Changing a smartphone is always a little stressful, not so much with the device itself, but with the need to transfer accumulated information. Huawei owners who move to the Xiaomi ecosystem often face the question: how to make this process as painless and fast as possible? Fortunately, modern technology allows you to clone the contents of an old phone in minutes, preserving the structure of folders and even the location of icons on the desktop.
The main difficulty of migrating from Huawei devices often lies in the lack of Google services on new models of the Chinese brand, but when you switch to Xiaomi, this problem is solved automatically, since MIUI and HyperOS fully support the search giant’s ecosystem. You do not have to manually restore every contact or search for application installation files if you use regular synchronization tools. In this article, we will analyze all available methods, from cloud services to direct transmission over Wi-Fi.
Before starting the procedure, it is important to understand that successful transfer depends not only on the chosen method, but also on the preparation of both devices. Both smartphones must be charged at least 50-60% and connected to a stable Wi-Fi network if you plan to use cloud methods or wireless transmission of large amounts of data. A wired connection is also possible, but requires the appropriate OTG adapter, which is not always convenient in the field.
Preparing devices for data migration
The first step before the manipulation is to carefully prepare both gadgets. On the old Huawei, you need to free up some space by deleting temporary files if the memory is full, as this can slow down the process of reading data. On the new Xiaomi, you should complete the initial setup, connect to Wi-Fi and log into your Mi Account, although for basic transfer this is not always strictly necessary, but extremely desirable for full synchronization.
Make sure that both devices have the necessary permissions for file transfer. In modern versions of Android and the EMUI/HarmonyOS shell, the system can request confirmation of access to contacts, gallery and system settings when you start the migration tool. Ignoring these requests will result in some data simply not being copied and you will have to transfer it manually.
☑️ Checklist of preparations
It’s also worth checking the operating system version. Although migration tools are usually cross-platform, having up-to-date updates on Huawei and Xiaomi ensures that there are no compatibility bugs. Go to Settings → System and updates and check for new versions of the software. This is especially important for owners of older models who may not have received security patches in a long time.
⚠️ Warning: Do not start the transfer process if one of the devices is power-saving mode. It can limit the operation of the Wi-Fi module or interrupt the background transmission process, which will lead to a cloning error.
Using the Mi Mover application for portability
The most effective and native way to migrate for Xiaomi users is the Mi Mover app. It is pre-installed on most of the brand’s devices and optimized to work with the MIUI file system. If your new smartphone does not have this application (as happens on global versions with HyperOS), it can be downloaded for free from Google Play or GetApps. Huawei phone will also need to install this application, as it acts as a recipient or sender of data.
The process is simple: open the app on both devices. On Xiaomi, select I'm recipient and on Huawei, I'm sender. Apps will find each other via Wi-Fi Direct or offer scanning. QR-And the good thing about this is that it creates a direct connection between devices, bypassing the router, which allows for a high transfer rate.
Once connected, the system will suggest selecting data types to copy. You can migrate contacts, messages, calls, notes, alarm clocks, images, videos, music, documents, and even installed applications. Mi Mover will try to find app analogues in the GetApps store or Google Play and automatically upload them to the new device. For system settings and Wi-Fi passwords, this method is also ideal.
- 📲 Contacts and Messages: Completely migrate, keeping their correspondence history in standard applications.
- 🖼️ Media Files: Photos and videos retain original quality and metadata (date, location).
- 📱 Annexes: Postpone APK-files, but data within applications (e.g., progress in games without cloud storage) may not be saved.
- 🔐 Wi-Fi Passwords: A list of known networks will be automatically added to your new phone’s settings.
Synchronization through Google Account
The second, equally important, method is to use Google cloud services, and since Xiaomi is fully integrated with the Google ecosystem, this is the basic way to restore contacts, calendars, and notes. Huawei (if it has Google services) needs to go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for all the right items: Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Chrome.
On the new Xiaomi, when you first set up or in the account menu, just add the same Google account. The system will automatically prompt you to restore data from the cloud, which is especially convenient for those who store contacts not in the phone memory, but in a Google profile. In this case, even if you lose SIM-card or phone number, all numbers are saved forever.
What if Huawei doesn’t have Google Services?
Google Photos deserves special attention. If you have photo and video autoload enabled on your old device, it is easy for Xiaomi to install the Google Photos app and log in to your account. Your entire gallery will be available in the cloud. However, if you want to store photos locally in the Xiaomi gallery, you better use the Mi Mover method or cable transfer, since the Google cloud compresses quality at a free rate.
| Parameter | Mi Mover | Google Sync | Phone Clone (Huawei) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed. | High (Wi-Fi Direct) | Depends on the Internet. | Tall. |
| Contacts | Yes. | Yes (basic) | Yes. |
| Annexes | Yes (APK) | Only a list. | Yes. |
| System settings | Partially. | No. | No. |
Manual transfer of multimedia and documents
Sometimes automatic systems may fail or miss certain folders, especially if they are files created by third-party applications (such as audio recordings of a voice recorder or messenger cache), in which case the manual method comes to the rescue. You can connect both phones to your computer through USB-cable and copy the contents of folders DCIM, Pictures, Download and Documents to the clipboard and then transfer to the new device.
An alternative and more modern way is to use ShareMe (formerly Mi Drop), which is pre-installed on Xiaomi. Its Huawei counterpart is Huawei Share. However, to transfer files between them without installing any extra software, the easiest way to install ShareMe on both phones is to create a local network and allow you to transfer files of any size without loss of quality and without using the Internet.
To transfer large video files in format 4K Or heavy archives, manually using a PC is often more reliable"Backup_Huawei", You can put all the important data in there, sort it out by removing duplicates, and then you can put it on Xiaomi, and it's also a great way to clean up the file system before you switch to a new device.
⚠️ Note: When manually copying messenger folders (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) just transferring files may not be enough. For WhatsApp, be sure to use the built-in backup feature in Google Drive on your old phone to restore your correspondence history on your new phone.
Migration of data messengers and applications
The most critical part for many users is the history of correspondence in messengers. WhatsApp on Android works through Google Drive. On Huawei, open WhatsApp, go to Settings → Chats → Backup and click “Backup”. Make sure that the copy is created on your Google account. On Xiaomi, the first installation of WhatsApp will offer to restore data from the cloud.
Telegram and Viber are easier. Telegram stores all the history in the server cloud, so just enter the phone number and confirmation code — all chats will be downloaded automatically. Viber also knows how to back up to Google Drive (on Android), the process is similar to WhatsApp. Remember to use the same number and Google account on the new phone.
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Save two-factor authentication: Before transferring, make sure you remember the password from your Google account or the phone number associated with messengers, as you may need to reconfirm when logging in from a new device.
Banking applications and government services (government services, banks) do not transfer their data for security purposes, but they will have to be reconfigured: log into your personal account, perhaps confirm the login via SMS or a push notification on an old device (if it is still at hand), which is standard security procedure, and it is impossible to bypass it.
Problem Solving and Transfer Errors
Users may experience a number of difficulties in migrating, such as the "Data Preparation" or "App Transfer" phase, most often due to an unstable Wi-Fi connection or one of the devices going to sleep, and it is recommended to turn off the power saving during the transfer and keep the screens on.
Another common problem is the incompatibility of Android versions. if Huawei has a very old version (for example, Android). 6 or 7), Xiaomi is running on fresh Android 13/14, Some old apps may not install automatically, so Mi Mover will suggest finding their counterparts in the app store or skip them. APK-files manually or to accept the lack of outdated software.
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The main reason for errors in the transfer is the connection interruption, do not turn off the migration application or block the phone screens until the process is completed 100%.
If you have moved contacts, but they are displayed as "Unnamed" or duplicated, check where they were saved. SIM-Maps, from Google, from the phone, creating porridge. In the Contacts app on Xiaomi, there's a "Joint Duplicates" feature that helps you clean up your mess.
Completion of setup and data verification
Once the download indicator reaches 100% and the success message appears, don't be in a hurry to delete the data from the old phone right away. Take 10-15 minutes to check. Open the gallery and flip through the albums, make sure the videos play back. Go to the phone book and check for all the numbers. Test the opening of the main applications.
Pay special attention to notification settings. On the MIUI/HyperOS shell, the system aggressively manages power consumption and can "kill" the background processes of messengers, which may cause notifications to not come. Go to Settings → Applications → (Select App) → Autorun and allow work in the background for WhatsApp, Telegram and mail.
Only after a full check and making sure all the data is in place and working correctly can you proceed to clean up Huawei.Do a full Factory Reset on your old device so that your personal data doesn't fall into the wrong hands if you plan to sell or give away the phone.