How to transfer all data to the new Xiaomi smartphone: 5 proven ways

Moving to a new Xiaomi is always exciting, but the prospect of moving all the data from an old phone can seem tedious. Contacts, photos, messages, apps, and even screen settings all want to be saved without spending hours manually setting up. Fortunately, Xiaomi has a few built-in tools that make it easier to do so by just a few clicks.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data, from the official Mi Mover app to cloud services and manual copying, you will learn what method is suitable for your case (for example, if you have an iPhone or a phone of another brand), how to avoid data loss and what to do if the transfer is interrupted, and also unique life hacks for transferring data without losing the quality of photos and videos.

1. Official method: Mi Mover - fast and without PC

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi that automatically transfers data between two smartphones over Wi-Fi. It is pre-installed on all new Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, so you don't have to download anything. The main advantage is that you keep the folder structure and support most file types.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Turn on Mi Mover on both phones (on the old one, in Settings) → The phone. → Transfer data, on the new one - at the first setting or through Settings → Additionally. → Data portability).
• 🔄 Select a role: on the old phone, click “I am the sender”, on the new one – “I am the recipient».
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on the new Xiaomi.
• 🔍 Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone with an old device.
• 📁 Select data types for transfer (contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications) and confirm the beginning of the process.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data and the stability of the connection. On average, 20 GB of photos and applications are copied in 15-30 minutes. If the process is frozen by 0% or 99%, check whether the transmission is blocked by the power saving mode or VPN.

Turn off the power saving mode on both phones |

Close all background applications (especially messengers) |

Make sure there is enough space on the new phone |

Connect both devices to charging (process drains battery)|

Disable VPNs and firewalls (if you use them)

-->

⚠️ Note: If you have an old phone MIUI 12 or older, and on the new — MIUI 14+, Some system settings (such as gestures or themes) may not be moved by changes in firmware, and you will have to manually adjust them.

2.Moving from Android to Xiaomi via Google Account

If you already had a Google Account on an old phone, you can recover most of the data on a new Xiaomi in just a few minutes, which is suitable even for phones from other brands (Samsung, Huawei, Realme, etc.), the main thing is that the old device has sync enabled.

Instructions:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first set up, select “Restore from backup” and log in to the same Google Account that was on the old phone.
2. Select the latest backup (check the date of creation – it should be up to date).
3. Check the data types for recovery: contacts, calendar, notes, applications (without their data!) and some settings.
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take 5 to 20 minutes depending on the speed of the Internet).

It is important to understand that through Google Accounts are not transferred:

• 📸 Photos and videos (should be synced separately via Google Photos).
• 💬 Communications SMS and call history (for this there are separate applications, for example, SMS Backup & Restore).
• 🎮 Data from games and certain applications (e.g., saves in the PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact).

💡

Before you restore your Google Account, disable two-factor authentication (2FA) in games and banking applications, and you can turn it on again after you transfer it to avoid blocking.

3.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi: features and limitations

If you're moving from an iPhone to Xiaomi, the data transfer process will be a little more complicated because of Apple's closed ecosystem.

Method 1: Google’s “Switching to Android” app

• 📲 Download the application Switch to Android from the App Store to your iPhone.
• 🔌 Connect both phones to charging and one Wi-Fi network.
• 🔑 On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select “Copy data from iPhone” and follow the instructions.
• 📎 Enter the connection code from Xiaomi to the iPhone app.
• 📁 Select data for transfer (contacts, photos, videos, calendars).

Method 2: iCloud + Google Services

If the first method does not work, you can use cloud services:

1. On iPhone, export your contacts to iCloud, then import them to Google Contacts via the web version.
2. Upload photos from iCloud Photos to your PC and then transfer them to Xiaomi via Google Photos or cable.
3. For music, use Apple Music for Android or transfer tracks via iTunes to your PC.

⚠️ Note: When transferring from iPhone to Xiaomi are not transferred: 💰 Apple Pay data (you will have to add cards again). 🎵 Apple Music Playlists (can only be restored via subscription). 📱 iOS settings (gestures, wallpaper, focus modes).

