Mobile device change, especially the transition between ecosystems with different shells, often raises concerns about the safety of personal information. Users who decide to migrate from Honor to Xiaomi face the need to move a huge amount of data, from trivial contacts to complex application settings. Fortunately, modern technology allows to make this process as transparent and fast as possible, minimizing human participation.
The data transfer procedure has become much easier with the advent of specialized utilities from manufacturers. In the case of Xiaomi, the main tool is the Mi Mover application, which can work not only with its own brand devices, but also effectively interact with Android smartphones from other brands, including Honor with the MagicOS or EMUI shell.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at all the preparation and direct transfer stages so that you can start using the new gadget immediately after unpacking without spending hours manually tuning.
Preparing devices before migration
The first and most important step is to properly prepare both smartphones. Ignoring basic requirements can cause the transfer process to be interrupted or files to be damaged. Make sure both devices have a battery level of at least 50%, and ideally connect them to power supplies.
You also need to check if there is free space on your Xiaomi host device, and the amount of free memory should exceed the size of the data you plan to transfer to Honor, and if there is not enough memory, the process may result in an error or not all files will be transferred.
It is important to disable any energy-saving and flight modes on both devices before synchronizing, and connection stability is critical for transmitting large amounts of data, such as video archives or instant messenger databases.
- 🔋 Charge both smartphones to at least 60% or connect to chargers.
- 📶 Turn off the power saving mode and make sure the Wi-Fi modules are active.
- 💾 Check the space in Xiaomi memory, it should be more data on Honor.
⚠️ Note: Do not interrupt the data transfer process or switch to other applications during the migration, this may cause file damage.
Installation and configuration of Mi Mover
The main tool for migration is the Mi Mover app, which is often pre-installed in the Tools folder on Xiaomi smartphones or available through system settings, and if the app is not available, it can be freely downloaded from the GetApps store or Google Play.
On the Honor device, the app also needs to be installed manually. Since the AppGallery store may not contain the current version, it is best to download the installation app. APK-file from the manufacturer's official website or trusted source. After installation, run the program on both devices.
When you first start up, the system will ask for permission to access contacts, storage and location, and these permissions are mandatory for the utility to work properly, because it needs to scan the contents of the memory and create a communication channel. Without providing all the requested access, the functionality of the program will be limited.
What if Mi Mover doesn’t run on Honor?
Creating a connection between smartphones
Once the app is launched, you need to choose the role of each device in the transfer process, and on the new Xiaomi, select the option “I’m a receiver” and on the old Honor, “I’m a sender”, which will trigger the device search engine.
Xiaomi smartphone will create a Wi-Fi hotspot. QR-On a Honor device, you need to click "Connect" and scan the code with the camera or select the network manually from the list of available Wi-Fi connections.
Once successfully paired, the sender will display a list of data categories available for transfer, analyze the contents of the memory and suggest you choose what you want to move, and the connection speed at this point may vary, but the stability of the channel is already guaranteed by the Wi-Fi Direct protocol.
☑️ Pre-launch check
Selection of data and start of transmission
The data selection interface in Mi Mover is structured by categories: images, videos, contacts, messages, applications and system settings. You can select specific items or use the “Select All” function, if the memory capacity allows.
The app will try to migrate not only installation files (APKs), but also data within them, but banking applications and some secure services may require re-authorization or manual reinstallation due to Android security policies.
Once you confirm your choice, click the "Send" button, and you start the copying process, which is shown as a percentage and estimated time (time remaining), and the transfer speed depends on the amount of data and can reach tens of megabytes per second.
| Type of data | Difficulty of transfer | I need authorization. | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts/Phonebook | Low. | No. | Transferred instantly |
| Photos and videos | Medium | No. | Depends on the amount of memory |
| Annexes (APK) | Tall. | Yeah (often) | Data may not be saved |
| SMS/MMS messages | Low. | No. | Requires permits |
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When migrating apps from Honor to Xiaomi, especially if Google services were on Honor in a stripped-down form, it is better to download the latest versions of programs from Google Play on a new device.
Transfer of WhatsApp and messengers
The migration of instant messengers deserves special attention, as standard copying methods often do not preserve the history of correspondence. WhatsApp and Telegram have their own nuances that need to be considered when switching to Xiaomi.
In the case of Telegram, it's as simple as possible: the history of correspondence is stored on cloud servers, you just install the application on a new device, enter the phone number, and all chats are synchronized automatically, no additional actions are required from the user.
WhatsApp is more complicated. Mi Mover can migrate the app itself, but not the chat backup. It is recommended to make a local backup in WhatsApp’s Honor settings before switching, and then, when you first run on Xiaomi, agree to restore from a local copy. If this does not work, use the built-in “Chat Transfer” feature inside WhatsApp’s settings.
- 📱 Telegram: just log in to your account, the story will load itself.
- 💬 WhatsApp: Make a local backup before transferring or use built-in export.
- 📸 Viber: Requires separate backup in the application settings before changing the device.
⚠️ Note: When transferring WhatsApp, make sure the phone number matches, otherwise it will not be possible to restore the backup.
Completion of the process and verification of results
Once the progress indicator reaches 100%, the devices will report successful completion of the operation. Don't immediately break the connection; give the system a few minutes to finalize the file operations and index the media library.
Now you need to audit transferred data, check if you have contacts in your phone book, open the gallery, and make sure that the photos and videos are displayed correctly, and pay special attention to applications, some of which may require you to log in again.
If you used Mi Mover to port system settings, check the configuration of Wi-Fi networks, alarm clocks and calendar. In some cases, Wi-Fi passwords may not be transferred for security reasons and will have to be re-entered.
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The full data check cycle after the transfer takes about 10-15 minutes, but saves from unpleasant surprises like missing numbers or photos in the future.
Possible problems and solutions
Despite the smoothness of the process, there can be some disruptions. If the transmission is stuck at a certain percentage, try turning off and reconnect Wi-Fi on both devices without closing the app, and in some cases, rebooting both smartphones helps.
Compatibility issues with file formats are rare, but they are possible if Honor has used specific video codecs or document formats, which may not open with standard Xiaomi tools and require the installation of a third-party player or editor.
If the Mi Mover app doesn't see each other's devices, make sure that Honor's permissions for the app enable access to "Local Network" or "Device Nearby." Android of newer versions strictly controls these security settings.