How to Transfer Data from Xiaomi to the New Xiaomi: A Complete Guide

Buying a new smartphone always brings mixed feelings: on the one hand, it is pleasing to have a fresh design and improved performance, and on the other hand, it is frightening to see the prospect of a long setup and transfer of information. Owners of the Xiaomi ecosystem are in a great position to develop built-in tools that allow you to clone the contents of an old device in almost one click, eliminating the need to manually reinstall dozens of applications or rewrite phone numbers from an old notebook.

The migration process has become much easier with the release of new versions of the MIUI shell and HyperOS. You don’t need to be a technical expert to create an exact copy of your digital environment on a new gadget. However, there are nuances regarding authorization in accounts and transferring secure data of banking applications that you should know about in advance. Proper preparation of both devices ensures that you start buying immediately after unpacking without being distracted by routine operations.

In this article, we will take a closer look at all the synchronization options available, focusing on Mi Mover, the company’s de facto standard for moving within the brand, and look at process preparation, step-by-step connection setup, and solving typical problems that arise when you transfer large amounts of information, and also address the issue of data security so that your personal photos and correspondence remain confidential.

Preparing devices for synchronization

Before the active transfer phase begins, a number of preparatory steps must be taken that are often ignored by users, leading to errors in the process. First of all, make sure that both the old and the new smartphone are charged at least 60-70%. The process of cloning data can be energy-intensive, especially if you plan to transfer gigabytes of photos and videos, and suddenly turning off one of the devices will break the connection.

The second important step is to check the operating system version, and it is advisable that both devices have current MIUI or HyperOS updates, which minimizes the risks of file format incompatibility or system application errors. Go to Settings → About the phone and check for updates. If the old phone has a very old version of Android, you may need to update before you start the migration procedure.

It is also recommended to free up space on a new device, although modern Xiaomi smartphones usually have sufficient storage.If you move from a 64 GB model to a 128 GB or 256 GB model, there will be no problems. However, if the amount of data transferred is close to the memory limit of the new device, it is better to remove unnecessary debris in advance or transfer heavy files to the computer.

⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to start the transfer if one of the devices is in power saving mode.This feature may restrict the Wi-Fi module or background processes, which will cause data transmission to be interrupted in the middle of the process.

Make sure that both phones have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled. Even if the data is going to be on a direct connection, these protocols are used to initially detect devices and shake hands. Turn off flight mode and make sure the screens of both smartphones are unlocked and ready to go.

Use of the Mi Mover app

The main tool for migration is the Mi Mover app, which is pre-installed on most modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. You can find it in the Tools folder or through a search in the settings menu. If for some reason the old device (especially if it is not Xiaomi) does not have this application, you can download it from the Google Play store or GetApps. On the new Xiaomi phone it is already built into the system.

When you run the app on both devices, you'll see a suggestion to choose the role of the phone. On the new smartphone, click "I'm the receiver" and on the old one, "I'm the sender." The system will ask permission to access contacts, messages and files, which is necessary to form a list of data that is available for copying. Without these permissions, the application simply cannot see your files.

And then you pair it up, and the new phone will create a Wi-Fi hotspot that the old device needs to connect to. QR-Once connected, you start scanning the contents of the old phone, and you'll see a list of categories: images, videos, apps, system settings, alarm clocks, and even desktop layouts.

• 📱 Contacts and messages: all the records from the phone book are transferred and SMS-correspondence, including attached files.
• 🖼️ Multimedia: photos and videos from the gallery, as well as files from the folder of downloads and dictaphone records.
• ⚙️ System settings: including Wi-Fi passwords, alarm clocks, notes, and even the location of icons on your desktop.
• 📲 Applications: Application installation files themselves (APK), but not always their data (cache and logins) if the application does not support cloud synchronization.

Select the categories you want and click send. Transfer speeds depend on the data volume and the version of the Wi-Fi module. Xiaomi's current flagships support fast protocols that allow you to transfer data at speeds up to 40 MB/s and higher. Do not switch between applications on your old phone in the process, so as not to interrupt the flow of data.

Sync with Mi Cloud and Mi Account

The alternative to direct connectivity is the Mi Cloud, which is ideal if you don't have both phones on hand at the same time or if you've already sold/lost your old phone but backed up beforehand, and it requires that the old device syncs the data to your Mi Account.

On your new phone, when you first turn on or in the settings menu, log in to your Mi Account. The system will offer you to recover data from the cloud. You can choose what to download: contacts, notes, voice recordings or call history. This method is especially effective for text information that takes up little space but is critical for the user.

