How to Transfer All Data from Old Phone to New Xiaomi: From Contacts to Apps

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but the process of data transfer often turns into a headache: some users lose years of photos due to incorrect copying, others face problems syncing accounts, and still others just don’t know where to start.

We will look at both official methods from Xiaomi (including the proprietary Mi Mover app), and universal solutions for Android, which work even when switching from iPhone or devices of other brands. SMS/MMS, Call history, Wi-Fi passwords and app settings, the data most commonly lost when you move, are all relevant to models. 2020–2026 years (Redmi Note) 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, POCO F6 etc.).

1.Preparation for the transfer: what to do before buying a new Xiaomi

Many users only start thinking about data portability after unpacking a new phone, a mistake that is a few simple steps in the preparation phase will save hours of time:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50%. Migration can take 1-3 hours, and discharging during data transmission will lead to a failure.
• 📶 Check the data volume. Go to the settings. → Memory on an old phone. If you're over 60GB busy, you'd better use a cable or a cloud -- wireless transmission may be interrupted.
• 🔐 Update the firmware on both devices to the latest version MIUI. This will eliminate compatibility bugs. → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📱 Delete the files you don't need. It'll take too long to transfer the garbage (cache, duplicate photos). MIUI or the Files by Google application.

Critically, if you’re switching from an iPhone, disable iMessage and FaceTime in your Apple ID settings 24 hours before the transfer. Otherwise, SMS/MMS may not arrive on the new Xiaomi for a week (the issue is with Apple servers).

2.The official way: Mi Mover app from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi, preinstalled on all smartphones with MIUI 9 and later. It allows you to transfer:

• 📞 Contacts, call log, SMS/MMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music, documents, downloads
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness)
• 🔧 Data from some applications (e.g. Mi Notes)

Important: Mi Mover does not carry installed applications (only their data), Wi-Fi passwords, and files from folders protected by DRM (for example, some Netflix or Spotify files).

Install Mi Mover on your old phone (if it’s not there)

Connect both phones to the same 5GHz Wi-Fi network

Turn off VPN and energy saving modes

Close all background applications

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Step-by-step:

1. On the new Xiaomi, select Data Transfer when you first turn on. If the phone is already configured, start Mi Mover from the Tools folder.
2. On your old phone, open the Mi Mover → I'm the sender. → scan QR-screencode.
3. Select data types to transfer (we recommend leaving all check boxes except the Application – it is better to install them again from Google Play).
4. Confirm the transfer on both phones. the process will take from 10 minutes (for 5-10 GB) to 2 hours (for 100+ GB).

⚠️ Note: If you have an old phone MIUI Global, and new — MIUI China (or vice versa), Mi Mover may not see the device. OTG (Section 3) or cloud transfer (section 4).

3. Quick transfer via cable OTG/USB (bulky)

This method is 3-5 times faster than wireless and more reliable when transmitting 50+ GB of data.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (USB-C → USB-C or USB-C → MicroUSB depending on ports)
• 📱 Adapter (if on the old phone Lightning connector, like the iPhone)
• 🔋 Charger (for power during copying)

Instructions for Android → Xiaomi:

1. Connect the OTG cable to the new Xiaomi and the other end to the old phone.
2. On the new device, select File Transfer (MTP) in the Connection Notification.
3. Open Explorer on your new phone → go to the Internal Memory folder of the old device.
4. Copy folders: DCIM (photo/video), Download (download) Pictures (images) WhatsApp/Media (backup chats)
5. To transfer contacts, export them to the file VCF: Contacts → ⋮ → Imports/Exports → Exports in memory.

For iPhone→Xiaomi: Use iTunes (Windows) or Android File Transfer (Mac) to copy photos/video, and sync contacts through iCloud → Google Contacts (instruction in section 5).

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If you have a Redmi Note 10 Pro or older, use Mass Storage (MTP) mode instead of PTP – this will speed up copying by 2 times. To do this, when connecting the cable, select File Transfer in the notification, not Photo Transfer.

4.Cloud Transfer: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and Alternatives

Cloud services are convenient if you have slow cable or phones from different brands, but there are limitations to every solution:

• 🌥️ Google Drive: free 15GB, but compresses photos/video. Suitable for contacts, calendars, notes.
• ☁️ Mi Cloud: 5GB free, but only works between Xiaomi devices. SMS and settings MIUI.
• 🍎 iCloud: only to switch from iPhone.Requires intermediate export to Google Account.
• 📦 Samsung Smart Switch: Despite the name, it works with Xiaomi (via PC) and even transfers app data.

