Synchronization in the phone Xiaomi: why you need and how to set up

Have you ever lost important contacts, photos or notes after resetting your Xiaomi phone? or noticed that the data on different devices do not match? All this is solved by synchronization — a feature that many users do not even know until they encounter problems. In Xiaomi smartphones, synchronization works differently than on naked Android, because there are three systems at once: Mi Account (Xiaomi account), Google account and third-party cloud services.

In this article, we will understand what exactly syncs on Xiaomi, how to enable or disable this feature for individual data (contacts, SMS, Photos, notes, and what to do if synchronization is not working. MIUI, It's a way to fine-tune the way you communicate between devices, like synchronizing alarm clocks or calling histories, and if you're using multiple Xiaomi gadgets (smartphone, tablet, smartwatch), that information can help keep things up to date without manually transferring them.

What is sync in Xiaomi phone and how it works

Synchronization in Xiaomi is the automatic exchange of data between your smartphone and cloud servers (or other devices).

• 📱 Backup: If your phone breaks or gets lost, you won’t lose contacts, photos or notes.
• 🔄 Relevances on all devices: added contact on the smartphone – it will appear on the tablet Xiaomi Pad or smart watch Mi Band.
• ⚡ Quick recovery: when changing the phone, all data will be downloaded automatically after logging into the account.

V MIUI Synchronization works through two main channels:

1. Mi Account (Xiaomi account) – synchronizes contacts, SMS, Notes, alarm clocks, theme settings, and even Mi Browser browser history.
2. Google Account – responsible for contacts, calendar, Gmail, Google Photos and Chrome bookmarks.

It's important to understand that these systems are not duplicates, but complement each other, for example, if you turn off the Mi Account contacts sync and leave it to Google, then the contacts will still be saved -- but only through Google services. SMS Notes are synced only through Mi Account.

What data can be synced to Xiaomi (full list)

V MIUI You can sync more than 15 data types, some of which are enabled by default, some of which are hidden in the depth of the settings, and here's a full list of which accounts you're sharing:

There are also less obvious data that can be synchronized:

• 🎨 Themes and Wallpapers: If you downloaded the theme from the Mi Theme Store, it will be available on other Xiaomi devices.
• 📁 Application settings: for example, search history in Mi Browser or favorites in File Manager.
• 🔧 System settings: Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices (only on the Internet) MIUI 12+).

How to turn on or off sync on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Synchronization settings in MIUI It's different from standard Android. It has two levels of control: general (for all data) and detailed (for individual types.

Step 1: Enable synchronization through Mi Account

1. Open the Settings. → Mi Account.
2. Sign in to your account (if you haven’t already).
3. Go to Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
4. Activate the data synchronization slider.
5. Choose which data to sync (you can disable unnecessary ones).

Step 2: Set up sync through Google

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your Google account.
3. Click Account Sync.
4. Turn on or off the necessary items (contacts, calendar, Gmail, etc.).

Step 3: Manual synchronization start

If the data is not automatically updated, you can manually start synchronization:

• For Mi Account: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Update now.
• For Google: Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Google → [your account] → More (⋮) → Synchronize now.

Make sure that the data is synchronized correctly:

Check the Internet connection (synchronization only works via Wi-Fi or mobile data)

Make sure there is enough free space on the device (for temporary files)

Open the application that needs to be synced (such as Contacts or Notes) and wait for the update

Check that the data has appeared on another device (if any)

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If the data does not appear on other devices after synchronization is enabled, check:

• 🔄 Version MIUI: on older versions (below) MIUI 12) there may be synchronization bugs SMS.
• 📶 Communication quality: with a weak Internet, synchronization can freeze.
• 🔒 Permissions: Some applications (such as Notes) require separate permission to access the storage.

💡

If you use two Xiaomi phones (e.g., work and personal), you can set up selective syncs, such as syncing contacts through Google, and notes and notes. SMS — This will help to avoid duplication of data.

How to sync Xiaomi with other devices (PC, tablet, smart watch)

Sync between Xiaomi devices works almost automatically, but more settings will be required to communicate with PCs or other brands’ gadgets.

Synchronization with the computer (Windows/Mac)

To access Xiaomi data on your PC:

1. Install official Mi software PC Suite (download from pcsuite.mi.com).
2. Connect your phone via USB (in File Transfer mode).
3. Log in to the same Mi Account as on your phone.
4. In the program, select Data Synchronization and specify which files to copy (photos, contacts, SMS).

Synchronization with the Xiaomi tablet

If you have a Xiaomi Pad or other tablet on your phone MIUI:

• 📱 Sign in to the same Mi Account on both devices.
• 🔄 Enable synchronization in Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
• 📲 Install the same apps (like Notes or Calendar) as you do on your smartphone.

Synchronization with smart watches (Mi Band, Watch)

To synchronize data with Xiaomi smart watches:

1. Install the Mi Fitness app (for Mi Band or Wear) OS (Xiaomi Watch).
2. Connect the watch to your phone via Bluetooth.
3. Log in to the same Mi Account as on your smartphone.
4. In the clock settings, enable synchronization of notifications, steps, and health data.

💡

To sync with non-Xiaomi devices (such as iPhone or Samsung smartphone) use a Google account or third-party services like Dropbox/OneDrive. The Mi Cloud is only available within the Xiaomi ecosystem.

Synchronization problems on Xiaomi: causes and solutions

Even with the right settings, synchronization may not work, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting your sync settings:

1. Go to Settings → Accounts and Synchronization.
2. Choose Mi Account or Google.
3. Click Delete your account (the data on the server will be saved).
4. Log in again and enable synchronization.

💡

If the data is not restored after resetting the account, check whether the power saving mode for Mi Cloud or Google Play Services applications is turned on. MIUI These applications are often optimized by the system, which interferes with background synchronization.

⚠️ Note: If you delete your Mi Account from your phone, all unsynchronized data (such as notes or other information) SMS, Those that have not been uploaded to the cloud will be permanently deleted. Before deleting your account, make sure that the last sync is successful!

How to transfer data from the old Xiaomi to the new one (without loss)

When you buy a new Xiaomi smartphone, you can transfer all the data from your old device in a few minutes.

Method 1. via Mi Cloud (recommended)

1. On your old phone, check that synchronization of all the necessary data is enabled (Settings) → Mi Account → Mi Cloud).
2. Start manual sync (Update Now).
3. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select Restore from backup.
4. Log in to the same Mi Account and select the latest backup.
5. Wait until the recovery is complete (it can take up to 30 minutes).

Method 2. via Mi Mover (for large data volumes)

If you need to migrate photos, videos or apps (which is not always synced over the cloud):

1. Install the Mi Mover app on both phones (download the Mi App Store).
2. On the new phone, select I'm a new phone.
3. On the old phone, select I'm an old phone.
4. Connect your phones to a single Wi-Fi network or via hotspot.
5. Select data for transfer (contacts, SMS, Photos, apps) and click Move.

Important: Mi Mover only works between Xiaomi devices! To transfer data from iPhone or Samsung, use a Google account or third-party utilities like SHAREit.

⚠️ Note: When transferring over Mi Mover, do not interrupt the process, this may cause some data to be lost. If the transfer is frozen, restart both phones and start over.

Hidden synchronization functions in MIUI, which few know

V MIUI There are some non-obvious synchronization possibilities that can make life much easier:

1. Synchronization of alarm clocks between devices

If you use multiple Xiaomi gadgets (such as a smartphone and tablet), you can sync your alarm clocks:

1. Open the Watch app.
2. Go to the alarm clock. → Settings (⚙️) → Synchronizing alarm clocks.
3. Turn on the option and select the devices to which you need to duplicate alarm clocks.

2. Automatic upload of photos to Mi Cloud when connected to Wi-Fi

To ensure that photos are uploaded to the cloud only when connected to your home network (and not wasted mobile traffic):

1. Open the gallery.
2. Go to Settings. → Cloud synchronization → Loading settings.
3. Select Only via Wi-Fi and specify the desired network.

3. Synchronizing the history of calls

This function is only available on MIUI 12 and newer. To turn on:

1. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization.
2. Find the Call History and activate it.
3. The story will now be available on all devices with your Mi Account.

4. Backup of system settings

You can save the settings of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, wallpaper and even the location of icons on the desktop:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select System Settings and click Create Backup.
3. The file will be stored in the phone’s memory – it can be transferred to the new gadget via Mi Mover.

FAQ: Frequent questions about synchronization on Xiaomi