How to completely transfer data from Android to Xiaomi smartphone: 5 proven ways

Contents

• Introduction: Why Data Transfers to Xiaomi Need a Special Approach
• Preparation for transfer: what to do before the beginning
• Method 1: Mi Mover – the official solution from Xiaomi
• Method 2: Sync through Google Account (for contacts and calendars)
• Method 3: Third-party applications – when Mi Mover doesn’t work
• Method 4: Transfer over a computer (for large amounts of data)
• Method 5: Manual transfer for experienced users
• Typical problems and their solutions
• Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but moving data from an old Android device can be a real headache, especially if you’re talking about hundreds of photos, important messages or app settings. Unlike the iPhone, which has a universal Quick Start, Android has no single standard, each manufacturer offers its own solutions.

Xiaomi smartphones (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark) use Mi Mover, but it doesn’t work with all models. In addition, many users experience errors when trying to migrate data over Wi-Fi Direct. In this article, we’ll look at all the current portability methods in 2026, including workarounds for older devices and phones without Mi Mover.

It’s important to understand that not all data can be transferred automatically, for example, passwords from Wi-Fi and settings for some applications (such as WhatsApp or banking services) often require manual input, but contacts, photos, videos and SMS usually move without problems — if you know the right way.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the beginning

Before you start the transfer, follow these steps on both devices:

• 🔋 Charge both smartphones to at least 50% – the process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours.
• 📶 Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (if you use wireless methods.
• 🧹 Free up space on the new Xiaomi: remove unnecessary apps or transfer files to a memory card.
• 🔒 Turn off the screen lock (PIN, pattern lock) on an old phone – some transfer methods require an unlocked device.

If you are transferring data from Samsung, Huawei or another brand, check compatibility:

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has custom firmware installed (like LineageOS), Mi Mover may not work. ADB backup or third-party utilities like Titanium Backup (requires root).

Method 1: Mi Mover – the official solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi, designed to quickly transfer data between devices, it is pre-installed on all new smartphones of the brand (starting with MIUI 9) and supports the transfer of:

• 📱 Contacts and call logs
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, labels)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Android.
2. On your old phone, install Mi Mover from Google Play (if it’s not on the system).
3. Run the app on both devices and select I sender (old phone) and I receiver (new Xiaomi).
4. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
5. Select data types to transfer and wait for completion.

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

• 📱 Up to 5GB — ~10-15 minutes
• 📱 10–30 GB — ~30-60 minutes
• 📱 More than 50 GB – Cable or PC is recommended

⚠️ Warning: If Mi Mover is stuck in the Preparation phase, try turning it off. VPN And the antivirus on both phones, and make sure that the old device has at least 1 GB of free space, and the utility creates temporary files.

Charge both phones to 60%+

Delete unnecessary files on the new Xiaomi

Connect to a single Wi-Fi network (if there is no Wi-Fi Direct)

Disable the screen lock on your old phone

Install Mi Mover from Google Play (if not in the system)-->

Method 2: Sync through Google Account (for contacts and calendars)

If Mi Mover doesn’t work, or you only want to transfer contacts, calendars, and notes, the most reliable way to do this is to sync through Google Account, which works on any Android device, including older models.

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Accounts → Google.
2. Make sure that sync is enabled for Contacts, Calendar and Google Drive.
3. Click Sync Now and wait until it is completed.
4. On the new Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts.
5. Turn on synchronization and wait 5-10 minutes – the data will be downloaded automatically.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It works on all Android devices, even without the Mi Mover.
• ✅ Data is stored in the cloud – you can restore it on any phone.
• ✅ Automatic update of contacts when changing.

Limitations:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS, photo and appendices.
• ❌ A stable connection to the Internet is required.
• ❌ On some firmware (for example, EMUI Huawei says synchronization of contacts may not work properly.

💡

If contacts are not synced, check if they are duplicated in Samsung, Huawei or Mi accounts. manually delete duplicates or use the Contact Cleanup app.

Method 3: Third-party applications – when Mi Mover doesn’t work

If Mi Mover refuses to see your old phone or the transfer is constantly disrupted, third-party utilities will come to the rescue, and we tested several solutions and selected the most reliable ones:

1. Send Anywhere (for photos, videos, documents)

The application uses P2P-Wi-Fi or cloud transfers support up to 10GB of files in the free version.

• 📲 Send Anywhere on both phones.
• 📤 On your old phone, select files and click Send.
• 📥 On the new Xiaomi, enter a 6-digit code or scan QR.

2. CLONEit (for full backup)

CLONEit copies almost everything: SMS, call log, apps (APK + data), Wi-Fi settings and even wallpaper. Minus requires root to carry some system data.

3. Samsung Smart Switch (if the old phone is Samsung)

Yes, it's an app from Samsung, but it works great with Xiaomi too!

• 📱 Contacts, SMS, callbook
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Galery albums)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• 📌 Notes and calendars

For use:

1. Install Smart Switch on both phones.
2. Connect via Wi-Fi Direct or OTG cable.
3. Select data for transfer and confirm the transfer.

⚠️ Note: When migrating over Smart Switch, some applications (such as WhatsApp or Telegram) may require re-authorization, PUBG Mobile and others – they need separate backups.

Method 4: Transfer over a computer (for large amounts of data)

If the data is more than 50 GB or you want to do a full backup before transferring, the best option is to use a PC (Windows, Mac or Linux).

• 📷 Transfer of raw photos (RAW) video 4K.
• 🎮 Save game and application data (if there is no cloud backup).
• 📁 Archiving of the entire internal storage.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC via USB-cable and select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
2. Copy all the necessary folders (DCIM, Downloads, WhatsApp, etc.) to your computer.
3. Turn off your old phone and connect a new Xiaomi.
4. Move the files back by following the folder structure.
5. For contacts and SMS, use export/import via.vcf and.xml (more below).

To transfer SMS and call logs:

1. On your old phone, install SMS Backup & Restore.
2. Create a backup in.xml format and save the file to your PC.
3. Transfer the file to the new Xiaomi and restore the SMS via the same app.

To transfer applications and their data (requires ADB):

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab


adb restore backup.ab

💡

Pc porting is the most reliable way to do big data, but it takes longer, and use it if Wi-Fi is constantly interrupted or if you have weak internet.

Method 5: Manual transfer for experienced users

If you’re not afraid to dig into the settings or have an outdated device (Android 5-7), manual porting may be the only working solution.

• 📁 Transfer of files through SD-map OTG-accumulator.
• 🔧 Use of the ADB backup.
• 📡 Transmission through FTP-server (e.g. Solid Explorer).

Transfer through SD-map:

1. Insert microSD into your old phone.
2. Copy the files to the card (use the File Manager).
3. Transfer the card to the new Xiaomi and copy the data back.

Transfer through ADB (for advanced):

If you have access to ADB, you can create a full backup system:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f full_backup.ab


adb restore full_backup.ab

Please note: this method does not tolerate:

• 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords (they will have to be re-entered).
• 🔑 Data of some banking applications (due to security).
• 🎮 Save Games Without Cloud Linking.

We have collected the most common problems and ways to solve them: Problem Possible cause Mi Mover solution does not see the old phone Wi-Fi Direct incompatibility or firewall lock Use the cable OTG Transfer is cut by 99% Lack of space on a new phone or connection failure Free space or transfer parts of 5-10 GB Not carried SMS Firmware restrictions (e.g., on EMUI) Use it. SMS Backup & Restore or ADB Photos moved but not displayed in Gallery Xiaomi Gallery did not scan new files Reboot phone or manually update media database through File Manager Applications moved, but not working Incompatible versions of Android or processor architecture Update apps via Google Play or install.apk manually If none of the methods worked, try it: 🔄 Reset the network settings to ⚠️ Note: When manually transferring through ADB Do not interrupt the process, it can lead to data loss or system failure. 4 GB, break it into pieces: adb backup -apk -shared -f backup_part1.ab com.example.app1 com.example.app2 adb backup -apk -shared -f backup_part2.ab com.example.app3 💡To transfer Wi-Fi passwords without manual input, use the WiFi Key Viewer app (requires root).It exports all networks to.txt, which can be opened on a new phone. Typical problems and their solutions Even with proper follow-up to instructions, errors can occur on both phones (Settings) → System system → Reset → Resetting the mobile network). 📡 Use a mobile hotspot instead of Wi-Fi (sometimes helps with Wi-Fi Direct issues). 🖥️ Transfer data over a PC (the most reliable, but longest way). Frequent questions on data porting to Xiaomi: Can you transfer data from iPhone to Xiaomi? Yes, but not through Mi Mover. Use: Move to iOS (from Apple) - transfers contacts, photos and some settings. Google Drive - download the backup from the iPhone, then restore to Xiaomi. Send Anywhere is a Wi-Fi service for sending photos and videos. Note: iMessage messages and notes cannot be transferred, they are tied to the Apple ecosystem. How do you move WhatsApp from Android to Xiaomi? WhatsApp does not support cross-platform chat transfer between Android devices of different brands. To save correspondence: On an old phone, create a backup in Settings → chat → Backup copy. Copy folder. WhatsApp/Databases On PC. Install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi, confirm the number. Move the Databases folder back and restore the backup. If the chats are not restored, check that: The backup file name is msgstore.db.crypt14. The WhatsApp folder is at the root of the internal memory. You use the same phone number and Google Account. Will the data of the banking applications (SberBank, Tinkoff, etc.) be transferred (SberBank, Tinkoff, etc.)? No, banking applications block the transfer of data for security reasons. Once installed on a new phone, you will need to log in again (via login/password or biometrics). Confirm login via SMS or push notification. Do you have access to the devices (for example, use of the devices, the devices, portables, etc.) If it didn't work out: 📱 Wallpaper: Copy images from the folder Pictures/Wallpapers manually. 🔔 Sound: Move files from Ringtones, Notifications, Alarms. ⚙️ Launcher settings: export through Launcher Settings → Backup (if you have one), you have to add a new fingerprint or face setting to transfer it, which is stored in a protected memory area and cannot be copied. Can you transfer data from your phone without Google services (e.g. Huawei without Google services) GMS)? Yes, but with limitations. If the old phone does not have Google Play Services (e.g. Huawei with the Google Play Services) EMUI 10+), Use: Huawei Backup → Save the backup to the memory card, then transfer to Xiaomi and extract the data manually. FTP-server (for example, via Solid Explorer) to transfer files over Wi-Fi. OTG + flash-drive. To transfer contacts, export them to.vcf via the standard Contacts app.