Changing your smartphone, especially from one ecosystem to another, is always a bit of a thrill. Users are often afraid of losing important contacts, correspondence history or app settings when changing their brand. However, modern developer tools allow you to migrate data with little or no loss or human involvement.
Honor owners who switch to Xiaomi or Redmi are in a good position to be Android-based, which allows for high compatibility between file formats and databases. IT-A specialist to copy all digital luggage in one session.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the algorithm for seamless transition, look at the standard utilities of both manufacturers, compare their effectiveness, and discuss the nuances that can arise during the synchronization process.
Preparing devices for information migration
Before starting the procedure, make sure that both smartphones are ready for active operation. First of all, check the battery level on both devices. The optimal indicator is a value above 60%, since active data transfer over Wi-Fi Direct can significantly consume energy.
Also make sure that both devices have a wireless module on, and for a stable connection, it is recommended to turn off Bluetooth on third-party devices nearby to avoid signal interference in the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band.
There are several ways to back up, but for cross-platform transition, the most effective is a direct connection.Make sure the old Honor has freed up space for temporary files if you plan to use cloud buffers, although a direct method is preferable.
⚠️ Warning: Do not start the transfer process if one of the smartphones has a beta version of the firmware. Software instability can cause a connection to break in the middle of the process.
Check for free space on the new Xiaomi. The amount of free memory should exceed the amount of data you plan to transfer from the old device, which is a critical parameter for successful completion of the operation.
☑️ Checklist before start
Comparison of methods: Mi Mover vs Phone Clone
When you move from Honor to Redmi, the user has a dilemma: which utility to use? On the Xiaomi side, the Mi Mover application is preinstalled in the system or available in the GetApps store. Phone Clone utility functions on the Huawei and Honor side.
Both applications use Wi-Fi Direct technology to create a local hotspot, which means that data is transmitted directly between devices without using Internet traffic, and the speed of transmission in both cases is limited only by the Wi-Fi capabilities of smartphone modules.
Below is a comparative table of utilities functionality for choosing the optimal tool:
| Parameter | Mi Mover (Xiaomi) | Phone Clone (Honor) |
|---|---|---|
| Compatibility | Android 4.0+ | Android 4.4+ |
| WhatsApp Transfer | Supported | Supported |
| Speed of operation | High (up to 40 MB/s) | High (up to 40 MB/s) |
| Interface. | Minimalist | Expanded |
Experienced users often recommend using the application from the host party, that is, install and run Mi Mover should be on the new Xiaomi, which ensures better compatibility with the MIUI or HyperOS file system.
Step-by-step: using Mi Mover
This method is a priority, as the Mi Mover app is optimized for the folder structure of Xiaomi. First download the application to the old Honor from Google Play or the official site if it is not in the preinstalled.
Run the program on both devices. On the new Redmi, select "This is the new device" and on the old Honor, "I am the sender." QR-code or find the device in the list of available Wi-Fi networks.
Once the connection is established, the interface will suggest selecting data categories, ticking contacts, messages, call logs, images, music, videos and documents, and selecting specific applications for transfer.
⚠️ Note: When porting applications, some may require re-authorization. Banking applications and secure messengers often reset the security session when changing devices.
Press the "Send" button and wait until the process is complete. The latency depends on the amount of data. During transmission, the screens of the devices may turn off, but you should not interrupt the connection.
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If the process is 99% dead, try turning off mobile internet on both devices, leaving only Wi-Fi modules active, which will eliminate routing conflicts.
Alternatively, Phone Clone on Honor
If for some reason the standard Xiaomi utility does not see the old phone, you can use the native Honor app. Find the Phone Clone app on the old device in the Tools folder or through search.
The algorithm mirrors the previous one: the new Xiaomi will also require you to install the Phone Clone app from the Play Market. After launching, select the role “This is an old phone” on Honor and the role “This is a new phone” on Redmi.
Connection is carried out by scanning QR-Phone Clone interface allows you to customize the selection of data in detail, including system settings, if the versions of Android are the same.
The advantage of this method is deep integration with the Magic UI shell. However, when transferring to MIUI, there are possible naming conflicts of settings files, so after migration, it is recommended to check the alarm clocks and calendar event repeaters.
What if devices can’t see each other?
Transfer of messengers and specific data
Special attention should be paid to transferring the history of correspondence to WhatsApp and Telegram. Telegram stores the entire history on the server, so just enter the phone number and confirmation code. All chats will be downloaded automatically.
WhatsApp is more complicated, because when you use Mi Mover or Phone Clone, your correspondence history is often automatically transferred along with the app itself, but to ensure safety, you should use the built-in backup feature.
On the old Honor, open WhatsApp, go to Settings → Chats → Chat Backup and click “Backup.” Select save to Google Drive. On the new Xiaomi, WhatsApp will offer to recover data from the cloud when it first launches.
For photos and videos in their original quality, it is better to use Google Photos or sync with Mi Cloud, which will allow you to not overload local storage with temporary copies during the migration.
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The most reliable way to save WhatsApp correspondence is to make a local backup to Google Drive before reshuffling. SIM-maps to new smartphone.
Solving synchronization problems and errors
As users migrate, they may experience a message that says, "Not enough space," or a connection break, often with aggressive battery optimization, which is typical of MIUI and Magic UI shells.
Go to Settings → Battery → Activity control and set the “No Limits” mode for migration applications, which will prevent the system from turning off the Wi-Fi module in the background.
If a file type is interrupted, try to transfer data in categories. First, throw contacts and calls, then photos, and then heavy video files.
In some cases, older contact database formats with Honor may not show up correctly in Xiaomi’s phone book, the solution being to export contacts to.vcf and then import them through the Contacts app on the new device.
⚠️ Warning: After transferring data, be sure to check alarm clocks and repeated calendar events. In 10% of cases, when cross-platform transitions, these settings can be confused.