How to transfer all data from Honor to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, but also having to transfer all the data you have accumulated: contacts, photos, videos, messages, and even installed apps. Many users fear losing important information or spending hours manually copying files. In fact, the process can be automated using both Xiaomi’s built-in tools and third-party services.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data – from the official Mi Mover app to cloud backups and physical connectivity via OTG-We will pay special attention to the nuances of the transfer of messages from the Huawei/Honor Xiaomi, as it often has format compatibility issues, and you’ll learn how to avoid loss of quality photos/video and why you shouldn’t trust little-known migration programs.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating, follow a few critical steps that will save time and prevent data loss.

Mandatory conditions:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50% – the process can take up to 1 hour.
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (for wireless methods).
• 📱 Free up on Xiaomi at least 10-15 GB of memory – temporary files take up a lot of space.
• 🔐 Make sure that the screen lock is disabled on Honor (or know the password to unlock during the transfer).

On Honor, check:

• 📁 folder DCIM (Photo/video – delete duplicates through the Gallery → Albums. → Remove similar ones.
• 📞 Contacts – export backup to VCF via Contact → Settings → Imports/Exports.
• 💬 Messages – If you use Huawei Messages, enable sync with Google Drive.

⚠️ Note: If data encryption is enabled on Honor (Settings) → Security → Encryption, some portability techniques may not work. In this case, use a Google Account or a physical cable.

Charging both phones >50%|Released 10+ GB on Xiaomi|Disabled screen lock on Honor|File checked. DCIM duplicate|Exported contacts to VCF-->

2. Method 1: Mi Mover – official solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is an integrated application on Xiaomi, specifically designed to migrate data from other Android devices.

• 📞 Contacts (including groups)
• 📷 Photos and videos (without loss of quality)
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS)
• 📁 Music and documents
• 🎮 Some system settings

How to use:

1. On Xiaomi, open Mi Mover (if not, download from Google Play).
2. Select "I am a new user."
3. On Honor, download Mi Mover from Google Play (or use Huawei AppGallery if the Play Market isn’t available).
4. Run the app on both phones and select Send Data on Honor and Get Data on Xiaomi.
5. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen on Honor.
6. Select data types to transfer and wait for completion.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data:

• 📱 5-10 GB — ~20-30 minute
• 📱 20-50 GB — ~1-2 hour

⚠️ Note: If Honor is working on EMUI 12+, You may need to activate the developer mode and allow USB-debugging (Settings) → The phone. → Assembly number (7 taps) → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendar, notes)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendars, notes, and some settings, the most reliable way to do this is to sync through Google Account, which works even if the phones are physically far apart.

Instructions for Honor:

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Select your account (or add a new one).
3. Turn on the synchronization for: 📞 Contacts 📅 calendar 📝 Notes (if you use Google Keep) 📎 Other data (if desired)

Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Synchronization

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. When you first turn on, select “Restore from backup” and select the same Google Account.
2. If the phone is already set up, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync.
3. Contacts will appear in the Contacts app, calendars in Google Calendar.

✅ Pros of the method:

• 🔄 Automatic update of data when changes occur.
• 🌍 Access to contacts from any device.
• 🛡️ Reliability – Data is stored on Google servers.

❌ Cons:

• 🚫 No SMS photos, videos and applications are transferred.
• 📶 Requires a stable Internet connection.

Mi Mover|Google Account|Cable OTG|Cloud services (Yandex Disk, Dropbox)|Other-->

Method 3: Physical Transfer through OTG-cable

If you don’t have Wi-Fi access or data is over 50GB, the best option is to connect directly via the Internet. OTG-cable USB-C → USB-C This method guarantees a maximum speed (up to 480 Mbps per model). USB 3.0) and file safety.

What you need:

• 🔌 OTG-plug-in USB-C (for Honor/Xiaomi new models or micro-USB → USB-C (old Honor).
• 📱 Wired access to the file system (enable File Transfer Mode (MTP) both phones).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to Xiaomi via OTG-cable.
2. On Xiaomi, open Explorer (or Files) and select USB-device.
3. Go to the folders: DCIM — Photos and videos Download - Pictures downloads - images from Movies messengers - video

Xiaomi

Download

MiCloud

contact

contacts.vcf

Internal Storage

Contacts → Imports/Exports

⚠️ Note: When copying photos/video via cable, do not use the format EXFAT For a flash drive or external drive, Xiaomi may not recognize files — FAT32 (but with a file limit of up to 4GB; or NTFS (support OTG).

💡

If Xiaomi doesn’t see Honor through OTG, Try connecting your phone to your computer and copying files to your PC and then to Xiaomi, which will take longer, but will guarantee 100% compatibility.

5. Method 4: Cloud Services (Yandex Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox)

If you have a slow internet or not OTG-This is a method that is suitable for transferring photos, videos, documents and contacts, but is inefficient for large volumes (due to the limitations of free rates).

Comparison of services:

How to transfer data through Yandex Drive:

1. On Honor, install Yandex Drive from Google Play or AppGallery.
2. Upload files to the cloud: Open the app → press "+" → "Download files. Select folders. DCIM, Pictures, Download.

Xiaomi

Yandex Disc.

To transfer contacts via Google Drive:

1. On Honor, export contacts to VCF (as described above).
2. Upload the contacts.vcf file to Google Drive.
3. On Xiaomi, download the file and import through Contacts → Imports/Exports → File-based import.

💡

Cloud services are convenient for transferring small amounts of data (up to the current level). 10-15 It is better to use for large archives. OTG-cable.

Method 5: Message transfer (SMS) call history

Messages and call history are the most problematic data when migrating from Honor to Xiaomi. Standard tools (like Mi Mover) often fail to cope with the transfer. SMS Due to the difference in storage formats EMUI and MIUI.

Decision 1: Annex Annex SMS Backup & Restore

1. Install Backup & Restore SMS on both phones.
2. On Honor: Open the app → "Backup. Select Messages and Call Log. Save the file to Google Drive or internal memory.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi

"Restore."

Decision 2: Exporting through Huawei Backup EMUI)

If there is a firmware installed on Honor EMUI 9.0+, You can use the built-in application Backup:

1. Open Settings → System → Backup.
2. Select "Data Backup" → Check "Messages" and "Call log".
3. Save a copy to Huawei Cloud or internal memory.
4. Download the file to your PC, extract the archive (.hbk format) and transfer it. SMS Readable-format via Huawei Backup Extractor (requires PC).

⚠️ Attention: When transferring SMS through third-party applications do not restore backups older than 3 months - this can cause malfunctions in the messenger on Xiaomi.

7. Transfer of applications and their data

Unfortunately, it is not possible to directly transfer installed applications from Honor to Xiaomi due to differences in the system architecture.

• 📥 Save the list of applications for re-installation.
• 🔄 Transfer application data (e.g. game saving).
• 🔗 Restore account settings (Google, social networks).

How to save the list of applications:

1. On Honor, open Google Play → Menus. → My apps and games. → Established.
2. Scroll through the list and take screenshots or write down the names of the desired applications.
3. On Xiaomi, install them again through Google Play.

Application data portability:

Some applications (such as games or instant messengers) allow you to save data to the cloud:

• 🎮 Games: Use Google Play Games or built-in sync (e.g., Genshin Impact or Google Play Games) PUBG Mobile).
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber have built-in backups in Google Drive.
• 📊 Social networks: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok sync data through an account.

To transfer game saves without the cloud:

1. On Honor, find a folder with saves (usually /Android/data/{title games} or /Android/obb).
2. Copy it on Xiaomi in the same directory.
3. Install the game and check the download of saves.

8. Post-transfer validation and optimization

After the migration is completed, be sure to check:

• 📞 Contacts: Open the Contacts app and make sure all numbers are in place (especially groups).
• 📷 Photo/video: Check the folders DCIM Pictures and all the files available.
• 💬 Messages: Open up SMS-Messenger and make sure that the history is saved.
• 🎵 Music/documents: Check the Download folder and other directories.

What to do if the data is not transferred:

Optimization after transfer:

• 🧹 Clear the cache: Settings → Annexes → Clear the cache.
• 🔄 Update apps: Google Play → My apps. → Update everything.
• 📁 Organize files: move photos/video to the Gallery, music to Music.

💡

After transferring the data, reset the cache to Xiaomi (Settings) → Memory. → Clear the cache. This will eliminate possible lags and speed up the system.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability from Honor to Xiaomi