Why migrating chats from iPhone to Xiaomi is not a trivial task
The transition from iPhone to Xiaomi smartphone is not just a change of gadget, but a migration between two fundamentally different ecosystems. If contacts, photos and notes are relatively easy to transfer, then WhatsApp’s history is more complicated, because Apple and Google use different backup formats:.iclouddrive for iOS and.db.crypt14 for Android. There is no direct conversion path between them, but there are workarounds.
The main problem is that WhatsApp doesn’t support cross-platform data transfer out of the box. Even if you back up on iCloud, you can’t restore it directly to Xiaomi, because of Meta’s security policy and the technical limitations of operating systems. However, there are both formal and informal ways to circumvent this restriction, from using Google Drive to specialized utilities like Backuptrans or iMazing.
In this article, we will look at all the current ways to transfer WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Xiaomi in 2026, including their pros, cons and potential risks, focusing on the official method from Meta, which became available recently, as well as alternative solutions for those who do not want to wait or face technical difficulties.
Method 1: Official transfer via "Transfer chats" (recommended)
In 2021, Metafinally released a tool to directly transfer WhatsApp history between iOS and Android, which works on most modern Xiaomi devices (starting with MIUI 12.5 and up) and does not require rooting or complex manipulation.
- 📱 iPhone should run on iOS 15.5 or later.
- 🤖 Xiaomi should be on Android 10 and higher (check Settings) → The phone).
- 🔄 The latest version of WhatsApp must be installed on the iPhone (update to the App Store).
- 📦 On Xiaomi, WhatsApp should not be installed or should be a clean installation (without being linked to an account).
Step-by-step:
- On your iPhone, open WhatsApp, go to Settings → Chat → Backup Chats and create a fresh backup in iCloud.
- Connect Xiaomi to your iPhone via Lightning-USB-C cable (may require an adapter). On Xiaomi, in the Settings menu → Memory → USB connection, select File Transfer.
- The iPhone will open a window that says, "Take the data, follow the system's cues, and it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the volume of the chats."
- Once the transfer is complete, install WhatsApp on Xiaomi from Google Play, log in to your account and wait for history recovery.
Connecting to Wi-Fi on both devices|Battery charge >50%|Free space on Xiaomi (>2x backup)|Disabled. VPN firewalls-->
⚠️ Note: If WhatsApp has already been installed and activated on Xiaomi, the official transfer will not work. In this case, you will have to reset the messenger settings (delete the account in Settings). → Accounts) or use alternative methods.
Method 2: Move over Google Drive (for older versions of WhatsApp)
If the official method doesn’t work (for example, because of outdated firmware), you can try a workaround through Google Drive, which is less reliable, but sometimes helps when migrating from older iPhones (to iPhone 8) or to Xiaomi devices with custom firmware.
Algorithm of action:
- On iPhone, export chats as archive: open a dialog → Export chat → select No media (to reduce the size) → send yourself to mail or save to Google Drive.
- On Xiaomi, download the archive from mail or disk and unpack it (you will need a file manager like Mi File Manager).
- Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, log in to your account and manually import chats from unpacked files (the feature is available in Settings → Chat → Import Chat).
| Parameter | Official postponement | Google Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Preserving the media | ✅ Yes (photo, video, voice) | ❌ No, only text) |
| Transfer time | 10–60 minutes | 1-3 hours (manual work) |
| Cable required | ✅ Yes (Lightning-USB-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C) | ❌ No. |
| Support for older iPhones | ❌ No, iOS 15.5 only.+) | ✅ Yes (any version) |
⚠️ Note: When exported via Google Drive, message timestamps, read statuses, and some formatting are lost (e.g., bold text can show as normal) This method is only suitable for translating text history without media files.
WhatsApp|Google Drive |Local backup |Third-party programs |None-->
Method 3: Local backup via computer (for advanced)
If you have access to a Mac or PC, you can try migrating chats through local backup, which takes longer, but allows you to save the entire history, including media files.
- 💻 Computer with iTunes (for Windows) or Finder (for Mac).
