Changing the smartphone ecosystem is always stressful, with fears of losing important contacts, photos, or gaming progress. The shift from Honor devices to Xiaomi devices became especially urgent in 2026, when the gap between Huawei/Honor services and Google services became even more noticeable.
In this article, we will take a look at all the proven ways to transfer information, from embedded utilities to cloud services, how to save folder structure, Wi-Fi passwords, and even desktop icons, the main thing is to take your time and follow algorithms clearly so that no megabyte of your digital life is lost.
Preparing devices for data migration
Before running any transfer programs, you need to do basic training for both smartphones.Make sure the old Honor and the new Xiaomi have at least 60% of the battery charged.The process of copying large amounts of data, especially video files, can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, and discharging the device in the middle of the procedure can cause files to be corrupted.
Both phones must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. The speed of data transfer depends on the quality of the router's connection. If you don't have Wi-Fi access, some methods allow you to create an access point directly from one phone to another, but this can consume charge faster.
It’s also worth freeing up space on a new device. Although Xiaomi usually offers a large amount of memory, pre-check the free space in the Settings menu → About phone → Memory won’t be superfluous. Delete temporary files or the cache of heavy applications if the memory is filled with system debris.
An important step is to update the system software on both devices to the latest available version, which ensures compatibility of transmission protocols and fixes known bugs in the operation of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules, which are often used for synchronization.
☑️ Checklist before start
⚠️ Warning: Do not interrupt the process of handing over files, even if it seems that the image has hung.Forced closure of the application can cause some contacts to remain with duplicates or broken headers.
Use the Mi Mover app for Honor
The most effective and native way to transfer is to use the official Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically to switch to Xiaomi and Redmi devices from any Android smartphone. On the new phone, the app is already preinstalled in the Tools folder, and on the old Honor it must be downloaded from Google Play or the official website.
Once installed, run the program on both devices. On Xiaomi, select the Receiver role (New Phone), and on Honor, select the Sender (Old Phone). QR-code or connect through device search. Once paired, you'll be asked to select data types to copy.
The app allows you to migrate contacts, messages, call history, photos, videos, music and even some system settings. that applications installed from third-party sources (not from Google Play) may not be transferred automatically and will have to be installed again.
- 📲 Contacts and messages: Copyed in full, including embedded images in MMS.
- 📸 Media Files: Maintain original quality without compression.
- 📱 Annexes: Only transferred APK-Files, data within games may not be saved without an account.
- 📞 Call settings: Blacklist and forwarding may require manual verification.
What if Mi Mover doesn’t see Honor?
Synchronization through Google Account
Honor devices of recent years, like Xiaomi, are tightly integrated with the Google ecosystem. This is the most reliable way to save contacts, calendar notes and passwords. On your old phone, go to Settings → Users and Accounts → Google and make sure that you check the boxes for syncing contacts, calendar and Chrome.
On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, just type in the same Gmail address. The system automatically tightens all the stored data, which is especially convenient for those who often change phones, since it does not require both devices to be on hand at the same time.
To transfer photos, use Google Photos. Enable Autoupload and Sync on Honor. Once all photos are uploaded to the cloud, they will automatically appear in the new phone gallery when you log in to the same account.
However, it is worth remembering that free storage is limited to 15 GB. If you have a lot of 4K video, there may not be enough space, in which case some of the files will have to be transferred manually or buy a Google One subscription.
Transferring multimedia via PC and cable
If you have hundreds of gigabytes of photos and videos, wireless methods can be too long, and the old-fashioned method with your computer remains the fastest and most stable. Connect Honor to your PC with a cable, select File Transfer (MTP) mode, and copy DCIM, Pictures, Download, and Music folders to your hard drive.
Then plug Xiaomi in and move the data to the appropriate directories. Android folder structure is universal, so the files will fall into place, and the phone gallery will recognize them immediately. This method is also ideal for transferring heavy document files that are not always properly handled by cloud syncs.
When copying through Windows Explorer or macOS, make sure you copy not only files but also hidden folders (such as.thumbnails) if it is important to save the sketch cache, although this is rarely critical.
Table of comparison of transfer methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right option, we've compiled a comparative table of the main migration methods, and you can look at the speed and type of data that's being transmitted.
| Method | Speed. | What's transferable | We need the Internet. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Mover | High (Wi-Fi Direct) | Everything (contacts, photos, apps, settings) | No (locally) |
| Google Account | Medium (depending on the network) | Contacts, calendar, passwords, notes | Yes (required) |
| Google Photo | Low/Mediocre | Photos and videos only | Yes (required) |
| PC + Cable | Very high (USB 3.0) | Files and folders (photos, music, documents) | No. |
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The combined approach is the most effective. Use Mi Mover for apps and settings, and Google Account for Contacts to back up in the cloud.
Nuances of WhatsApp and messengers transfer
Special attention should be paid to messengers, as they store the history of correspondence in secure databases. WhatsApp on Android has a built-in backup function on Google Drive. On Honor, go to Settings → Chats → Backup and click “Create”.
On the new Xiaomi, WhatsApp will offer to restore the story from the cloud when it first launches. It is important to use the same phone number and the same Google account. If you use local backups, they will have to be manually transferred through the Android/media/com.whatsapp or WhatsApp/Databases folder, which in new versions of Android can be difficult due to file system access restrictions.
For Telegram and VCloud, the situation is simpler: Viber can also backup Google Drive, and Telegram stores the entire history on its servers, requiring only login to the account.
⚠️ Note: When transferring WhatsApp, make sure that the new phone is active SIM-card with the same number as the account until the backup is restored.
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Expert advice: Before you trade or sell your old Honor, do a full Wipe Data reset, but only after you make sure that all the data is open and working correctly on the new Xiaomi for at least one day.
Frequent problems and their solution
During the migration process, users often find that some apps don’t open or “fly out” due to differences in Android versions.