Buying a new device from a Chinese manufacturer is always accompanied by the euphoria of unpacking, but it is inevitably followed by the migration stage. Users often wonder how to transfer data from your phone to Xiaomi as quickly as possible and without losing important contacts or photos. Modern tools allow you to do this in a few minutes, but the choice of method depends on the operating system of your old gadget.
The migration process can be very different depending on whether you switch from another Android device or change your iPhone to Android. In the first case, everything happens almost automatically, in the second case, you will need to use specialized cloud services. In any case, preparing for the transfer requires carefulness and understanding of what files you want to save.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can get from the regular Mi Mover app to Google’s cloud syncs. You’ll learn about the nuances of password transfer, app settings, and multimedia. The right approach will allow you to start using a new smartphone immediately after it’s turned on without spending hours manually setting up.
Use of the Mi Mover application
The most efficient and quickest way to transfer information between Android devices is to use Xiaomi’s proprietary utility. Mi Mover (Mi Transfer) is usually pre-installed on the system, but if you didn’t find it in the Tools folder, it can be downloaded for free from Google Play Market or GetApps. This method is good because it creates a direct Wi-Fi connection between devices without consuming Internet traffic.
To get started, you need to run the app on both smartphones. On the new Xiaomi device, select Recipient, and on the old phone, Sender. QR-code or connect to the access point you created. Once you have established the connection, you will see a list of data categories that are available for copying.
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
It is important to note that Mi Mover can transfer not only contacts and messages, but also the applications themselves, as well as their data. However, banking applications and some secure programs may require re-authorization, and be prepared for the fact that the process can take time if the volume of files transferred exceeds 10-20 gigabytes.
⚠️ Warning: Do not block smartphone screens while actively transmitting data. Although the connection is stable, going into deep sleep mode can break the session and interrupt file copying.
Transition from Android to Android: features of the process
If your previous smartphone was also running Android, the migration will be smoother, with the emphasis on syncing through your Google account, which is the user's digital passport, and before you start doing physical activity, make sure that your old device is synchronizing contacts, calendars and notes.
When the new Xiaomi is first enabled, the system will suggest restoring data from the Google cloud, you will need to enter your Gmail address and password, then you will start downloading a list of applications that were installed on the old phone, the system will automatically download them from the Play Market, but the data files themselves (game cache, logins) may not be saved if the application does not support cloud backup.
To transfer multimedia files (photos, videos, music), it is better to use either Mi Mover or manual method through a computer. USB-Type-C to Type-C or Type-C to MicroUSB cables provide the fastest transfer speeds. Just connect both phones to your PC and copy folders. DCIM, Pictures and Music in the corresponding directories of the new device.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
SMS messages and call logs are not always saved by Google, and Mi Mover or third-party utilities like SMS Backup & Restore come to the rescue, allowing you to back up and restore your correspondence.
Migration from iPhone (iOS) to Xiaomi
The transition from Apple to Android has always been considered a difficult process, but Xiaomi has made it much easier.The Mi Mover app has an iOS version that can be found in the App Store. However, the iOS version is limited by Apple’s security policies, so it’s not all that much to migrate.
The basic data that can be transferred from iPhone to Xiaomi via Wi-Fi connection include:
- 📸 Photos and videos from the gallery.
- 📒 Contacts (subject to export via iCloud or vCard).
- 📅 Calendar events.
- 🎵 Music files (not protected) DRM).
Apps purchased from the App Store cannot be migrated to Android, as they are different platforms. You will have to re-download their analogues from Google Play. You will also not carry the system settings, wallpaper and passwords stored in the iCloud keychain. Messengers like WhatsApp require a separate backup procedure, which is often not directly compatible between iOS and Android.
⚠️ Note: When transferring photos from your iPhone, make sure the format is compatible. iOS often uses the format HEIC, Mi Mover can usually convert them automatically, but it's better to check the result.
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Use the Move to iOS service in reverse? Unfortunately, the app officially only works one way (Android -> iOS). To switch from iPhone, use only Mi Mover or Google Photos cloud services.
Sync with Mi Account and Google
Xiaomi’s Mi Account is the foundation of the ecosystem, and creating this account when you first start a device is a critical step, not only to find a lost phone, but also to store backups of system settings, voice recordings and screenshots in the cloud.
In parallel with Mi Account, you need to set up a Google account, which is responsible for downloading applications, synchronizing Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps. Without logging into a Google account, full use of a smartphone based on Android is impossible, since the Play Market store will be unavailable.
In sync settings, you can choose the frequency of data updates. To save battery power and traffic, you should configure sync only over Wi-Fi. This is especially true for photos if you do not have an unlimited tariff.
| Type of data | Google Account | Mi Account | Locally. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | ✅ Full synchronization | ✅ Duplication | ❌ Risk of loss |
| Photo/Video | ✅ Google Photos (compression) | ✅ Mi Cloud (original) | ✅ gallery |
| Wi-Fi passwords | ✅ Preserve. | ❌ It doesn't last. | ❌ Reset |
| Recorder recordings | ❌ No. | ✅ Synchronization | ✅ Files. |
Manual transfer of files via computer
When the data is tens of gigabytes, wireless methods can be too slow, and the most reliable option is to use a computer as an intermediary, connect your old smartphone to a PC via USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
Copy all the contents of internal memory, paying special attention to the folders DCIM (camera), Pictures (screenshots and images of applications), Download and Music. Then connect the new Xiaomi and move the files to similar directories. The folder structure on Android is standardized, so there should be no compatibility problems.
For more advanced users, there is the option of using the ADB command line (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to make full backups of applications and their data, but requires debugging over USB and the presence of drivers on your computer.
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Manually copying via PC is the only way to ensure that you can transfer heavy 4K video files without losing the quality and compression that cloud services often use.
Problem Solving and FAQ
Even with automated tools, errors can occur: Often users experience a certain percentage of the process or some applications do not open after transfer, and in most cases, the problem lies in an unstable Wi-Fi connection or a lack of free memory on the receiving device.
If the app doesn't start, try clearing its cache or reinstalling it. Some banking and enterprise security apps can block work on root-righted or modified firmware devices, but on stock Xiaomi, such problems are rare.