Changing your smartphone is always stressful, associated with the fear of losing important contacts, photos or settings of the familiar interface. The transition from the Honor ecosystem to Xiaomi requires careful attention, since the software shells Magic UI (or EMUI) and MIUI (HyperOS) have differences in architecture and synchronization methods. Fortunately, modern tools allow you to perform cloning information almost completely automatically, but there are nuances that you should consider in advance.
In this article, we’ll look at all the migration options available, from using the Mi Mover app to manually sending it over the cloud, how to keep your folder structure, Wi-Fi passwords, and even your desktop icons in place, and getting your devices ready before you start will take no more than 10 minutes, but save you hours of manually configuring the new gadget.
Before you start any manipulation, make sure that both devices are at least 50-60% charged. Backup is a critical step that should not be ignored, even if you use automated tools.
Preparing Honor and Xiaomi for migration
The first step is to get both devices ready for physical and software training, and the Honor device needs to make room if internal memory is full of junk files that don't make sense to carry, cleaning up messenger cache and removing unnecessary downloads will speed up the scanning and data transfer process.
On the new Xiaomi smartphone, when you first turn on, the system will suggest you set up the device. If you have already logged in to the desktop, take your time to delete the data. To properly work the portability tools on both devices, the same set of basic services must be installed. Make sure that both devices are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules are enabled.
⚠️ Warning: Do not connect devices to public Wi-Fi networks during transmission. Use your home network or create an access point on one of your smartphones for maximum speed and data security.
It’s also worth checking operating system versions. Although migration tools are usually cross-platform, working with current versions of Android reduces the risk of compatibility errors. Go to Settings → About Phone → Update on both devices and install available updates.
💡
Before starting the transfer, turn off the power saving mode on both smartphones so that the system does not limit the background activity of data applications.
Using the Mi Mover application for portability
The most effective and native way to migrate for Xiaomi users is the Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically for working in conjunction with the new Xiaomi app. MIUI and allows you to transfer contacts, messages, call log, photos, music, videos, documents and even installed applications (APK-file).
The process starts with installing the app on the source device. Honor needs to download Mi Mover from the Google Play Store or the official Xiaomi website. On the new Xiaomi, the app is already preinstalled and is located in the Tools folder or in the settings section.
- 📲 Run the application on both smartphones and accept the terms of the user agreement.
- 📶 On the new Xiaomi, select the Receiver role and create a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- 🔗 On Honor, select the role "Sender" and scan. QR-code displayed on the screen of the new device.
- 📂 After connecting, select data categories for transfer and click the "Send" button".
The speed of transfer depends on the amount of data and the stability of the connection being created. During the process, device screens may go out, but it is not recommended to interrupt the connection. Mi Mover will automatically try to find analogues of applications from Google Play on the new device, if they are available in the region.
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
Synchronization through Google Account
An alternative and often more reliable way is to use Google’s cloud services, which is ideal for saving contacts, calendar, notes and passwords, and because both devices run on Android, sync is seamless.
On old Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google. Make sure the sync sliders for Contact, Calendar, Keep Notes and Chrome are activated. Press the sync button to ensure that the data is gone to the cloud before changing your device.
| Type of data | Google's method | Mi Mover Method | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Automatically. | Complete. | Google is more reliable for long-term storage |
| Photo/Video | Google Photo | Complete. | Mi Mover retains original quality |
| Annexes | Only a list. | APK + Data Data | Mi Mover tries to save app login |
| SMS messages | No. | Complete. | The only way to save SMS is to |
Once you have enabled the new Xiaomi, just log in to the same Google account.The system will prompt you to restore settings and applications from the last backup.This will take longer than a direct transfer, but guarantees the integrity of your account data.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
Hand-over of multimedia and files
Large files such as videos, music and documents are not always convenient to transfer through the cloud because of traffic limits. For this purpose, the best way to use a direct connection or a computer. The fastest way is to use a USB-C cable on USB-C (if there is an adapter) or USB-OTG.
Connect Honor to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP). Copy the DCIM folders (camera photos and videos), Pictures (screenshots and images from social networks), Download and Music to your hard drive. Then connect Xiaomi and move the data to the appropriate directories.
If you don't have a computer, you can use an FTP or SMB file manager, or Send Anywhere. However, the built-in MIUI also allows you to receive files over Wi-Fi Direct. In the Explorer app on Xiaomi, select Access from PC to get an address to connect from another device on the same network.
- 📁 folder DCIM/Camera It contains all your photos and videos.
- 💬 folder Tencent/MicroMsg WeChat data is stored (if used).
- 📄 Documents often contains work files and PDF.
- 🎵 Bluetooth folder may contain previously received files.
⚠️ Note: When you manually copy messenger folders (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber), the file structure may break.
💡
Using a USB-C to USB-C or USB-OTG cable is the fastest way to transfer heavy video files without compression and loss of quality.
Features of migration of data messengers
Messengers require special attention, as they store correspondence and media files in secure databases. APK-Mi Mover files often don’t save message history because of Android security policies.
For WhatsApp, use the standard procedure: on an old phone, go to Settings → Chats → Backup chats and create a copy in Google Drive. On the new Xiaomi, WhatsApp will offer to restore data from the cloud when it first launches.
With Telegram and Viber, the situation is simpler: the history is stored on servers or in the account cloud. Just enter the phone number and confirmation code. However, local files (stickers, cache) can be downloaded later. For Viber, it is also recommended to back up Viber Backup via Google Drive before changing the device.
If you use banking applications, you'll have to reconfigure them, because of security concerns, login data and access tokens are not transferred between devices, make sure you have access to your phone number to receive them. SMS-confirmation code.
Frequent problems and their solution
During the migration process, users may encounter a number of typical problems, such as Mi Mover, which can freeze during the “Data Preparation” stage, in which case, try restarting both devices and disabling VPNs or antivirus programs that can block the network connection.
Another common problem is the lack of some apps on Google Play on the new device, which may be due to regional restrictions or incompatibility of the Android version. APK-files from trusted sources, unless they require Google Play services to work.
If contacts are displayed in duplicates after transfer, use the Contacts Merger feature in the Contacts app on Xiaomi, which automatically finds the duplicate entries and combines them into one full data card.