How to transfer information from Xiaomi to Xiaomi: the complete guide

The acquisition of a new Redmi series smartphone or Xiaomi’s flagship model is always a pleasant event, but often overshadowed by the need to transfer a huge amount of personal data. Owners of the MIUI ecosystem and the new HyperOS are in a favorable position, as the developers have provided several native tools for seamless migration. The process of cloning the system can take from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the volume of your library and the number of applications installed.

There are several proven methods to save all important contacts, messaging history and system settings. The most effective way is to use the proprietary Mi Mover application, which runs on a local Wi-Fi connection and does not consume Internet traffic. However, some scenarios, such as the absence of an old device at hand, may require cloud services or backup on a PC.

In this article, we will take a look at the algorithms for each method, point out the hidden nuances of working with security permissions and help avoid common errors. It is critical to make sure that the charge of both devices is at least 50-60% before starting any operations to avoid interrupting the process at the final stage.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before starting the transfer procedure, a number of preparatory manipulations must be carried out, which are often ignored by users, which leads to failures. First, both smartphones must be connected to a stable power source or have sufficient battery power, since active data transfer over Wi-Fi Direct significantly consumes energy. Second, it is recommended to free up space on the receiving device by removing unnecessary system files or temporary caches if the phone is not new.

Make sure both devices have wireless modules on. To properly operate the local transmission protocol, you need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to be activated, even if you don’t plan to use the Internet. It’s also worth checking the operating system versions: although the tools are cross-platform, the current MIUI firmware minimizes the risks of compatibility bugs between different versions of Android.

⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to interrupt the transmission process by turning off the screen or switching to other applications.This may damage the contact database or incorrectly install applications.

If you use a protective glass or case that heats the case, it is better to remove them during the migration, since the processors of both devices will work under high load. It is also advisable to close all background applications on the old phone to allocate maximum resource for the port utility.

Mi Mover Method: A standard tool for fast transmission

The most popular and convenient tool is the Mi Mover app, which is pre-installed in the Tools folder on most Xiaomi devices, a method ideal for a hand-to-hand scenario where both phones are physically close by. The app creates a direct Wi-Fi hotspot through which data is transmitted at high speeds, bypassing the limitations of standard Bluetooth.

To start the process on the old device, you need to open the application and select the role of Sender. The new smartphone, accordingly, selects the role of Receiver. QR-code or confirm pairing. The program interface allows you to flexibly configure which categories of data are to be copied.

You can only selectively transfer contacts, SMS, Call log, images, videos, music and documents. Special attention deserves the function of cloning applications: Mi Mover will try to throw not only themselves. APK-Program files, but also their data, including logins and game progress, if the security of a particular program allows.

• 📱 Selective transfer: you can only provide photos and contacts, ignoring system debris.
• 🚀 High speed: the transmission goes through the local channel at a speed of up to 20-40 MB/s.
• 🔄 Structure preservation: folders and albums in the gallery retain their original appearance.

The transfer process will display the progress bar and the approximate time to end. Once completed, the new device will report the number of successfully transferred items. If some applications do not install automatically, they can be found in the "Mi Mover" folder in the file manager or downloaded again from the Play Market store.

Using Mi Cloud account to sync

An alternative and very reliable way is cloud sync via Mi Cloud, which is convenient because it doesn't require both phones to be present at the same time, so you can set up a backup on your old device and then, by logging in to your account on a new one, restore all the data in the background.

To activate the function, go to the phone settings, find the "Mi Account" section and select "Mi Cloud." You need to activate sync for the desired categories: Gallery, Contacts, Notes, Recorder, Recordings and Messages. Once these options are enabled, the data will start to be downloaded to Xiaomi servers.

Free storage is 5GB, which may not be enough to fully copy a system with a video archive, so you can either buy a subscription or selectively sync only critical data such as contacts and notes, and transfer heavy media files in another way.

Once you log in to your account on your new device, the data will automatically pull up. Gallery photos may require a manual “Download originals” action if you have enabled the storage optimization option.

Transfer via Google Account and Third Party Services

Google’s ecosystem is the standard for Android, and it’s not worth ignoring when changing phones, and even when switching between Xiaomi devices, syncing through Google keeps your digital identity safe, especially the contacts, calendar events, and passwords stored in Google’s password manager.

To make sure all data is saved, open the settings of your old phone, go to Accounts and Sync (or Users and Accounts) and select your Google account. Make sure the switches opposite Contacts, Calendar and Drive are active. Press the menu button (three dots) and select Sync Now.

When you first set up the new Xiaomi, you will be prompted to enter Google’s username and password, and the system will automatically prompt you to restore a backup of apps and their data if it was created earlier, which allows you to quickly return the desktop to its usual form, although the application files themselves will be downloaded from the Play Market again.

The Google Photos app allows you to store unlimited photos in compressed quality (“Saving space”) or full volume in original quality (within the Google One quota), which is a great insurance in case of loss of your phone or failure during local portability.

Features of transferring applications and system settings

Transferring installed applications is a complex process, while Mi Mover is trying to clone. APK-files directly, many modern banking applications and programs with a high degree of protection (for example, Sberbank Online, government services applications) may require re-authorization or complete reinstallation for security reasons.

System settings such as desktop icons, wallpaper, calls and alarms are usually successfully handled using Xiaomi’s proprietary tools, but Wi-Fi password settings may not be transferred if they are stored in a secure part of the system and have to be re-entered.

For gaming applications, the situation depends on where the progress is saved. If the game uses cloud-based saves (via Google Play Games or a developer account), then the progress will be in place after logging in. Local saves can only be transferred through full cloning of Mi Mover data.

⚠️ Note: Banking applications and crypto wallets often block work on devices with acquired superuser rights (Root) or a modified bootloader.

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Tip: Before you move, take screenshots of your Home screen and app folders to help you navigate faster and manually place your icons if the automatic layout transfer goes wrong.

Solving and eliminating errors

Despite the fact that processes are fine, users may encounter difficulties, and one of the common problems is that the connection breaks during the transfer of large files, which may be due to interference in the Wi-Fi channel or energy-saving settings that “sleep” the communication module, in which case the process will have to start again, selecting only those categories that were not transferred.

Another common situation is the “Not enough space” error, even when there is free memory, which may be due to fragmentation of the file system or hidden system files, and it is recommended that you clean the cache using the built-in “Security” -> “Clean up” application before starting the procedure.

If apps don't open after porting, try clearing their cache or data through the app's settings menu. In rare cases, only removing the problematic app and clean installing it from the official store helps.

• 🔌 Connection problem: Reboot both smartphones and try again, making sure the screens are on. * 📉 Slow speed: Make sure you don’t use public Wi-Fi networks with authorization, create a direct connection. * 📂 Format error: Some specific file formats may not be supported by the new version of Android.

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For a complete and fast transition between smartphones Xiaomi bundle "Mi Mover + Google Sync" is the gold standard, ensuring the safety of 99% of data.