How to fully clone Honor phone on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Why migrating data from Honor to Xiaomi requires a special approach

The transition from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a brand change, but a transition between two different ecosystems with unique branded services. EMUI/Magic UI) There are nuances, from backup incompatibility to limitations in proprietary applications, such as Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) It has no direct analogues in MIUI, Data from Honor Club will not be automatically transferred to Mi Account.

The key problem is that there is no universal tool for “cloning” a phone between brands. Even official utilities like Huawei’s Phone Clone or Xiaomi’s Mi Mover don’t guarantee 100% data transfer. In this article, we’ll look at 5 migration methods, including hidden MIUI features and workarounds for transferring data from HMS to Google Services that aren’t dokumented in the official instructions.

Method 1: Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s official tool with limitations

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data portability utility pre-installed on all smartphones with MIUI 9+, and supports contact, message, photo, video and even some applications over direct Wi-Fi connection.

• 📱 Does not transfer data from Huawei AppGallery (apps will have to be installed manually via Google Play or APKMirror).
• 🔒 Do not copy the settings of the Huawei ecosystem (for example, data from Huawei Health or Wallet).
• ⚡ Requires that the Debugging option be enabled on Honor USB (Otherwise, the connection will be interrupted during the scanning phase).
• 📶 Transmission speed is limited ~10 MB/s (in practice) 20 GB of data is carried over ~30-40 minute).

How to start the transfer:

1. On Xiaomi, open Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app in the menu).
2. On Honor, download Mi Mover from AppGallery (if available) or from APKCombo.
3. Choose the role on both phones: Xiaomi – “New Phone”, Honor – “Old Phone”.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen with the Honor camera and confirm the connection.

⚠️ Note: If you are on Honor EMUI 12+ With back-end restrictions, before starting Mi Mover, turn off the power saving mode for this application in the battery settings. 5-10 minute.

Charging both phones > 50%|Shut down. VPN firewalls|Enable the transfer of files by USB (MTP)|Delete unnecessary files (free up space)|Check the compatibility of versions MIUI and EMUI-->

Method 2: Google Account – Universal but Incomplete Transfer

Syncing through a Google account is the most reliable method for transferring basic data: contacts, calendars, notes (from Google Keep) and parts of applications.

• 📁 Photos and videos are synced only if you have Google Photos autoload enabled on Honor (check Settings). → Google → Backup).
• 📱 Apps will be restored from Google Play, but without the data saved (for example, game progress will be lost if they are not linked to an account).
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords are not portable – you will have to enter them manually on Xiaomi.
• 📱 SMS The call log is synced only if the Google Messages app is installed on Honor (standard). SMS-Huawei app does not support cloud backup).

Step-by-step:

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync and turn on all the switches.
2. In the Backup section, click Create a Backup Now (be sure to wait for the process to be completed!).
3. On Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select the option to Restore Data from a backup and log in to the same Google account.
4. If the phone is already set up, reset it to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resetting) and repeat step 3.

💡

Before resetting Xiaomi save IMEI phone (type *#06# in dialer) – this will help restore access to the network, if after transferring data there are problems with the network. SIM-card.

Method 3: Cloud Services – Huawei Cloud vs Xiaomi Cloud

Both ecosystems offer cloud storage, but they're not compatible.

Step 1 Exports from Huawei Cloud

• 📁 On Honor, open Settings. → Huawei ID → Cloud.
• 🔍 Select data for export (contacts, photos, notes) and click Backup.
• 📥 After you have finished copying, download the archive to your computer via the web version of Huawei Cloud.

Step 2: Import to Xiaomi Cloud

• 📤 Unblock the downloaded data on PC.
• 📁 Import.vcf contacts via Google Contacts (they are automatically synced with Xiaomi).
• 🖼️ Upload photos and videos to Google Photos or Mi Cloud (available via Settings) → Mi Account → Cloud).

⚠️ Warning: Huawei Cloud only stores backups for 30 days for free accounts.If you plan to transfer data later, download the archive immediately after you create a copy.

Method 4: Manual cable transfer (for power users)

If the data is more than 50 GB or you want to transfer specific files (for example, save games or customize applications), manual transfer via ADB or MTP is the most reliable option.

• 🖥️ Computer with Android installed SDK Platform-Tools.
• 📱 USB-cable with data transmission support (not all charging cables are suitable!).
• 🔧 Included Debugging by USB on both phones (Settings) → The phone. → Assembly number (7 taps) → For developers).

Instructions for transfer via ADB:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f honor_backup.ab


adb restore xiaomi_backup.ab

Where:

• -apk - backup of applications;
• -obb - copying additional application data;
• -shared — file-in SD-map;
• -all — All data in the system (except protected).

To transfer specific folders (e.g. /sdcard/DCIM/Camera) use:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera C:\Honor_Backup\Photos


adb push C:\Honor_Backup\Photos /sdcard/DCIM/Camera

⚠️ Note: When manually transferring through ADB don't copy the folders /data/app or /system — This will lead to conflicts in MIUI And you can freeze your phone, and you can only use user data (/sdcard/, /storage/emulated/0/).

Mi Mover / Phone Clone|Google-account |Cloud services |Manual cable transfer |I can't stand it, configuring from scratch-->

Method 5: Third-party applications – when nothing helps

If the standard methods didn't work, use specialized utilities. We tested 3 solutions with varying degrees of effectiveness:

Recommendations for use:

1. For full cloning, choose Clone Phone – it is as close as possible to Mi Mover in functionality.
2. For large files (video, backups) use Send Anywhere – it supports Wi-Fi Direct transmission without size restrictions.
3. Before use, disable Battery Optimization for these apps on both phones, or the transfer will interrupt.

💡

Third-party applications are often blocked by MIUI antiviruses (e.g. Security Scan). Add them to exceptions in Settings → Apps → Permissions → Autorun before using.

What to do after data transfer: setup Xiaomi for Honor

Data portability is only half the battle, and to make Xiaomi as convenient as Honor, follow these steps:

• 🔄 Personalization of the interface: C Settings → Screen. → Screen style select the display mode close to EMUI (For example, enable full-screen gestures and turn off pop-up notifications).
• 📡 Network setting: If mobile internet speeds have dropped, switch to Only LTE In Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Preferred type of network.
• 🔋 Battery Optimization: In Settings → Battery → Select Balanced (analogue of Normal in) EMUI).
• 🔒 Install Google Authenticator for two-tier authentication (Huawei is often used in Honor) ID, which is not available on Xiaomi).

For users who are used to Honor branded chips:

• 🎵 Sound: Install ViPER4Android (requires Magisk) to adjust the equalizer, as in Huawei Histen.
• 📸 Camera: Try GCam with config for your Xiaomi model – it often gives better results than the standard Mi Camera app.
• 📱 Gestures: Enable Double Touch to Wake Up in Settings → Screen. → Sleeping mode (analogue of function in the EMUI).

FAQ: Frequent Problems and Solutions