Changing a smartphone, especially when both devices belong to the Xiaomi ecosystem, often elicits mixed feelings: the joy of a new gadget and the fear of losing important contacts or photos. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to perform this process as painlessly as possible. Using Google cloud services is one of the most reliable and versatile ways of migrating information, without requiring the installation of additional applications or the presence of a cable.
In this article, we will take a look at how to properly set up backups on an old device and restore all data on a new one. You will learn about the intricacies of synchronizing applications, passwords and system settings that often remain outside the scope of standard instructions.
The process of transferring through a Google account takes different time depending on the amount of data accumulated and the speed of the Internet connection. However, the algorithm of actions remains unchanged for all models, whether it is a budget Redmi or the flagship Xiaomi Pro series.
Preparing for synchronization: what you need to know before the start
Before you start any data migration procedure, it is critical to make sure that both devices meet basic requirements. First of all, make sure you have a valid Google account that you have access to from both phones. If you just bought a new smartphone, the setup process will prompt you to sign in at an early stage.
Both devices must be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Transferring large amounts of data, such as high-resolution photos or videos, over a mobile network can take hours or lead to unexpected traffic costs.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure that your old phone has full contacts and calendar sync before resetting or selling the device, otherwise the data may be lost irretrievably.
It’s also worth checking out the Android version and the MIUI or HyperOS shell. While Google’s services are cross-platform, the current software ensures that there are no bugs when recovering passwords and app settings. Charge both smartphones to at least 60-70% so that the process is not interrupted due to battery drain.
Setup backup on the old Xiaomi smartphone
The first and most important step is to create a current restore point on your current device. Android has a built-in redundancy mechanism that covers most key settings. To activate, go to your smartphone's settings menu.
Depending on the firmware version, the path may be slightly different, but it usually looks like this: go to Settings, then search for the Google section and select Backup, and here you will see the status of the last save and a list of data that will be copied to the cloud.
- 📱 Application list: the system will keep a list of installed programs for fast download on the new device.
- 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords: All saved networks and passwords will be automatically restored.
- 📞 Contacts and Events: Data from the phone book and calendar are synchronized in real time.
- 📷 Multimedia: Photos and videos are saved through a separate Google Photos service.
Press Start Copy or Backup. The process can take anywhere from minutes to an hour, and do not close the screen or switch to heavy applications during this procedure, so as not to interrupt the connection to the servers.
☑️ Checklist before transfer
Multimedia files are a special consideration. Standard system backups often do not include a full image gallery in the main backup due to volume limits. Photos and videos require the use of Google Photos.
Open the app, click on the profile avatar in the corner, and select Photo Settings -> Autoload and Sync. Make sure the switch is active. Only after all your photos are marked as "synchronized" can you move on to the next step.
Data recovery process in the new Xiaomi
When you first turn on a new Xiaomi smartphone, the initial setup wizard will suggest you select a language and connect to the network. Immediately after connecting to Wi-Fi, the system will prompt you to restore data from the backup, which is exactly the moment when you need to be careful.
On the App and Data Copy screen, select Backup from the Cloud or Restore from the Cloud Backup. You will be prompted to log in to the same Google account that was used on the old device. Enter your login and password.
The system will find the last available backup, you'll see the date and time it was created, make sure it's the same copy you created in the previous step, and if you have more than one, choose the most recent one.
What to do if a backup copy is not found?
Once you have selected a copy, you will be asked to choose what to restore, and usually all the items are marked by default: applications, system settings, SMS-Messages and call logs. Confirm selection and click Restore.
The smartphone will start downloading the app list from the Google Play Store. The app installation process will start automatically as soon as the phone connects to the download servers. This can take a long time, so it's best to leave the phone charging.
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Recovery from the Google cloud is a seamless method that transfers the structure of the system, but not the heavy files of applications that are downloaded from the store.
Synchronize contacts, calendar and passwords
One of the main values of a Google account is centralized storage of personal data, and unlike local copying, cloud sync allows you to access your contacts even if your phone is lost or broken.
To make sure all contacts are saved, open the Contacts app on your new phone. If you see your numbers, the sync is successful. If the list is empty or contains only emergency numbers, check the display settings.
