Data transfer from Honor to Xiaomi: the full guide 2026

Why Data Transfers Between Honor and Xiaomi Need a Special Approach

The transition from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a change of smartphone, but a migration between two different ecosystems. Despite the fact that both brands use Android, their shells (Magic UI for Honor and MIUI for Xiaomi) have unique features that affect the data transfer process. For example, Honor backups are often stored in a proprietary format that is not recognized by Xiaomi’s system tools.

Another trap is the Android version. The new Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13 models run on fresh firmware, while even the flagship Honor Magic 5 can lag 1-2 versions. This creates compatibility problems when transferring directly over cable or the cloud. In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods taking into account all the nuances of 2026, including bypassing the restrictions for Chinese versions of Xiaomi and phones without Google services.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start transferring data, follow a few critical steps: First, check the free space on both devices: Xiaomi should have at least 20% more than the amount of data you can transfer (for example, 64 GB of photos and videos need 77 GB of free space); Second, update the firmware to the latest versions – this will eliminate bugs in the system transmission utilities.

Pay special attention to the accounts:

• 🔑 Make sure that your Huawei account is linked to Honor ID Or Google (depending on the model), without it, you can't restore in-app purchases.
• 📱 On Xiaomi, log in to Mi Account – this is necessary for synchronizing notes, calendar and some system settings.
• ☁️ If you use cloud services (such as Huawei Cloud or Google Drive), check the plan – free 5-15 GB may not be enough for a full backup.

⚠️ Note: If your Honor is working on EMUI 10 or older (like the Honor 20 Pro) and Xiaomi is on MIUI 14+, Direct transmission via Mi Mover can result in an error due to different exchange protocols, in which case use an intermediate PC or cloud.

Method 1: Transmission via Mi Mover (official method)

Mi Mover is an integrated application in Xiaomi that can take data from other Android devices, including Honor.It supports transferring contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, calendars and some applications (but not all!). The main plus is not requiring the Internet, and the minus often hangs on large amounts of data (more than 30 GB).

Instructions:

1. On Xiaomi, open Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app in the menu).
2. Select “I am a new user” and follow the prompts.
3. On Honor, download Mi Mover from Google Play or APKMirror (if you don’t have access to the Play Market).
4. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network or use a direct connection via a Wi-Fi network. QR-code.
5. Select the data to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

⚠️ Note: If the Honor is running Chinese firmware without Google Mobile Services, Mi Mover may not identify the device, in which case use Old Device mode and connect via cable. OTG.

Charging both phones > 50%|Disabled. VPN firewalls|Both devices in the same Wi-Fi network|Xiaomi has enough data space|Download the latest version of Mi Mover-->

The transmission speed depends on the volume:

• 📸 5G photo — ~10-15 minutes.
• 🎵 20GB of music — ~40-50 minutes.
• 📱 Full backup (50)+ GB - 1.5-2 hours.

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If Mi Mover is interrupted by 99%, try disabling battery optimization for the app in Xiaomi settings (Settings → Applications → Application Management → Mi Mover → Battery → No Limits).

Method 2: Using Phone Clone (Huawei) to return

If Mi Mover didn’t work, try back-porting through Huawei’s Phone Clone.This app is originally designed to transfer data to Honor/Huawei devices, but with some tricks it works the other way around.The main advantage is the support of Xiaomi’s Chinese models (for example, the Redmi K60 Ultra for the domestic market).

Algorithm of action:

1. Download Phone Clone on both phones (for Xiaomi, take the APK with Huawei AppGallery).
2. On Honor, select “This is a new device” and on Xiaomi, “This is an old device.”
3. Connect through QR-code or Wi-Fi Direct.
4. Manually select data categories (for example, tick “Other Files” to transfer documents).

The Phone Clone is better at Chinese firmware, but has a limitation: it can’t handle some apps (like WeChat or Alipay) and you’ll have to use a separate backup for them.

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for GMS models)

If both phones support Google Mobile Services (like the Honor 50 and Xiaomi 13T), the most reliable way to sync is through Google Account, a method that guarantees the transfer of contacts, calendars, notes (Google Keep), mail and some settings, but it is not suitable for photos, videos and applications — they will have to be transferred separately.

Step-by-step:

1. On Honor, open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Enable synchronization for all categories (especially Contacts and Calendar).
3. Wait until it is completed (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync).
4. On Xiaomi, add the same Google account and wait for automatic sync.

For photos and videos, use Google Photos:

• 📲 Install the app on Honor and enable “Backup and Sync».
• 🖼️ Choose quality ("Original" or "High"). Original takes up space in the cloud, but saves all metadata.
• ☁️ Wait for the loading to be completed (may take hours with a large volume).
• 📱 On Xiaomi, log in to the same account and download files via Google Photos.

⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi has Chinese firmware installed without Google Play, this method will not work. In this case, use the cloud from Xiaomi (Mi Cloud) or third-party services like Dropbox.

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Syncing through Google is the only way to transfer Wi-Fi settings (network passwords) between Honor and Xiaomi without manually entering.

Method 4: Direct transmission over cable (for large volumes)

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes (for example, a video collection to a video store) 4K or RAW-The fastest way to do this is to connect directly to the cable:

• 🔌 USB-C cable (preferably original or certified).
• 🖥️ adapter OTG (If there is no connection on one of the phones USB-C).
• 📂 File Manager (e.g. Solid Explorer or Built-in Explorer) MIUI).

Instructions:

1. Connect Honor to Xiaomi via cable (if necessary, use it) OTG-adapter).
2. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification panel.
3. Open the file manager and copy the folders you need (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.).
4. For hidden files (such as WhatsApp backups), enable the display of system folders in the manager settings.

The speed of transmission via cable is 3-5 times higher than over Wi-Fi:

• 📁 10 GB of data — ~5-7 minutes.
• 🎥 50GB video — ~25-30 minutes.

1.Reboot both phones.

2. use another cable (poor cables often do not support data transmission).

Insert “Debugging of the USB» on Honor (Settings) → The phone. → Assembly number (7 taps) → For developers → Debugging by USB).-->

Method 5: Transfer over PC (for complex cases)

If none of the previous methods worked (for example, because of Chinese firmware or corrupted system files), use an intermediate computer. This method is universal, but it takes longer.

• 💻 PC or laptop Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Two. USB-cable (or one with a hub).
• 📁 ~100 GB of free hard disk space (for temporary storage).

Step-by-step algorithm:

1. Connect Honor to your PC and copy all data to a separate folder (e.g, D:\Honor_Backup).
2. Turn off Honor and connect Xiaomi.
3. Move data from your PC to Xiaomi, keeping the folder structure.
4. For contacts and SMS, use specialized programs like MobileTrans or Dr.Fone.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 It works even with damaged memory partitions on Honor.
• 🛠️ Allows you to convert formats (e.g., Huawei Backup backups into readable formats).
• 📊 Only the necessary files can be selectively transferred.

⚠️ Note: When copying the WhatsApp folder (Android/media/com.whatsapp) Don't forget the file. msgstore.db.crypt14 — Without it, chat history will not be restored.To transfer the WhatsApp backup, use the official instructions.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

A few more nuances:

• 🔋 If the battery is discharged during the transfer, do not connect the charge - wait for full discharge and restart both phones.
• 🔒 For encrypted backups (for example, in Huawei Cloud) you will need a password from your Huawei account.
• 📱 If Xiaomi is new, don’t set it up before data transfer – some techniques (like Mi Mover) only work at the initial setup stage.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions