How to bring Android to Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Changing your smartphone is always an exciting moment, especially when you have years of correspondence, important documents and thousands of photos in your memory. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face the need to transfer all this digital life from another Android smartphone. Fortunately, Google’s ecosystem and MIUI’s own tools allow you to do it as quickly and painlessly as possible.

The data migration process has become much easier with the release of new versions of the shell, but users still have many questions about which method to choose for a particular model. Whether you are switching from Samsung, Honor or Realme, the basic principles remain similar, but there are some nuances. In this article, we will discuss all the available ways so that you can choose the best option.

Before you start, make sure that both devices are at least 50-60% charged, as active data transfer can significantly consume energy, and check the availability of free space on the new gadget, so that the transfer of files is successful and error-free.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The most effective and native way for Xiaomi ecosystem users is to use the proprietary Mi Mover app, which is pre-installed on most MIUI and HyperOS devices, making it available out of the box. The main advantage of the method is to create direct Wi-Fi connections between devices, which allows data transfer speeds of tens of megabytes per second, which is much faster than standard Bluetooth.

To start, you need to open the app on both smartphones. On the new device, select Receiver and on the old one, Sender. QR-Importantly, if the old device does not have Mi Mover, you can download it from Google Play or through the built-in GetApps store. Once you connect, the interfaces sync and you see a list of categories available for transfer.

The app allows you to flexibly customize what you want to move, so you can choose only contacts, messages and call history, or copy the entire array of media and installed applications. The process is in the background, but the screens of the devices are better not to go out until the operation is completed.

It is worth noting that Mi Mover does not always correctly transfer the cache of banking applications and some messengers for security reasons, so after the migration is completed, it is recommended to check the work of Google Pay (or analogues) and log in to chats again, which is normal practice for all data cloning tools.

Synchronization through Google Account

The classic method that works on any Android OS device, regardless of brand, is that your data is stored in the Google cloud, and when you enter an account on a new phone, it is automatically uploaded. It is the most reliable way to save contacts, notes, calendar and installed app list.

To prepare your old phone, go to the settings and find the Accounts and Sync (or Users and Accounts) section. Make sure the sliders opposite Contacts, Calendar and Google Documents are activated. Press Sync to make sure all recent changes have gone to the server. Without this step, you risk losing fresh records.

On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, the system itself will suggest entering the username and password from Google. If the device is already configured, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Add an account → Google. After authorization, the background load will begin. Apps will start downloading automatically if the corresponding option in the settings is enabled in the Play Market.

⚠️ Note: Photos and videos don’t always rank in Google’s standard quota (15GB).If you have a lot of media, make sure that the “Upload” feature in the Google Photos app is enabled, or use another method to carry heavy files.

The peculiarity of this method is that it does not copy the structure of folders and files inside the memory (music, documents in the Download folder), for which you will have to use cloud storage or cable, but the contacts and settings of the system are restored perfectly.

Manual transfer of files via computer or cable

When it comes to transferring large amounts of data, such as movies, music or document archives, wireless methods can be too slow, and the most rational solution is to use a PC as an intermediary or a direct cable connection.

Connect your old smartphone to your computer through USB-In the notification on the phone screen, select the mode of operation (MTP). A conductor window will open on your computer where you can copy folders. DCIM (Photos from the camera, Download, Music and others to the hard drive. Then repeat the procedure with the new Xiaomi, transferring the files to the appropriate directories.

Some Xiaomi models support direct connection of two phones via a Type-C to Type-C cable. When connected, a file transfer request may appear on the screen, which will allow you to copy the data directly, bypassing the computer. USB 3.0/3.1.

When copying manually, it is important to keep the folder structure in mind, especially if you are manually transferring messenger data (backups), but for the average user, it is enough to simply move the contents of the internal memory to the root folder of the new device.

Transfer of messages and call history

One of the most delicate tasks is to preserve the history of SMS and call logs. Google's standard tools often ignore SMS, considering them local data, and Mi Mover or specialized utilities come to the rescue again.

If you use the SMS Backup & Restore app, it takes a couple of minutes to do the process: back up your old phone, save the file to the cloud (Google Drive), or transfer it via Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Direct to the new Xiaomi. Then start the recovery. This method guarantees that even group chats and MMS are saved.

For call history, the situation is similar: When synchronized through a Google account, the call log is often automatically pulled up if the old device was enabled with the appropriate option in the Google account settings, otherwise, Mi Mover is the only easy way to throw lists of incoming and outgoing along with dates and times.

⚠️ Note: When transferring messages from Samsung or Huawei devices to Xiaomi, you may lose formatting in long-distance formats SMS or lack of some investment in MMS Due to differences in manufacturers' coding standards.

Migration of data messengers: WhatsApp and Telegram

Messengers are central to communication, and no loss of correspondence is tolerated. Telegram stores all the history on its servers, so to “transfer” it is enough to simply install the application on the new Xiaomi and log into your account by phone number. All chats, channels and media (if not included auto-delete) will appear instantly.

With WhatsApp, things are more complicated, as the history of correspondence is stored locally or in the Google Drive cloud, tied to a specific account. Before resetting your old phone, be sure to back up in WhatsApp settings: Chats → Backup Chats → Backup. Make sure the copy is uploaded to Google Drive.

When you first run WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi, the app will detect the backup and prompt you to restore it. It is critical to use the same phone number and the same Google account as the old device. If you change your phone number, you should do the recovery before you change your SIM card or use the number change function inside the app.

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For WhatsApp on Android, there is a possibility of local transfer through QR-In chat settings, select "Chat Transfer" and scan the code on the new device, which works faster and more reliable than the cloud if the Internet is unstable.

Solving and eliminating errors

Even with well-designed tools, the process can go wrong, and users often find themselves in a situation where Mi Mover cuts off the connection in the middle of the process, usually due to energy-saving MIUI settings that kill the background transmission process.

To avoid breaks, both devices should temporarily turn off power saving mode and prevent the system from clearing memory for the carrier application. Also make sure that both devices are enabled GPS - it is used to find devices on the local network, even if the transmission is over Wi-Fi.

If files are transferred but not displayed in the gallery, try restarting the device.This will start the media indexing process, and the new Xiaomi will scan the memory by adding new photos and videos to the gallery database.

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Connection stability is more important than speed. If the Mi Mover is constantly flying out, it's better to break the transmission into several stages: first contacts and photos, then applications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)