Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the need to migrate data or store it in the cloud, which is critical when changing devices or accidentally resetting settings to factory settings, and without properly configured backup, you risk losing important correspondence, phone numbers and call history.
Synchronization is the process of exchanging data between your gadget and a remote server, and in the Miui ecosystem, Mi Account and a standard Google account are responsible for this, and the correct configuration of these services ensures that new information is automatically stored in real time.
In this article, we will discuss a detailed algorithm for activating all the necessary functions, you will learn how to avoid common errors and where to find lost files, and competent system configuration will relieve headaches in the future.
Why you need sync on Xiaomi and what it saves
Many users underestimate the importance of cloud technology until they experience a breakdown in their gadget, and synchronization allows you to create a digital copy of your personal data on the company's servers, and it's not just a copy, it's a living mechanism that gets updated with every change.
First of all, you save contacts and notes. Imagine if you crashed your screen and your phone stopped responding to your touch, and if you've synced, just type in your username and password on your new device, and all the numbers will appear in the phone book.
It also saves Wi-Fi settings, alarm clocks, and even the location of icons on the desktop, allowing you to recreate the familiar environment in minutes, without which you would have to manually type hundreds of numbers and reconfigure applications.
- 📞 Contact details and call history
- 📸 Photos and videos from the gallery
- 📝 Notes, dictaphone and calendar
- ⚙️ System settings and Wi-Fi passwords
It's worth noting that different services use different spaces, Google Photos taking up space in Google One storage, and Mi Cloud backups taking up space in your Xiaomi account. It's important not to confuse the two data sources.
Preparation of Google and Mi Accounts
The foundation of the whole system is that you have registered accounts, and without them, it's technically impossible to automatically save data, and you'll need both types of accounts to fully cover all the functions of your smartphone.
First, make sure you have an active Google account, which is essential for the Play Market store, contacts sync, and calendar, and if you just bought a phone, the system will ask you to enter data when you first set up.
⚠️ Warning: Never use someone else's account to store personal data, this gives the profile owner full access to your correspondence and photos.
The second step is to register Mi Account, which is a proprietary service from Xiaomi that allows you to find a device when you steal and make full backups of the system, and you can create it right in the settings menu of the phone.
Enter your phone number or email, come up with a complex password, and when you register, the system will prompt you to log in to your profile, and this action will link your hardware to the manufacturer's cloud storage.
Check the login status in both services. In Settings → Accounts and sync should be on green indicators or tick against active profiles.
How to enable synchronization of contacts and calendar
The most popular feature is saving the phone book, and losing friends and colleagues' numbers can be a disaster, and fortunately, it's very easy to set up the process.
Go to the settings menu and find Accounts and Sync. This shows all the profiles you have added. Click on the Google icon to reveal the list of data you can save.
Make sure the switch next to the word "Contact" is active. If it's off, click on it. The system will immediately start transmitting data to the cloud.
☑️ Checking the synchronization of contacts
For a Mi Account, the procedure looks similar. In the same menu, select Mi Account and make sure the Contacts and Calendar sliders are on, which will back up even if Google services are unavailable.
Look at the last sync indicator, and it should show you a time, like "just" or a specific time today, and if it's a date a week ago, it doesn't work.
Setup backup photo and gallery
Photos take up the most space and have the most value to the user. The built-in "Gallery" app in the MIUI shell has a powerful tool for cloud storage.
Open the Gallery app and go to the Albums tab. Scroll down to the very bottom where Settings is located. You need to activate the Cloud Sync function.
The system will suggest selecting the boot quality. The original quality takes up a lot of space but retains all the details. The optimized version saves space in the Mi Cloud by slightly compressing images.
- 🖼️ Automatic uploading of new images
- ♻️ Freeing up space on the device after downloading
- 🔒 Encryption of data during transmission
- 📶 Work only over Wi-Fi (default)
It's important to understand the difference between synchronizing and just downloading. When synchronizing, deleting a photo on your phone will also delete it in the cloud. Be careful when cleaning your memory.
⚠️ Before cleaning the gallery, make sure that the cloud icon next to the photo is gray or gone, which means that the copy successfully flew to the server.
You can also set up syncs for specific albums, like Screenshots or WhatsApp Images, to help structure data and avoid wasting limits on unnecessary trash.
Synchronization of notes, voice recorder and browser
Xiaomi’s standard apps also know how to store data, especially for students and office workers who use a voice recorder to record lectures or meetings.
In the Accounts and Sync menu → Mi Account, find the Notes and Recorder items. Turn them on. Now, each new audio recording will be duplicated in the cloud.
The Mi Browser or standard Chrome browser can also sync history and bookmarks. For Chrome, this is done through the settings of the Google account, for the native browser, through Mi Account.
This allows you to start reading an article on your phone in the subway, and end up on a tablet at home, and all tabs and passwords will be available instantly after you log in to your profile.
Where can I find the saved notes?
And don't forget about the Security app, which can also save lock lists and antivirus settings, which is a trifle, but it saves time when you set up a new device.
Storage management and pricing plans Mi Cloud
Xiaomi offers 5GB of free space, which is abundant for text and contacts, but very little for photos and videos.
When the place is over, the synchronization will stop.The system will insistently offer to buy extra volume.The tariffs range from 50GB to 2TB depending on the region.
| Tariff. | Volume | Price (exemplary) | For whom? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 5GB | Free of charge. | Contacts and notes only. |
| Standard | 50GB | ~100 rub/mo | Active users of photos |
| Premium | 200GB | ~200 rub/mo | Family access and video |
| Maximum | 2 TB | ~600 rubles/month | Professionals and archives |
You can pay for your subscription via a linked card or from a mobile phone account. Subscription is managed in the Settings menu → Mi Account → Cloud.
If you don't want to pay, check the storage regularly and delete the extra one. You can also use Google Photos as an alternative for pictures, leaving Mi Cloud only for system settings.
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Use Google Photos in High Quality mode to store unlimited photos for free if you have an old Google account, or use 15GB of shared space.
Problem Solving: If Synchronization is Not Working
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the data is not updated, the indicator is spinning endlessly or there is an error, most often the problem lies in an unstable Internet.
Check if Traffic Savings is enabled, and in this mode, the system blocks background data transmission, and turn it off in the notification curtain or in the network settings.
The second step is to check the date and time, and if the device is running out of time, the security certificates don't work, and the server rejects the connection, and set "Time Autosetting."
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone
- 🔑 Re-enter your account (come out and log in again)
- 🧹 Clear the cache of the application "Mi Services"
- 📡 Check access to i.mi.com
If nothing works, try to delete your account and add it again, which will reset the possible errors of the authorization tokens.
⚠️ Warning: Before deleting your account, make sure you remember your password! otherwise you won’t be able to log in and lose access to your data.
In rare cases, the problem is on the server side of the company. Check the news resources or forums, maybe technical work is being done.
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90% of synchronization problems are solved by checking date/time and reconnecting to a Wi-Fi network.