Android-smartphone of a different brand |

iPhone (iOS)|

The old Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO|

Tablet or PC|

Another option

-->

4. Manual transfer via OTG or PC cable

If you don’t have Wi-Fi access or prefer to manually control the process, you can transfer data over the cable. OTG It's a method that's suitable for large amounts of data, like a movie collection or a computer. RAW-Photos) and guarantees 100% file security without compression.

Option 1: OTG cable (without PC)

• 🔌 Buy it. OTG-Adapter (e.g., Xiaomi Type-C to) USB) cable USB-C — USB-C (If both phones are supported USB OTG).
• 📱 Connect your old phone to your new phone via an adapter.
• 📂 On the new Xiaomi will open a Explorer (Files), where you will see folders of the old device.
• 📤 Copy the necessary files (photos, videos, music) into the memory of a new phone.

Option 2: Through a computer (Windows/macOS)

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy all the data to your hard drive (for example, to a folder). Xiaomi_Backup).
2. Turn off your old phone, connect a new Xiaomi.
3. Transfer files from your PC to your new smartphone (in DCIM folders for photos, Download for downloads, etc.).
4. For applications, copy APK-Files (if any) or install them again from Google Play.

The advantage of this method is that you have complete control over which files are transferred, for example, you can sort photos by year or delete duplicates before copying, but application settings and system data (SMS, call log) will not be transferred in this way, for which you would prefer to use Mi Mover or specialized programs.

5. Data transfer via cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud, Yandex Drive)

Cloud storage is a universal way to transfer data, especially if you don’t have cables or a second phone on hand. Xiaomi supports integration with Mi Cloud, Google Drive and other services. The main advantage is access to files from any device and the ability to selectively restore.

Instructions for Google Drive:

1. On your old phone, upload all the necessary files to Google Drive (DCIM, Download, Documents folders).
2. On the new Xiaomi, install Google Drive and log in to the same account.
3. Select files and click “Download” or “Save to your device”.

Instructions for Mi Cloud:

• 📱 On the old Xiaomi go to Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud.
• 🔄 Enable synchronization for the desired data (contacts, notes, photos).
• 📲 On the new phone, log in to the same Xiaomi account and wait for sync to complete.

Please note:

• 📌 Mi Cloud gives only 5 GB for free (for photos in original quality this is not enough).
• 📌 Google Drive provides 15GB, but high-quality photos take up storage space (unlike Google Photos).
• 📌 For large files (video) 4K, Archives) better use Yandex Drive (10 GB free) or Mega (20 GB).

💡

Cloud services are ideal for transferring documents, contacts, and small photo archives, but are not suitable for a full backup of the system.

6. Applications and their data portability: what you need to know

Move the apps themselves (APK-Files are only half the story. It's much more important to save their data and settings (e.g., game progress, browser bookmarks, instant messenger chats). Here's how to do it for different types of applications:

Social networks and messengers:

• 📘 WhatsApp: Make a backup copy in Settings → chat → Backup (save to Google Drive) Restore from this copy on your new phone.
• 🤖 Telegram: All chats and media files are synced automatically through the Telegram cloud.
• 👥 VK/HC: Logins and passwords will be saved if you used one account, but your message history will have to be manually transferred (through export).

Games:

• 🎮 PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Link your account to Facebook or Google Play Games before transferring.
• 🏰 Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail: Use a built-in email binding or miHoYo Account.

Browsers and bookmarks:

• 🌐 Chrome: synced automatically through Google Account.
• 🦊 Firefox: Enable sync in Mozilla account settings.

For other applications, check if they support data export/import (e.g. Evernote, Notion, 1Password) and if they don't, you'll have to reconfigure them.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with official tools, data transfer can go wrong.-5 problems and solutions:

If none of these things worked, try resetting the new Xiaomi to factory settings and repeating the clean-up transfer, sometimes because of previously installed apps or settings.

⚠️ Note: If you transfer data from Huawei (c) EMUI), Disable Huawei Mobile Services before using Mi Mover, which may block data transfers to other brands.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions