Changing your smartphone is always an exciting but sometimes stressful process, especially when you need to transfer a huge amount of accumulated information. Huawei owners who switch to Xiaomi devices often face the question of how to move their data as quickly and without loss. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to do this in just a few touches, saving all the important contacts, photos and settings.
The biggest challenge in moving between different Android ecosystems is often not the lack of tools, but the lack of proper synchronization techniques. You don't have to manually rewrite numbers or search for each file individually. There are specialized utilities like Mi Mover that are designed specifically for these cases and provide stable transfers.
In this article, we will take a look at all the migration options available, from embedded tools to cloud services to manual transmission via your computer. You will learn how to prepare both devices for the process, what nuances can arise when you migrate system settings, and how to avoid common errors. Following our instructions, you can start using the new Xiaomi immediately, without a long and tedious setup.
Preparing devices for the migration process
Before launching any portable tool, both smartphones must be properly prepared.This is a critical step that is often ignored and then surprised by connection interruption or copying errors. Make sure that both devices - both the old Huawei and the new Xiaomi - have at least 60 percent battery charge.
It is also crucial that both phones are on the same Wi-Fi network if you plan to wirelessly transfer, or have Bluetooth and GPS modules enabled to detect devices. On an old phone, it is worth closing background applications that can consume traffic or interfere with the system, which will ensure maximum data transfer speed.
☑️ Checklist for transfer preparations
Be sure to check the amount of free memory on your Xiaomi target device.If you plan to migrate your entire library and apps, there should be space available.In some cases, it makes sense to pre-delete unnecessary cache files or old videos from Huawei to speed up the process and not clog the new phone with digital trash.
Using the Mi Mover application for wireless transfer
The most effective and recommended way is to use the official Mi Mover app, a tool designed by Xiaomi specifically for migrating data from other Android smartphones, including Huawei. The app allows you to transfer contacts, messages, photos, music, videos and even installed apps (APK-file).
The process starts with installing the app on an old phone. On the new Xiaomi, it is often already built into the system and is in the Tools folder or available through settings. Once launched on both devices, you need to select the role of each phone: “I am the sender” on Huawei and “I am the recipient” on Xiaomi.
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For maximum transfer speed, create a Wi-Fi hotspot on a new Xiaomi phone and connect an old Huawei to it if the router signal is weak.
After the scan. QR-When you code or enter a password, you start analyzing the data, you can select specific categories of files to transfer, the system itself optimizes the transmission, compressing the data to speed up the process.
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M i Mover is a native tool of Xiaomi ecosystem that provides the highest compatibility of data formats and folder structure on the new device.
Synchronization through Google Account and Cloud Services
An alternative and very reliable method is to use Google cloud storage. If your Huawei has been synced, then most of the data (contacts, calendar, notes, photos via Google Photos) is already in the cloud.
This is especially good for those who want to keep the structure of contacts and calendar events free of distortion, but it is worth considering that free space of 15 GB may not be enough to fully back up all photos and videos in original quality, in which case you will either have to buy additional space or selectively synchronize only important data.
- 📲 Go to Account Settings on your old phone.
- ☁️ Make sure you check the checkmark on the synchronization of Contacts and Calendar.
- 📸 Check the download status in the Google Photos app.
- 🔑 Enter the same login and password on your new Xiaomi device.
The Huawei Cloud is a major focus of the industry, and because the ecosystems are divided, there is no direct synchronization between Huawei Cloud and Xiaomi account, you will need to upload data from the Huawei cloud to your computer or local memory, and then upload it to Google services or to a new phone.
Transferring data through a computer and USB-cable
For users who prefer full control of the process or do not have stable Wi-Fi, the ideal option is to transfer over a PC. This method allows you to manually sort files and copy only what you really need, excluding duplicates. USB-cable and computer with enough free space.
Connect Huawei to your computer and select the MTP file transfer mode in the notification curtain. Copy the DCIM (photo and video), Music, Download and Documents folders to your hard drive. Then connect Xiaomi and move this data to the appropriate directories of the new smartphone.
| Type of data | Android folder | The importance of copying |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | /DCIM/Camera | Tall. |
| WhatsApp Media | /Android/media/com.whatsapp | Medium |
| Downloads. | /Download | Medium |
| Dictaphone | /Sound Recorder | Low. |
Nuances of working with Android 11 and higher
When working with a file system, you should be careful about the structure of folders. Some applications, such as voice recorders or specific editors, can store data in the root directory or in hidden folders. If you can't see files in the gallery after transferring, try restarting the media service or the phone itself.
Nuances of app portability and WhatsApp
Porting apps is one of the most difficult stages, as not all programs can correctly migrate between different shells of Android. APK-files and data, but for banking and secure messaging applications, this method often doesn't work.
WhatsApp requires special attention. Just copying the correspondence folder is not enough. You need to back up chats in Google Drive inside the app itself on Huawei. On the new Xiaomi, WhatsApp will offer to restore your message history from the cloud when it first launches. Make sure you use the same phone number and Google account.
⚠️ Note: When you transfer banking applications and Google Pay (now Google Wallet), the card data is not copied for security reasons.
Once you install an application on Xiaomi, MIUI or HyperOS may request additional permissions to access memory or microphone, even if you have already given them to Huawei.
Solving problems and errors when copying
During the migration process, users sometimes encounter errors such as “Not enough space”, “connection is interrupted” or the process freezes at a certain percentage. Most often, the problem lies in an unstable Wi-Fi connection, in which case it is recommended to turn off mobile Internet on both devices so that the system does not try to switch data streams.
If a transfer is interrupted on a particular file, it may be corrupted or in a format not supported by the new file system. In such cases, Mi Mover usually suggests skipping the file and continuing. You should not interrupt the entire process because of one error, it is better to complete the migration, and copy the problem file separately.
- 🔄 Reboot both smartphones if the process is 99%.
- 📶 Turn it off. VPN Proxies and servers during the transfer.
- 🔋 Do not allow the phone to go to sleep mode.
What if contacts are displayed as “No Name”?
Another common problem is the different versions of Android: If Huawei has a very old version of the system and Xiaomi has the latest Android 14, some old database formats may not convert correctly, in which case manual transfer via computer or synchronization of contacts via vCard file (.vcf) will be more reliable.
Completion of the setup and verification of data integrity
Once the progress indicator reaches 100%, don't be in a hurry to turn off the devices right away. Give the new smartphone a few minutes to index files and set the background processes. Check the gallery - all photos are in place, open the phone book, make sure the numbers are displayed correctly.
Pay special attention to system settings. On Xiaomi, the interface may be different from EMUI on Huawei, you will need to reconfigure the controls, theme and screen settings, which will take some time, but will allow you to adapt the new device to your habits.
⚠️ Warning: After transferring data, make sure to reboot the new phone completely, so that the system correctly indexes all new files and the media library is updated.
Now your Xiaomi is fully ready to go. The old Huawei must be reset to factory settings before selling or scrapping, making sure all important data is successfully transferred and stored. Remember to also log out of all Google and Huawei ID accounts on the old device.