How to sync two Xiaomi phones with each other: the complete guide

Why sync Xiaomi smartphones and what it gives

Synchronizing two Xiaomi phones isn’t just a convenience, it’s a way to optimize your data when you have multiple devices: Imagine you’re taking a picture on a Redmi Note 12 Pro+, and a minute later, those pictures are already available on POCO F5 without unnecessary manipulation. Or notes created in Xiaomi Notes on one phone automatically appear on a second phone, saving time and eliminating the loss of important information.

But synchronization isn't just about everyday tasks; it's critical for business users who work with documents, contacts, or calendars across multiple devices, like if you use the Xiaomi 14 Ultra as your primary phone and the Redmi A2 as your backup, synchronization ensures that all calls, messages, and files are relevant on both devices, and it's also a save if one of your phones suddenly dies or gets lost.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working synchronization methods, from standard MIUI functions to third-party solutions, and how to avoid common errors and what to do if data is not synchronized.

Method 1: Synchronize with Mi Account (official method)

Xiaomi’s most stable and recommended way is to use the Mi Account, which works on all devices with MIUI 10 and later, including the latest models like the Xiaomi 13T or POCO X6 Pro. The main advantage is that data is synchronized through the cloud, so you do not need to constantly connect your phones to each other.

To enable synchronization:

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account on both phones.
2. Sign up with the same account (if you don’t have one, register).
3. Go to Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
4. Turn on switches for the data you need: Contacts, Notes, Photos, Call Records, etc.
5. Press Sync.

Important: Mi Cloud only provides 5GB of free storage, and if you plan to sync a large number of photos or videos, you will either have to clean the cloud regularly or buy additional space (from 100GB for ~300 rubles per year).

Both phones are connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or mobile data)

Both devices have the same MIUI version (or no more than 2 versions)

There is plenty of free space in the Mi Cloud.

On the phones, the option “Autosync” is enabled in the account settings-->

Syncing through Mi Account is in the background, but sometimes it can be delayed.

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Check your internet connection (synchronization is not working via VPN).
• 🗑️ Clear the Mi Cloud app cache in the settings.
• 🔧 Update. MIUI last-minute.

💡

If you travel frequently, turn off automatic photo sync in roaming so you don’t waste traffic. Go to Mi Cloud → Photo → Sync settings and select “Wi-Fi only” option.

Method 2: Transfer files over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct

If you need to transfer files between Xiaomi phones once (such as vacation photos or a document), the easiest way to use is Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, which do not require Internet access and work even on an airplane or subway.

For Bluetooth transmission:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. On the first phone, select files (for example, in the gallery) and click Share → Bluetooth.
3. Select the second phone from the list of devices.
4. Confirm the file on the second phone.

Wi-Fi Direct is faster than Bluetooth, especially for larger files.

1. Activate Wi-Fi Direct on both phones (Settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct).
2. Create an access point on one of the phones (in the same menu).
3. Connect the second phone to this point.
4. Use any file manager (such as Xiaomi Files) to transfer data.

The transmission speed depends on the phone model:

Bluetooth

Wi-Fi Direct

Mi Account (cloud)

USB cable

Another way.-->

Limitations of methods:

• 🚫 Bluetooth is only suitable for small files (up to 50MB).
• 🔋 Wi-Fi Direct drains the battery.
• 📱 On some models (e.g. Redmi 9A), Wi-Fi Direct may not be supported.

Method 3: Sync through Google Account

If you don’t want to use Mi Account, the alternative is a Google account, which is suitable for syncing contacts, calendar, notes (via Google Keep) and photos (via Google Photos), with the advantage of 15 GB of free storage (versus 5 GB in Mi Cloud).

How to set up:

1. Open Settings → Google accounts on both phones.
2. Log in to the same account.
3. Enable sync for the data you want: 📇 Contacts: Contact Sync → Enable. 📅 Calendar: Google Calendar → Sync. 📝 Notes: Install Google Keep and log in. 📷 Photos: Set up Google Photos and enable Backup.

Important: Google Photos compresses photos for free storage (High quality) To save the original resolution, select Original Quality, but then the files will take up space in your 15 GB.

💡

A Google account is the best choice if you use not only Xiaomi, but also other Android devices (for example, a tablet or a smartphone of another brand).

Challenges and solutions:

• 🔄 Contacts are not synchronized: check if they are duplicated with contacts of the SIM- card. Delete duplicates to Contacts → Management → Combine.
• ⏳ Photos are long to load: in Google Photos settings, select Download only over Wi-Fi.
• 🚫 Calendar is not synced: delete your Google account and add it again.

Method 4: Using Third-Party Applications

If standard methods don't work, you can use third-party apps, which offer more flexibility, like synchronizing SMS, call logs, or apps, which Mi Cloud doesn't.

Top-3 applications for synchronization:

1. Sync for Reddit (and other social networks) – synchronizes browsing history, bookmarks and settings between devices.
2. Pushbullet – transfers notifications, files and SMS between phones in real time.
3. Resilio Sync – creates a P2P- network for synchronizing folders without the cloud (ideal for large files).

Example of Resilio Sync setup:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On the first phone, select the folder to sync and generate the key or QR- code.
3. On the second phone, scan the QR or enter the key.
4. Select sync mode: 🔄 Standard - changes apply on both devices. 📥 Receive only - the second phone only receives files. 📤 Sending only - the second phone only sends files.

Warnings:

⚠️ Warning: Apps like Pushbullet require constant access to notifications, which can reduce battery life by 10 to 15 percent. Turn off unnecessary options in the app settings.

⚠️ Warning: Resilio Sync consumes a lot of traffic if you sync folders with a lot of files. Set a mobile network restriction in Settings → Traffic.

Method 5: Local synchronization via OTG cable

If you don’t have access to the Internet and you need to transfer a lot of data (for example, a backup or video), the most reliable way is to connect directly via an OTG cable.

• 🔌 Cable USB-C — USB-C OTG (or adapter if ports are different).
• 📱 Both phones with OTG support (check in Settings → About Phone → Specifications).
• 📂 File Manager (e.g., Xiaomi Files or Solid Explorer).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the OTG cable to the first phone (data source).
2. Connect the second phone to the cable.
3. The first phone will have a notification USB- Connection – select File Transfer.
4. Open the file manager and copy the files to the folder of the second phone.

Cable transmission speeds are 5-10 times faster than Wi-Fi Direct, for example, a 2GB movie can be copied in 1-2 minutes (versus 10-15 minutes over wireless).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the right setup, synchronization can fail, and let's look at the typical errors and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Data is not synced via Mi Cloud

• 🔍 Check if Mi Account is blocked (sometimes with frequent device changes).
• 📅 Make sure that the phones have the correct date and time (synchronization may be confused due to incorrect time stamps).
• 🔄 Reinstall the Mi Cloud application through Settings → Apps.

Problem 2: Photos in Google Photos are not uploaded

• 📶 Check if the traffic saving mode is turned on (Settings → Network and Internet → Traffic saving).
• 🔋 Turn off battery optimization for Google Photos (Settings → Apps → Google Photos → Battery → No Limits).
• 🗃️ Clear the Google Photos cache and restart the app.

Problem 3: Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct can’t find a second phone

• 🔄 Reboot both devices.
• 📱 Make sure that the phones are enabled visibility mode (Settings → Bluetooth → Visibility).
• 🔋 Check battery power – at levels below 15%, some features are turned off automatically.

Problem 4: Synchronization applications are not working

• 🔒 Check permissions: Settings → Apps → [Application name] → Permissions.
• 📋 Update the app to the latest version.
• 🛡️ Temporarily disable the antivirus (sometimes it blocks data transmission).

Synchronization methods comparison: which one to choose

To determine the best way, assess your needs by three criteria:

1. Data type: what exactly needs to be synchronized (photos, contacts, files, etc.).
2. Frequency of use: single transmission or constant synchronization.
3. The conditions: is there an Internet, should you keep the history of changes?

Comparison table:

💡

For most users, Xiaomi is the best combination: Mi Account (for contacts and notes) + Google Photos (for media files) + Wi-Fi Direct (for one-time transfer of large files).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions