How to transfer all data to the new Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Buying a new smartphone is always a pleasant experience, but it often comes with an inevitable headache: transferring data accumulated over the years. The owner of a Xiaomi device is faced with a choice: transfer everything by hand or trust automated tools. Fortunately, the MIUI ecosystem and the new HyperOS shell offer powerful built-in solutions that allow you to clone an old phone almost one-to-one.

The migration process has become much easier with the advent of Google One and the proprietary utility Mi Mover. However, many users still lose important contacts, correspondence history or Wi-Fi password settings due to rush or ignorance of nuances. In this article, we will discuss all proven methods to make the transition to a new device as smoothly as possible and without losing digital history.

There are several transfer scenarios, from the old Android to the new Xiaomi, from the iPhone or even from the Nokia button. The algorithm will differ depending on the original operating system. It is important to understand that to successfully synchronize both devices will need a stable connection and sufficient battery power, since the process can take from 15 minutes to several hours.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The most efficient and quick way to transfer data between Xiaomi smartphones is to use the native Mi Mover application, which is already pre-installed on most of the company’s devices and allows you to transfer information over a local Wi-Fi channel without consuming mobile traffic. The transmission speed can reach 20-40 MB/s, which is much faster than cloud services.

To get started, you need to open the app on both devices. On the new phone, select Receiver and on the old phone, Sender. The system automatically creates a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to, and it's critical not to switch to mobile Internet or other Wi-Fi networks during the process, as this will break the connection and interrupt file transfer.

The interface allows you to flexibly choose the types of data to copy, and you can move not only the media, but also system settings, including the location of the icons on the desktop, and once you complete the analysis of the storage, you will start a copying process, the progress of which is displayed in real time.

Here are the main data types that Mi Mover supports:

• 📸 Photos, video and audio recordings from the gallery
• 📞 Contacts, history of calls and SMS-message
• ⚙️ System settings, alarm clocks and Wi-Fi access points
• 📲 Applications and their data (for some programs)

⚠️ Note: When you port apps using Mi Mover on a new phone, they may require re-authorization.

Sync with Mi Cloud and Google account

Cloud technology offers an alternative, more secure way to keep data safe: Using Mi Cloud, you can back up your backup in a remote storage that you can access even if you lose your physical device, and it's ideal if you don't have both phones on hand at the same time.

To set up sync, go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud. You need to activate switches for the desired data categories. The system will automatically upload contacts, notes, voice recordings and screenshots to the company's servers. Free storage is 5 GB, which is enough for text information and contacts.

In parallel, you need to set up backup through Google Drive, which is more integrated into the Android operating system and saves Wi-Fi passwords, application settings and action history. When you first activate a new Xiaomi smartphone, you just need to enter the same Google account, and the system will offer to restore data from the last recovery point.

Comparison of backup methods:

Transferring data from iPhone to Xiaomi

iOS owners who choose to switch to Android often face the issue of format compatibility. Fortunately, the Mi Mover app is available on the App Store and allows you to bridge ecosystems, the process begins with installing the app on your iPhone and connecting both phones to the same Wi-Fi network.

iPhones will require a number of permissions, including access to contacts, calendars and photo albums. Note that apps purchased from the App Store won’t be automatically migrated, as Android has its own Google Play store.

The photos and videos can be in HEIC formats that the old Android doesn’t read, but modern Xiaomi converts them automatically, but to ensure compatibility, it is better to change the camera settings on the iPhone to “Compatibility” or use the JPEG format in advance.

List of data available for transfer from iOS:

• 📷 Photos and videos (convert to compatible format)
• 📒 Contacts and calendar events
• 🎵 Music and ringtones
• 📝 Notes (often transferred as text)

⚠️ Note: iMessage and FaceTime messages cannot be ported to Android. SIM-Deactivate iMessage in your iPhone settings, otherwise you may stop receiving SMS from other Apple users.

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Before you start migrating from your iPhone, clear the "Recently Deleted" album, which will make room and speed up the process, as Mi Mover may be trying to analyze these files as well.

Migration of WhatsApp and messenger correspondence history

A separate and most difficult task is often to transfer the history of correspondence to WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber. If Telegram and V are easy enough to enter a phone number on a new device (with a cloud backup), WhatsApp needs more careful preparation, as it stores the history locally or in Google. Drive/iCloud.

To transfer WhatsApp from Android to Android, use the built-in backup feature. On your old phone, go to Settings → Chats → Backup and click Backup on Google Drive. On the new phone, the apps will prompt you to restore data from the cloud when you first install it.

The situation with the transfer from iPhone to Android is solved through the application Move to iOS (at the stage of setting up the new iPhone) or through the function “Chat Transfer” inside WhatsApp on Android, if both phones are connected by a Lightning-USB cable or through a Lightning-USB cable. QR-code in new versions of the software. Xiaomi is actively implementing support for this feature in its utilities.

It's important to remember two-factor authentication. Before resetting your old phone, make sure you remember your account password or have access to a phone number that will receive the confirmation code, without which it will be extremely difficult to restore access to your account.

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For WhatsApp, it is critical that the new phone has the same phone number and Google account (for Android) or iCloud (for iOS) active as the old device.

Transfer of applications and passwords

Modern Xiaomi smartphones allow you to transfer not only the files of the application, but also in some cases their data, especially for games without account binding or specific utilities, but for banking applications and secure services, data transfer is impossible for security reasons – they will have to be reconfigured.

Passwords saved in Chrome or Google’s password manager will be restored automatically after logging in to your account, eliminating the need to recall complex character combinations for each site.

Applications that are not installed from Google Play (apk files) can also be transferred through Mi Mover as normal files. However, after installation in a new location, the system may require security confirmation or re-setting of access rights. Some heavy games may require pumping additional data files (cache) after the first run.

What to check after transferring applications:

• 🔐 The operation of bank keys and tokens
• 🔔 Notification settings (in) MIUI They can be dropped)
• 📍 Permits for access to geolocation
• 📶 Workshop widgets

Frequent problems and their solution

Despite the fact that things are fine, there are some problems, and the most common problem is the connection error when using the Mi Mover. If the phones can't see each other, try turning off the mobile Internet on both devices, leaving only the Wi-Fi modules active, and rebooting both smartphones before starting the procedure also helps.

Another common difficulty is lack of space: a new phone may have less memory than the old one, or some space is already occupied by the system, in which case Mi Mover will offer selective transfer, it is recommended to move contacts and photos first, and download the applications again, so as not to drag junk files from the old device.

If contacts are not displayed correctly after transfer (for example, all in one line or without names), check the encoding. SIM-The current standard for storing contacts is a Google account or a vCard file (.vcf). SIM-Cards often result in long names being cropped and additional numbers lost.