- 📱 iPhone with the Find iPhone function disabled (Settings) → Apple ID → Find it).
- 🔌 Lightning-USB cables and USB-C-USB (connect to Xiaomi).
- 🛠️ iMazing or Backuptrans (free trial versions available on official websites).
Instructions:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer and back up via iTunes/Finder (be sure to turn on backup encryption!).
- Download and install iMazing, open the program and select Manage Backups → Export WhatsApp Messages.
- Export chats to.zip or.html (for further import on Android).
- Connect Xiaomi to your computer, copy the exported files to the WhatsApp/Databases folder on the internal drive.
- Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, confirm your phone number and wait for recovery from your local backup.
What if WhatsApp doesn’t see a local backup?
The advantage of this method is to save the full history without loss, but it requires file system skills and may not work on devices with MIUI, where access to system folders is limited (for example, on Xiaomi 13 Pro with MIUI 14).
Method 4: Use of third-party utilities (Backuptrans, Dr.Fone)
If the previous methods didn't work, specialized programs come to the rescue.
- 🔄 Backuptrans WhatsApp Transfer – supports transfer between iOS and Android, saves media and stickers.
- 📱 Dr.Fone – WhatsApp Transfer (from Wondershare) – simple interface, but paid license.
- 💻 MobileTrans – working with 6000+ All models, including Xiaomi.
A common algorithm for all utilities:
- Install the program on your computer and connect both devices (iPhone and Xiaomi).
- Select WhatsApp Transfer or Backup & Restore.
- Follow the transfer master (usually 2-3 clicks are enough).
- Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 2 hours with a large amount of data).
| Programme | Cost | Support for MIUI | Preserving the media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backuptrans | $25 (one-time) | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. |
| Dr.Fone | $39.95/year | ✅ Yes. | ✅ Yes. |
| MobileTrans | $29.95 (for life) | ⚠️ Partially (problems with MIUI 14) | ✅ Yes. |
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Before buying a paid utility, check if it supports your Xiaomi model. For example, MobileTrans may not work correctly with Xiaomi 12T due to the data encryption features in MIUI.
⚠️ Note: Third-party programs require additional drivers to be installed on your computer, which may conflict with antivirus (for example, Kaspersky or Avast block Dr.Fone as potentially dangerous software.
Method 5: Transfer via email (for individual chats)
If you only need to move a few important conversations, rather than the entire story, you can use WhatsApp’s built-in email export feature, which does not require additional programs, but is only suitable for selective saving.
How it works:
- On your iPhone, open the desired chat in WhatsApp.
- Click on the contact/group name → Export Chat.
- Select No Media (to make the file smaller) or Enable Media (if you want to save a photo/video).
- Send the exported file to your own mail (e.g. Gmail).
- On Xiaomi, open the email, download the attachment and import it to WhatsApp via Settings → Chat → Import chat.
Limitations of the method:
- 🚫 Only one chat is exported at a time.
- 🚫 Media files take up a lot of space (up to 1 GB for a large chat).
- 🚫 Messages come in the form of.txt or.zip, which is inconvenient to view.
💡
Email export is the only way to transfer WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Xiaomi without a computer, but it is only suitable for selectively saving dialogs.
Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:
- 🔴 "Cannot connect to the iPhone" → Check the cable (use the original Lightning), unlock your iPhone and confirm your device’s trust.
- 🔴 "WhatsApp doesn’t see backup on Xiaomi" → Remove the WhatsApp folder on Xiaomi, restart your phone and repeat the transfer.
- 🔴 "Recovery error (code 404)" → That means the backup file is corrupted. Try creating a new backup on your iPhone.
- 🔴 "Slow data transfer" → Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or use a cable USB 3.0.
If none of the methods worked, check:
- 📅 Relevance of WhatsApp versions and firmware MIUI.
- 🔒 No blocking by Apple ID (For example, two-factor authentication can interfere with the transfer).
- 📡 Internet connection stability (when using Google Drive or iCloud).