But there are limitations to the cloud method: 5GB of free space is available to the user, which is enough for contacts and notes, but not enough for full-resolution photos and videos; for large volumes, a paid subscription is required; and the speed of recovery depends on the speed of your Internet connection, which can take several hours with a lot of traffic.

Importantly, synchronization through Mi Cloud allows you to restore folder structure and even previously deleted files if they were not cleared from the cloud basket.This makes the cloud method a great addition to local portability, serving as a safety net for critical data like contacts and notes.

Transfer of multimedia and gallery

Photos and videos usually take up the lion’s share of smartphone memory, so it is worth paying special attention to their portability. When using Mi Mover, images are copied in their original quality, without compression. However, be careful with HEIC files (often used in iPhones or new camera settings), which may require conversion for correct display in the standard MIUI gallery.

If you sync through Google Photos, it's automatically in the background. Just install the app on a new phone and log in to the same account. All photos uploaded to the Google cloud will appear in the gallery. This is convenient, but requires a stable Internet connection and may not maintain original quality without a paid Google One subscription.

When you copy directly through the file manager (if you prefer the manual method), make sure that you copy not only the DCIM/Camera folder, but also the Pictures, Download and MIUI/Gallery/cloud folders. This is where screenshots, edited images and files from messengers can be stored.

⚠️ Warning: When moving the gallery, check for hidden albums. MIUI Hidden photos may not appear in the general list for transfer unless the appropriate privacy filter is removed before starting the Mi Mover.

For large-sized video files (4K, 60 FPS), it is recommended to use a cable connection via OTG or PC if wireless transmission is too slow or interrupted. Heavy video files are sensitive to packet errors when transmitted over Wi-Fi, which can damage the copy file.

Migration of applications and data of messengers

The hardest part of the move is keeping the history of messaging in messengers. WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber and other apps store data differently. Telegram and Viber (partially) store the history on servers, so just enter a phone number on a new device.

For WhatsApp, the situation is more complicated. The app doesn’t store the history of correspondence on its servers for regular chats in the form in which it is available for instant recovery without a backup. You need to select Chats on your old phone in WhatsApp settings → Backup chats and create a copy in Google Drive. On the new phone, WhatsApp will offer to restore the story from the cloud when you first start.

Banking applications and government services (public services, banking customers) for security reasons do not transfer authorization data, you will have to re-enter each such service, confirming the login via SMS or SMS_push_-This is normal safety practice and it cannot be circumvented by standard means of transfer.

• 🔐 Two-factor authentication: Make sure you have access to your phone number or backup codes to log into your Google and Mi accounts.
• 💾 Local backups: Some applications allow you to create a local backup for internal memory, which can then be tossed through the file manager.
• 📲 Application versions: Try to make sure that the new phone has no older version of the messenger than the old one, otherwise recovery from the backup may not pass.

Transfer of system and desktop settings

One of the strengths of Xiaomi’s ecosystem is the ability to clone not only files, but also system behavior. With Mi Mover, you can move alarm settings, Wi-Fi hotspots (passwords don’t have to be re-entered), lock unwanted numbers, and even place widgets on your desktop.

This creates a seamless transition: you take a new phone in your hands, and it looks and behaves like the old one you're used to, even the wallpaper and theme of the design transferable if it hasn't been removed from the system, and this is especially valuable for users who have spent a lot of time fine-tuning the interface to suit themselves.

However, some system settings related to biometrics (fingerprints, facial recognition) cannot be moved for security reasons: Biometrics are stored in a secure enclave of the processor and are not exportable. ID new-device.

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Before you move your settings, remove old, unused alarm clocks and reminders on your old phone to avoid clogging your new device’s calendar with unnecessary noise.

Solving problems and mistakes

Although the process is fine, there are sometimes disruptions, and one of the common problems is that you interrupt the connection at 90-99%, most often because the screen of one of the phones has gone out and the system has limited Wi-Fi. Keep the screens on or set the screen timeout to "Never" during the transfer.

Another problem is the incompatibility of Android versions. If you move from a very old Android 8 to a new Android 13/14, some system settings may not apply. In this case, Mi Mover will skip them by focusing on user data. Don't panic if some system calls or settings look different after porting, which is a feature of new versions of HyperOS.

If the process is stuck in the Data Analysis phase, try restarting both phones and running the procedure again, and shutting down VPNs and antiviruses while you’re transferring helps, as they can block the creation of a local network between devices.

⚠️ Warning: If the new phone starts to run slowly or discharge quickly after transfer, give it to the phone. 1-2 The system performs file indexing and application optimization in the background, which is normal after a large amount of data migrates.

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The most reliable way to avoid errors is to use a cable connection (if the model supports USB-C to USB-C data transfer) or make sure that both phones are in close proximity to each other without physical obstacles.