How to Transfer Data from Xiaomi to Huawei: A Step-by-Step Guide

Changing a smartphone is always accompanied by mild stress, especially when it is necessary to move "digital luggage" to a new device. MIUI Often, you need to switch to HarmonyOS or EMUI Because of hardware preferences or the desire to try new flagships, the migration process doesn't have to be complicated if you know the right tools.

The main difficulty lies in the difference in the software shells: MIUI and HyperOS from Xiaomi have their own logic, which is different from EMUI or HarmonyOS on Huawei. However, modern technology allows you to make this transition as smooth as possible, preserving the structure of folders, Wi-Fi passwords and even the location of icons on the desktop.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can get from the official Phone Clone app to manually migrating over cloud services and PCs. You’ll learn how to avoid losing important chats, high-resolution photos and system settings. It’s critical to make room on a new Huawei device in advance, as temporary cloning files can take up to 20% of the data you’re sending.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before any copying process begins, both gadgets must be prepared in a basic way, not just for a formality, but for a need to ensure speed and no errors in the middle of the process, and ignoring this step often results in a progress bar or loss of files.

Make sure that both devices have at least 50-60% battery charge, that you can transfer large amounts of data, especially over Wi-Fi Direct, that you actively use energy, and that you can check for free space on Huawei. If you plan to transfer 100 GB of data, at least 110-120 GB of data should be free on the new device.

Both smartphones should be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, or be prepared to use a direct connection that will create a cloning app. It is recommended to reboot both devices before starting to close the background processes that may conflict with file transfer.

• 🔋 Charge both smartphones to at least 60% for stable operation of communication modules.
• 📶 Connect devices to a stable 5GHz Wi-Fi network for maximum speed.
• 🗑️ Clean up the cache on old Xiaomi to avoid carrying “digital trash».
• 🔒 Unlock the screens of both devices and allow all access requests.

Don't try to start the process if one of the devices has a firmware beta installed, in which case system services may be unstable, causing a connection to break, and it's better to wait for a stable software update.

Using the Phone Clone app to port

The most effective and official way to migrate is to use the Phone Clone utility (some versions called Clone Phone), which is pre-installed on most modern Huawei and Honor, and for Xiaomi it must be downloaded from Google Play or AppGallery.

The principle of operation is based on creating a local access point, the application does not transfer your data through Internet servers, which ensures high speed and privacy, and the algorithm will choose the optimal transfer protocol depending on the type of files.

Run the app on Huawei and select "This is a new phone." On Xiaomi, run the same program and specify "This is an old phone." QR-code or connect through device search. Once connected, you'll see a list of data categories that are available for copying.

In the program interface, you can select specific types of data: contacts, messages, call log, photos, videos, music, documents and even system settings. Note that MIUI system applications will not be installed on HarmonyOS, but their data can be stored if the format allows.

⚠️ Warning: During the process, don't switch to other apps or lock the smartphone screen.The screen should burn constantly, as the operating system can pause the background transfer of large files to save energy.

Once you've done copying, the new phone will automatically sort the apps into folders, just like they were on the old device, which creates a sense of familiarity right after you turn them on.

Transferring contacts and calendars through accounts

Calendar contacts and events are the blood of your smartphone, and the most critical loss of them is that you can sync them through cloud accounts, not just copy files, and that ensures that data stays accessible even if your phone is lost.

On Xiaomi, contacts are often stored in Mi Account or synced with Google. Check this in settings. Go to Settings → Accounts and sync. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active and has passed the last sync.

If you've used SIM-card for storing numbers, modern approach suggests exporting them to a file VCF. It's a universal format that can be read by any device, and you can flip it over Bluetooth or messenger.

For a calendar, it's the same. If you've used Google Calendar, just add the same account to Huawei, and all events will automatically follow up. The built-in MIUI and EMUI calendars may not understand each other directly, so exporting in.ics format will be the best solution for local events.

• 📲 Check sync with Google Account in the section “Users and accounts».
• 💾 Export contacts to the file.vcf via the contact management menu.
• ☁️ Use the cloud.mi.com web interface to check for backup.
• 📅 Sync your calendar with CalDAV or export your file.ics.

Once you add a Google account to the new Huawei, it will offer you to restore contacts, a method that is most reliable because it eliminates human error and manual copying errors.

Migration Multimedia: Photos, Videos and Music

Multimedia files take up the lion’s share of memory. Photos and videos taken with modern Xiaomi cameras can be high resolution and take up a lot of space. When transferring, it is important to save metadata (EXIF) so that the date and location of the shooting is not lost.

The Phone Clone app does this very well, keeping the album structure intact, but if you have hundreds of gigabytes of memory, it can take hours, and you can use the computer as an intermediary.

Connect Xiaomi to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode. Copy DCIM, Pictures, Download and Music folders to your hard drive. Then plug Huawei in and move the files to the appropriate directories. This is the fastest way to get big data.

Cloud services like Google Photos or Yandex.Disk are also great tools. Install the app on your new phone, and the media files will appear in the gallery automatically. It's convenient, but it requires stable and fast Internet.

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Use a USB-C to USB-C cable to transfer files directly between phones via a file manager.Speed will be faster than Wi-Fi, and no additional applications will need to be installed.

Transfer of applications and their data

Apps are more complicated because of the differences in app stores: on Xiaomi you used Google Play, while on Huawei you didn’t (appGallery or Petal Search). Most popular apps (social networks, banks, navigators) are available in AppGallery or through the Petal Search service, which finds the most popular apps. APK-file.

Phone Clone app tries to move APK-If the app is in the Huawei store, the system will offer to download it; if it is not, it will try to transfer the installation file.

For games, it is important to have an account (Google Play Games, Facebook, VK Play). Before resetting your old phone, make sure that your progress in the game is saved in the developer cloud. Local saves can be lost when you change platform.

Banking and security-enhanced applications will require re-authorization and biometrics adjustments on the new device, a standard security procedure that cannot be circumvented.

⚠️ Note: Google apps (YouTube, Maps, Drive) are not built into Huawei’s system, but they can be installed via GBox or Gspace. This is a virtual environment that allows you to run Google services.

Solving and eliminating errors

The migration process can be complicated by technicalities, and understanding the nature of migration can help solve the problem quickly, and most often, errors are related to interruption of the connection or lack of system resources.

If the transfer is stuck at a certain percentage (e.g. 99%), try not to interrupt the process immediately. Sometimes the system completes the background indexing of files. If the wait does not help, restart both phones and start again, selecting only the types of data that were not copied.

Wi-Fi issues are often solved by resetting network settings. On Xiaomi, you can do this in the Settings menu → Connection and Sharing → Reset Wi-Fi, mobile network and Bluetooth. Remember, this will remove saved passwords from networks.

• 🔄 Restart both devices if the process is more than 10 minutes long.
• 📵 Turn it off. VPN Proxies and servers can block local connections.
• 🔋 Make sure that the “Do Not Sleep” mode is active during the transmission.
• 📂 If specific files are not copied, check them for damage.

In rare cases, antivirus on Xiaomi can block Huawei's attempt to read data. temporarily disable protection or add the Phone Clone app to exceptions.

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The main cause of port errors is an unstable Wi-Fi Direct connection, so keep your phones close to each other and keep your screen locked.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions