How to transfer data from your phone to another Xiaomi smartphone: a complete guide 2026

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting: fresh firmware, powerful processor, updated design. But the joy of buying can cloud the need to transfer data from the old device. Contacts, photos, messages, applications — all this needs to be saved and moved correctly. Fortunately, Xiaomi has several built-in tools for seamless migration, as well as universal methods that work with any brand.

In this article, we will discuss 5 Proven ways to transfer data — from the official Mi Mover service to cloud storage and manual copying. You will learn how to transfer information from Android (including other models). Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO), iPhone and even Windows Phone devices, focusing on common errors that can lead to data loss, and recommending how to optimize the process.

Whether you’re upgrading from the Redmi Note 10 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or upgrading from the iPhone 12 to the POCO F6 Pro, here’s the latest instructions for MIUI 15 and HyperOS.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to quickly transfer data between the brand’s devices, supporting contact, message, photos, videos, apps (including their data), and even some system settings, with the main advantage of not needing cloud services or a computer: data is transmitted directly over Wi-Fi.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Install the Mi Mover app on both phones (available on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS).It is often pre-installed on new Xiaomi smartphones.
• 🔄 On the old phone, select the option “Send data”, on the new one – “Receive data».
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on the new Xiaomi.
• 🔍 Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone on an old pairing device.
• 📋 Select data types for transfer (contacts, SMS, Multimedia, etc.) and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data and the stability of the connection. For example, transferring ~20 GB of photos and videos can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours, and it is important that the battery charge on both devices is at least 50%, otherwise the process can be interrupted.

Battery charge >50% both phones|The same Wi-Fi network or access point|Free space on the new Xiaomi (minimum on the phone) 20% more data portable)|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Recent updates installed MIUI/HyperOS-->

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has custom firmware installed (e.g. LineageOS), Mi Mover may not recognize some data.

2.Moving from Android to Xiaomi via Google Account

If both devices are running Android, the most reliable way to sync is to use a Google Account, which is suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, notes, mail and parts of applications, the advantage is that data is stored in the cloud and available on any device after authorization.

Step instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for the right categories (contacts, calendar, etc.).
2. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select the “Recover Data” option and log in to the same Google Account.
3. In the recovery menu, tick the types of data you want to transfer (for example, Contacts and Applications).
4. Wait until the synchronization is complete. The time depends on the speed of the Internet and the amount of data.

To transfer photos and videos, use Google Photos:

• 📸 On your old phone, install Google Photos and enable automatic download in Settings. → Backup.
• 🖼️ On the new Xiaomi, install the same app and wait for the synchronization of media files.
• 🔄 To save space, after transferring files from the cloud or switch to a tariff of 15 GB (free).

⚠️ Note: If the old phone used a different Google account, the contacts may be duplicated after the transfer.To avoid this, export the contacts to a.vcf file before syncing and import it manually on the new Xiaomi before syncing.

3. Data transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi

The transition from iOS to Android is always fraught with difficulties due to Apple’s closed ecosystem. However, Xiaomi offers a solution – the Move to iOS app (yes, it works the other way around!). Alternatively, you can use cloud services or a computer as an intermediary.

Method 1: Through iCloud and Google Account

• 🍎 On iPhone go to Settings → [Your name] → iCloud and enable synchronization of contacts, calendars and notes.
• 🌐 On your computer, open iCloud.com, log in and export contacts to.vcf file.
• 🤖 On the new Xiaomi, import this file through Contacts → Settings → Imports/Exports.

Method 2: Move to iOS (reverse port)

1. Download Move to iOS on iPhone from the App Store.
2. On Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select “Data Transfer from iOS”.
3. On iPhone, enter the code displayed on Xiaomi and select the data to transfer.

Method 3: Manual transfer via computer

• 💻 Connect the iPhone to Mac/PC Copy photos via iTunes or Finder.
• 📁 Transfer files to Xiaomi via cable USB-C/USB-A (file transfer mode MTP).

Using iCloud and Google Account| Move to iOS| Manual transfer via computer | Cloud services (Dropbox, OneDrive) | Another way-->

4. Transfer via OTG cable or computer

If you don't have Wi-Fi or prefer a "physical" method, you can transfer data over an OTG cable (for direct phone connections) or using a PC/Mac as an intermediary, which is suitable for large files (video, backups) and guarantees maximum transfer speed.

Method 1: Direct connection via OTG

• 🔌 Buy it. OTG-adapter (e.g, USB-C to USB-C or USB-C Micro-USB, depending on the port of the phone).
• 📱 Connect your old phone to the new Xiaomi via an adapter.
• 📂 On the new device, open Explorer (Files by Google or standard) MIUI File Manager and copy the required files.

Method 2: Through the computer

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy the data to a separate folder.
2. Turn off the old device and connect the new Xiaomi.
3. Transfer files from your computer to your smartphone.

To speed up the process, it is recommended that:

• 🚀 Use it. USB 3.0 ports on your computer (marked in blue).
• 📦 Archive folders with photos in.zip before copying.
• 🔋 Charge both phones to 100% as transferring large amounts of data consumes a lot of energy.

💡

If you are connected through OTG New Xiaomi doesn’t see the old device, try changing roles: connect Xiaomi as a host (via the developer settings, enable the new device). USB-debugging).

5. Cloud services: Dropbox, OneDrive, Yandex.Disk

Cloud storage is a universal way of transferring data, independent of the operating system, suitable for transferring photos, documents, music and even application backups, the main advantage is access to files from any device, minus the limited free space (usually 5-15 GB).

Algorithm of action:

1. Install a cloud service application (such as Dropbox or Yandex.Disk) on your old phone.
2. Upload files to the cloud (you can choose to upload photos automatically).
3. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same service and download files.

Comparison of popular cloud services:

To transfer large amounts of data (for example, 50+ GB), you should use Google Drive or OneDrive with a paid subscription. If you only need to transfer photos, the best option is Google Photos (free storage in compressed quality).

⚠️ Note: When uploading to the cloud, Google Photos defaults to compress images to 16 MP. To maintain original quality, select the option “Original Quality” (you will need a paid space after running out of 15 GB).

6. Transfer of applications and their data

Move it yourself. APK-Application files are relatively simple, but it is much harder to save their settings, game progress and other data:

Method 1: Built-in MIUI function

• On the old Xiaomi go to Settings → Apps → App backup.
• Select backup apps and save the file to your device or to the cloud.
• On a new smartphone, restore the backup via the same menu.

Method 2: Titanium Backup (requires root)

• 🛠️ Install Titanium Backup on your old phone (root access required).
• 📦 Create a backup of applications and their data.
• 🔄 Move the backup to the new Xiaomi and restore through the same app.

Method 3: Synchronize through application accounts

Many apps (such as WhatsApp, Telegram, games) support synchronization through their own accounts:

• 💬 WhatsApp: Create a backup in Settings → chat → Backup and restore it to your new phone after authorization.
• 🎮 Games: Use Google Play Games or Facebook to save progress.

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Application backup via MIUI only works between Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO devices. Use Titanium Backup (root) or cloud-based app services to port to other brands.

7.Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when following instructions, users often experience problems with data transfer, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to solve them:

A few more tips to avoid mistakes:

• 🔄 Before penos reboot both phones - this clears the cache and eliminates temporary crashes.
• 📡 If you use Mi Mover, make sure that the new Xiaomi has enough space (at least 20% more data portability).
• 🔒 Disable the antivirus during the transfer – it can block the transfer of files.

8.Optimize the new Xiaomi after data transfer

After the successful data transfer, it is recommended to follow several steps to optimize the operation of the new smartphone:

1. Cache Cleanup: Go to Settings → Memory → Cleanup and delete unnecessary temporary files.
2. Set up autoboot: In Settings → Apps → Autoboot Turn off autostart for unnecessary applications (saves battery life).
3. Software Update: Check for updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update.
4. Personalization: Customize HyperOS to suit yourself: themes, gestures, always active display (Settings → Screen → Screensaver).

If after the transfer you notice that the smartphone began to slow down, try:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🗑️ Remove unused applications (Settings) → Annexes → Removal).
• 🔋 Enable performance mode in Settings → Battery → Performance mode.

💡

To speed up Xiaomi’s work after transferring data, turn off the interface animation. To do this, turn on Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone), then set Windows Animation, Transition Animation and Animator Duration to 0.5x or turn off completely in the Developer Settings.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi