How to completely transfer data from Android to Xiaomi: from contacts to applications

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring data from an old Android device can become a headache if you don’t know the nuances. Even with standard tools like Google Account or Mi Mover, users face lost photos, unsynchronized chats or “broken” applications. The problem is aggravated if an old phone from another manufacturer – Samsung, Huawei or OnePlus, where branded sync services are incompatible with the Xiaomi ecosystem.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data, from official tools to manual methods for power users, how to avoid typical errors (for example, why Bluetooth transfer is limited to files up to 1 GB, and Mi Mover can “hang” up to 99% when transferring large volumes), what settings should be checked in advance and how to restore data if something went wrong, and focus on the portability of WhatsApp, Telegram and game saves, the most problematic categories.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to migrate data between devices, pre-installed on all new smartphones and supports porting from most Android devices (including Samsung, Honor, Realme), and the main advantage is simplicity: just download the app to an old phone and follow the prompts.

However, the method has limitations:

• 📱 It works only when the new Xiaomi is turned on for the first time (after setting up, you will have to reset the device)
• 🔌 Requires cable connection (Wi-Fi Direct often falls off on large volumes)
• 📁 It does not tolerate some system settings (for example, APN mobile-internet)
• 🎮 Game saves and data of some applications (for example, banking) may not be transferred

To avoid problems, before the transfer:

Charge both phones at least 50 times%|Turn it off. VPN and energy-saving regimes|Make sure that the new Xiaomi has enough memory (the data takes up the same amount)|Download Mi Mover to an old phone from Google Play (not from third-party sites!)-->

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the new Xiaomi and select the language. In the Data Transfer stage, press Android.
2. On an old phone, open Mi Mover, select I am the sender and scan. QR-screencode.
3. Connect your phones with a cable (use the original one) USB-C Xiaomi cable for stability).
4. Select data categories for transfer (contacts, messages, photos, etc.) and confirm the beginning.
5. Wait until it is completed – the process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the volume.

2.Move over Google Account: Pros and pitfalls

Syncing through Google Account is a universal way that works on all Android devices, and is suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, mail, Google Keep notes and parts of apps.

• ☁️ Photos and videos are synced only if backup in Google Photos was enabled on the old phone (check Settings). → Google → Backup).
• 📱 SMS and the call log is not automatically transferred – this requires a separate application (for example, SMS Backup & Restore).
• 🎮 Game data is only synced if the game supports Google Play Games (e.g. Clash of Clans or Brawl Stars).
• 🔒 Wi-Fi passwords are not portable – they will have to be re-entered.

How to check that the data is synchronized:

1. On your old phone, open Settings. → Accounts. → Google → Sync your account and make sure all the categories are included.
2. Start Forced Synchronization by pressing three dots in the upper right corner.
3. On the new Xiaomi, when you first enable, select Copy data from your Google account and log in to the same account.

1. Is contact synchronization enabled in Settings → Accounts. → Google.

2. Are contacts hidden in the Contacts app (click on the three lines in the top left corner and select "All Contacts").

3. Are there any take-ups - sometimes old contacts from SIM-The cards overlap the synchronized.-->

Limitations of the method:

Google Account|Mi Mover|Manual cable transfer|Cloud services (Yandex Disk, Dropbox)|Other-->

Manual transfer via cable OTG computer

If you need to transfer large amounts of data (for example, a collection of films or a collection of films). RAW-And the Wi-Fi and the clouds are too slow, and the best way to do that is to connect directly through a cable:

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (Connecting an old phone to a new one like a flash drive or a computer as an intermediary.
• 📂 File Manager (e.g. Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
• ⚡ Adequate battery charge (transfer) 100 GB of data can take up 1-2 hour).

Instructions for transfer via OTG:

1. Connect the cable. OTG The new Xiaomi, and the old phone to it.
2. On the new device, open Explorer and select the connected phone in the Devices section.
3. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photo, download, etc.) to internal memory or SD-map.
4. To transfer applications, copy the folder /data/app (Root rights are required).

Instructions for transfer via computer:

1. Connect both phones to the PC via USB (Select File Transfer Mode on both).
2. Open This Computer and copy the data from your old phone to a separate folder on your PC.
3. Transfer files from your PC to the new Xiaomi.
4. For applications, use programs like APK Extractor (extraction) APK) + hand-mount.

💡

Cable Transfer is the Most Reliable Way for Large Files (Video) 4K, Backups, but not suitable for system data (SMS, call logs, application settings).

⚠️ Note: When copying a folder Android/data (where application data is stored) without root rights, many files may not be transferred due to Android restrictions, in which case only backup through Titanium Backup (requires root) or specialized tools for specific applications will help.

4.Moving WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber chats

Social messengers are one of the most problematic categories when changing phones, and even if you migrate the app itself, the history of the correspondence may disappear.

WhatsApp:

• 📱 Official way: backup in Google Drive (configure in WhatsApp) → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup! on a new phone when it first launches WhatsApp will offer to restore chats.
• ⚠️ Important: A copy is created only when you connect to Wi-Fi and if there is enough space on your Google account.
• 🔄 Alternative: copy the folder /sdcard/WhatsApp To a new phone (without this, you will not be able to restore media files).

Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats and media files are stored in the cloud, so just log in to your account on your new phone.
• 📁 Local files (downloaded to the device) must be transferred manually from the folder /sdcard/Telegram.
• 🔒 Secret chats don't sync - their history can't be moved.

Viber:

• 📱 Backup copy is created in Viber → ⋮ → Settings → Account. → Backup copy. You can save it to SD-map.
• ⚠️ Restriction: You can only restore a copy on the same phone number.
• 🔄 To transfer media files, copy the folder /sdcard/Viber/media.

1. That the new phone uses the same Google account as the old one.

2. that there is enough space on the account (a copy can weigh 10)+ GB).

3. That you didn't change your phone number - in which case the story won't move.-->

5. Transfer of game saves and application data

Gaming accounts and progress are the things users lose most when changing their phone. Fortunately, most modern games support sync via cloud services, but there are nuances:

Modes of transfer:

• 🎮 Google Play Games: If the game supports this service (e.g. Clash Royale, Asphalt 9), just log in to the same Google account on the new phone.
• 📱 Own game accounts: Many games (e.g. Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail) require email or social networking".
• 🔄 Manual portability: For games without cloud sync (such as offline projects), copy the folder with saves. /sdcard/Android/obb/[title of the game] or /data/data/[game pack (root required).
• 🖥️ Titanium Backup (root): Allows you to create a full backup of the data application and restore it on a new phone.

Examples of ways to save popular games:

⚠️ Note: If the game uses cheating protection (e.g, PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty: Mobile, manually transferring saves can lead to account ban. In such cases, use only official sync methods (Facebook, Google, Twitter).

6. Transfer system settings and passwords

Even if you have moved all files and applications, the new phone may not work familiar features – for example, auto-connection to Wi-Fi, settings, and other features. VPN Or saved passwords. Here's how to fix it:

Wi-Fi networks:

• 📶 Use the WiFi Password Viewer app (requires root) to export a list of password networks to a file.
• 🔐 On a new phone, import the file through the same app.
• ⚠️ Without root rights, Wi-Fi passwords cannot be transferred – they will have to be re-entered.

Passwords from websites and applications:

• 🔑 If you have used Google Smart Lock, your passwords are automatically synced when you sign in to your Google account.
• 📱 For third-party password managers (for example, 1Password, KeePass: Export your database and import it on your new phone.

Screen and sound settings:

• 🎨 The theme, wallpaper and icons can be transferred through Mi Cloud (if they were saved to the Xiaomi account).
• 🔔 Notification settings and audio profiles are not portable – they need to be reconfigured.

APN mobile-internet:

If the mobile Internet does not work after the transfer, check the settings. APN:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → [yours SIM] → Access points (APN).
2. Click Add APN and enter your operator’s settings (can be found on its official website).
3. Save and select a new APN.

7. Verification and recovery of data after transfer

Once the transfer is complete, make sure that all data is in place, and users often find problems after a few days when it is difficult to recover information.

Contacts (open the Contacts app and make sure all numbers are in place)|Photos and videos (check folders) DCIM and Pictures)|Applications (run key programs and make sure data is saved)|Chat messengers (open WhatsApp, Telegram and check history)|Game progress (launch games and make sure level/inventory is saved)-->

Typical problems and their solutions:

• 📱 Lack of apps: Check if sync is enabled in Google Play (Settings) → Auto-update applications: If applications are not restored, install them manually.
• 📁 No photo/video: Make sure you copy the folder DCIM Fully (including subfolders like Camera, Screenshots).
• 💬 No chat history: For WhatsApp, check that folder WhatsApp/Databases If the backup file is corrupted, try to restore the older version (they are stored with dates in the title).
• 🎮 Game progress has dropped: If the game is tied to the account, log in again. If not, try to restore saves from the manual backup.

If data is lost:

• 🔍 For photos/video, use recovery software like DiskDigger or Recuva (on your old phone).
• ☁️ Check out cloud backups: Google Photos, Yandex Drive, Mi Cloud.
• 📱 If you lose contacts, try to restore them through Google Contacts (Basket section stores deleted contacts for 30 days).

⚠️ Warning: If you used Mi Mover and after transfer noticed that some data is missing, do not configure the phone further - immediately reset to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings) and repeat the transfer. The more you use the new phone, the harder it will be to recover lost data.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions