How to clone a Xiaomi smartphone to another smartphone: 5 proven ways

Transferring data from an old Xiaomi to a new smartphone is a challenge that every user faces when upgrading a device. Even if you bought a flagship model like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the budget Redmi Note 13, the cloning process should go smoothly so as not to lose years of accumulated photos, correspondence in Telegram or saves in games. But how to do it quickly, safely and without loss of quality?

In this article, we will analyze all current methods of cloning without using a computer (and with it), including proprietary tools. MIUI, We will focus on the nuances that the manufacturer does not say: why Mi Mover may not see the new phone, how to circumvent the restrictions on the amount of data transmitted, and what to do if cloning is interrupted by 99%. You will also learn which data cannot be transferred by official methods and how to solve this problem.

Preparation for cloning: what to do before data transfer

Before you start the transfer, make sure that both smartphones are ready for the procedure.Neglecting this stage can lead to data loss, device freeze or incomplete cloning.

Clear the cache in Settings → Memory → Clear the cache

Charge both phones to at least 50% (optimally 80%)

Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (2.4 GHz)

Update. MIUI Up to the latest version on both smartphones

Remove unnecessary files (especially videos) to speed up the process

Turn it off. VPN Firewalls (they can block transmission)-->

Pay special attention to Wi-Fi networks. Cloning over Mi Mover or Google Account requires a stable connection. If your router supports two frequencies (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), choose the first one - it is more resistant to interference, although slower. Also check if the phones are power-saving mode: it can interrupt data transmission at half the time.

If you clone data to a smartphone with another Mi Account, untie the old phone from the account in advance. → Xiaomi account → Delete your account. Otherwise, the new owner of the device (if you sell an old Xiaomi) will face blocking through the Mi Cloud.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone has data encryption enabled (Settings) → Additionally. → Encryption, cloning via Mi Mover will not be possible. First decrypt the device or use alternative methods (see section 4).

2.Official method: cloning via Mi Mover (without PC)

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi, designed for wireless data transfer between devices on the Internet. MIUI. She's supporting the transmission:

• 📞 Contacts, call logs and SMS
• 📸 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📁 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS, etc.)
• 🎮 Annex data (not all, see table below)
• 🔧 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)

To begin cloning:

1. On the new smartphone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer (or find Mi Mover in Settings). → Additionally).
2. On your old phone, open Mi Mover (download from Google Play if it isn’t).
3. Select the role: new phone - Receiver, old - Sender.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone with an old device.
5. Select the data to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of transmission depends on the volume of data and the stability of Wi-Fi. On average, 10 GB of information is transferred in 20-30 minutes. If the process is frozen by 99%, do not interrupt it forcibly - wait for completion (it can take up to an hour).

⚠️ Warning: If the new phone already has data (for example, you have used it for several days), Mi Mover will suggest resetting the device to factory settings before cloning. This will delete all current files! Make a backup of the new smartphone if it has important information on it.

Mi Mover (official method)|Google Account (Cloud)|Third-party software (such as Clone Phone)|Manual transfer of files via cable|Not yet cloned.-->

3. Cloning through Google Account: Pros and cons of the cloud method

If the Mi Mover is not working for some reason (for example, on one of the phones, it is not possible to use it). MIUI), You can use Google Account. This is a transferable way:

• 📞 Contacts, calendars and notes (Google Keep)
• 📧 Letters and settings Gmail
• 📸 Photos and videos (via Google Photos)
• 🎵 Music (if uploaded to YouTube Music)
• 📍 Google Maps data (selected places, history of movements)

To synchronize the data:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Turn on sync for all the categories you need (contacts, calendar, etc.).
3. Add the same Google Account on your new phone and wait for the sync to complete.

The main disadvantage of this method is the volume limit, and a free Google account only provides 15 GB of cloud storage, and if you have a lot of photos or videos, you have to:

• 💰 Buy an additional seat (from 139) ₽/month).
• 🗃️ Manually transfer media files via cable or Mi Mover.
• 🧹 Remove unnecessary data from Google Photos (e.g. screenshots or duplicates).

Also note that not all apps support sync via Google, such as Telegram or Viber require separate backups (see Section 5).

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Before syncing through Google, check if your old phone has the “Storage Optimization” feature in Google Photos enabled. It can automatically delete the original photos after uploading to the cloud, leaving only compressed versions.

4. Alternative cloning methods: when Mi Mover does not work

If standard methods don’t work (e.g. you have different phone brands or an older version) MIUI), So we tested 3 reliable options:

4.1. Clone Phone (from Xiaomi for not)-Xiaomi device)

The Clone Phone app is developed by Xiaomi, but it works with other brands (such as Samsung or Huawei).

• 📞 Contacts, SMS, call-book
• 📸 Photo and video (without compression)
• 🎵 Music and audio recordings
• 📁 Documents (PDF, Word, Excel)

Transfer speeds are higher than Mi Mover, but there is no support for porting applications.

4.2. Smart Switch (for transfer from Samsung to Xiaomi)

If you're switching from Samsung to Xiaomi, use the Samsung Smart Switch (available from the Galaxy Store).

• 📱 Applications (including settings)
• 📞 Contact and SMS
• 📸 Photos and videos in original quality
• 🔕 Notes from Samsung Notes (converted to PDF)

Once ported, some apps (such as Samsung Health) may not work on Xiaomi, but will have to be reinstalled manually.

Manual transfer via cable OTG

The most universal, but time-consuming way:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-cable (needs adapter) USB-C → USB-C or micro-USB → USB-C).
2. On the new phone, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
3. Copy the folders. DCIM (Photos, Downloads, Pictures, and others by hand.

Cons: Settings and applications will not be transferred, only media files and documents.

5. Application Data Transfer: What is not automatically cloned

Even the most advanced tools like Mi Mover or Google Account can't handle all the data in the apps, and this is what you have to manually save:

For WhatsApp, there is a separate instruction:

1. On your old phone, back up your Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Copy the folder. /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases New phone (in the same directory).
3. Install WhatsApp on your new phone and restore data from your local copy.

If you are using two-factor authentication (2FA) in applications, save backup codes in advance or disable it for the duration of the transfer so as not to lose access.

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No cloning method can transfer data from banking applications, encrypted messengers (such as Signal), or certain games, which always require manual storage or binding to a cloud account.

Cloning with a computer: complete control of the process

If wireless methods seem unreliable, you can transfer data over a PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), which gives you maximum control, but takes longer.

• 🖥️ Computer with USB-port
• 🔌 Cables for both phones (preferably original)
• 📂 Enough free space on the hard disk

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all the important folders (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.) on the computer.
3. Turn off the old phone and connect the new one.
4. Transfer the saved files to the new device.
5. Use the application transfer ADB (Technical skills required: Adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab Then restore on your new phone: adb restore backup.ab

For Mac users, Android File Transfer is suitable, and for Windows, standard Explorer or Total Commander. If the phone is not identified, install Mi drivers. PC Suite from the official Xiaomi website.

⚠️ Note: When transferring through ADB Some system applications (such as Mi Home or Mi Fit) may not recover, and this method does not transfer application data if they use encryption (such as banking programs).

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the right preparation, the cloning process can go wrong.-5 problems and ways of solving them:

7.1 Mi Mover doesn't see new phone

Causes and solutions:

• 🔄 Different Wi-Fi networks: Connect both phones to the same network (preferably 2.4 GHz).
• 📱 Outdated. MIUI: Update the firmware on both devices to the latest version.
• 🔒 firewall/VPN: Disable all network restrictions in Settings → The Internet and the Internet.
• 🔄 Reset Mi Mover: Remove the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Mi Mover → Memory.

7.2 Cloning is 99% frozen

This is the most common problem. What do you do?

• ⏳ Sometimes the process is completed in 30 to 60 minutes (especially if there are many small files).
• 🔄 Reboot: If you don’t have time to wait, restart both phones and start over.
• 📶 Change network: Connect to another Wi-Fi point or use a mobile hotspot.

Annexes not to be transferred

If Mi Mover ignores the apps:

• 📥 Manual: Download APK-file APK Extractor and install on a new phone.
• 🖥️ Through PC: Use ADB (see section 6).
• 🔄 Update. MIUI: In new versions of firmware, support for application transfer is improved.

7.4 Lack of space on the new phone

If the new Xiaomi has a smaller memory capacity:

• 🗑️ Clean an old phone: Delete unnecessary files before cloning.
• ☁️ Use the Cloud: Move some of your data to Google Drive or Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Selective transfer: In Mi Mover, uncheck unneeded categories (e.g. downloaded movies).

Contacts are missing after cloning

Contacts may not be transferred if:

• 📱 They were saved on SIM-Transfer them to the phone's memory before cloning).
• ☁️ No sync with Google or Mi Account was enabled.
• 🔄 In the Mi Mover settings, the "Contacts" option was not selected".

8.Conclusion: Which Xiaomi Cloning Method to Choose

The choice of the way to transfer data depends on your priorities:

• ⚡ Quick and simple: Mi Mover (if both phones are on the phone) MIUI).
• ☁️ Reliable and with backup: Google Account + manual transfer of media files.
• 🖥️ Maximum control: Transfer over PC (for power users).
• 🔄 Interbrand transfer: Clone Phone or Smart Switch.

There is no universal solution, every method has limitations, for example, Mi Mover does not carry data from some applications (WhatsApp, games), and Google Account is limited to 15 GB of free space. The best option is to combine several ways, for example, use Mi Mover for basic data and manually transfer game saves through the cloud.

If you are selling an old Xiaomi, don’t forget after cloning:

1. Sign out of your Mi Account and Google Account.
2. Reset your phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resetting).
3. Delete all data from the memory card (if any).

Now your new Xiaomi is fully ready to use – with all the photos, settings and apps from the old device!

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions