How to move data from phone to phone Xiaomi: the complete guide

Changing your smartphone is always an exciting but also a bit stressful process, involving the risk of losing important files. When you think about how to move data from your phone to your Xiaomi phone, it’s important to choose the right method that will keep the folder structure and app performance. Modern devices from the Chinese brand offer powerful built-in tools that allow you to clone the system almost one-to-one, minimizing user involvement.

In this article, we will take a look at all the migration options available, from proprietary Mi Mover utility to Google cloud services and manual copying. You will learn about the nuances of porting from Android and iPhone, and understand which files require special attention when changing your device. The right preparation and choice of method will help you start using a new gadget immediately without spending hours restoring contacts or finding lost photos.

Before you start active, make sure that both devices are at least 60 percent charged. The process can take anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of information, and a sudden power outage can damage files or interrupt migration. Also check for free space on the target device - it should exceed the amount of data being transferred.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The most efficient and quickest way to move data to Xiaomi is to use the built-in Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically for the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem, allowing you to transfer contacts, messages, call history, applications, music, video and even system settings. The utility works on the principle of creating a local Wi-Fi network between devices, which ensures high speed transfer without using Internet traffic.

To get started, you need to open the app on both smartphones. On a new Xiaomi device, it is usually pre-installed in the Tools folder, and on an old phone, you can download it from the Google Play Market or find it in system utilities if it is also a Xiaomi device. After launching, select the role of each device: “I send” on the old gadget and “I receive” on the new one.

The connection process is automatically performed after scanning. QR-The speed of transmission through the Mi Mover can reach the 20-30 MB/s, which is much faster than Bluetooth or cloud downloads, and it's important not to switch between applications and lock screens during the process, so as not to break the connection, the system will distribute the files to the desired folders, preserving their structure.

⚠️ Note: When you port apps from other Android brands, they may install but require re-authorization. Banking apps and messengers with two-factor authentication are better to port separately or be ready to re-enter.

If you have trouble connecting, try turning off mobile internet on both devices, leaving only the Wi-Fi module on. Sometimes background processes can interfere with establishing a stable connection between devices. Also make sure that the old device allows all requested permissions to access the file system.

Transferring through a Google Account: A Cloud Approach

Google’s ecosystem provides a reliable way to store personal data that is independent of the smartphone brand.If you’re wondering how to migrate contacts and calendar to Xiaomi, syncing through Google Account is a basic and must-have step.This method ensures that your address book and schedule are available on any device after you enter your login and password.

To implement this method on an old phone, you need to go to the settings and find the Accounts or Users and Accounts section. Select your Google profile and make sure the sync sliders for Contacts, Calendar and Notes are active. After that, click the Forced Sync button to make sure that all changes are uploaded to the corporation's servers.

On the new Xiaomi when you first turn on or through the Settings menu → Accounts and sync add the same Google account.The system will automatically prompt you to restore data from the backup if it was created earlier. Android Backup Service can also save a list of installed applications, Wi-Fi passwords and some system settings, which will greatly simplify the initial setup.

• 📲 Contacts: Restore instantly after connecting to the Internet.
• 📅 Calendar: All events are pulled up from the Google Calendar cloud.
• 📸 Photo: Google Photos will automatically upload photos to the gallery when synchronization is enabled.
• 📝 Notes: Data from Google Keep will appear in the relevant app.

Consider that Google's free storage is limited to 15GB, which is shared between Mail, Drive and Photos. If you have a lot of media, a full backup may not fit in the cloud and you'll have to choose only the most important data. For larger volumes, it's better to use local methods or expand storage.

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Use Google Photos in Save Space (High Quality) mode to avoid spending your storage quota when backing up thousands of snaps. Original quality ranks in the Google One tariff.

Migration from iPhone: the transition from iOS to Android

The transition from the Apple ecosystem to Xiaomi requires a special approach, since direct transfer of system settings is impossible due to the closedness of iOS. However, the main content – contacts, photos and videos – can be transferred quite easily. For Apple users, the easiest way is to use cloud services or specialized applications that support cross-platform sharing.

One of the most effective methods is to use the iOS Moving app in reverse, but since that's not possible, we use Google's iPhone login. Set up the Google app on your iPhone, log in to your account and enable contact and calendar sync, and then you just add the same account to Xiaomi, and the phone book will appear automatically.

There are several ways to do photos and videos: You can install Google Photos on your iPhone and wait for all media files to be uploaded to the cloud, and the alternative is to use Send Anywhere or similar cross-platform file managers that transfer data over Wi-Fi Direct without speed limits.

⚠️ Note: Apps purchased from the App Store are not portable to Android.You will have to re-purchase subscriptions or search for free analogues in the Google Play Market.Payed purchases in games may also not survive if the developer does not support cross-platform progress.

iMessage messages and iPhone call history cannot be migrated to Android due to Apple's security limitations.However, if you have a WhatsApp backup on Google Drive (a feature that has recently been introduced), you will be able to restore correspondence on the new Xiaomi when installing the messenger and selecting recovery from the cloud.

Manual transfer of files via computer

The classic method that never fails is to use the personal computer as an intermediary, ideal for moving large amounts of data: movies, music, documents, and heavy folders of photos that are inconvenient to transmit through the air. You'll need it. USB-cable and access to the file system of both devices.

Connect your old phone to your PC and select the USB File Transfer (MTP) mode. Copy the required directories (usually DCIM, Pictures, Download, Documents) to your computer's hard drive. Then disable the old gadget, connect the new Xiaomi, and transfer the files to the appropriate folders of internal memory.

When you manually copy, it's important to keep the folder structure, especially for media files. DCIM/Camera, Music files are conveniently placed in the Music folder, and documents are conveniently placed in Documents, although Android allows you to store them anywhere.

The advantage of this method is that you can audit files and not copy the digital debris that has accumulated over the years of using an old phone, and it's also a great way to create a local backup of important data on your computer in case you lose your device.

Synchronization with Mi Cloud

Xiaomi device owners have access to their own cloud service, Mi Cloud, which is deeply integrated into the MIUI shell. This tool allows you to create full backups of the system, including the location of icons on the desktop, alarm settings, voice recorder and system preferences. This is the best way to make a new phone an exact copy of the old one.

To create a backup, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. Here you can choose which data to reserve: contacts, messages, notes, voice recorder, calendar, browser and system settings. After creating a copy on your old device, log in to the same Mi Account on your new smartphone and click Restore.

The main advantage of Mi Cloud over Google is the ability to save the system settings and desktop, you get the usual interface immediately after you turn on. However, the amount of free storage is limited to 5 GB, which may not be enough for full copies of photos and videos.

Frequent Questions and Problem Solving (FAQ)

During the migration process, users often face typical questions that can be solved without going to the service center, and the following are answers to the most popular ones that will help avoid common mistakes and time wasted.

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The most complete and quick result is a combination of methods: Mi Mover for apps and media, plus logging into a Google account for contacts and a calendar.

The final step is always to check the integrity of the data, go through the gallery, the phone book and the list of applications to make sure nothing is lost, and then you can safely reset the old phone to the factory settings or transfer it to the new owner.