How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi: an expert guide

Changing the smartphone brand always causes the owner a slight panic associated with the risk of losing important contacts, photos and app settings. Especially relevant is the issue of migration for users moving from the Honor ecosystem to Xiaomi devices, since the interfaces and preinstalled utilities are radically different here.

The key to this process is to choose the right tool for porting, as standard methods may not cover all types of data, and you have to choose between using a specialized application Mi Mover, which is a native solution for Xiaomi, or the classic way through Google cloud services, each of which has its own nuances that affect the speed and completeness of the copying information.

In this article, we will discuss both algorithms in detail, paying special attention to the pitfalls associated with the lack of Google services on the new Honor smartphones. You will learn how to properly prepare both devices so that the process goes without errors and failures. Proper preparation will save you hours of time and nerves when setting up a new gadget.

Preparing Honor and Xiaomi for synchronization

Before starting any data transfer procedure, it is critical to perform a series of preparatory actions on both devices. Ignoring this step often leads to connection interruption or errors when copying large amounts of information. The first thing to do is make sure that the battery charge on both smartphones is at least 60-70%, since active communication modules quickly consume energy.

The second important step is to connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network. Connectivity has a direct impact on file transfer speeds, especially if you plan to carry gigabytes of photos and videos. If you don't have a router at hand, you can use the access point mode created by one of the smartphones, but a wired connection or 5 GHz network is preferable for large volumes.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure that data is enabled on the Honor device and power saving mode is turned off, which can block the operation of background transmission processes.

It is also worth checking whether there is free space on the Xiaomi receiving device. The amount of free memory should exceed the amount of data you plan to transfer, it is recommended to delete unnecessary cached files in advance or temporarily move the archives to the computer to free up space for the new system.

Using the Mi Mover app for direct migration

The most efficient and quickest way to transfer is to use the official Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically for migrating to Xiaomi and Redmi devices, allowing you to transfer contacts, messages, call history, apps and multimedia without losing folder structure. The application creates a direct Wi-Fi connection between devices, bypassing the Internet channel, which ensures high speed.

The process starts with installing the app on your Honor device. Since the new Honor models do not have Google services, you will need to download the APK installation file from the official MIUI website or a trusted source. On your Xiaomi smartphone, the app is already preinstalled in the Tools folder or available for download through GetApps.

Once the program is running, you have to select the role of each phone on both devices, and on Xiaomi, you have to choose "I'm the recipient," and on Honor, you have to choose "I'm the sender." QR-The code displayed on the screen of the new smartphone will automatically establish a secure connection.

• 📱 Contacts and Messages: Instantly Transfer the Entire Phone Book and History SMS/MMS duplication-free.
• 🖼️ Multimedia: Copying photos, videos and audio recordings while maintaining the original quality and structure of the albums.
• 📲 Annexes: Transfer of application installation files (APK), Although some system applications may require re-authorization.
• ⚙️ System settings: Transfer alarm clock parameters, notes and some interface settings.

Importantly, passwords from stored Wi-Fi networks and some secure application data may not be portable for Android security reasons. Once the process is complete, devices will offer a reboot to apply the changes.

Synchronization through Google Account and Cloud Services

An alternative and time-tested method is synchronization via Google’s cloud service, which is especially relevant if you’ve already been using the Google ecosystem on your Honor, and it saves contacts, calendars, notes, and app data associated with your account.

On Honor, you need to go to the settings menu and find the Accounts section, and make sure that sync is enabled for all the items you need. If you have an old Honor with Google services, this process will be automatic when you have the Internet. New models without GMS will require pre-installing services or using alternative methods of exporting contacts in VCF format.

When you first turn on Xiaomi, the system will prompt you to log into your existing Google account. After authorization, you will start background downloading contacts and calendar events. Apps downloaded from Google Play will also be offered for installation, which will greatly simplify the process of setting up the workspace.

Using the Google Photos cloud allows you to not worry about the gallery, just install the app on Honor, wait for all the images to be uploaded to the cloud, and then just log in to your Xiaomi account, which frees up space on the device and ensures that memories are safe even if your phone breaks.

💡

Use Google One to expand cloud storage if the standard 15GB is not enough for a full system backup before you upgrade.

New Google services for the new Honor

Owners of today’s Honor smartphones (models released after 2020) face a lack of pre-installed GMS (Google Mobile Services) services, which creates some difficulties when transferring data, as standard synchronization may not be available, but there are workarounds that allow data to be exported even in such conditions.

To transfer contacts and calendar, you can use the file export function. In the Contacts app on Honor, select the contact management option and click Import/Export. Select export to internal storage in.vcf. The resulting file is easily transferred via Bluetooth or messenger to the new Xiaomi and opened by the system to instantly add all records.

⚠️ Note: When exporting contacts to the file VCF Make sure you choose to export all contacts, including those saved on the SIM-In your phone’s local storage, not just in the cloud.

The situation is more complicated for apps. You have to re-download them from GetApps or Google Play (if it is installed via GBox or analogues) on a new device. Data inside the applications, if they are not synchronized with the developer cloud, can be lost. So before you switch, check the settings of important programs, such as instant messengers and banking clients, for local backups.

Some users use third-party utilities to clone applications, but newer versions of Android with enhanced security protections are unstable, and it is safer to spend time manually installing than to risk the integrity of the system and data.

Manual transfer of multimedia and documents

If automatic methods don't work for some reason or don't work properly, there's always a time-tested manual method, ideal for carrying heavy files like 4K video, document archives, music collections, and app installers, and you'll need a computer with enough free memory to do that.

Connect Honor smartphone to PC via USB-cable and select the menu on the phone screen mode "File transfer" (MTP). On your computer, open the device that appears in My Computer. DCIM (Photos and video from the camera, Pictures (screenshots and images from social networks), Download and Documents. Copy them to your hard drive.

Then plug in a Xiaomi smartphone and copy those folders to the appropriate directories on the new device. The Android system on Xiaomi will automatically index the files and they will appear in the gallery and file manager. This method ensures that no bytes of information are compressed or changed during the transfer.

• 📂 Folder Structure: Follow the original folder structure so that apps can find their data (like the WhatsApp folder).
• 🔌 Cable: Use original or quality cable USB 3.0 for maximum copy speed.
• 💾 File system: Make sure files do not exceed 4GB if your flash drive is formatted into a file format. FAT32 (Use exFAT or NTFS large-file).

💡

Manual copying via PC is the most reliable way to transfer large amounts of data (over 50 GB), as it does not depend on the stability of a wireless connection.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)