Go to Settings -> Accounts and Sync (or Users and Accounts). Select your Google account. Make sure that the contact box is ticked or the switch is active. Click on three points on the menu and select Sync.
| Type of data | Storage method | Recovery speed |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Google Contacts | Instantly. |
| Photo/Video | Google Photo | Depends on the volume. |
| Wi-Fi passwords | Google One / Android | Instantly. |
| Annexes | Google Play Store | Consistently. |
Passwords saved in Google Password Manager will also be automatically pulled up, so when you first open the app on your new phone and try to log in, the system will prompt you to substitute the saved password, not only for browsers, but also for many native applications.
All your appointments, reminders and events linked to your Google account will appear in the Google Calendar app or Xiaomi’s standard calendar immediately after logging in.
Work with multimedia and files through Google Photos
Photos and videos make up the lion's share of the memory of a modern smartphone. When you move your Google account, the primary tool is Google Photos, which works independently of the main Android backup system.
On the new device, just log in to the Google Photos app under the same account. All your images that were uploaded from your old phone will appear in the feed. It's important to understand the difference between "downloaded" and "synchronized."
If you used Save Space (High Quality) mode, the original files could be compressed. If you used Original Quality, the files take up space in your Google One storage. Check the storage status to avoid space shortages.
⚠️ Note: Local folders such as WhatsApp Images or Screenshots in the Screenshots folder may not sync automatically if the Google Photo settings do not include a backup for specific folders of the device.
To transfer other files (documents, music, APK-Google Drive is the easiest way to use files, upload the files you need on your old phone to the Drive app, and download them on the new one.
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Use the “Free Space” feature in Google Photos on your old phone only after you make sure that all photos are fully uploaded to the cloud and visible on the new device.
Don’t forget that Xiaomi has its own gallery that can crawl the Google Photos cloud, but for full-fledged work it’s better to use the search giant’s native app or set up folder sync within it.
Transfer of SMS messages and call logs
Call history and text messages are the kind of data that is often lost when you switch to a new phone unless you use the right tools, and fortunately, modern versions of Android can save that as well.
When you back up through Google’s settings (as described in the second section), make sure that the list of stored data is marked opposite to SMS and Call Log. On the newer versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS, this feature is built deep into the system.
When you restore it to your new phone, this data will be downloaded in the background. Once you have completed the application installation process, check the Phone and Messages app. The history should match your old device.
However, if you use third-party messaging apps (like Viber or Telegram), their history is restored differently: Telegram stores all correspondence on the server, you just need to log in to your account. Viber and WhatsApp will require a separate procedure for creating a backup inside the apps themselves on Google Drive.
Why don’t you send SMS after the transfer?
In some rare cases, when you change the region of the account or the version of Android, the formatting of messages may change slightly, but the text and senders are saved completely. SMS It will also work as the phone number is linked to SIM-map, not device.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Even if you follow all the instructions, you can have technical difficulties, and understanding the nature of the errors can help you solve them quickly, most often problems are connected with the network or cloud storage overflow.
If the recovery process is stalled during the Download Apps phase, try to pause the download in the Play Store and start it again, and it also helps to restart the router or switch to the mobile Internet for a short time to reset the network stack.
- 🚫 Authentication Error: Check if you need to confirm your sign-in via a notification on other devices or code from SMS.
- 💾 Space shortage: If the cloud is crowded, sync new data (photo) won’t happen until you vacate space or buy a subscription.
- 🔌 Interrupted communication: if Wi-Fi is weak, the process may be interrupted.
Another common problem is that applications in the banking sector and some secure services don't move their data through Google's cloud backup for security reasons, but they'll have to be reconfigured, identified, and re-associated.
⚠️ Note: Banking applications can block the entry on the "new device" (which the system considers the restored phone) until the end of the security waiting period. SMS or use an alternative method of entry.
If nothing helps, you can try to delete your Google account on your new phone (Settings -> Accounts -> Google -> Delete your account) and add it again, and start the recovery process manually through the settings menu.
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Most portability errors are solved by simply restarting the router and re-authorizing the Google account on the target device.
Remember that the full file indexing and application optimization cycle on the new Xiaomi can take up to a few hours of active work.In the first hours after turning on, the phone can warm and run slower - this is a normal background setup process.