The transition from Apple’s ecosystem to Android, particularly Xiaomi’s, is often seen as a challenging technical quest. Users fear losing important photos, contacts, or messaging messages when changing devices.
The main tool for this task is the official application Move to Mi, developed by Xiaomi engineers specifically for such cases. The program is able to read the structure of iOS data and correctly place it in the MIUI or HyperOS file system. It is important to understand that Apple ID itself cannot be transferred to Android, since these are different accounts, but all the content associated with it easily migrates.
In this article, we will discuss a detailed algorithm of actions that will help you avoid common mistakes. You will learn how to prepare both smartphones, what nuances are when transferring media and how to set up a new gadget for comfortable work.
Preparing iPhone and Xiaomi for migration
Before starting the procedure, make sure that both devices are ready for active operation. Charge your iPhone and Xiaomi’s new smartphone to at least 60%, as the data transfer process can take a considerable time and require a lot of energy.
On the new Xiaomi phone, you need to do the initial setup by selecting a language and connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Don't rush to restore a backup from the Google or Mi Cloud cloud at this stage if you want to use a direct transfer method.
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Before starting the transfer, clear the iPhone memory of temporary files and app cache – this will speed up the process and eliminate the transfer of digital garbage.
A critical point is to install a special app on an Apple device, which requires you to download Move to Mi from the App Store, and make sure that the screens of both phones don’t go out during the process, so you can temporarily increase the screen timeout in the settings.
Installation and configuration of the Move to Mi application
Once you download Move to Mi on your iPhone, launch it. On the start screen, you'll be asked to select the role of the device. As you're transferring data from your iPhone, press the "I'm sending" button. This will trigger the scan. QR-code.
On a Xiaomi smartphone, also open the Move to Mi app (it is often pre-installed in the Tools or Services folder, or it can be downloaded from GetApps), and select the I'm receiving option, and the system will suggest you select the type of old device — specify iOS.
☑️ Pre-launch check
Next on the screen Xiaomi will appear QR-Point your iPhone camera at this code to pair, and the devices will create a secure, direct Wi-Fi connection, and you'll need to confirm the connection on both screens, and then you'll start analyzing the data.
⚠️ Note: While pairing, the iPhone may warn that the Wi-Fi network does not have access to the Internet. This is normal, as a local network is created between gadgets. Be sure to click "Confirm" or "Remain online", otherwise the transfer will not start.
Selection of data types for transfer
Once the connection is successful, the app will scan the contents of your iPhone and offer a list of categories to migrate to, so you can selectively mark items to avoid clogging the new smartphone with unnecessary files.
- 📞 Contacts and messages: phone book, call history and SMS/MMS message.
- 📸 Photo and video: media library, including albums and hidden photos.
- 🎵 Multimedia and Documents: Music, Video Files and Files from Download Folders.
- 📱 Apps: list of installed programs (the application itself will have to download again from Google Play, but the list will remain).
- ⚙️ System settings: alarm clocks, wallpaper, Wi-Fi network settings.
Note the "Applications" item, because iOS and Android use different executable file formats (.ipa vs. apk), the programs themselves are technically impossible to migrate, but Move to Mi will create a list of analogues or direct versions of these apps for Google Play, which will save time on search.
What to do with paid applications?
When selecting large amounts of data, such as 4K video, the process can take considerable time, and it is recommended to choose only the most important categories if you are in a hurry, or leave everything on and charge your phones overnight.
Transfer process and possible problems
Press Start Transfer. The progress bar will appear on the screen. The speed of copying depends on the volume of data and the quality of Wi-Fi modules. On average, transferring 32 GB of data takes about 15-20 minutes.
Try not to move too far away from your devices or close the app. If the transfer is interrupted by 90%, you will most likely have to start over, as the partial data may not integrate properly into Xiaomi’s system.
| Type of data | Transfer status | nuance |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Complete. | Automatically saved to your Google or SIM account |
| Photo/Video | Complete. | The original quality and date of the shooting are preserved |
| Music. | Partial | Apple Music DRM-protected tracks will not be played |
| Annexes | List of lists | Just list of names, installation from Play Store |
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Connection stability is more important than speed. Don't try to speed things up by running heavy tasks in the background.
If you encounter a Transfer Interrupted error, try restarting both smartphones and repeating the procedure, and disabling the VPN on both devices helps, as it can block the local connection.
Transfer of WhatsApp correspondence and messengers
The app is also worth noting, because WhatsApp has made it much easier to install it, and when you first install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi, it will detect the backup if you use the Chat Transfer feature inside WhatsApp itself on your iPhone before migrating.
However, if you use Move to Mi, the app will try to transfer WhatsApp data automatically along with the shared array of files. After completing the main transfer and installation of WhatsApp on Android, log in to your phone number.
It’s important to remember Telegram and Viber. These apps store your correspondence history on their servers (Telegram) or require you to create a local backup (Viber). Telegram just needs to enter your phone number and code from SMS – all chats will be downloaded automatically. Viber on iPhone you need to create a backup in iCloud in advance, but direct migration to Android often requires the use of the “Transfer History” function inside Viber settings on both devices at the same time.
⚠️ Note: Two-factor authentication (2FA) WhatsApp can cause problems. Make sure you remember PIN-code or access to the number to which you will arrive SMS, Before leaving your account on your old phone.
Completion of settings and Google accounts
Once the data is copied, you need to fully activate Xiaomi. Register or sign in to your Mi Account. This is the analogue of Apple ID, which will allow you to search for a device in case of loss, synchronize contacts and cloud data.
Then, be sure to sign in to your Google Account, which is key to the Android ecosystem, and then you start to download apps you received from your iPhone, and sync your contacts and calendar.
Check the basic features: call someone, take a photo, check the display of contacts. If you used the SIM-based link transfer feature, make sure that they are copied to your phone’s memory or Google contacts so that they don’t lose them when you change the SIM.