The transition to a new smartphone is always stressful, especially when it comes to changing ecosystems or brands. Xiaomi owner, accustomed to the shell MIUI, may have some difficulty when first familiarizing with the interface EMUI on the device Honor 10.
The challenge is not physical file transfer, but how to properly configure sync and understand account differences. Google accounts remain a link, but manufacturers offer their own tools for deeper migration. In this article, we’ll look at all the methods available, from cloud storage to wired connection, so you can choose the most suitable option.
Don't be afraid to lose photos or messaging if you act consistently. It takes only a few minutes to prepare, but saves hours of manual adjustment. Let's take a look at what tools have worked best with these two popular vendors.
Preparing devices for data migration
Before any copying operation, make sure both smartphones are ready to go. Charge Xiaomi and Honor 10 to at least 60%, as the process of transferring a large amount of data can be energy intensive.
Make sure both devices are Wi-Fi enabled, even if you plan to use a cable connection to stabilize communication. On Xiaomi, check if power saving mode is turned on, which may limit the background activity of applications for transmission. On Honor 10, you should download the necessary utilities in advance if they are not preinstalled.
💡
Before you start transferring, clear the cache of junk files on your old phone – this will speed up the process and will not copy digital garbage to a new device.
An important step is to update the operating system on both devices to the latest available version. Developers often release patches that improve compatibility between different versions of Android. If Xiaomi has a very old version of MIUI installed, and Honor has a fresh EMUI, conflicts of contact database or message formats can arise.
⚠️ Warning: Do not interrupt the preparation process by removing system applications or clearing the memory when checking for updates.
Using the Phone Clone app for fast transfer
The most effective and native way for Honor owners is to use the Phone Clone app, which is designed specifically for data migration between smartphones of different brands and works without using the Internet, creating a direct Wi-Fi hotspot. On Honor 10, the app is usually pre-installed in the Tools folder, and on Xiaomi it will need to download from Google Play.
The process starts with running the program on both devices. On the new Honor 10, you select the "This is a new phone" role, indicating the type of old device -- in this case, Android (or another Android) -- the screen will show up. QR-The code that you need to scan with the Xiaomi camera, and when you connect the devices, you create a secure communication channel.
☑️ Checking before launching the Phone Clone
The interface allows you to flexibly customize your data selection, you can only transfer contacts and photos, or copy everything, including the layout of icons on the desktop and system settings, and the transfer speed through Phone Clone is much faster than through Bluetooth, and can reach several megabytes per second.
- 📱 Contacts and calendar: Migrating with attached email addresses and notes.
- 🖼️ Media: Photos, videos and music tracks retain their original quality without compression.
- 📲 Annexes: Installation APK-files, but data within applications (logins, game progress) are not always transferred.
- ⚙️ System settings: Wi-Fi passwords, alarm clocks and some interface settings.
⚠️ Note: When you transfer applications to Honor 10 from Xiaomi, you may not copy the authorization data in banking applications for security reasons.
Synchronization through Google Account and Cloud Services
The classic method that remains relevant for any pair of Android smartphones, the essence of the method is that Xiaomi uploads data to the Google Drive cloud, and Honor 10 takes it from there when you first log in, which is ideal for contacts, calendar events and a list of installed applications.
To successfully implement on Xiaomi, you need to go to the settings of your Google account and make sure that sync is enabled for all the necessary points. Often users forget to enable sync "Notes" or "Google Photos" in high quality. After checking on the new phone when you log in to the same account, the system will prompt you to restore the backup.
Special attention should be paid to Google Photos. If you have autoloaded on Xiaomi, then all your photos are already in the cloud. On Honor 10, you just need to install the application and log in to your account, as the entire gallery will be available instantly without taking up the internal memory of the device, if you use the "Savings of space" mode.
The table below shows a comparison of synchronization methods:
| Parameter | Phone Clone | Google Sync | Mi Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed. | High (locally) | Depends on the Internet. | Depends on the Internet. |
| We need the Internet. | No. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Transfer of settings | Yes. | Partially. | No. |
| Risk of data loss | Minimum | Medium (at the cliff) | Low. |
Manual transfer of multimedia and documents
Sometimes automatic systems fail or the user wants to transfer only specific heavy files, such as movies to the computer. 4K In this case, the most reliable option is manual copying through a computer or use. USB-plug-in (OTG).
Connect Xiaomi to your computer in file transfer mode (MTP). Find the DCIM (camera), Pictures (screenshots and images from social networks), Download and Music. Copy them to your PC hard drive. Then connect Honor 10 and move the data to the appropriate directories. The folder structure on EMUI is similar to MIUI, so there should be no problems with displaying in the gallery.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
Alternatively, you can use third-party cloud storage, like Yandex.Disk or Dropbox, and by uploading files from your old phone, you can download them to a new one anywhere you have a network, which is good for documents, but can be long for gigabytes of photos.
When you manually transfer, it's important to remember hidden folders. Some apps create their directories at the root of internal memory. If you're manually transferring messenger data (which is not recommended without a backup inside the app), look for folders with names like WhatsApp or Telegram in the root directory.
Migration of WhatsApp and Viber correspondence
Social media and messengers store their correspondence history separately from the main system, so they require a personalized approach. For WhatsApp, the standard procedure involves backing up Google Drive on an old phone. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → Chats → Backup Chats and click Backup.
Once you install WhatsApp on Honor 10 and confirm your phone number, the app will find a copy in the cloud and suggest you restore your history. It's important to use the same Google account. With Viber, the situation is similar, but the backup is created through the app's settings in the "Viber Backup" section.
⚠️ Attention: WhatsApp backups are tied to a Google account and phone number. SIM-The card with your number is active and installed in the phone (or in the neighboring slot) at the time of recovery.
There are some nuances when you switch from MIUI to EMUI regarding access rights. After you restore correspondence to Honor 10, you may not receive notifications. Go to the battery settings and allow auto-start for instant messengers, otherwise the system will kill the process in the background.
Common mistakes and ways to solve them
When migrating, users often experience a "Not enough space" message or a connection break, the first problem being solved by clearing the cache or selectively transferring: contacts and photos first, then apps. The second problem is often unstable Wi-Fi signal or aggressive energy saving.
If the Phone Clone is stuck at a certain percentage, try rebooting both smartphones and starting over by selecting only one type of data for the test, sometimes helping to turn off mobile internet on both devices so they don't try to switch to the mobile network during the transfer.
💡
The most common mistake is trying to move data over Bluetooth. This is extremely slow and unreliable for large volumes, only use Wi-Fi Direct or cable.
Also worth considering is the difference in screen resolutions and aspect ratios.The Honor 10 has a stretched screen, so some older apps or widgets from Xiaomi may not display correctly or have black bars on the sides.
In rare cases, Wi-Fi passwords may not be transferred, because newer versions of Android have more secure Wi-Fi password storage, and direct copying of system files may be blocked, so you have to re-enter passwords the first time you connect.