How to transfer data from Android to Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

Buying a new smartphone is always a thrill, but the process of transferring the accumulated over the years of gigabytes of information can turn into a real stress test. Owners of the Xiaomi ecosystem are in a great position, as the company has developed a powerful built-in tool Mi Mover, which greatly simplifies migration.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at all the methods available that will allow you to quickly and safely move contacts, photos, music and apps to your new Redmi Note 9.We’ll look at both wireless methods that require minimal user involvement and wired options for those who appreciate the maximum speed of transferring large files.

No matter what smartphone you had before, Samsung, Huawei or other Android-based devices, you can find the right algorithm for how to do it, and the key is to get the devices ready before you start the procedure to avoid synchronization errors or losing important data in the process.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before any cloning operation begins, a number of preparatory steps must be taken that are often ignored by users. First of all, make sure that both smartphones are charged at least 60-70%, since the process of actively transmitting data over Wi-Fi Direct can significantly consume battery energy. If the charge is too low, the system can interrupt the connection, which will lead to a copying error.

It is also critical to check for free space on the receiving device. Go to Settings → About Phone → Memory and compare the amount of space occupied on the old phone with the one available on the new. Redmi Note 9 offers various memory modifications, and if you move from a model with a large drive to a model with a smaller one, you will have to clean the gallery first or remove unnecessary applications.

Be sure to connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network if you plan to use cloud methods or a local area network, although the Internet is not always necessary to work with Mi Mover, as it creates a direct connection between gadgets.

Use of the built-in Mi Mover application

The most effective and native way to transfer data for Xiaomi devices is to use the pre-installed utility Mi Mover. This tool is specially optimized for working with the MIUI shell and allows you to transfer not only media files, but also system settings, placing icons on the desktop and even passwords from Wi-Fi networks.

To get started, open the app on both smartphones. On the new Redmi Note 9, select "I'm the recipient" (or "New Phone") and on the old device, "I'm the sender" (or "Old Phone"). QR-code that will appear on the screen of the new device to establish a secure direct connection.

Once you connect, you'll see a list of data categories, you can select only contacts and messages, or you can tag all items, including apps and their data, and it'll go faster if you close the background apps on your old phone that can consume traffic.

• 📲 Contacts and messages: transfer instantly, preserving the history of correspondence.
• 📸 Gallery and video: the main amount of data, speed depends on the number of files.
• ⚙️ System settings: alarm clocks, calls, design of the interface.
• 📱 Applications: are installed automatically, but some banking programs may require re-authorization.

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When you transfer a huge number of photos (more than 10,000 pieces), it is better to break the process into stages: first contacts and settings, then the gallery in a separate batch, which reduces the risk of freezing the process by 99%.

Synchronization through Google Account

The classic method that works on any Android device is that your data is stored in Google’s cloud storage and then automatically uploaded to a new smartphone when you sign in, ideal for anyone who wants to have a backup of important data anyway.

On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Make sure the switches opposite Contacts, Calendar, Notes and Chrome are active. Press the menu button (three dots) and select Sync to make sure all the latest changes have gone to the cloud.

On Redmi Note 9, when you first turn on or in settings, add the same Google account.The system will prompt you to restore data from the backup.Please note that photos can be synced separately through the Google Photos app if you run out of primary account storage.

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Google Account is best for transferring contacts, calendar and browser settings, but does not copy files within apps and large video files without a Google One subscription.

Data transfer through USB-cable

If wireless methods seem too slow or unstable, you can always use the “old-fashioned” way of connecting to a computer, which gives you complete control over the file system and allows you to manually sort out unnecessary debris before migrating to the new Xiaomi.

Connect your old smartphone to your computer through USB-cable and select the mode of operation File transfer (MTP) In the notifications, copy the folders. DCIM (Photos and videos), Download, Music and Documents to your computer's hard drive. Then connect Redmi Note 9 and transfer those folders to the appropriate internal memory directories.

For contacts and calendars, this method is not directly suitable, it is better to export them to a.vcf file through the Contacts app on an old phone, to transfer this file to a PC, and then import it on a new device. The.vcf file contains all the information about the number, name, email address and even the photo of the contact, if it was tied.

Working with messengers and applications

Special attention should be paid to transferring correspondence in instant messengers, since standard synchronization methods often save only the contact list, but not the message history. WhatsApp needs to use a built-in backup function. Go to Settings → Chats → Backup chats and create a copy in Google Drive.

When you first run WhatsApp on Redmi Note 9, the app will find the backup in the cloud and offer to restore the history. It is important to use the same phone number and the same Google account. Telegram and Viber process is simpler: messages are stored on servers, so just log in via SMS, and all chats will appear automatically.

⚠️ Two-factor authentication in WhatsApp and Telegram requires you to enter code that can come via the app. SMS. Make sure that SIM-The card is already installed on the new phone or you have access to the confirmation codes in another way.

Banking applications and programs with a high degree of protection (for example, Sberbank, Tinkoff, government services) do not transfer their cache data for security purposes, they will have to be reconfigured: enter a username, password and confirm login via SMS or push notification on the old device.

Solving problems and errors during transfer

Despite the automation of processes, there are sometimes failures. A common problem is interrupting the Mi Mover connection in the middle of the process. This often happens if one of the phones is power-saving mode that aggressively strangles the background Wi-Fi processes. Before you start, turn off the charge savings on both devices.

Another common mistake is the incompatibility of Android versions. If you move from a very old Android (like version 5 or 6) to a fresh Redmi Note 9 with Android 10/11, some old apps may simply not install or not work correctly.

If the process is stuck in the Data Analysis phase and doesn’t move for more than 10 minutes, try restarting both smartphones and starting over with a smaller amount of data for the first attempt. Sometimes cleaning the Mi Mover app cache through Settings → Apps → All apps → Mi Mover → Clean up helps.

⚠️ Warning: Never attempt to interrupt the recording process by removing the battery (if it is not removable) or by emergency restarting.This can damage the file system and cause "broken" files to appear that won't open.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions