Changing a smartphone brand is always stressful, especially if there is a huge amount of personal information. Moving from the Honor ecosystem to Xiaomi devices like the popular Redmi Note 10 model requires a careful approach to migrating contacts, photos and installed apps. Fortunately, modern Android operating systems provide flexible tools to automate this process, minimizing the risk of data loss.
You don’t need to be a technical person to do this, but knowing the nuances of cloud services and on-premises utilities will speed things up. The main methods are using the proprietary Mi Mover app, synchronizing with Google Account or manually copying files. In this article, we will discuss each of the methods in detail, paying special attention to the specifics of the EMUI and MIUI shells.
Before you start the action, make sure that both devices are charged at least 50-60%. The process of transferring a large amount of data, especially through Wi-Fi Direct, can be energy intensive, and a sudden disconnection of one of the gadgets will interrupt the operation.
Preparing devices for data migration
The first and most important step is to properly prepare both smartphones. On an old Honor device, you need to check whether you have free space and up-to-date backups. If you've used Google services before, make sure that the contacts and calendar syncs are successful.
On the new Redmi Note 10, when you first turn on, the system will suggest you perform the initial setup, which is the stage where you most often connect to a Wi-Fi network and log in to your Mi Account or Google account, and you shouldn’t skip these steps because they form the basic storage structure.
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Before you start the transfer, clear the cache of junk files on the old Honor – this will reduce the migration time and free up space on the new device.
Some applications, especially banking or enterprise ones, may require re-authorization or upgrades to the new operating system. Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) applications on Xiaomi won’t work, so set up your search for their counterparts on the Google Play store right away.
- 📱 Charge both smartphones to a level of at least 60%.
- 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or make sure the mobile internet is stable.
- 🔒 Unlock the screens of both phones and allow apps to be installed from unknown sources if required.
Using the Mi Mover app for full cloning
The most efficient and quick way to transfer data is to use the proprietary Mi Mover utility, which is designed specifically for migrating users to Xiaomi and Redmi devices, and allows you to transfer contacts, messages, call logs, photos, videos, music, documents, and even installed applications.
The process starts with installing the app on both devices. On the Redmi Note 10, it is often pre-installed in the Tools folder. On Honor, it must be downloaded from Google Play or Xiaomi's official website. Once launched, select the role "I'm a recipient" on the new phone and on the old one, "I'm a sender."
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
The devices will find each other through each other. QR-Once you have a connection, Mi Mover will suggest you to choose data categories to transfer, you can choose all at once, or only specific file types. Transfer speeds depend on the amount of data and the quality of the wireless connection, but they are usually quite high thanks to Wi-Fi Direct technology.
⚠️ Warning: Do not turn off smartphone screens or leave the application during the transfer process. Interrupting the connection may cause files to be damaged or you need to start the procedure again.
It is important to note that system settings, such as desktop icons or Wi-Fi passwords, may not be fully portable due to differences in EMUI and MIUI shells.
Synchronization through Google Account and Cloud Services
If you prefer cloud technology or you don’t have the ability to use direct connections between phones, Google sync is a great option, ideal for contacts, notes, calendar events and photos if Google Photos is enabled.
On Honor, go to account settings and make sure your Google account is added and synced for all the right items is enabled. Often users forget to activate contact or calendar sync when they find they are missing on the new phone.
When you log in to the same Redmi Note 10 account during the initial setup, the system will automatically prompt you to recover data from the cloud, so you can choose to back up the applications and set them up, which is especially convenient because it doesn’t require both devices to be physically present next to you when you’re ported.
For photos and videos, the best way to use the Google Photos app is to turn on Autoboot and Sync on your old phone and wait until the process is complete. On the new device, just log in to the same account and the entire library will be available in its original quality (or in space saving mode, depending on your settings).
Hand-over of multimedia and files
Sometimes automatic systems fail or the user wants to control every file that is moved, and in these cases, manual copying comes to the rescue, and you can use the computer as an intermediate or USB OTG cable, if you have the appropriate adapter.
When Honor connects to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP), you get access to internal memory. The main folders of interest are: DCIM (camera photos and videos), Pictures (screenshots and images from apps), Download (downloads) and Music.
Once you copy the folders you need to your PC hard drive, connect Redmi Note 10 and move the files to the appropriate directories. The folder structure in MIUI is very similar to the standard Android structure, so there should be no compatibility issues.
| Type of data | Folder on Honor (EMUI) | Folder on Xiaomi (MIUI) | Recommended method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | DCIM/Camera | DCIM/Camera | Mi Mover / Google Photo |
| WhatsApp Media | Android/media/com.whatsapp | Android/media/com.whatsapp | Backup copy inside WhatsApp |
| Downloads. | Download | Download | Manual Copying / Mi Mover |
| Audio recordings | Music or Sounds | Music | Manual copying |
Special attention should be paid to messengers. WhatsApp and Telegram are better to use built-in backup functions. WhatsApp settings on Honor create a backup on Google Drive, and when you install the application on Redmi, restore data from the cloud, which ensures that your correspondence history is saved.
The Solution: Huawei Apps and Google’s Absence
One of the specific problems when switching from Honor (especially new models released after sanctions) may be the lack of Google services on the old device or, conversely, the presence of specific Huawei applications that are not needed on Xiaomi.
When migrating to Redmi Note 10, which fully supports Google Play Services, you will need to re-sign in to all services. Apps that depend on HMS Core (Huawei Mobile Services) may not start or work correctly, in which case, look for their counterparts in Google Play or use the web version of the services.
What to do with the bank's applications?
It’s also worth clearing the list of apps you don’t plan to use.When migrating through Mi Mover, you can deselect unnecessary Honor system utilities to avoid clogging a clean MIUI system.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to install Huawei system components (HMS Core on Xiaomi manually through APK-This can cause system conflicts, increased battery consumption and unstable notifications.
Set up the new Redmi Note 10 after the transfer
After successful data migration, it is recommended to audit the new device, check if all contacts are in place, if photos are opened and if applications are working, and pay special attention to the notification settings, since they work differently in the MIUI shell than in the stock Android or EMUI.
MIUI is known for its aggressive energy savings, which can block background applications such as instant messengers, and for important messages to arrive on time, you need to fix applications in memory and remove battery limitations.
Go to the battery settings, find the right application (like WhatsApp or Telegram) and set the power saving mode to "No restrictions." It is also useful to enable auto-start for key programs.
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Properly configuring notifications in MIUI is critical for stable operation of messengers after data transfer.
Fingerprints and facial data must be re-registered on Redmi Note 10, as this data is stored in a secure module of a particular device and cannot be transferred for security purposes.