How to transfer information from Xiaomi to Xiaomi: proven methods

Buying a new smartphone always brings mixed feelings: the joy of owning a fresh gadget and a slight panic about the transfer of accumulated data. The owners of the MIUI ecosystem are more fortunate than users of other brands, as the company’s engineers have provided several effective ways to migrate. You can choose the option that is most convenient in your situation, from wireless transmission over Wi-Fi to using cloud services.

The process of switching from one device to another has become as automated as possible. IT-But you have to consider that the amount of information you transmit has a direct impact on latency, and if you're planning to move hundreds of gigabytes of media, you'd better have a stable home connection.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods, their pros and cons of working, and we will discuss how to keep folder structure, Wi-Fi passwords, and even the placement of icons on the desktop. Properly preparing an old device ensures that you will be “at home” on the new Xiaomi within minutes of turning on.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The most efficient and popular way is to use the Mi Mover tool, which is pre-installed on the default MIUI system, so you don't have to search and download it, and it works directly between two devices, creating a secure communication channel that allows you to transfer faster without using Internet traffic.

To start, you need to open the app on both smartphones. On the old device, select the role of "Sender" (Old phone), and on the new one, "Receiver" (New phone). QR-code or connect to the access point you created. Once you have established the connection, you will see a list of data categories that are available for copying.

⚠️ Warning: Do not block smartphone screens while transferring large files.Although the process works in the background, some models may break the connection when going to sleep to save energy.

You can selectively exclude certain types of files, for example, if you have already synced contacts and calendars through a Google account, it may be redundant to re-transfer them, and the program’s algorithm avoids duplicate files by checking their checksums.

• 📱 Application Transfer Support: Establishes APK-files and transfer data within them.
• 🖼️ Quality preservation: photos and videos are transferred in the original resolution without compression.
• ⚙️ System settings: copies Wi-Fi passwords, alarm clocks and design parameters.

Importantly, the Mi Mover’s speed depends on the version of the Wi-Fi modules in your devices. If both smartphones support the 5GHz standard, the process will go much faster, otherwise the system will automatically switch to 2.4GHz, which will increase latency, but will not affect the integrity of the data.

Synchronization through the cloud service Mi Cloud

An alternative and highly reliable method is to use the Mi Cloud cloud storage, which is ideal if you don't have both phones on hand at the same time or the old gadget is already sold/lost, and all data is uploaded to the company's servers, from where it can be downloaded to any new device by logging in to your account.

To activate the function, go to the phone settings and select the section responsible for the Mi Account. Here you need to enable synchronization of the necessary elements: gallery, contacts, notes, voice recorder and calendar. Once turned on, the system will automatically start downloading data when you have an Internet connection.

The amount of free space in the cloud is limited, usually 5 GB. This is enough for contacts, messages and settings, but a full backup of photos and videos may require expansion of storage or pre-cleaning the media library.

The main advantage of Mi Cloud is that you don't need the physical presence of the old device, just enter your username and password to access your digital life, which is especially true in situations where the phone is out of order, but the SIM card and account are saved.

Local backup and its transfer

For users who prefer to keep data under full control, there is a local backup function that allows you to create a complete cast of the system or its individual parts in the form of a file on an internal drive or a computer. SD-This file can then be manually copied to a new phone.

Find the Advanced Settings section in the settings and select Recover and Reset. Here click on Backup. You will be prompted to select system components to save. Once the process is complete, the backup file is usually in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup path.

To transfer this file, use your computer as an intermediary or connect your phones through the USB-The file transfer mode is the same as the file transfer mode. Once you copy the archive to the new device, start the recovery procedure from the same settings menu.

• 💾 Full autonomy: data does not leave the limits of your devices.
• 🔄 Flexibility: You can create multiple recovery points for different scenarios.
• 📂 File Structure: An exact copy of the application file system is saved.

⚠️ Note: Local backup is not always compatible between different versions of Android. When you switch from Android 10 to Android 12, some system settings may not recover properly due to changes in the file structure.

This method requires more action from the user, but it gives you a sense of security, you know exactly where your copy is, and you can store it on an external hard drive for years, and it's the best insurance against accidentally deleting important information.

Transferring data through Google Account

And remember, the basic tool of the Android ecosystem is the Google account, and when you first set up the new Xiaomi, it will offer to recover data from the Google cloud, which is the most versatile and works equally well when you switch from any Android smartphone.

The first thing that syncs your contacts, calendar events and Google Keep notes is to automatically pull up passwords saved in Google’s password manager and photos if Google Photos is enabled.

Apps downloaded from the Play Market will also be downloaded automatically, and the system will analyze the list of installed software on the old device and begin quiet installation on the new one, but data inside the applications (such as game progress or messenger cache) is not always transferred in this way.

To fully activate this method, make sure that the old phone in the Accounts section has a tick against all the necessary sync points. Sometimes users forget to enable contact sync, wondering why the phone book is empty in the new place.

Nuances of transfer of messengers and applications

Messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber deserve special attention. Despite the power of Mi Mover, these apps often require a separate procedure to save the history of correspondence for security reasons.

For WhatsApp, the best way to use the built-in backup feature on Google Drive is to go to the app's chat settings, select "Backup" and click "Create." On the new phone, the first time you log in to the messenger, the system will find and suggest you restore the history.

Applications of banks and government services for security reasons do not transfer their data. Sberbank Online, public services and other financial instruments will have to be authorized again, entering the login, password and codes from SMS. Make sure in advance that your SIM card is active and receives messages.

• 💬 WhatsApp: You need a separate backup on Google Drive or iCloud.
• 📱 Telegram: all chats are stored on the server, just enter the phone number.
• 🏦 Banks: Require full reauthorization and device binding.

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Save screenshots of important QR-codes for logging into Telegram or other services, if you have two-factor authorization enabled, so as not to lose access when changing your number or device.

Some heavy games may not transfer cache files even when using Mi Mover, in which case you will have to download additional data files when you first start the game.

Solving problems and errors during transfer

Migrating can cause unforeseen situations, such as 90 percent of the transmission or some files being corrupted, most often due to an unstable connection or lack of space.

If the process is stalled, try restarting both phones and repeating the procedure. Make sure the receiving device has more space than the backup weighs. The MIUI system sometimes hides the actual amount of space occupied until it is fully indexed.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is slow after porting, reboot.The system needs time to re-index files and optimize application databases in the background.

In rare cases, resetting network settings on both devices before starting the procedure helps, which clears the DNS cache and resets the potentially conflicting Wi-Fi Direct settings that are used to communicate between phones.

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Connection stability is more important than speed, and it's better to move slowly but without errors than to try to speed things up with unstable methods.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)