Buying a new Xiaomi smartphone is always a joyous event, but often overshadowed by the prospect of a long and tedious setup: not only do you activate the device, but you also bring all your digital habits, contacts, correspondence and media back to a new place. Fortunately, the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem offers powerful tools to make this process as painless and fast as possible.
There are several proven migration methods, each with its own advantages depending on which device you are switching from. Whether it is an old Android, iPhone or even a button call, you can keep your data intact. In this article, we will discuss all the nuances of working with the built-in Mi Mover application, cloud services and manual copying methods.
Preparing devices for data migration
Before you run any portable software tool, both devices must be properly prepared, a critical step that can lead to interruption or file transfer errors, and make sure that both smartphones have at least 50-60% battery charge, as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are highly energy-consuming.
Special attention should be paid to network connectivity. For the fastest and most stable transfer of large amounts of data, both phones must be on the same Wi-Fi network, or one of the devices must be an access point. If you plan to transfer only contacts and a calendar, synchronization through Google Account will be enough, but full cloning of the system will require a more reliable connection.
It is also recommended to free up space on the new device.Although the system usually offers to remove unnecessary debris, pre-cleaning the cache and removing heavy but unused applications will speed up the initial setup.Check that the new Xiaomi has an up-to-date version of the shell installed to avoid conflicting data formats when importing.
- 📱 Charge both smartphones to at least 60% for stable operation.
- 📡 Connect devices to a single 5GHz Wi-Fi network for maximum speed.
- 🧹 Clean up the new phone’s storage from temporary files.
- 🔒 Unlock the screens of both devices and remove the screen lock during the transfer.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to transfer data if one of the devices is in power saving mode. This can cause the Wi-Fi Direct connection to break down at the most inopportune time.
After completing these simple steps, you minimize the risks of technical failures, and you can now move directly to choosing the copying method that best suits your situation.
Using the Mi Mover app for Android
The most effective and native way to transition to the new Xiaomi is to use the Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically for the Xiaomi ecosystem and allows you to transfer not only multimedia, but also system settings, icon location and even passwords from Wi-Fi networks.
You start the process from a new phone. You have to open the app, accept the terms of use, and choose the role of the device. On the new Xiaomi smartphone, you choose the option "I am the recipient" (Receiver), and on the old device, "I am the sender". QR-code or find the device in the list of available networks.
Once you have a connection that is made through a secure Wi-Fi Direct channel, you will be asked to select data categories to transfer, you can choose all at once, or you can manually specify what to copy: contacts, messages, gallery, applications or settings, transfer speeds can reach 20-40 MB/s, which is much faster than Bluetooth.
☑️ Checklist before Mi Mover launch
It is important to note that some system applications may not migrate correctly due to differences in Android versions or shells. In such cases, Mi Mover will simply skip them, maintaining the stability of the system. Once the process is complete, the new phone will offer to reinstall updates for ported applications through Google Play.
- 🚀 High speed data transfer without using the Internet.
- 🔐 Secure local connection without transferring data to third-party servers.
- ⚙️ Ability to transfer system settings and desktop layout.
- 📲 Support for data transfer from iOS, but with limited functionality.
⚠️ Warning: Do not switch to other apps or lock the screen while Mi Mover is running, otherwise the connection may break and the process will have to start again.
Transferring data from iPhone (iOS) to Xiaomi
The transition from Apple’s ecosystem to Android, particularly Xiaomi, has become much easier thanks to improved support for data protocols. Mi Mover can work with backups of iCloud or directly from an iPhone device if it has the appropriate version of the app installed from the App Store. However, it is worth noting that a full clone of the system, as in the case of Android-to-Android, is impossible here due to the closedness of iOS.
The main focus of migration from the iPhone is on contacts, photos, videos and calendar. Apps purchased from the App Store can't be migrated to Android, because they are different platforms. You'll have to re-download their counterparts from the Google Play Store. And you won't migrate data inside apps unless they have their own cloud sync.
What to do with the purchased apps from the App Store?
To start the process on the iPhone, you need to download the Mi Mover app from the App Store, then the procedure is similar: select "Sender" on the iPhone and "Receiver" on Xiaomi. QR-So, when you start to transfer the selected data, photos and videos can take a lot of time if you have a large library.
The latest version of the app should be installed on both devices for WhatsApp. In the process of setting up the new Xiaomi, the system itself will offer to restore chats from a local copy or the cloud, if you have previously made a backup on your iPhone.
- 📸 Photos and videos are transferred in original quality.
- 📞 Contacts are synchronized in full, including additional numbers.
- 💬 WhatsApp chats are restored with backup.
- 🚫 Applications and their data (logins within games) are not automatically transferred.
