How to transfer files from your old phone to the new Xiaomi: all working methods

Switching to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring data from an old device can become a real headache if you do not know the proven ways. Even if you change the Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra or switch from iPhone to POCO X6, the file transfer process has its own nuances: somewhere you will need a stable Internet connection, and somewhere a special cable. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, including official tools from Xiaomi, cloud services and manual methods so you can choose the best option for your tasks.

We will focus on three key aspects: transmission speed (5 minutes to several hours), data security (risks of loss during interruption) and compatibility (Android).→Xiaomi, iOS→For example, transferring via Mi Mover takes an average of 10-20 minutes, but requires both devices at hand, whereas cloud services like Google Drive or Mi Cloud allow you to do this remotely, but with limited scope. OTG-Adapter for transferring files up to 256 GB without loss of quality – this method is rarely mentioned in standard instructions.

1. Official method: Mi Mover (fast and lossless)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data migration solution, pre-installed on all new smartphones of the brand (starting with MIUI 9), which is ideal if both are from Xiaomi (e.g. Redmi 10 → Xiaomi 13T), but works with other Android smartphones, the main advantage is that it is transmitted over Wi-Fi Direct (without mobile traffic consumption) and supports almost all types of data, including:

• 📞 Contacts and call log
• 💬 Communications (SMS/MMS) and chat history WhatsApp/Telegram
• 📸 Photo and video (in original quality)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, calls, alarm clocks)

To use Mi Mover, follow the steps:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Transfer Data from the settings menu. If the device is already configured, open Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover.
2. On your old phone, install the Mi Mover app from Google Play (for non-Xiaomi devices).
3. Scanner. QR-Scan the code that will appear on the new Xiaomi.
4. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone has less than 20% charge, Mi Mover can interrupt transmission, and mobile Internet is not recommended, only Wi-Fi or a direct access point.

Charging both phones >50%|Shut down. VPN firewall|Connect to a single Wi-Fi network|Free up 1-2 GB of memory on the new Xiaomi-->

2.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi: features and limitations

The transition from iOS to MIUI has its pitfalls, and the main problem is the closedness of the Apple ecosystem: it will not be possible to transfer data directly through the Mi Mover.

• 🌐 Cloud services: iCloud → Google Drive → It's uploaded to Xiaomi, suitable for contacts, photos and notes.
• 💻 PC as a middleman: First copy data from your iPhone to your computer via iTunes or Finder, then transfer to Xiaomi on the Internet. USB.
• 🔌 Lightning adapter→USB-C: For physical iPhone connection to Xiaomi (required) OTG-cable).

The most reliable way to contact and calendar:

1. On iPhone: Settings → [Your name] → iCloud → turn on contact sync.
2. On Xiaomi: Add iCloud account to Settings → Accounts and sync data.

For photos and videos, it is better to use Google Photos:

1. Install Google Photos on your iPhone and enable autoload.
2. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and download files through the app.

⚠️ Note: When you transfer messages from iMessage to Xiaomi, they will turn into regular messages SMS — The history of chats in instant messengers (for example, WhatsApp) is not automatically transferred. This will require a backup through Google Drive (Android only).→Android).

iPhone (iOS)|Samsung|Another Android|Huawei|Another brand-->

3. File transfer via OTG cable (for large volumes)

If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes of data (for example, a collection of photos in the Internet) RAW ornamental 4K), The best option is to connect directly through OTG-Adapter: This method works with all smartphones, including Xiaomi, Samsung and even iPhone (with a Lightning adapter).→USB-C). Transfer speeds reach 40–60 MB/s, 5–10 times faster than Wi-Fi.

You will need to:

• 🔌 OTG-Adapter (e.g., Xiaomi Type-C to) USB 3.0).
• 📁 Cable to connect an old phone (Micro-USB/USB-C/Lightning).
• 🔋 Charging. >70% on both devices.

Instructions:

1. Connect. OTG-adapter to the new Xiaomi.
2. Connect the old phone to the adapter cable.
3. The new Xiaomi will open File Manager – select USB-device.
4. Copy the required folders (for example, DCIM for photos or Downloads for documents) for internal memory or SD-Xiaomi.

1. Permission to transfer files in the curtain of notifications of the old phone.

Compatibility OTG-Adapter (some cheap models do not support the USB 3.0).

3. File system format (FAT32/exFAT/NTFS) — file-wise >4 GB needs exFAT.-->

4. Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and others

Cloud storage is convenient if you don’t have cables or OTG-Adapters. The big plus is that data is available from any device, and the downside is the capacity and download speed limits:

• 🌥️ Google Drive: 15GB free, Android integration. Suitable for contacts, photos and documents.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud: 5GB free, optimized for Xiaomi. Automatically syncs SMS and notes.
• 📦 Yandex Disk: 10GB free, high speed in Russia. handy for backups.

The following steps are provided for Google Drive:

1. On your old phone, install Google Drive and log in to your account.
2. Click + → Download and select the files.
3. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and download files through the Files app.

For Mi Cloud:

1. On the old Xiaomi: Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Select data.
2. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Mi Account and wait for the sync to complete.

⚠️ Note: When loading large amounts of data (e.g, 10 GB photo) via mobile Internet can burn traffic. Use Wi-Fi or unlimited tariff. Also note that Mi Cloud does not support downloading from the Internet.-Xiaomi device.

5. Transfer over a computer (reliable but longer)

If you have a PC or laptop on hand, this method guarantees 100% data security and allows you to filter out unnecessary files before copying.→Xiaomi, iPhone→Xiaomi, even Windows Phone→Xiaomi).

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with USB-port.
• 🔌 Cables for both phones (Micro-USB/USB-C/Lightning).
• 📂 Sufficient space on the hard disk (recommended) +10% of the data volume).

Instructions:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy files to a folder on the drive (for example, D:\Backup_OldPhone).
2. Turn off your old phone, connect a new Xiaomi.
3. Move the data from the folder Backup_OldPhone on Xiaomi (in the internal memory or in the internal memory) SD-map).

For contacts and SMS on Android:

1. On an old phone, export contacts to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Export.
2. Copy the file on your PC, then import to Xiaomi via Contacts → Settings → Import.

For the iPhone:

1. Backup your account in iTunes or Finder.
2. Use iMazing or AnyTrans to extract data (photos, music, messages) into folders on your PC.
3. Transfer files to Xiaomi via USB.

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The computer method is the only way to transfer data from phones to legacy OSes (e.g. Windows Phone 8.1) or from a damaged screen (if the phone is defined as a drive).

6. Alternative methods: Bluetooth, NFC and instant messengers

If you don’t have cables on hand, OTG-Adapters or Wi-Fi, which are less obvious but sometimes useful, are suitable for transferring small files (up to 1-2 GB):

• 📶 Bluetooth: Speed ~1-2 MB/s, suitable for multiple photos or documents. Activate Bluetooth on both phones, find the device and send files.
• 📲 NFC: Only for Xiaomi with a chip NFC (Take the phones to each other and select files to transfer (works through Mi Drop).
• 💬 Messengers: Send files to yourself on Telegram (up to 2 GB per file) or WhatsApp (up to 100 MB.
• 📧 Email: Send an email to yourself with attachments (limited – usually 25 MB).

For Bluetooth:

1. On an old phone: select files → Share → Bluetooth.
2. On Xiaomi: Confirm the acceptance of files in the notification.

For Telegram:

1. Open the Saved Messages chat.
2. Attach the files and send them.
3. On the new Xiaomi, download files from the same chat.

⚠️ Note: When you send photos and videos via instant messengers, you can compress (for example, WhatsApp reduces the resolution.

7. Transfer of applications and their data

The most important data is not just photos and contacts, but also app settings, game progress or chat history. Unfortunately, not all programs support device-to-device transfer. Here's what you can do:

• 🎮 Link your account to Google Play Games or Facebook – progress syncs automatically.
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp, Viber and Telegram backup to the cloud (Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
• 📅 Calendars/Notes: Sync through Google Account or Mi Account.
• 📱 System App Settings: For example, Mi Fit or Mi Home are linked to your Xiaomi account.

For WhatsApp:

1. On an old phone: Settings → Chat → Backup → Create a copy (in Google Drive).
2. On the new Xiaomi, install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats.

For games (such as Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile):

1. In the game settings, link your account to Google Play, Facebook or Mi Account.
2. On the new phone, install the game, log in through the linked account - progress will be pulled up automatically.

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If the game does not support cloud-based saves, use the Helium app (requires root) or Swift Backup to create a local APK+ data backup.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi