How to Transfer Data to Xiaomi’s New Phone: A Complete Guide to 2026

Introduction: Why Data Transfers to Xiaomi Need a Special Approach

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting moment, but the joy of updating the gadget is often overshadowed by the fear of losing important data. Unlike the iPhone, where the migration through iCloud is a single algorithm, Android devices (especially those running MIUI) offer several ways of transfer – and each has its pitfalls.

The main problem with owners of Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi 13/14 is data fragmentation. Contacts can be stored in Google Account, photos can be stored in the gallery or Mi Cloud, and WhatsApp messages can only be stored in local memory. If you ignore these nuances, after transferring, you risk finding that some information has disappeared or is duplicated. In this article, we will discuss the unique features of data transfer to Xiaomi, including hidden MIUI settings and avoiding typical errors.

Important: The instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 (Android 13/14) and models released after 2020. Older devices (such as the Redmi Note 7) may need additional steps.

Method 1: Mi Mover is the official tool of Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary wireless data transfer solution for the brand’s devices, pre-installed on all MIUI smartphones and supports:

• 📞 Contacts (including call history)
• 📷 Photo and video (without compression)
• 💬 Communications (SMS and MMS)
• 📁 Applications (with data storage, if both phones are on) MIUI)
• 🎵 Music and documents

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On the new device, select This is a new phone from the same menu.
3. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone with an old device.
4. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

Charging both phones > 50%|Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network|Release me. ≥ 2 GB of memory on the new phone|Turn it off. VPN both-device-->

⚠️ Note: If the new phone already has data (for example, you started using it before the transfer), Mi Mover will offer to reset the device to the factory settings.

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendar, email)

If you used Google on an old phone, most of your system data is already synced to the cloud.

• 📇 Contacts (from the Google Contacts app)
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar)
• ✉️ Mail (Gmail)
• 📍 Notes (Google Keep)
• 🌐 The bookmark (Chrome)

Synchronization instructions:

1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync.
2. On the new Xiaomi, add the same Google account when you first enable or through Settings → Accounts.
3. Wait for automatic synchronization (can take up to 10 minutes).

💡

If contacts don’t appear on a new phone, check to see if they are duplicated in the Contacts app. Often MIUI creates local copies — they can be manually combined through Contact Management → Combine.

⚠️ Note: If the old phone only had the contact information stored in the SIM-You will need to export them to Google Contacts or your device first, and use the Import/Export option in the Contacts app.

Mi Mover|Google Account|OTG/PC Cable |Dropbox, Yandex Drive |Never carried-->

Method 3: Transfer photos, videos and files over an OTG or PC cable

For large files (video in the 4K, RAW-Photos, archives) wireless methods can be too slow, and in this case, it's more reliable to use direct cable connection. OTG computer.

Option A: OTG cable (for phones with support)

You'll need it. OTG-adapter (Type-C) → Type-C or MicroUSB → Type-C, depending on the ports. Connect the old phone to the new one like a flash drive:

1. Connect the phones with a cable.
2. On the old device, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On the new Xiaomi, open Explorer and copy the folders you need (DCIM, Downloads, etc.).

Option B: Computer transfer

If OTG is not supported (e.g. on POCO F1), use the PC:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer and copy the files to your hard drive.
2. Connect the new Xiaomi and transfer the data back.

⚠️ Note: When copying photos via PC MIUI can create duplicate folders (for example, DCIM/Camera and Pictures/Camera). To avoid chaos, before the feathers:

• Check the folder structure on the old phone through Explorer.
• Use one target folder on a new device (e.g. Internal Storage/Transfer).

Method 4: Transfer applications and their data (including games)

The most difficult thing to port installed applications along with their data (for example, progress in games or messaging settings) is Mi Mover can only do this if:

• Both phones are on MIUI.
• The Android versions are the same (for example, Android 13 → Android 13).
• Applications are not used DRM-Protection (e.g. banking applications).

For other cases, there are alternative methods:

Method 1: Backup through adb backup (for advanced)

This is a versatile way, but requires an unlocked bootloader and command line knowledge.

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab


adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Note: Not all apps support backup via adb. For example, WhatsApp and Viber block backup of their data.

Method 2: Cloud application backups

Many applications have a built-in backup function:

• 🎮 Games: Use Google Play Games (automatic progress synchronization).
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup (in Google Drive).Telegram: Cloud sync enabled by default.
• 📊 Note apps: Google Keep, Evernote or Mi Notes (synchronized with your account).

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To transfer these applications, always check for built-in backup. Manual copying of folders (e.g. /Android/data/) often causes failures due to access rights violations.

Method 5: Cloud Services (Mi Cloud, Google Drive, Yandex Drive)

If you have slow internet or little space on your devices, cloud services will be a lifesaver. Xiaomi offers its own Mi Cloud (5 GB for free), but for large amounts of data, it is better to use Google Drive (15 GB) or Yandex Drive (10 GB).

Mi Cloud: pros and cons

Advantages:

• 🔄 Automatic synchronization of contacts, notes and photos.
• 📱 Optimized for MIUI (No problem with compatibility).

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Only 5 GB free (for photos in original quality, this is not enough).
• 🌍 Servers are located in China – slow download speeds are possible.

Google Drive: A Universal Solution

Instructions for transferring via Google Drive:

1. On your old phone, install Google Photos and enable Backup and Sync.
2. Upload all photos/video to the cloud (may take a few hours).
3. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and wait for sync.

⚠️ Note: If you use Google Photos in High Quality (non-original size) mode, the photos will be compressed to 16 MP. To maintain original quality, select Original Quality (but it takes up space in your cloud storage).

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

Another common problem is the loss of SMS. If you haven't used Mi Mover or backup via adb, it's going to be hard to recover messages, and SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play) will help you with this.

• Create a backup SMS/MMS in.xml format.
• Save files to Google Drive or locally.
• Recover messages on the new phone.

Transferring data from iPhone to Xiaomi

If you're moving from an iPhone to Xiaomi, the process is complicated by the ecosystem differences.

1. Contacts: Export them from iCloud in.vcf format and import them to Google Contacts.
2. Photo/Video: Use Google Photos or iTunes to copy to your PC and then to Xiaomi.
3. WhatsApp: Make a backup chat in iCloud, then use the official Move to iOS tool (yes, it works the other way for WhatsApp).
4. Music: If you bought tracks from iTunes, download them on your PC and transfer them through Explorer.

⚠️ Note: Apps purchased from the App Store are not portable to Android. If you used paid apps (like Procreate or Notability), you will have to buy them again on Google Play.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi