Changing the smartphone ecosystem is always stressful, with the risk of losing important information. The transition from Meizu devices to Xiaomi devices requires careful preparation, as these systems use different shells: FlyOS and MIUI (or HyperOS), respectively. Although both platforms are based on the Android operating system, their file structures and backup methods are significantly different from each other.
Chinese gadget owners often face incompatibility with standard redundancy means. SIM-You'll only save your phone number, but you'll lose your correspondence history, your Wi-Fi settings, your desktop icons. Full migration requires specialized tools that can translate data from one system to another.
In this guide, we will take a look at all the current transfer methods, from Google cloud services to direct Wi-Fi connection. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes when applications stop opening and contacts are duplicated. A critical step is to prepare both devices in advance: charge them to a minimum of 60% and connect them to a stable Wi-Fi network. Only by following the sequence of actions can you guarantee a successful transition without losing digital assets.
Device preparation and garbage cleaning
Before any copying process begins, you need to audit the data on an old Meizu device. Android file system is prone to accumulating temporary files, cache and residues of deleted programs. If you transfer this "digital garbage" to the new Xiaomi, it can slow down the fresh gadget from the first minutes of use. So the first step is a deep cleaning.
Go to the storage settings and analyze which apps take up the most space. Often users forget about heavy games or video editors that have not been used in years. Remove unnecessary software and clear the cache of messengers, especially Telegram and WhatsApp, as they store gigabytes of media files. On the new device, these applications are downloaded again with current versions, and we will save the history of correspondence separately.
☑️ Ready for transfer
It is also worth checking the system updates on both devices. Xiaomi developers are constantly improving the compatibility of migration tools. If the new phone has an old firmware version, the process may interrupt or go through with errors. Update the software through the Settings menu → About Phone → MIUI version.
Using the Mi Mover app for direct migration
The most efficient and quickest way to connect to a computer is to use the official Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically for migrating to Xiaomi and Redmi devices, and creates a local Wi-Fi network between two phones, allowing data to be transmitted at high speeds without consuming Internet traffic.
To get started, you need to install the app on both smartphones. On the new Xiaomi, it's often pre-installed in the Tools folder. If it's not available, download it from Google Play or GetApps. On the old Meizu, you also need to download it from the Play Market Store. After installation, run the program on both devices.
Follow the algorithm further:
- 📱 On the new Xiaomi, select the role “I am the recipient” and click “Create a group".
- 📲 On old Meizu, select "I'm the sender" and scan. QR-code that appears on the screen of the new phone.
- 🔗 Wait for the device to connect via Wi-Fi Direct. The system will automatically determine the type of data being transmitted.
- ✅ Check the contacts, messages, images, videos, music and apps you need to move.
⚠️ Warning: During the transmission process, do not turn off the screens of smartphones and do not leave the application. Breaking the connection can damage the data archive, and the procedure will have to start again.
It is important to understand that Mi Mover does not carry passwords from some banking applications and secure systems for security reasons, and alarm settings and some system preferences may be reset, but the bulk of user data - photo albums, contacts and call lists - will be moved completely and correctly.
What if the Mi Mover can’t see the device?
Synchronization through Google account
An alternative and classic method is to use Google’s cloud infrastructure, which is the most reliable way to save contacts and calendars, since this data is tied to your Gmail account, not to a particular device. When you sign in on a new Xiaomi account, all data will automatically be pulled from the cloud.
On a Meizu device, make sure sync is enabled. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google. Select your account and check if the ticks are between Contacts, Calendar and Notes. Press the sync button (usually three dots in a corner or a separate button) to force the data to be sent to the server.
Then take the new Xiaomi. When you first turn on or under Settings → Accounts and Sync, add the same Google account. The system will prompt you to recover data from the backup. Select the latest backup version created from your Meizu.
| Type of data | Recovery speed | Reliability | Network dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Instantly. | Tall. | We need the Internet. |
| Photo/Video | Long (background loading) | Tall. | We need Wi-Fi. |
| Annexes | Average (downloading again) | Medium | We need the Internet. |
| SMS/Call log | Quickly. | Medium | Local/Cloud |
The main advantage of the method is independence from the physical condition of the old phone. Even if Meizu is broken or lost, your contacts will remain intact in the Google cloud. However, for large volumes of photos (gallery), this method can be a long one, since each file must be uploaded to the cloud and then downloaded to a new device.
Transferring multimedia via computer and USB
If you have a few tens of gigabytes of high-resolution photos and videos, wireless methods can take too long, and then the most efficient solution is to use a personal computer, which also allows you to structure files when you transfer them.
Connect Meizu to your computer via USB-In the notifications on the phone screen, select the mode of operation. MTP (Open "My Computer," find the device, and copy the folders. DCIM (Photos from the camera, Pictures (screenshots and images from the apps) and Music on the hard drive of the PC.
Then plug in the new Xiaomi. Also select file transfer mode. Copy previously saved folders into the internal memory of the new smartphone. It is recommended that you keep the same folder structure so that the gallery automatically sorts images by date and album.
When you're working with a file system, look at hidden folders. Some applications create their directories at the root of the internal storage. If you want data from specific programs, check for folders with the names of those applications and copy them manually. This is especially true for voice recorders and downloaded messenger files.
Features of transfer of messengers and applications
WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram are also worth noting, and unlike contacts, their correspondence history is stored locally or in specific clouds, not always directly connected to Google Drive at the time of migration.
For WhatsApp on old Meizu, make sure to back up via the app's menu: Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Backup Chats → Make sure the copy has downloaded to Google Drive. Once you install WhatsApp on Xiaomi and log in to the same phone number, the system will prompt you to restore your message history from the cloud.
⚠️ Note: When transferring Viber, backup to Android is often saved locally.Before resetting your old phone, make sure you have backup done via Viber → Settings → Account → Backup Viber and copy the file viber_backup on the computer or in the cloud file storage.
As for banking applications and government services, they will have to be reconfigured, as a security measure: logging into Sberbank Online, Tinkoff or Public Services requires re-authorization and device binding, remember your passwords in advance, or make sure you have access to your phone number to receive confirmation SMS codes.
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Save passwords! Before switching to a new phone, make sure all of your passwords are saved in Google Password Manager or written in a notebook. After transferring the data, remembering combinations for a dozen sites will be very difficult.
Addressing the challenges of post-migration
Once the transfer is complete, users sometimes encounter artifacts, such as contacts that may be duplicated: one entry from the SIM-To fix this, open the Contacts app on Xiaomi, go to the settings and select the "Combine Duplicates" function.
Another common problem is broken widgets: weather, watch or news widgets that are ported from the old Meizu may not display correctly on the MIUI shell. They should be removed and added again from the standard set of Xiaomi widgets, which will ensure stable operation and proper power consumption.
If you notice that the battery of a new phone is running out faster than usual in the early days, don't panic. Android is indexing files and optimizing applications in the background. This process can take from 2 to 5 days depending on the amount of data transferred. After a week, autonomy should return to normal.
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A complete cleanup of the old device is possible only after you make sure that all data on the new Xiaomi is working correctly and access to important services is restored.