The following steps are provided for Google Drive:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Google → Backup → Enable Data Backup.
2. Select a Google account and start copying. Wait until it's finished (may take hours).
3. On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select Restore from backup and log in to the same Google account.
4. Choose the latest copy and wait for the recovery.

Important: Google Drive does not restore SMS, call histories, or some app settings (such as game progress), and use specialized applications like SMS Backup & Restore or Swift Backup (requires root rights).

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Cloud services are the most reliable way to transfer contacts and calendars, but are not suitable for large media libraries (100+ GB) due to limitations in volume and download speed.

5.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi: bypassing Apple's restrictions

The transition from iOS to Android is always more difficult because of Apple's closed ecosystem, and here's a step-by-step plan with all the pitfalls:

1. Untie iMessage: Settings → Messages → iMessage (turn off) This will prevent problems with the delivery of SMS.
2. Export contacts: iCloud.com → Contacts → ⚙️ → Export vCard. Send the file to Gmail and import to Google Contacts.
3. Move photos: use Google Photos (set up automatic download in Settings → Backup on iPhone).
4. Save notes: If you use Apple Notes, export them to PDF via Select Everything → Share → Print → Save to PDF.
5. Move the music: If you bought tracks on iTunes, download them on PC via Apple Music, then download them to Xiaomi via Google Play Music or locally.

Challenges and solutions:

• 🚫 Wi-Fi passwords are not portable: use Wi-Fi Map or QR Generator to create QR-password-code.
• 🎮 Loss of progress in games: Link games to Google Play Games or Facebook before switching.
• 📱 Apps from the App Store: check their availability on Google Play in advance. Some (like GarageBand) are not available on Android.

⚠️ Note: If you used Apple Pay, remove all cards from Wallet before switching to Xiaomi.In some banks (Sber, Tinkoff), it can take up to 72 hours to peg the card to the new device.

6. Data transfer applications: chats, games, settings

Standard methods don't store data inside applications. Here's how to migrate the most important things:

• 💬 WhatsApp/Telegram: WhatsApp: ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup (save to Google Drive) Restore on your new phone when you first start up. On Telegram: all chats are synced automatically through the cloud, but secret chats need to be exported manually.

Games:

Google Play Games

Facebook

Genshin Impact

Honkai Star Rail

Hoyoverse account

Notes:

• For Mi Notes: sync with Mi Cloud.
• For Google Keep or Evernote: Just log in to your account on your new phone.

Calendars:

Google Calendar → Settings → Import / Export

For rooted devices: Swift Backup allows you to create a full backup of user data (including app settings) and restore it to a new phone.

1. Install Swift Backup on your old phone.


2. Select "Backup" → tick the desired applications.




3. Move the backup file to the new Xiaomi.




4. Install Swift Backup on the new device and recover the data.

7. Post-transfer validation and optimization

Even after a successful transfer, the data may not work properly.

Check your contacts synced in Google Account

Make sure that the photo/video is opened (no broken files)

Launch key applications (WhatsApp, banking)

Set your fingerprint/face in Settings → Screen lock

Update all apps on Google Play

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Typical problems and solutions:

• 🔕 No sound in the video: delete the cache of the Gallery app (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 📵 They don't come. SMS: Check the Message settings → ⋮ → Settings → Additionally. → Centre SMS (You must have your operator number).
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge: after data transfer MIUI indexes files for 6 to 12 hours. That's okay, the charge will return to normal in a day.

8. Alternative methods: for experienced users

If the standard methods don’t work, try these advanced solutions:

• 🖥️ Through the PC (ADB): Install Platform Tools from the official Android website. Connect your old phone to your PC and do: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab Connect the new Xiaomi and restore: adb restore backup.ab Note: not all apps support backup via ADB (For example, WhatsApp).
• 🔄 TWRP + Nandroid Backup: for rooted devices, allows you to create a complete system image and restore it on a new phone (only for the same models!).
• 🌐 Local area network (FTP): Use Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer for Wi-Fi file transfer without clouds.