Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the challenge of regaining access to their digital lives after resetting, buying a new device, or accidentally losing access to the system. Android is closely integrated with Google services, making Gmail account the key to contacts, photos, documents, and purchased applications. On the shell of MIUI or the new HyperOS, the recovery process has its own nuances that must be considered for successful synchronization.
The return process is not always smooth due to the peculiarities of Chinese firmware build or network connection problems. It is important for the user to understand the difference between simply logging in to the mail and fully restoring a backup system. Two-factor authentication and Google's security policies can request additional confirmations, which you need to be ready in advance.
In this article, we will go into detail all the steps, from checking your Internet connection to manually importing files so that you can return your data without going to the service center.
Preparation of the device and checking the Internet connection
Before you start any account manipulation, make sure your Xiaomi device has a stable network connection.Sync large amounts of data, such as photos in Google Photos or app backups, requires significant traffic.It is best to use a reliable Wi-Fi network, as mobile internet can be unstable or limited.
Check the correct setting of date and time on your smartphone. Time mismatch may cause security certificates to fail, and Google servers will simply refuse to accept authorization requests. Go to Settings → Additional → Date and time and activate “Use Network Time”.
⚠️ Note: If the device is installed ROOT-access or unlocked bootloader, some Google services may not work properly or require additional security confirmations when logged in.
Make sure your device has the latest version of Google Play services installed. Outdated components may not support the new encryption protocols used to protect accounts. Update often happens automatically, but manually it can be done through the app store.
☑️ Pre-reconstruction checks
Log in to Google account through MIUI settings
The main way to restore access to data is to add an account through the system menu, which allows you to synchronize contacts, calendar events and notes. Open the Settings menu and find the Accounts and Sync section (in new versions of HyperOS, the path may differ: Settings → Google Accounts).
Click Add Account and select the Google logo from the list of services offered. The system will redirect you to the official login page. Enter your email address and password. If two-factor protection is enabled, confirm login via SMS code or authentication application.
Once you have successfully entered your password, the system will suggest you select sync settings, which can be flexibly configured to download data to your Redmi device, and it is recommended that you leave all points on to fully restore the user's digital environment.
- 📧 Contacts – Recover your phone book from the cloud.
- 📅 Calendar – Returns all scheduled meetings and events.
- 📝 Notes – upload text files from Google Keep.
- 🔑 Passwords – activates auto-complete of saved access keys in the Chrome browser.
In some cases, especially on global firmware versions, re-entry may be required to confirm access rights to specific applications, a normal security practice implemented to protect users’ personal data.
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If the list of sync services doesn’t show up right away, try clearing the Settings app cache through the Apps menu → All Apps → Settings → Memory → Clear.
Restore Android backup when you first set up
The most complete method of data recovery works when you first set up your smartphone after you reset to factory settings, at which point Android itself suggests recovering data from the cloud, a process that affects not only contacts, but also icons, Wi-Fi passwords and installed applications.
When you first turn on a reset Xiaomi, follow the instructions of the setup wizard. At the Wi-Fi connection stage, the system will ask if you want to restore data from the backup. Select your Google account and specify the device from which you want to copy the information.
It can take a lot of time, depending on the amount of data and the speed of the Internet. The phone can get hot, which is normal because it's actively downloading and unpacking files. Don't interrupt the process and keep the device connected to the charger.
| Type of data | Restores automatically | Requires manual activation |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Yes. | No. |
| Wi-Fi passwords | Yes. | No. |
| Photos and videos | No (via Google Photos) | Yes (in annex) |
| List of annexes | Yes (list only) | Yes (data download) |
| System settings | Yes. | No. |
It is important to note that application data is only restored if the developer has provided this capability in Google Drive. Some banking applications and instant messengers require separate login and backups within their interface.
Why haven't all the apps recovered?
Synchronization of contacts and multimedia manually
If the auto-recovery is not complete or you just want to upload a specific type of data, it can be done manually. Often users forget that photos and contacts are stored in different parts of the Google ecosystem. For contacts, open the Contacts app, click on the menu (three dots or lines) and select Settings → Account for Sync.
You need Google Photos to work with multimedia. Even if the MIUI gallery looks empty, your pictures may already be in the cloud. Go to the app, make sure you log in to the correct account, and enable sync. Photos will start appearing in the feed as you download.
For documents and files, use Google Drive, which stores files created in Docs, Sheets, and user-uploaded documents. Android on Redmi makes it easy to integrate the Drive as a network drive to access files directly without downloading them.
- 📸 Open Google Photos and check the Library tab to access albums.
- 📞 In the Contacts app, make sure that the display filter selects “All contacts».
- 📁 To access files, use a built-in conductor with support for cloud services.
- ⚙️ In your account settings, check the Synchronization status – it should be active.
Sometimes you need to force sync to start. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google, select the account you want and click on the Sync button or three dots in the corner of the screen to call the update menu.
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Manual synchronization of individual categories of data often solves the problem of “missing” contacts faster than a complete system recovery.
Solving Typical Synchronization Errors on Xiaomi
Xiaomi devices are known for aggressive battery optimization, which can block the background work of Google services. If you see a sync error icon or data is not updated, check your power settings. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance (or search for settings).
Search the Google Play Services and Google Sync apps, and set the No Limits or No Limits mode to prevent MIUI from killing sync processes to save power, which is a common cause of failure.
⚠️ Note: An “Action required” error often means you need to re-enter your password or pass a security check on myaccount.google.com from another device.
Another common problem is overcrowded Google Drive storage: If the 15GB limit is exhausted, new photos and backups will stop downloading, in which case you need to vacate space in the cloud or purchase an additional tariff.
It's also worth checking if the device is on the wrong date. As mentioned earlier, time out-of-synchronization leads to errors. SSL-Certificates and the phone simply can’t establish a secure connection to Google’s servers.
Using Google Takeout for a Full Backup
For advanced users who want to have a full local copy of their data before they recover, Google Takeout is a tool that allows you to upload absolutely all the data associated with your account in an archived format, which is especially useful before you sell your device or switch to another platform.
Go to takeout.google.com from your computer or smartphone browser, and you can select specific export services: location history, YouTube data, Gmail, and more. Once you have the archive, you will get a link to download files.
The archives you get can be stored on an external hard drive or computer, and if you lose access to your account or lock your device, you'll have a copy of important information, but remember that this method is not automatic and requires periodic repetition.
To recover data from Takeout on Android, you will need to manually import contacts from the CSV-It's a more time-consuming way to go through the contacts.google.com and disassemble the archives with the photos.