⚠️ Warning: When porting from iOS, make sure that your iPhone is allowed to use the local network for the Mi Mover app, otherwise the phone will simply not see the new Xiaomi device.
Sync with Google Account and Cloud
The most versatile and reliable method, independent of the old phone model, is synchronization through Google Account. This method is ideal for those who want to get a clean system without “junk” from the old device, while preserving everything that is important. When you first activate the new Xiaomi, you just need to enter a login and password from your Google account.
The system will automatically offer you to restore settings, contacts, calendar events and a list of installed applications. Apps will not be physically copied, but the Play Store will have a list of “Recently deleted” or “Installed on other devices” from where they can be downloaded (in one click), which ensures that you get the latest versions of programs that are compatible with your new version of Android.
For photos and documents, the best way to use Google Photos or Google Drive. If your old phone has been enabled by autoloading, all your photos are already in the cloud. Just install the app on the new Xiaomi and log in to your account - the entire gallery will be available instantly, taking up a minimum of space on the device thanks to the “Saving Space” feature.
| Type of data | Synchronization method | Speed. | nuance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Google Contacts | Instantly. | Demands the Internet. |
| Photo/Video | Google Photos / Mi Cloud | Depends on the channel. | We need a place in the cloud. |
| Annexes | Google Play Store | Medium | Just a list, not data. |
| Wi-Fi passwords | Google Account | Instantly. | It works on Android 10+ |
Using Mi Cloud services is also a great alternative for users of the Xiaomi ecosystem.If you create a Mi Account, you can synchronize notes, voice recorder, themes and system settings between any of the brand’s devices, which is especially useful if you have a Xiaomi tablet or laptop with the appropriate software.
- ☁️ Automatic backup in the background.
- 🔄 Instant synchronization of changes on all devices.
- 🛡️ Data protected by two-factor authorization Google/Mi.
- 📉 Saving internal storage of the smartphone due to the cloud.
Manual transfer via PC and external drives
Sometimes wireless methods are too slow or unstable, especially if you need to transfer hundreds of gigabytes of video to the Internet. 4K. In such cases, the good old-fashioned method of connecting to a computer remains the king of reliability. USB Access to the file system of both devices.
Connect your old phone to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP). Copy the DCIM (photo and video), Download, Music and Documents folders to your PC hard drive. Then connect the new Xiaomi and move this data to the appropriate directories. This method guarantees 100% file integrity and does not depend on the quality of the wireless signal.
The path to basic Android data:
/Director/DCIM/Camera
/Internal drive/Pictures
/Internal drive/MusicFor users who prefer physical contact without a middleman in the form of a PC, there are OTG-You can plug in a flash drive or an external one. SSD-Directly to the phone via port USB Type-C. Copying data on a flash drive from an old device, you literally in minutes transfer them to the new Xiaomi. Modern Xiaomi smartphones support the exFAT file system, which allows you to work with files larger than 4 GB.
💡
Use a file manager with archiving support (such as Mi Explorer or Solid Explorer) to compress large folders before transferring. This will speed up the process and preserve the nesting structure of the files.
Also, check hidden folders. Some applications, such as instant messengers or voice recorders, can store data in root directories with names like.Telegram or Recordings. Careful manual search will not lose any important document.
- 💾 Maximum transfer speed for large amounts of data.
- 🔌 It does not depend on the quality of the Wi-Fi signal and interference.
- 🗂️ Complete control over folder structure and files.
- 💰 No need to purchase additional software or subscriptions.
Transferring WhatsApp and Viber messages
Messengers have become an integral part of our lives, and losing our correspondence history is unacceptable. For WhatsApp, the process is standardized: on an old device, back up to Google Drive (for Android) or iCloud (for iOS). When you install WhatsApp on a new Xiaomi, the application will find itself (backup) and offer to restore it.
It’s important to use the same phone number and Google/Apple ID account as you did on your old device. If you’re switching from iPhone to Android, WhatsApp offers an official migration tool when you initially set up your Xiaomi phone (via the Lightning-to-USB-C cable or wirelessly depending on the MIUI version).
With Viber, the situation is a little different: here, backup is created locally or in Google Drive/iCloud through the settings of the app itself. Before transferring, make sure that Viber settings on your old phone have backup enabled and the current backup is done. On the new device, Viber will ask if you need to restore your message history when you log in to your account.
⚠️ Note: WhatsApp and Viber backups are not directly compatible between different operating systems (without using special migration tools when you first set up your phone). ↔ iOS requires special attention to the steps of the customization wizard.
Telegram is not a cloud messaging service, and just enter your phone number and confirmation code, and all your chats, channels and media files (except secret chats) will be automatically downloaded, and the secret chats are tied to your device and not portable for security reasons.