How to transfer data from Android to Xiaomi: a complete guide with photos and videos

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but moving data from an old Android device can seem like a daunting task, especially if it involves years of accumulated photos, important contacts or saves from games. Fortunately, the manufacturer has provided several convenient ways to migrate, and we have added proven community life hacks to it.

Many users mistakenly believe that data transfer requires a computer or deep technical knowledge, and in fact, 90 percent of the tasks are solved with built-in MIUI tools or standard Android features, and the main thing is to choose the right method depending on the volume of data and device models, for example, to transfer 50 GB of photos and video, you better use cable, and for contacts and notes, you will need a cloud service.

In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of data transfer – from the official Mi Mover application to manual copying through ADB. Particular attention will be paid to the nuances that are not written in the standard instructions: why some files are not transferred, how to avoid loss of photo quality and what to do if the process is hung on 99%.

1.Official way: Mi Mover app from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a branded tool from Xiaomi that automatically installs on all new smartphones of the brand.It allows you to transfer almost all data from an old Android device, including:

• 📞 Contacts (including call history)
• 📸 Photo and video (with preservation) EXIF-data)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📄 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS etc.)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if supported)
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, alarm clocks)

The main advantage of Mi Mover is that you don't have to connect to a PC, but you just need to install the app on both devices and follow the step-by-step instructions.

⚠️ Note: If your older smartphone is running Android 5.0 or lower, Mi Mover may not support transferring some data types, and the app doesn’t work with iOS devices — they need Move to iOS from Apple.

How to use Mi Mover:

1. On the new Xiaomi, open the Mi Mover app (usually it appears when you first turn on).
2. On an old smartphone, download Mi Mover from Google Play.
3. Select the role of the device: the new Xiaomi – “Recipient”, the old smartphone – “Sender”.
4. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on your old phone.
5. Scan it. QR-Code from the screen of the new Xiaomi on the old device.
6. Select the data types to transfer and wait for the process to be completed.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data and the stability of the connection. On average, 10 GB of photos are copied in 20-40 minutes. If the process is frozen by 99%, try restarting the application on both devices.

Charging the battery of both smartphones > 50%|Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.|On the old phone enough free space (minimum 1 GB)|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Google Account Sync is disabled (to avoid conflicts)-->

2. Move through Google Account (for contacts, calendar and notes)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendar events, notes or email, the most reliable way is to sync through Google Account, which works on 100% of Android 4.0+ devices and does not require additional applications.

How it works:

1. On your old smartphone, open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Make sure that sync is enabled for Contacts, Calendar, and Google Keep (if you use notes).
3. On the new Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts.
4. Turn on synchronization for the right services.

The data will start loading automatically. Usually the process takes no more than 5 minutes, but if there are many contacts (10,000+), it can take up to an hour.

⚠️ Note: If the contacts on the old phone are not stored in Google, but in the memory of the device or SIM-You need to export them first. Use the Contact app to do this. → Contact management → Exports/imports.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 Automatic sync: new contacts will be added to both devices.
• 🌐 Access from any device: Contacts can be viewed at contacts.google.com.
• 🔒 Security: Data is stored in encrypted form.

The only downside is you can't move photos, videos or apps, but you need another way to do that.

💡

If you see duplicate contacts on the new Xiaomi after syncing, open Contacts → Settings → Combine Duals. The system will automatically find and combine the duplicate entries.

3. File transfer via OTG cable or adapter

If you have a large amount of data (50 GB)+), The fastest way is to connect directly through OTG-cable USB-C to USB-C. This method works 5-10 times faster than wireless transmission and does not depend on the speed of the Internet.

What you need:

• 🔌 OTG-cable (if on an old Micro-USB phone) or USB-C to USB-C (if both devices are Type-C).
• 📱 Old smartphone with support OTG (Check the characteristics of the model).
• 🔋 Charging at least one device (when transferring large files, the battery goes down quickly).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect. OTG-cable to the new Xiaomi.
2. Connect your old smartphone to the other end of the cable.
3. On the screen of the new Xiaomi will appear notification "USB-The device is connected. Press it.
4. Select the File Transfer (or MTP) mode.
5. Open Explorer on the new Xiaomi and copy the files you want from the memory of your old phone.

The cable speed is 40 to 60 MB/s (depending on the USB version). For example, 30 GB of photos are copied in 10 to 15 minutes. For comparison, the same amount would be transferred over Wi-Fi for 1.5 to 2 hours.

⚠️ Note: If one of the devices starts to discharge too quickly when connecting the cable, use it. USB-powered hub or connect both phones to charge during transfer.

4. Wireless transmission via Mi Share (formerly Mi Drop)

Mi Share is a file-sharing app built into MIUI between Xiaomi devices and other Android smartphones, and it works with Wi-Fi Direct technology, which provides speeds of up to 20 MB/s (faster than Bluetooth, but slower than cable).

Advantages of Mi Share:

• 🚀 Speed is faster than Bluetooth (5-10 times).
• 🔒 There are no limits on file size (unlike messengers).
• 📱 It works even without the internet.
• 🔄 You can send files both ways.

How to transfer data:

1. On both smartphones, open Mi Share (on the old phone it can be called Mi Drop or Quick Transfer).
2. On an old phone, select files to send and click "Send".
3. On the new Xiaomi, click “Get” and scan. QR-code (or confirm the connection manually).
4. Wait until the transfer is complete.

Important: If the transfer is interrupted on large files (>2 GB), break them down using an archiver (e.g., ZArchiver).

Disadvantages of the method:

• ❌ Slower than cable (10 GB) is transmitted ~8-12 minutes).
• ❌ On some older smartphones, Mi Share may not work due to lack of Wi-Fi Direct.
• ❌ No possibility to migrate applications or system settings.

💡

Mi Share is the best option for transferring individual files (photos, documents, music), but is not suitable for full migration of data from phone to phone.

5. Computer transfer (for full backup)

If you need to save everything from your old phone, including hidden files, app settings, and game data, the best way to do this is to create a full backup on your PC and then restore it to Xiaomi, which takes longer, but guarantees 100% data security.

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with Windows, Mac or Linux.
• 🔌 Two. USB-cables (preferably original).
• 📂 Free space on the hard disk (equal to the amount of data on the phone).
• 🛠 Backup software (e.g. Titanium Backup for rooted devices or Samsung Smart Switch for Samsung phones).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old smartphone to your PC and copy all files from DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc. folders into a separate folder on your computer.
2. For application backup, use: For non-rooted devices: Helium or built-in backup function in Settings → System → Backup. For rooted devices: Titanium Backup (stores game and settings data).

Xiaomi

Restore the backup of applications (if you did).

For users of Samsung, Huawei or OnePlus, there are proprietary backup utilities:

• 📱 Samsung Smart Switch – even copying messages and calls.
• 📱 Huawei Backup – saves data to the cloud or memory card.
• 📱 OnePlus Switch is similar to Mi Mover, but for OnePlus devices.

If the new Xiaomi doesn’t have enough space for all the files, use a memory card or external file. SSD-adapter USB-C.

💡

To speed up copying, connect both phones to USB 3.0 ports (usually marked in blue) and use quality cables. Cheap wires limit speeds to USB 2.0.

6. Transfer applications and their data (guide for advanced)

Standard transfer methods (e.g. Mi Mover) are only copied. APK-If you need to keep progress in games, messaging settings or databases, you need to do more.

Methods of transferring data applications:

The most versatile way is to use the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) which does not require Root, but requires minimal command line knowledge.

Instructions for ADB Backup:

1. Install ADB and Fastboot Tools on PC.
2. Turn on USB debugging on your old phone (Settings → Developer).
3. Connect the phone to your PC and execute the command: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f C:\backup.ab (where C:\backup.ab is the path to the backup file).
4. On the phone, confirm the creation of a backup (you may need to enter a password).
5. Connect the new Xiaomi and recover the data with the command: adb restore C:\backup.ab

Not all apps support this method, such as WhatsApp and Telegram blocking backups through ADB because of encryption, and using built-in export features:

• 💬 WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup (saves to Google Drive).
• 📤 Telegram: Settings → Data and memory → Chat exports.

⚠️ Note: When restoring the backup through ADB On the new Xiaomi, some applications may not work as well, due to differences in the Android versions or processor architecture (e.g., switching from the new Xiaomi to the new Xiaomi). ARM on ARM64).

7. Transfer data from a damaged or blocked phone

If an old smartphone doesn't turn on, lock on, or damage, but the data is still there, there are several ways to extract it, and it's important to act carefully so that it doesn't make things worse.

Options for a solution:

• 🔧 Connect to PC in recovery mode: Turn off the phone. + Volume up to log into Recovery Mode. Connect to a PC and try to copy the data through ADB: adb pull /sdcard/ C:\PhoneBackup\

Removal of memory card

• If the data are SD-card, get it out and connect it to the PC through the card reader.
• If the card is encrypted, you will need a password from the old phone.

Use of specialized boxes

• For phones with damaged motherboard will help JTAG or ISP-programmer (experience required).
• Cost of service in the service center: 1,500–5,000 ₽ model-wise.