How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi: from contacts to apps

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi is not just about changing the brand, but also migrating all personal data: photos, contacts, messages, and even app settings. Many users have difficulty trying to save information when replacing a smartphone, especially when it comes to the transition between the ecosystems of Huawei/Honor and Xiaomi. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways of data transfer, including official tools, cloud services and manual methods, taking into account the characteristics of both manufacturers.

The main problem with this transfer is the incompatibility of branded backups. For example, backup through Huawei Backup will not be restored to Redmi, and Xiaomi Mi Mover does not always work correctly with Honor devices. We tested each method on current models (2023-2026) and identified a single method that is guaranteed to carry the history of calls and calls. SMS without loss, you will find a description in the section about ADB-team.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary application for data migration from Android devices, pre-installed on all Redmi devices, but it can also be downloaded to Honor via APK (if not available on Google Play).

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and notes)
• 📷 Photo and video (without compression)
• 💬 Communications SMS (not MMS)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• ⚙️ Wi-Fi settings and wallpaper

How it works:

1. On Redmi, run Settings → About Phone → Data Migration (or find Mi Mover in the app menu).
2. On Honor, install Mi Mover (if not in the Play Market, download APK from APKCombo).
3. Select the roles on both phones: “Send data” (Honor) and “Receive data” (Redmi).
4. Scan it. QR-code from the Redmi screen to Honor or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
5. Select data categories to transfer and wait for completion.

⚠️ Note: If you have Magic installed on Honor UI 7.0+, Mi Mover may not see messages or call history, in which case use alternative methods from the following sections.

Charge both phones to at least 50%|Connect to one Wi-Fi network|Free up 10-15% of memory on Redmi|Turn it off. VPN both-device-->

2.Move over cloud services (Google Drive, Huawei Cloud, Mi Cloud)

Cloud storage is a universal way to migrate, but with nuances, such as Google Drive porting contacts and calendars, but not saving SMS history, and Huawei Cloud is not compatible with Mi Cloud.

Step-by-step instructions for Google Drive (the most reliable option for contacts):

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync and enable contact backup.
2. On Redmi, add the same Google account and enable sync in Settings → Accounts → Google.
3. Use Google Photos for photos: on Honor, turn on autoload, on Redmi, log in to the same account.

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If you have a lot of photos, turn on the “Original Quality” option in Google Photos on Honor before perenosom to avoid compression.

3. Transfer via OTG cable or adapter

Directly connect phones through USB-cable (supported) OTG) Or an adapter is one of the quickest ways, but it takes preparation:

• 🔌 Cable USB-C → USB-C (or a microUSB adapter → USB-C For older models of Honor)
• 📱 File Manager on both phones (e.g. Files by Google or Mi File Manager)
• 🔋 Charging both devices at least 30%

Instructions:

1. Connect Honor to Redmi via cable. On Redmi, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On Honor, allow access to data (you may need to unlock it). USB-debugging in Settings → For developers).
3. Open the file manager on Redmi and copy the folders you want (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.) from the connected Honor.

⚠️ Note: This method does not tolerate contact, SMS Files only (photos, videos, music, documents) and applications combine it with cloud services for full migration.

Cloud services (Google Drive, Yandex Drive)|Branded utilities (Mi Mover, Huawei Backup)|Direct cable connection|Through the computer|Another option-->

4. Transfer over computer (Windows/Mac)

If you have a PC, this is the method that gives you maximum control over the process.

• 💻 Computer with Windows 7+ macOS
• 🔌 Two. USB-cable)
• 📂 Programs: HiSuite (for Honor), Mi PC Suite (for Xiaomi), or any file manager

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to your PC and copy all the files you need (from DCIM, Pictures, Download, etc.) to your hard drive.
2. For contacts and SMS, use HiSuite: 1. Install HiSuite from Huawei's official website. 2. Connect Honor and export contacts to.vcf. 3. Import.vcf to Redmi via Contacts → Import/Export.
3. Connect Redmi and transfer previously copied files.

5. Transfer SMS and Call History via ADB (for Advanced)

If you need to save your SMS and call history and standard methods don’t work, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) will help.

• 📞 Full Call History (Outgoing, Incoming, Missed)
• 💬 All right. SMS and MMS (including media files)
• 📅 Notification Logs (optional)

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. On both phones, turn on. USB-debugging (Settings) → The phone. → Build Number – tap 7 times, then return to Settings → For developers).
3. Connect Honor to your PC and execute commands: adb backup -f honor_backup.ab -apk -obb -shared -all -system (Enter a password for encryption if required).
4. Disable Honor, connect Redmi and restore data: adb restore honor_backup.ab

⚠️ Note: When you restore to Redmi, some system settings from Honor backup may conflict with MIUI. After recovery, reset the network settings (Settings) → Resetting settings → Resetting network settings).

💡

ADB is the only way to transfer your call history and SMS without loss, but requires technical skills. For beginners, we recommend combining Mi Mover + cloud.

6. Transfer of applications and their data (without root)

It is almost impossible to migrate installed applications with data storage (for example, progress in games or messaging settings) without super-user rights (root), but there are workarounds:

For most applications, it is enough:

1. On Honor, back up inside the app (if there is such a feature).
2. Install the same app on Redmi from Google Play.
3. Log in under the same account and restore the data.

The exception is WhatsApp.

1. On Honor, back up to Settings → Chat → Backup (select Google Drive).
2. On Redmi, install WhatsApp, log in under the same number and restore chats from Google Drive.

Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

The choice of method depends on what data you need to transfer and how much you are willing to mess with the settings.

• 🔹 Mi Mover is the easiest, but doesn’t always work with new Honor models.
• 🔹 Google Drive is reliable for contacts and photos, but does not tolerate SMS.
• 🔹 Cable OTG — Fast for files, but not system data.
• 🔹 ADB — It’s all difficult, but difficult for beginners.
• 🔹 Computers are the most control, but they take time.

The best strategy for most users is:

1. Contacts → Google Account.
2. Photo / video → Google Photos or direct transmission by cable.
3. SMS/calls → ADB (if critical) or Mi Mover (if lucky).
4. Apps → reinstallation through Google Play with authorization.

FAQ: Frequent questions