Owning two Xiaomi devices or switching to a new model often challenges users to quickly and completely transfer data. Synchronization is not just about copying files, but creating a single ecosystem where your contacts, notes, calendars and even call history are instantly available on any gadget. For owners of Redmi and Poco, this process is as simple as possible thanks to the MIUI and HyperOS shell.
There are several proven ways to interact between devices, each with its own advantages depending on your goals: you can use the Mi Cloud cloud service to automatically update data in the background or use the specialized Mi Mover application for one-time mass transfer of gigabytes of information, the choice of method depends on the speed of the Internet and the amount of data transferred.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the technical details of each method so you can choose the best option. We’ll look at account settings, local Wi-Fi, and hidden backup features. Set up right today will save you hours of time in the future when you need access to important information.
Using Mi Account for Cloud Synchronization
The foundation of Xiaomi’s ecosystem is a single Mi Account, which is the central node through which most user data passes, and in order to start the process, you need to log in under the same identifier on both devices, which allows you to instantly update information on the second phone when it changes on the first.
To activate the function, go to the Settings → Mi Account menu. Here you will need to enter your login and password. Once you have successfully logged in, the system will prompt you to select data types for synchronization. Usually, contacts, messages, notes and gallery are activated by default, but it is worth checking each item manually.
- 📱 Contacts and calls – keep your phone book up to date.
- 📷 Gallery – automatically uploads new photos to the cloud up to 5 GB for free.
- 📝 Notes – allows you to edit records from any device, including the web version.
- 📅 Calendar – synchronizes events and reminders between gadgets.
⚠️ Note: When you enable gallery sync, make sure there is enough free space on the cloud drive, otherwise new photos will stop loading.
It's important to understand the difference between synchronizing and copying, and when you change a contact on one device, it changes on the other. If you delete a file on one of the phones when you sync actively, it disappears on the other device, too, so you better create a local backup before you clean the files on a large scale.
Local Data Transfers via Mi Mover
If you need to move a lot of data, like when you buy a new smartphone, cloud-based methods can be too slow, and Mi Mover is the ideal solution, creating a direct Wi-Fi connection between devices, bypassing the Internet channel, which allows for high data rates.
The app is preinstalled in the Tools folder on most Xiaomi devices. If it is not available, you can download the APK file from the official GetApps store. Run the program on both phones. On the old device, select the role of "Sender" and on the new one - "Receiver".
The connection process is automatically performed after scanning. QR-The new phone's camera reads the code on the old phone's screen, and the devices are combined into a local network, and then you can choose any file category: apps, system settings, music, video, and documents.
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
Transfer speeds can reach 20-40 MB/s depending on the Wi-Fi modules in your smartphones.During the process, screens may go out, but it is not recommended to interrupt the connection.Once completed, you will receive a report on the number of files transferred and their integrity.
Synchronization through Google Services
Despite the power of Xiaomi’s own tools, many users prefer to rely on Google’s infrastructure, especially if you plan to switch to a smartphone from another manufacturer in the future.
The setup is done in Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google, where you can customize in detail what services will be updated, and most often users choose to sync contacts, calendar, Gmail and app data.
| Type of data | Where it's stored | Speed of access | Internet dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Google Contacts | Instantly. | Required for an update |
| Photo Photo | Google Photo | Depends on the network. | Tall. |
| Passwords. | Google Password Manager | Instantly. | Required for autocomplete |
| Files. | Google Drive | Medium | Tall. |
One of the most useful features is synchronizing passwords and bookmarks in the Chrome browser. By logging into your browser profile on the second phone, you will have access to all your browsing history and saved passwords. This eliminates the need to log in to each application again.
What to do if the contacts are duplicated?
Working with Xiaomi Cloud on a computer
Data management is even more convenient when you use the web version of cloud storage, and when you access i.mi.com from a computer, you can access your phone files in large formats, which is convenient for viewing photos or exporting contacts in VCF format.
The interface of the site completely repeats the folder structure on the smartphone, you can upload files from the computer directly to the memory of the phone and vice versa, and the feature "Device Search" is available, which allows you to see the geolocation of the phone on the map if it is lost.
The Web interface provides a full text editor to work with notes, so you can start writing on your phone in the subway and finish it on your computer in the office, and all the changes are saved in real time thanks to Cloud Sync technology.
⚠️ Note: Web-based cloud requires periodic reauthorization for security purposes. Do not store critical data only in the cloud without a local copy.
Synchronization of applications and their data
Special attention should be paid to the synchronization of data within applications: messengers like Telegram or Viber use their own servers, so it is easy to enter a phone number for them to work, but device-associated messengers like WhatsApp require a separate setup of backup.
In WhatsApp settings, select Chats → Chat Backup. Make sure the copy is set to Google Drive. When you install the app on a new phone and type in the same number, the system will prompt you to restore your correspondence history from the cloud.
- 📲 Messengers – use the cloud or local backup.
- 🎮 Games – save progress through Google Play Games or social media accounts.
- 🎵 Music – streaming services sync playlists through an account.
Many games keep progressing on the Google Play Games profile, so when you first start a game on a new device, check if you are logged in to the service, and continue playing from the same level you left off on your old phone.
💡
For banking applications, cloud-based settings synchronization is often unavailable for security reasons, and be prepared to reconfigure biometrics and pin codes on a new device.
Addressing problems and conflicts
During the setup process, users may experience synchronization errors, often due to an unstable Internet connection or lack of space in the cloud, and if the data is not updated, try switching from Wi-Fi to a mobile network or vice versa.
Another common problem is time desynchronization: if the time on the phones differs even by a few minutes, security servers can block the connection, and check if the "Autodate and time" option is installed on both devices.
Also worth mentioning are MIUI version conflicts. If one phone has an old firmware version and another is new, some data formats may not display correctly. It is recommended to update both devices to the latest available version via Settings → About Phone → System Update.
💡
The key to successful synchronization is a stable Internet and the same accounts on all devices, and always check your account status before you start important transactions.