Transferring data from Honor to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways to clone

Why migrating data from Honor to Xiaomi requires a special approach

The transition from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a smartphone change, but a migration between two different ecosystems. Even if both brands are running Android, their shells (Magic UI for Honor and MIUI for Xiaomi) have unique features that make direct cloning more difficult. For example, MIUI is actively using its own cloud services (Mi Cloud), and Magic UI is integrated with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) instead of Google Mobile Services (GMS) in some models. This means that standard tools like Google Account may not transfer all data correctly.

Another trap is linking to a manufacturer’s account, where if your Honor used a Huawei ID account, contacts, notes, or calendar could only be synced with it, not Google, which would make it incomplete to transfer directly to Xiaomi via Mi Mover or Google Account, and some Honor models (especially those released after 2020) may have restrictions on access to system files due to Huawei policies, making it difficult to manually copy.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods of cloning – from official tools (Mi Mover, Google Account) to manual methods for power users.

Method 1: Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s official data porting tool

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to migrate data from other Android devices, and it supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, documents, and even some app settings.

• 📱 It only works when Xiaomi is first turned on (or after resetting to factory settings).
• 🔌 Requires both phones to connect to the same Wi-Fi network without any VPN.
• ⚠️ Not all Honor models are compatible, especially those that run on Magic. UI 4.0+.
• 📁 Does not transfer data from some Chinese applications (for example, WeChat or WeChat) QQ).

How to use Mi Mover:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Android.
2. On Honor, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if any) or from the official Xiaomi website.
3. On both phones, confirm your connection to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. On Honor, select data to transfer (contacts, media files, etc.) and wait until it is completed.

⚠️ Note: If Honor has firmware installed without Google Play (e.g. Magic) UI For the Chinese market, Mi Mover may not find the device. In this case, use Method 3 (manual transfer via PC).

Charging both phones > 50%|The same Wi-Fi network (2.4 GHz)|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Honor has enough free space for temporary files-->

Method 2: Sync through Google Account (for contacts, calendar and email)

If you've used a Google Honor Account, most of the underlying data is already synced to the cloud, which is a good way to migrate:

• 📇 Contacts (including groups and labels).
• 📅 Calendar (events, reminders).
• ✉️ Posts and Notes from Google Keep.
• 📁 Photos and videos if you have enabled autoloading in Google Photos.

Instructions:

1. On Honor, open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for the data you need.
2. On Xiaomi, when you first turn on, log in to the same Google Account or add it to Settings → Accounts.
3. Wait for automatic synchronization (can take up to 10 minutes).

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS/MMS call history.
• ❌ Applications and their data (e.g. saves in games) are not synchronized.
• ❌ Photos in original quality are only transferred if there was enough space for backup on Honor.

Method 3: Manual transfer over PC (for power users)

If Mi Mover doesn’t work or you need to transfer all data without exception (including system files), the manual method through the computer will be the most reliable.

• 🖥️ PC Windows/macOS.
• 🔌 USB-cables for both phones.
• 📂 Enough free space on the hard drive (minimum 30 GB for backup).

Step-by-step:

1. Honor Backup: Connect Honor to your PC and enable File Transfer (MTP) mode. Copy all folders from internal memory (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.) to your PC. Use the SMS Backup & Restore app to copy SMS (save backup in.xml format).

Xiaomi

• Connect Xiaomi to your PC and move all the copied files to internal memory.
• Import contacts via Contacts → Settings → Import / Export → Import from.vcf file.
• Install Backup & Restore SMS on Xiaomi and restore SMS from backup.

⚠️ Note: When manually transferring, do not copy the entire Android folder - this can lead to conflicts in the operation of applications on Xiaomi.

Method 4: Using third-party applications (Clone Phone, SHAREit)

If the official methods are not suitable, you can use third-party cloning applications.

Selection recommendations:

• 🔄 For full cloning (including apps) – Clone Phone or Dr.Fone.
• 📁 To transfer only media files - Send Anywhere.
• 📱 If you need to transfer data without a computer, SHAREit.

💡

Before using third-party apps, disable battery optimization for them in Xiaomi settings (Settings → Apps → Permissions → Auto Run), otherwise the transfer may be interrupted.

Method 5: Transfer over cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud, Huawei Cloud)

Cloud services are convenient because they don't require a physical phone connection, but each has limitations:

• 🌥️ Google Drive: ✅ Transfers contacts, calendar, photo (if autoload was enabled). ❌ Not supportive. SMS, call history, application settings.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud: ✅ You can back up Honor and restore it to Xiaomi (if you have access to your Mi Account). ❌ Not all of the data in Honor is compatible with MIUI.
• 🌐 Huawei Cloud: ✅ Full Honor backup (including full Honor backup) SMS and settings). ❌ It is impossible to restore directly to Xiaomi – you will have to download data on PC first.

How to transfer data via Google Drive:

1. On Honor, open Google Drive and back up (Menu → Backups).
2. On Xiaomi, log in to the same account and restore the data (Settings → Google → Restore).

⚠️ Note: If Huawei Cloud was used on Honor, then to transfer data to Xiaomi, first export it to your PC via the web version of the cloud (cloud.huawei.com), and then download it to your new phone.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, you can get errors.

If none of these methods worked, check:

• 🔋 Battery charge for both phones (should be) > 30%).
• 📶 Stability of Wi-Fi or mobile Internet (with cloud transfer).
• 🔒 Permissions for transfer applications (Settings) → Annexes → Permits).

💡

If Honor has firmware without Google Play (for example, for the Chinese market), the only reliable way is to manually transfer via PC or use Huawei Cloud, followed by export to Xiaomi.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions