How to quickly and securely move data from Xiaomi to Xiaomi

Buying a new Redmi series smartphone or Xiaomi flagship is always a joyous event, but it is often overshadowed by the need to transfer a huge amount of information from the old device. users are rightly afraid of losing important contacts, family photos or progress in games. Fortunately, the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem offers several built-in and third-party tools that make this process as simple and fast as possible.

There are many scenarios: you could lose your old phone, it could be broken, or you could just move to a more modern model, and in each of these cases, the algorithm will be different, and we'll look at all the options, from the fastest method using the proprietary Mi Mover app, to deep recovery through cloud services.

Before you start, make sure that both devices have sufficient battery power. It is advisable to charge them to at least 50-60%, as active data transfer over Wi-Fi can significantly consume energy. Also check the availability of free space on the new gadget – the amount of internal memory should exceed the size of the copied files.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The most effective and preferred way for Xiaomi app owners is to use the pre-installed Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically to work in conjunction between devices of the same brand, which ensures the preservation of folder structure, system settings and even the location of icons on the desktop.

To get started, open the app on both smartphones. On the new device, select Recipient and on the old device, Sender, the system automatically creates a Wi-Fi hotspot. You only have to scan. QR-code the camera of an old phone or enter the password manually if the scan does not work.

• 📱 Select the data type: contacts, messages, call log, images, videos, music, documents and installed applications.
• 🔒 Make sure that the screens of both devices do not go out during transmission so as not to interrupt the connection.
• 📂 Applications will be copied along with their data, if the security policy of a particular service allows.

⚠️ Note: If you are carrying a very large amount of data (over 50 GB), the process can take considerable time.

Once the copy is complete, the system will suggest checking the integrity of the data, and in most cases, everything goes well, and the application icons appear on the desktop of the new smartphone in the same order as on the old one, which creates a sense of familiarity and does not require getting used to the new interface.

Synchronization with your Mi Cloud account

An alternative and very reliable method is to use Mi Cloud cloud storage, which is ideal in situations where the old phone is already given away, lost or broken, but you have previously enabled synchronization. Data is stored on the company's servers and can be downloaded at any time.

To activate the feature, go to the Mi Account profile settings and select "Mi Cloud." Here you can manage what will be saved: gallery, contacts, notes, voice recordings and even desktop settings. 5 GB of space is available for free, but extended storage is often provided for photos.

On the new device, you just need to log in to the same Mi Account, and it automatically prompts you to recover data from the cloud, so you can select specific categories to download or run a full recovery, which is especially useful for saving important phone numbers and notes.

It is important to note that recovery from the cloud requires a stable internet connection. If you have a tariffed traffic, it is best to wait for a Wi-Fi connection to avoid unforeseen costs.

Transfer via Google Account and Google Photos

Google’s ecosystem is the universal standard for Android. Even if you change Xiaomi to Xiaomi, you shouldn’t ignore the capabilities of your Google account. This method is especially good for saving contacts, calendar and, most importantly, high-quality photos through Google Photos.

When you first set up your new smartphone, the system will prompt you to log into your Google account. After authorization, contacts and calendar events will start to load backgrounds. Photos will be uploaded as you browse the gallery if Autoboot and Sync is enabled.

For applications, the situation is as follows: Google Play Store will remember the list of installed programs. You will need to go to the section “Manage applications and devices” → “Overview” → “Not installed on this device” and select the right programs to download.

Google services provide brand independence from the phone, and if you decide to switch to Samsung or Pixel in the future, your data will stay with you, making it strategically important for long-term use.

Local backup and PC

For users who don’t trust cloud storage or don’t have fast internet, there is a local backup method.Built-in Backup and Recovery allows you to create a complete system image on an internal drive or a backup. SD-map.

Find About Phone → Backup and Restore in the settings. Create a new copy by selecting all the data you need. Once completed, the backup file will be in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup directory.

To transfer this data to a new phone, you'll need a computer. Copy the backup folder from the old device to your PC, plug in the new smartphone, and move the file to the same directory. Then, on the new phone, click "Restore" and select the file you created.

The good thing about this method is that it creates an exact copy of the state of the system at a given point in time, but it's not suitable for regular use, because it requires a computer and manual manipulation of files.

Features of transfer of messengers and banking applications

Messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber, as well as banking apps, deserve special attention, and financial apps often do not carry their data with them, requiring re-authorization and device binding, for security reasons.

For WhatsApp, standard Mi Mover porting can only save the app itself, not the history of the correspondence. To avoid losing chats, you need to go inside WhatsApp to Chats → Backup and create a fresh copy on Google Drive or locally. When installed on a new phone, the system will offer to restore the history.

• 💬 Telegram Stores All History in the Cloud, Just Enter Your Phone Number.
• 🏦 Banking applications (Sberbank, Tinkoff, etc.) will have to be reconfigured due to the link to the ID device.
• 🔐 Two-factor authentication may require confirmation via SMS or an authenticator app on an old phone.

⚠️ Warning: Before resetting or selling your old phone, be sure to log out of all important accounts and untie your device from two-factor authorization systems, otherwise access to your accounts may be lost.

Some banking applications have their own function of transferring settings through the cloud or QR-Check your bank's security settings before switching to a new device.

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Tip: WhatsApp on Android now has a direct transfer of chat history without Google Drive QR-code when you initially set up your phone if both devices are running Android 12 and higher.

Solving problems in transfer

Although processes are fine, there may be errors, such as a 99 percent interruption, or some applications may not open after a transfer, often due to the different versions of MIUI on the old and new device.

If Wi-Fi transmissions are constantly disrupted, try turning off mobile internet on both phones and leaving only the Wi-Fi module, and rebooting both smartphones before starting the procedure helps, and in rare cases, antivirus or energy saving is the culprit.

In case the apps don’t work, try updating them through the Google Play Store or GetApps. Older versions of the programs may not be compatible with the new version of the operating system installed on your new Xiaomi.

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The most reliable way to avoid errors is to combine methods: use Mi Mover for applications and settings, and for critical data (photos, documents) make an additional copy on your PC or in the cloud.

Remember that after transferring data, it takes a while (30 minutes to a few hours) for the system to index files and optimize the operation of applications, during which time the phone may heat up slightly or run slower than usual - this is a normal background process.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions