How to transfer all data from Xiaomi phone to Xiaomi

Changing a smartphone, even within a single brand, often causes users to worry about losing important contacts, precious photos or customizations of familiar applications. Fortunately, the Xiaomi ecosystem offers powerful migration tools that avoid manual copying and long customization. Modern models, whether it is a budget Redmi or flagship Xiaomi 14, have built-in synchronization mechanisms.

The process of switching to a new device has become much easier in recent years, so you no longer have to search for cables, connect your phone to your computer, and manually flip folders, all the necessary functions are built directly into the MIUI or HyperOS shell, which saves time and reduces the risk of information loss in the process.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways you can move information, the Mi Mover app, cloud services, and synchronization features through your Google account, and how to save desktop structure and passwords from Wi-Fi networks effortlessly.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before you start the copying process, you need to perform a number of preparatory steps, which ensures the stability of the connection and prevents possible errors in the middle of the procedure. Ignoring the preparation often leads to a freeze or incorrect display of files on the new gadget.

First of all, make sure that both smartphones have sufficient battery power, the optimal level is considered to be a charge of more than 50%, and ideally both devices are better connected to a power source. If the phone runs out while writing system files, this can lead to damage to the database.

Check for free space on the receiving device. The amount of free memory should exceed the amount of data you plan to transfer, and it is also recommended to update the Mi Mover app to the latest version on both devices through the GetApps store.

There are a few critical points that you should know in advance:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 60% before starting.
• 📶 Turn it off. VPN Proxies and servers can interfere with local transmission.
• 🔒 Unlock the screens of both devices so that the system does not interrupt the connection.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to port data if one of the devices is enabled with Do Not Disturb mode with severe background activity restrictions, this can break the Wi-Fi connection between the phones.

After these simple steps are done, you can move on to the migration method, and there are several ways to do this, each with its own advantages depending on the amount of data.

Use of the built-in Mi Mover application

The most efficient and quickest way is to use the native Mi Mover tool, which is pre-installed on most of the brand’s devices and specifically optimized for the ecosystem, and allows data to be transmitted over a direct Wi-Fi connection without consuming mobile traffic.

To start, run the app on both smartphones, select the Old Phone on the old device, and the New Phone on the new device, and automatically create an access point to which you need to connect.

Once you've established the connection, you'll see a list of data categories that you can transfer, so you can select only contacts and messages, or you can copy the entire media array. 20-40 MB/s, which is much faster than Bluetooth.

Here is what this tool can do:

• 📞 Contacts, history of calls and SMS-message.
• 📸 Photos, videos and audio recordings from internal memory.
• 📱 Applications and their data (for some system programs).
• 🌐 Wi-Fi settings and alarm clocks.

The process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of information you have, so don't turn off your screens and keep them close to each other.

It is important to note that some secure banking applications may not transfer their login details for security reasons, and you will have to log in again after the migration is completed.

Sync with Mi Cloud and Xiaomi account

The Mi Cloud cloud service is a great alternative for those who prefer wireless solutions without direct connection of devices, which is especially convenient if the old phone is already sold or unavailable, but you have a backup in the cloud.

To do this, you need to log into your Mi Account on your old phone and enable synchronization of the desired partitions. Usually, by default, contacts, notes, voice recorder and gallery are activated, and once you create a copy, the data becomes available on any device when you log in to the same account.

On a new smartphone, just log in to the same profile, and the system will suggest recovering data from the cloud, which takes longer than a direct transfer, because the speed depends on your Internet connection.

The advantage of the cloud method is that it can only be selectively restored, and you can only download contacts by leaving heavy video files in the old place or uploading them later.

If your gallery is 50GB and your plan is limited to 5GB, full synchronization in its original quality will not happen.

Transferring data through Google Account

The Android ecosystem provides its own powerful backup mechanism that is deeply integrated into the system. When you first turn on a new Xiaomi phone, the customizator will offer to restore data from the Google cloud.

This method is ideal for preserving the structure of the system, which restores the list of installed applications, passwords stored in the password manager of Google, and the history of actions. However, the application files themselves (cache, logins inside games) may not be saved if the developer did not use the save API.

To check your settings, go to Settings → Google → Backup. Here you will see the date of the last copy and a list of data that will be saved. Make sure the Backup switch is active.

Using a Google Account provides cross-platformity.If you decide to switch to a different brand phone in the future, your data won't stay locked in the Xiaomi ecosystem.

💡

Turn on Google Photos sync in the “Original Quality” mode only if there is an unlimited tariff or a large amount of storage, otherwise the place will end very quickly.

Comparison of methods and selection of optimal

The choice of migration depends on your priorities: speed, safety or convenience. Each method has its own strengths, and in some cases, they can be combined to achieve the best result.

If you have both phones on hand and they're on, Mi Mover remains the undisputed leader in speed and completeness, copying even things that are often forgotten by other tools, such as voice recorders and alarm clocks.

Cloud solutions are better suited for regular backups, and by setting up automatic synchronization, you insure yourself against data loss in the event of a device being stolen or broken at any given time.

Let’s look at the main differences in more detail:

• 🚀 Mi Mover is much faster than the cloud.
• ☁️ Independence: The cloud doesn’t require an old phone on hand.
• 🔒 Privacy: Local Wi-Fi data transfer is safer than third-party data transfer.

⚠️ Note: When using public Wi-Fi networks for cloud sync, make sure the connection is secure to avoid interception of account data.

For most users, the ideal scheme would be a combination: transfer the main data array through Mi Mover, and keep contacts and important documents in constant sync with the cloud.

Typical problems and their solution

Even with standard tools, there can be failures, most often associated with software conflicts or unstable connections, and understanding the causes of errors can help to quickly eliminate them without losing data.

If the process is stuck at a certain percentage, try to disable screen lock on both devices, and sometimes the security system interrupts the transfer of large files, considering a long active connection suspicious.

In case apps don't open after porting, check the Android version.If the new phone is running on a fresher version of the system, some older apps may not be compatible and require an update via Google Play.

Don't panic if your app icons are missing, often they're just hidden or moved to the Tools folder. Check your desktop settings under Settings → Desktop.

Features of migration on HyperOS

With the release of the new HyperOS operating system, the migration process has become even more profound, and the new shell allows you to transfer not only files, but also some system settings that were previously reset.

Now you can keep the widgets and theme more accurate, and it makes you feel like you've never changed your phone, you've just updated your hardware.

However, it is worth considering that the transition from older versions of MIUI to HyperOS may take longer due to file re-indexing and database optimization on the fly.

💡

The transition to HyperOS requires more time to set up due to deep system optimization, but provides better stability in the long run.

Users are advised to wait until all background processes are completed after the transfer before starting active operation of the new device.