How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi: Contacts, photos, messages and apps

Why migrating data from Honor to Xiaomi requires a special approach

The move from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a brand change, but a transition between two different ecosystems: Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and Google Mobile Services (GMS). Even if your Honor runs on EMUI with Google services, some data (such as notes or backups) may be stored in Huawei proprietary formats that are not compatible with MIUI.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to migrate data, including the official Mi Mover tool, cloud services and manual methods. We will focus on the nuances of SMS portability, call logs and application settings - these are the data that are most often lost when you transfer incorrectly. If you use Honor with Magic UI (for example, the Honor 50/60/70/90 model), some steps will be different - we will also talk about this.

1. Preparation of telephones before data transfer

Before you start migrating, follow the mandatory preparatory steps to prevent data loss and speed up the process:

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50%. Data transfer can take up to 30 minutes, and discharging during the process will interrupt the transmission.
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (for cloud methods) or make sure that Xiaomi has access point mode enabled (for Mi Mover).
• 🧹 Free up space on Xiaomi: Photo and video transfers may require up to 10-15 GB of free space.
• 🔐 Turn off the screen lock (PIN, pattern lock on both phones – this will speed up confirmation of actions during transmission.

On Honor, check the firmware version: if it is EMUI 10.0 or older, some backup features may be limited due to sanctions against Huawei.In this case, use alternative methods (see Section 3).

⚠️ Note: If Privacy Protection is enabled on Honor (in Settings) → Security, disable it – it can block access to files for third-party applications, including Mi Mover.

Charge both phones up to 50%+

Connect to one Wi-Fi network

Free up 10+GB on Xiaomi

Disable screen lock

Check the version. EMUI/Magic UI-->

2. Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a built-in application on Xiaomi that allows you to transfer data from Android devices (including Honor) without a computer.

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and labels)
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS)
• 📷 Photo and video (in original quality)
• 🎵 Audio files and documents
• 📱 Installed applications (without data)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. On Xiaomi, open the Mi Mover app (if not, download from Google Play).
2. Choose I'm the recipient → Android.
3. On Honor, download Mi Mover from AppGallery or APKMirror (if you don’t have access to Google Play).
4. Launch the app on Honor, select I sender and scan QR-Xiaomi screen code.
5. Select data for transfer and confirm the transfer.

The speed of transfer depends on the amount of data: 10 GB of photos can be carried for up to 20 minutes. If the process is suspended during the Preparation stage, restart both applications and reconnect.

⚠️ Note: Mi Mover does not carry any application data (e.g. saves in games or chats in instant messengers).

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If Mi Mover doesn’t see Honor, try connecting via an OTG cable: connect your phones with a USB-C → USB-C adapter and select File Transfer (MTP) mode on Honor.

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

If your Honor has your Google Account synced, it can be easily transferred to Xiaomi without additional apps.

• 📇 Contacts (including profile photos)
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 📝 Notes (if saved in Google Keep)
• 🌐 Chrome's bookmark

Instructions:

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for the data you need.
2. On Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts and Sync.
3. Enable synchronization for the same data categories.
4. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes).

If no contact appears, check:

• 🔄 On Xiaomi, the Contacts app has selected the correct account to display (click on the profile avatar). → Choose Google).
• 🔍 B Settings → Annexes → Contacts → Memory indicates that the data is downloaded.

Method 3: Transfer files (photos, videos, music) over cable or Bluetooth

If you only need to transfer media files (photos, videos, music), the easiest way to do this is to use a direct cable or Bluetooth connection, which does not require internet and works even on older Honor models (such as the Honor 8X or Honor 9 Lite).

Method 1: OTG Cable (recommended for large volumes)

You’ll need a USB-C → USB-C adapter (or MicroUSB → USB-C if Honor has a MicroUSB connector).

1. Connect Honor to Xiaomi via an adapter.
2. On Honor, select File Transfer Mode (MTP).
3. On Xiaomi, open Explorer → find the Honor phone’s Internal Storage folder.
4. Copy the files you want (usually in DCIM, Pictures, Music folders).

Method 2: Bluetooth (for small files)

It is suitable for transferring up to 50-100 files (e.g., several photos or documents).

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones.
2. Connect devices (on Xiaomi, select Add Device in Bluetooth settings).
3. On Honor, select files → Share → Bluetooth → Choose Xiaomi.
4. Confirm acceptance on Xiaomi.

The transmission speed over Bluetooth is about 1-2 MB / s, so 1 GB of data will take ~10-15 minutes.

Mi Mover

Google Account

OTG cable

Bluetooth

Cloud services (Dropbox, Yandex Drive)

Other-->

5. Method 4: Message Transfer (SMS/MMS) and Call Log

Messages and call history are not synced with Google Accounts, so you need special tools to carry them.

Method 1: SMS Backup and Restore

This app saves SMS/MMS to a.xml file, which can then be restored to Xiaomi.

1. Install Backup & Restore SMS on Honor (available on Google Play or APKMirror).
2. Start backup: select Backup → mark SMS and MMS → click Backup.
3. Copy the backup file (usually in the SMSBackupRestore folder) to Xiaomi (via cable, Bluetooth, or cloud).
4. Install the same app on Xiaomi, select Restore and specify the copied file.

Method 2: Export via ADB (for advanced users)

If you have access to the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can export SMS directly from the system database.

adb backup -f sms.ab -noapk com.android.providers.telephony

This command will create an sms.ab file, which can then be restored to Xiaomi:

adb restore sms.ab

For call logs, use a similar command by replacing com.android.providers.telephony with com.android.providers.contacts.

⚠️ Note: When restoring through ADB Xiaomi can replace existing contacts. Before restoring, back up your contacts on Xiaomi.

6. Method 5: Transfer applications and their data

The most difficult part of migration is the transfer of installed applications and their data (for example, save in games, chat in messengers, set up programs), there is no universal solution, but there are several working methods:

Method 1: Backups through the applications themselves

Many applications have a built-in backup function:

• 🎮 Games: Use a Google Play Games or social media link (Facebook, VK).
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup (save to Google Drive). Telegram: data synced to the cloud automatically. Viber: Settings → Account. → Backup copy.
• 📅 Google Keep, Notion, Evernote sync with the cloud.

Method 2: Cloning applications (e.g. Clone App)

Some applications (such as Clone App or App Cloner) allow you to create a copy of a program with all the data and transfer it to another phone, but this method does not work with all applications (for example, banking applications are not supported due to security restrictions).

Method 3: Manual copying of application files

For some applications, data is stored in folders on the phone, such as:

• 📖 Moon+ Reader: folder /sdcard/moonreader.
• 🎵 Poweramp: folder /sdcard/Android/data/com.maxmpz.audioplayer.

Copy these folders on Xiaomi to the same location, then reinstall the app.

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For most users, the best combination is Mi Mover (for contacts and media) + Google Account (for sync) + SMS Backup & Restore (for messages).

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

When you migrate data from Honor to Xiaomi, users often face typical problems.

• 🚫 Mi Mover doesn’t see Honor: Check that developer mode and debugging are enabled on Honor USB. Reboot both phones. Use a different cable (preferably original).
• 🔄 The data was not fully transferred: Check if there was enough space on Xiaomi. Repeat the transfer by selecting only those categories that were not copied.
• 📱 Apps not recovered: Make sure Xiaomi has installed from unknown sources (Settings) → Check the compatibility of the applications with the version of Android on Xiaomi.
• 🔒 Wi-Fi Passwords Aren’t Passed: Use the WiFi Password Viewer app on Honor to export passwords to a file, then import them to Xiaomi.

If photos from the gallery are missing after transfer to Xiaomi, check:

• 🔍 folder DCIM/.thumbnails — Sometimes the miniatures are not updated.
• 🔄 Restart the Gallery app or clear its cache (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Memory. → Clear the cache).

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If notifications in instant messengers stopped working after transfer to Xiaomi, check the battery settings: Settings → Applications → Battery Management → Applications → Selection → Turn off optimization for the desired applications.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions