How to Flip Information from Huawei to Xiaomi: A Complete Guide with Step-by-Step Instructions

Moving from Huawei to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, but also the need to transfer all the important data: contacts, photos, messages and even app settings. Many users face difficulties in trying to sync devices from different manufacturers, especially if they used the Huawei Mobile Services ecosystem (HMS) instead of Google Mobile Services (GMS). In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transfer data, from official tools to alternative solutions, and also explain how to avoid loss of information and speed up the process.

The main problem with the transition between Huawei and Xiaomi is the lack of a universal solution, and if you can use branded tools like the Mi Mover for devices of the same brand (like Redmi on POCO), then cross-platform migration will have to combine several methods, and we tested all the options available and selected those that work consistently even on new models in 2026, such as the Huawei P70 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

In the article you will find:

• 🔄 Comparison of all data transfer methods (in terms of speed, reliability and complexity).
• ⚡ Step-by-step instructions for each method with screenshots and commands.
• ⚠️ Critical nuances that aren’t mentioned in official guides (for example, why Huawei’s Phone Clone might not see Xiaomi).
• 📱 Solutions for specific data: saved passwords, notes, call history.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi designed to transfer data from other smartphones. It supports most brands, including Huawei, but there are important limitations. First, the app only works on Xiaomi (it is useless to install it on Huawei), and second, it does not carry certain types of data, such as messages from Huawei Messages or screen time settings.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. Download Mi Mover to your Xiaomi from the App Store (if it’s not in pre-installed apps).
2. Start the app and select the option “I am a new user”.
3. On Huawei, open Settings → System → Phone Clone (or download Phone Clone from AppGallery).
4. On both devices, select "This is an old phone" (on Huawei) and "This is a new phone" (on Xiaomi).
5. Scan it. QR-code from the screen Xiaomi camera Huawei or enter PIN-manually.
6. Select data types for transfer (contacts, photos, videos, applications) and confirm the transfer.

The process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of data, and it’s important that if Huawei has EMUI 13+ firmware running HarmonyOS, Mi Mover may not recognize the device, in which case use alternative methods in the following sections.

Charging the battery of both phones > 50%|Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.|Xiaomi has enough free space|Disabled. VPN firewalls-->

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If the Mi Mover is stuck in the connection phase, restart the app on both phones and try using a mobile hotspot instead of Wi-Fi.

2.The alternative from Huawei: Phone Clone

The Phone Clone is Huawei’s answer to other vendors’ migration tools.The app can port data to Android and iOS devices, but Xiaomi can get into trouble because of differences in file system architecture.

Instructions for using the Phone Clone:

• 📱 Install Phone Clone on Xiaomi from Google Play (app called Huawei Phone Clone").
• 🔗 On Huawei, open Settings → System system → Phone Clone or run the app from AppGallery.
• 📡 Select “This is a new phone” on Xiaomi and “This is an old phone” on Huawei.
• 🔒 Connect devices through QR-code PIN (Like the Mi Mover).
• 📁 Select data to port. Phone Clone supports more file types than Mi Mover, including some app settings.

The main advantage of the Phone Clone is support for HarmonyOS and more stable work with large amounts of data (for example, transferring 100+ GB of photos and videos).

• ❌ Save Wi-Fi networks are not transferred.
• ❌ There are possible errors when sending messages from Huawei Messages to Google Messages.
• ❌ On some Xiaomi models (for example, Redmi Note 13 Pro)+) Manual confirmation of access rights to files is required.

Transfer over OTG cable (for large data volumes)

If you have a lot of high-resolution photos, 4K video, or a large music library, wireless methods can run too slow or break down, and the best option is to connect directly through an OTG cable.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (Type-C to Type-C or Type-C to Micro-USB depending on your device connectors).
• 📂 File Manager on both phones (e.g. Files by Google or Mi File Manager).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Huawei to Xiaomi via an OTG cable. On the Huawei screen, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On Xiaomi, open the file manager and find the connected device (Huawei will appear as an external drive).
3. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, Music for music) for internal memory or SD-Xiaomi.
4. To transfer contacts, export them to the.vcf file via the Contacts app on Huawei, then import them to Xiaomi.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Transfer speeds 5-10 times faster than Wi-Fi.
• 🔒 No risk of data loss due to connection breakdown.
• 📁 Only the necessary files can be selectively copied.

⚠️ Not all Huawei models support the regime MTP If the phone is not defined as a drive, try enabling Debugging USB in the developer settings on Huawei.

4. Cloud services: Google Drive, Huawei Cloud, Mi Cloud

Cloud storage is a universal way to transfer data, but it requires a stable Internet connection and can take a long time with a large amount of files.

Recommended algorithm:

1. On Huawei, upload data to Google Drive or Huawei Cloud.
2. On Xiaomi, log in to the same account and download files.
3. For contacts and calendars, use sync through your Google Account (set it up on both devices).

A critical nuance: if Huawei used a Huawei ID account without Google binding, contacts and notes may not be transferred automatically. In this case, export them manually through Settings → Accounts → Data Export.

Google Drive|Huawei Cloud|Mi Cloud|iCloud|Other|Not using.-->

5. Transfer of applications and their data

Move the apps themselves (APK-Files from Huawei to Xiaomi can be accessed through a file manager or ADB, But their data (like saving in games or settings for messengers) is not automatically transferred:

• 🎮 Use cloud-based saves (e.g. Google Play Games or accounts within the game itself).
• 💬 WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber have built-in functions of export / import chats.
• 📅 Notes Apps: Export notes in.txt or.pdf format (e.g., from Huawei Notes to Mi Notes).

For transfer APK-file:

1. On Huawei, use the file manager to find the folder with the apps installed (usually /data/app, but root rights are required).
2. Copy. APK-files on Xiaomi via cable OTG cloud.
3. Install APK on Xiaomi by allowing installation from unknown sources (Settings → Applications → Special Rights → Install Unknown Applications).

⚠️ Attention: Transfer APK-Files can disrupt applications if they depend on services HMS Core (similar to Google Play Services on Huawei) For example, Huawei AppGallery won’t work on Xiaomi without additional manipulation.

6. Transfer of specific data: passwords, SMS, call history

Some types of data require a special approach:

• 🔑 Saved Passwords: If you used Huawei Password Manager, export your passwords to Google Password Manager via Settings → Passwords. → Exports.
• 📞 Call history: Use apps like Super Backup & Restore (available on Google Play) to back up and restore it to Xiaomi.
• 📱 SMS: Google Messages has an archiving function (Settings) → Archiving, but transferring from Huawei may require third-party software, such as SMS Backup & Restore.

For call history and SMS can also be used ADB-team, but it requires technical skills. SMS:

adb backup -f sms.ab -apk com.android.providers.telephony

To restore data to Xiaomi, use:

adb restore sms.ab

7 Problems and their solutions

When transferring data from Huawei to Xiaomi, the following problems may occur:

If none of the methods worked, try resetting to the factory settings on Xiaomi and repeat the data transfer. Sometimes conflicts arise from remnants of previous synchronizations.

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The most reliable way is a combination of OTG cable (for photos/video) and Google Drive (for contacts and documents).

FAQ: Frequent questions