings.

2. Delete old backups (they may conflict).

3. Use third-party software, for example Super Backup & Restore (available in the Play Market).

4. Third-party applications for transferring contacts

If the built-in tools do not work, applications from Google Playwill come to the rescue. We tested several and chose the most reliable:

  • 📱 Copy to SIM Card - a simple application that supports most models Honor. Allows you to selectively copy contacts and edit them before transferring.
  • 🔄 Contacts Backup & Restore — creates backup copies in the .vcfformat, which can then be imported to SIM via another phone.
  • 📇 SIM Card Manager —an advanced tool for managing contacts on SIM, including bulk editing.

Instructions for Copy to SIM Card:

  1. Install the application from Play Market.
  2. Launch it and provide access to contacts.
  3. Select contacts to transfer (can be filtered by groups).
  4. Click Copy to SIM and wait for completion.

⚠️ Attention: Some applications require superuser rights (root) to work with the SIM card. It is Honor get root difficult due to Huawei policy, so choose apps marked No root.

Application Root required EMUI/Magic UI support Features
Copy to SIM Card ❌ No ✅ Yes (EMUI 5–13) Simple interface, support for bulk copying
SIM Card Manager ⚠️ Partially ✅ Yes (Magic UI 4–8) Editing contacts on SIM, export to CSV
Contacts Backup & Restore ❌ No ✅ Yes (all versions) Backup to the cloud, export to VCF

5. Transferring contacts via a computer (for experienced users)

If none of the above methods worked, you can use a PC. This method takes a little more time, but is guaranteed to work on any model Honor:

  1. Connect the phone to the PC via USB (select mode File transfer).
  2. Copy contacts in format .vcf (for example, via export to Google Contacts or application Contacts Backup).
  3. Insert the SIM card into another phone (for example, an old Nokia or Samsung with support for export to SIM).
  4. Import .vcfthe file to this phone, and then transfer the contacts to the SIM.
  5. Return the SIM card back to Honor.

🔹 Important: Make sure that the second phone supports the contact format of your SIM card. For example, some older devices only work with numbers in the format +7XXXXXXXXXX, without spaces and dashes.

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If you do not have a second phone, you can use a USB-SIM reader (costs ~300–500 rubles). Connect it to your PC, format the SIM card and write down contacts using specialized software, for example SIM Card Data Recovery.

6. Frequent problems and their solutions

When transferring contacts to a SIM card, users Honor often encounter typical errors. Let's look at the most common ones:

  • 🚫 Error "SIM card does not support the operation"

    Cause: Outdated SIM card (for example, format Mini-SIM) or lack of recording support from the operator. Solution: Contact the communication store for a new SIM card (preferably nano-SIM the latest generation).

  • ❌ Contacts were transferred, but without names

    Reason: SIM card limitation on name length (usually up to 14 characters). Solution: Before transferring, shorten the names manually or through the app.

  • ⚠️ Not all contacts were copied

    Cause: There is not enough memory on the SIM card (standard SIM holds ~250 contacts). Solution: Break the contacts into parts or use cloud storage.

📌 Critical information: On some models Honor (for example, Honor 30 Pro+ or Honor V40) the recording function on the SIM card is blocked at the firmware level. This is due to Huawei's data security policy. In this case, the only option is to use third-party applications or PC.

💡

If your Honor is running EMUI 12+ or Magic UI 7+, direct export to SIM card is most likely not available. Use workarounds: backup to VCF → transfer via PC or second phone.

Is it possible to transfer contacts from a SIM card back to Honor?

Yes, for this:

  1. Open Contact → Manage contacts → Import/Export.
  2. Select Import from SIM card.
  3. Mark the desired contacts and confirm the import.

If the option is missing, use applications like Copy to SIM Card (they support two-way exchange).

How many contacts fit on an Honor SIM card?

The capacity depends on the type of SIM card:

  • Standard SIM: ~250 contacts (11-14 characters per name + number).
  • USIM (4G/5G): up to 500 contacts (depending on the operator).

💡 Tip: Before transferring, check the free space via Settings → SIM cards and mobile networks → SIM settings.

Why did contact photos disappear after transferring to SIM?

SIM cards do not support storing photos - only names and numbers. To save avatars:

  1. Back up your contacts to Google Contacts or VCF.
  2. Transfer your contacts to a new phone using your Google account.

Photos will be restored automatically when synchronized.

Is it possible transfer contacts to eSIM in Honor?

No, eSIM does not support storing contacts - it is a virtual SIM card without memory for user data. Use cloud services (Google Contacts, Huawei Cloud) or a physical SIM card.

How to transfer contacts from Honor to iPhone via SIM card?

Algorithm:

  1. Export contacts from Honor to the SIM card (as described above).
  2. Insert the SIM card into iPhone.
  3. Go to Settings → Contacts → Import SIM contacts.
  4. Select an account to save (for example, iCloud).

⚠️ Attention: iPhone does not support Cyrillic names on SIM cards. Before transferring, rename the contacts in Latin.