Changing your smartphone is always stressful, especially when you need to move gigabytes of personal data, contacts and settings from one device to another, and it gets more complicated when you move from the Huawei ecosystem, where Google services may not be available, to Xiaomi, with its MIUI or HyperOS shell. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to make this process as fast and painless as possible, preserving the structure of your files and access to important accounts.
In this article, we will look at all the current methods of data migration, from built-in tools of manufacturers to cloud services and manual copying. You will learn how to properly prepare both devices, what nuances exist when transferring WhatsApp and how to avoid loss of photo quality. Careful follow the instructions will help you start using the new gadget immediately, without much settings.
⚠️ Before starting any data transfer operations, make sure that both smartphones are charged at least on the same time. 60-70%. Interrupting the process due to battery discharge can cause file damage or system failure.
Preparing devices for synchronization
The success of the operation depends on the pre-production, so you don't have to connect cables or run complex applications until you've done the basic checks, but you have to make room on the new device and make sure that the connection is stable on the old one.
Check that both smartphones have Wi-Fi enabled. To transfer large amounts of data (video, game backups), it is better to use a home network at high speed, rather than mobile Internet. It is also worth temporarily turning off the power saving mode so that the system does not interrupt the background transmission processes.
- 🔋 Charge both devices to maximum or connect them to power supplies.
- 📶 Make sure both phones are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
- 🧹 Clean up the cache of junk files on Huawei to speed up data analysis.
- 🔒 Unlock the screens of both smartphones before the procedure begins.
Pay special attention to accounts. If you used Huawei ID to sync contacts or notes, log in to that account on your old phone and check if all the data has been uploaded to the cloud, which will create an additional restore point in case the direct transfer goes wrong.
☑️ Preparation for data portability
Using the Mi Mover app for migration
The most effective and native way for Xiaomi owners is to use the Mi Mover branded tool, which is designed to transfer data from any Android smartphone, including Huawei, Honor and other brands, and allows you to transfer contacts, messages, call history, photos, music and even some system settings.
The process starts with installing an app. On a new Xiaomi phone, it's often built into the system and is in the Tools folder or available through settings when you first run it. On Huawei, you'll need to download it. APK-file or find the app in the AppGallery store, as it may not be on Google Play.
Select the Recipient on the new smartphone and the Sender on the old one. QR-You can use the code or connect to Wi-Fi Direct, and once you've established the connection, you'll see a list of data categories that you can copy, and you can choose what to move and what to leave in the old place.
⚠️ Note: When you migrate through Mi Mover, some Huawei system settings (e.g., specific gestures) EMUI) will not be converted to the settings MIUI/HyperOS because of the differences in the architecture of the shells.
What if the Mi Mover can’t see the device?
The speed of transmission depends on the amount of data and the power of Wi-Fi modules. On average, transferring 50 GB of data takes 15 to 30 minutes. Do not turn the application down or lock the screens during the process so as not to break the connection.
Sync with Google Account and Cloud
If you don't have direct portability for some reason, or if you want to have a backup in the cloud, go to Google. It's a classic method that works consistently on any Android device, regardless of brand. Most of the data, like contacts, calendars and notes, is stored here.
On a Huawei phone, go to account settings and make sure Google sync is enabled. Even if you don't have Google services by default, basic contact and calendar sync usually works through Android system settings. Check the Accounts section and click Sync.
On the new Xiaomi, just enter the same email address when you first set up or under Accounts and Sync. The system automatically prompts you to restore data from the cloud copy, which is the perfect way to transfer your contact book and calendar events without losing numbering.
| Type of data | Transfer method | Speed. | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Google Synchronization | Instantly. | Tall. |
| Photo/Video | Google Photos / Mi Cloud | Depends on the Internet. | Tall. |
| Annexes | Google Play Store | Medium | Medium |
| Files (documents) | Mi Mover/Cable | Tall. | Tall. |
For photos and videos, Google Photos is the best option. Install the app on Huawei, enable the original download (or save space) and wait until the process is complete. On Xiaomi, just log in to the same account and the entire library will be available in the gallery.
Transferring multimedia via cable and computer
When it comes to really big data, like the movie library in the world. 4K or archives RAW-And in these cases, the old-fashioned method of connecting through the Internet is too slow. USB-The cable and computer are the most reliable.
Connect Huawei to your computer and select file transfer mode (MTP). Copy the required folders (DCIM, Pictures, Download, Music) to your PC hard drive. Then connect Xiaomi and move the files to the appropriate directories. This method ensures that file metadata (film date, geolocation) is stored, which is sometimes lost in cloud copying.
It is important to keep the folder structure in mind if you want your media files to be displayed correctly in the gallery of your new phone. Create folders with Latin names to avoid problems encoding and displaying file names on different systems.
- 📂 Create a temporary folder on your computer «Backup_Huawei».
- 📸 Copy the folder. DCIM (chamber) in its entirety, retaining the structure of the subfolders.
- 🎵 Transfer music and documents to separate catalogs.
- 💾 After copying to Xiaomi, check the integrity of the files.
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Use a USB 3.0 cable or higher and connect devices to USB 3.0 ports on your computer (blue) for maximum data speed.Older cables can slow things down significantly.
Nuances of WhatsApp and messengers transfer
Messengers require special attention because their correspondence history is stored locally or in specific clouds. For WhatsApp, standard porting over Google Drive may not work perfectly when changing the phone brand, especially if Huawei was a version without Google services.
The most reliable way is to use the built-in backup feature inside WhatsApp itself. On Huawei, go to Settings → Chats → Chat Backup and create a copy. Make sure it is downloaded to Google Drive (if there is a GMS) or stored locally.
When you install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi, during the initial setup, the app will prompt you to restore the history from the backup you found. If you transferred files through Mi Mover, the correspondence history can also be restored automatically, since the application copies the folder. Android/media/com.whatsapp.
⚠️ Warning: Two-factor authentication on WhatsApp is tied to a phone number. SIM-The card is already inserted into the new smartphone or you can receive SMS to this number, otherwise you will not be able to restore access to the account.
Frequent problems and their solutions
Even if you follow all the instructions, you can have technical difficulties, and understanding the nature of the errors can help you quickly resolve them without panic, and most often, problems are related to file formats or access rights.
One common problem is that fonts or “crazy cherries” are not displayed correctly in file names after transfer, due to the different encodings in older versions of Android on Huawei and the new Xiaomi file system, the solution being to rename files on your computer before downloading to a new phone.
Users also experience some apps not opening, which happens if the app was installed from a third-party source (not Google Play) and does not have a signature trusted by HyperOS security, in which case you need to re-download the app from the official Mi GetApps store or Google Play.
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The main difficulty in switching from Huawei to Xiaomi is not data loss, but the need to re-authorize in all applications and banking services for security reasons.
If Xiaomi's phone starts to run slowly right after it's moved, give it time. The system indexes files and optimizes batteries in the background. Usually, after 30-60 minutes of active use, performance returns to normal.