How to transfer all information from your phone to Xiaomi: the complete guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, especially when it comes to protecting personal data. Vacation photos, messaging, family contacts and work documents all need to be transferred without loss. Fortunately, the manufacturer has provided several convenient migration options, and we have added verified life hacks from experienced users.

Many people mistakenly think that data transfer requires deep technical knowledge or special equipment. In fact, most methods are no more difficult than installing a regular application. The main thing is to choose the right way depending on which device you are switching from (Android, iPhone or even feature-phone) and how much information you need to move. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, including official Xiaomi tools and universal solutions, and also explain how to avoid typical errors during transfer.

If you're in a hurry and want to get to work, use the quick checklist in the Mi Mover section. For those planning a transfer in advance, pay attention to cloud services and backups. iPhone owners will have to consider some nuances due to the closed Apple ecosystem, read about this in a special block.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating data, follow a few steps that will save time and prevent the loss of important information.

1. Check the space available on the new Xiaomi. If you carry tens of gigabytes of photos and videos, make sure the device has enough memory. If necessary, clean unnecessary files or install a memory card. POCO X5 Pro) support memory expansion to 1TB, but requires a microSD slot.

2. Update both devices. Outdated versions MIUI Android may not support modern transmission protocols, especially for owners of older smartphones (up to Android 8.0). → The phone. → Updating the system.

3. Battery charging. The transfer process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours (depending on the amount of data you have), make sure that both devices have at least 50% charge, or connect them to the network, and interrupting the transmission due to a dead battery can cause file damage, especially if it is a question of messenger databases or game progress.

• 🔋 Minimum charge: 50% on both devices (optimum 80%)
• 📶 Wi-Fi network: Wireless methods need a stable 2.4GHz network (5GHz may not be supported by older models)
• 🔌 Cable: If you use a wired connection, take the original one USB-C cable (cheap analogues may not transmit data)
• 📁 Backup: Create a backup on the cloud or PC in case of a crash

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data from your iPhone, turn off iCloud Photos in Apple’s settings ID 24 hours before the migration, otherwise, photos may be duplicated or transmitted in low resolution.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi, designed for wireless data transfer between devices on the Internet. MIUI. It is pre-installed on all new smartphones of the brand and supports the transfer of almost all types of files, including:

• 📞 Contacts, call log and SMS
• 📸 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and audio recordings
• 📄 Documents (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if supported by the developer)
• ⚙️ System settings (wallpaper, sound schemes, brightness)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both phones.
2. On the new Xiaomi, when you first start, select Data Portability. If your phone is already configured, open the Mi Mover app manually.
3. On your old phone, download Mi Mover from Google Play (for Android) or use the built-in “Send Files” feature in your phone. MIUI.
4. Scan the scanner on the new device QR-The code that will appear on the old phone.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the transfer.

The speed of transmission depends on the volume of data and the model of the phones. 20 GB photos from Redmi Note 10 Xiaomi 13 near 30-40 If the process is delayed, check the distance between the devices (no more than one minute). 5 meters) and no interference from other wireless networks.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data from a phone based on Android 11 and above, in the developer settings (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap) turn on the option "Debugging by USB". This will eliminate possible compatibility errors.

Method 2: Sync through Google Account

If you used Google on an old phone, most of the data is already stored in the cloud automatically, which is universal and works even when you switch from an iPhone (assuming that Google Drive is set up there).

What can be transferred via Google:

• 📇 Contacts (from the Google Contacts app)
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 📧 Gmail emails and other account details
• 📸 Photos and videos (if backup in Google Photos is enabled)
• 🎵 Music (if uploaded to YouTube Music)
• 📍 Google Maps data (selected places, history of visits)

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings. → Google → Backup and make sure the function is enabled.
2. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account when you first start. If your phone is already set up, add your account to Settings → Accounts.
3. In the Backup section, click "Restore" and select the latest backup.
4. Wait for the sync to complete (it can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour depending on the internet speed).

Limitations of the method:

- The free storage in Google Drive is 15 GB. If you have more data, you will have to buy additional space or use another method.

Some apps (such as WhatsApp or Viber) are not backed up through Google, but need to be ported separately.

Original photos take up space in the cloud, but compressed versions (the “High Quality” option) do not. If you want quality, check your settings in Google Photos in advance.

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If you're migrating data from your iPhone, install Google Drive on it and manually upload the files you want. Then download them from the cloud to Xiaomi.

Method 3: Move from iPhone to Xiaomi (via iCloud and Move to iOS)

Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi requires a special approach because of the closed Apple ecosystem. Fortunately, there are two official ways: through iCloud and using the Move to iOS app (yes, it works the other way around!).

Method 1: iCloud (for photos, contacts, calendars)

1. On iPhone, open Settings → [Your name] → iCloud and enable synchronization for the data you need (contacts, calendars, notes, photos).
2. On Xiaomi, download iCloud from Google Play and log in to your Apple ID.
3. Select the data to download to the device. You can download the photos in their original quality, but it will take time and place.

Method 2: Move to iOS (for apps and messages)

1. On Xiaomi, when you first start, select the option “Data port from iOS”. If the phone is already configured, reset it to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).
2. On your iPhone, install the Move to iOS app from the App Store.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen. The system will generate the code that you want to enter on your iPhone.
4. Select data for transfer (contacts, messages, photos, videos, Safari bookmarks, email accounts).

What's not going to happen:

Apps from the App Store (you need to install analogues from Google Play manually).

- Music purchased on iTunes (DRM-Protection does not allow to carry tracks).

Data from some messengers (for example, the history of iMessage will remain on the iPhone).

⚠️ Note: If you use two-factor authentication for Apple ID, Before the penos, disable it or add the new Xiaomi to the list of trusted devices. Otherwise, when you sign in to iCloud on Android, you may have confirmation problems.

Method 4: Direct Cable Transfer (USB OTG)

If wireless methods seem unreliable or you have a slow Internet connection, wired transfer through the Internet. USB OTG — It's a great alternative. It works faster (up to 50MB/s on modern smartphones) and doesn't depend on the quality of Wi-Fi.

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (plug-in USB-C Micro-USB, depending on the Xiaomi model)
• 📱 Adapter (if the old phone has a different connector, for example, Lightning for iPhone)
• 🔋 Charger (it is recommended to connect both phones to the network during transfer)

Instructions for Android:

1. Connect your old phone to Xiaomi via OTG-cable.
2. On the screen of the new device will appear notification "USB-The drive is connected.
3. Select the "File Transfer" mode" (MTP) old-phone.
4. Open Explorer on Xiaomi and copy the files you need from the memory of the old device.

Instructions for iPhone:

1. Connect your iPhone to Xiaomi via Lightning-USB-C adapter.
2. Xiaomi will have a request for trust in the device – confirm it on the iPhone.
3. Use Files by Google Explorer or Files by Google to access your iPhone files.
4. Copy data (photos, videos, music) manually. Contacts and messages cannot be transferred this way – use iCloud.

Advantages of the method:

- Maximum transmission speed (in) 2-3 Time faster than Wi-Fi).

There are no data limits (except for free space on Xiaomi).

It works even without an internet connection.

Disadvantages:

Applications and their data are not transferred (only media files and documents).

- You need to buy an adapter for iPhone (~500-1000 ruble).

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Direct cable transfer is the most reliable way to handle large amounts of data (50)+ GB), but not suitable for synchronizing applications and system settings.

Method 5: Cloud services (Google Drive, Yandex Disk, Dropbox)

If you don't have a cable on hand or prefer remote porting, cloud storage is a great solution, with the main benefit of accessing files from any device and being able to download selectively.

Comparison of popular services:

How to move data through the cloud:

1. On an old phone, upload files to the selected storage (e.g., through Google Drive or Yandex Disk).
2. On Xiaomi, install the same app and log in to your account.
3. Download the required files to the new device.

Life hacks for cloud transfer:

- Use the archives (ZIP/RAR) For folders with a large number of small files, this will speed up the loading.

If the internet is slow, download data at night or use 5GHz Wi-Fi.

For Google Photos, enable the option “Original Quality” if it is important to retain the resolution.

⚠️ Note: When you upload sensitive data (document scans, passwords) to the cloud, enable two-factor authentication and encryption. In Yandex Disk and Google Drive, this is done in your account security settings.

Additional advice and problem solving

Even with all the instructions, sometimes there are difficulties.-5 Problems with data transfer to Xiaomi and how to solve them:

1.Mi Mover doesn't see old device

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Switch from 5GHz Wi-Fi to 2.4GHz (in router settings).
• 🔧 Turn on "Developer Mode" and activate "Debugging by" USB".

2. Applications not to be transferred

• 📱 Use Google Play to re-install (download history is saved in your account).
• 🔗 To port application data (such as progress in games), use Helium or built-in backup features (if supported by the developer).

3.Photos moved in low quality

• 🖼️ Check the settings of Google Photos: Settings → Backup → Quality.
• 📁 Transfer the originals via cable or Mi Cloud.

4.There is not enough space for the new Xiaomi

• 🗑️ Clear the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Clear the cache.
• 📱 Move some files to a memory card (if supported).
• ☁️ Use cloud storage for rarely used data.

5. Data transmission interrupted

• 🔌 If you used a cable, check its integrity or try another one.
• 📶 For wireless transfer, reconnect to the Wi-Fi network.
• 🔄 Start the process again by pre-rebooting the devices.

Advice for owners POCO/Foco:

Models. POCO Black Shark is available on customized versions. MIUI, where Mi Mover may not be available, in which case use alternative methods:

Install Mi Mover manually from APKMirror (check compatibility with your version of Android).

Use Xiaomi Cloud for backup.

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If you are transferring data from a Samsung phone, use the Smart Switch app to create a backup and then restore it to Xiaomi via Mi Mover.

Frequently asked questions