Data portability to Xiaomi: where to start
The switch to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data porting often turns into a headache. Even if you upgrade the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ to Xiaomi 14 Ultra or switch from iPhone to POCO F6, the risk of losing important files remains. In this article, 5 proven ways to transfer data, from standard MIUI tools to manual methods for power users.
Most people’s biggest mistake is trying to copy everything at once via Bluetooth or ShareIt, which is not only slow, but also fraught with loss of folder structure, contact errors, or missed app settings, and we’ll figure out how to migrate contacts, SMS, photos, videos, data apps (including game saves), notes, and even MIUI settings so that everything works out of the box on a new phone.
We will focus on data transfer between Xiaomi phones of different generations (for example, from MIUI 12 to MIUI 14), where standard methods may not work due to changes in sync protocols.
Method 1: Official transfer via Mi Mover (most reliable)
Mi Mover is a built-in application from Xiaomi that automatically transfers data between two smartphones over Wi-Fi Direct. It works on all models with MIUI 9 and later, including Redmi 12, POCO X6 Pro and Xiaomi 13T. The main advantage is the preservation of the folder structure and application data (for example, progress in games or chat history in Telegram).
How to use:
- 📱 Install Mi Mover on both phones (if it is not available, download from Google Play).
- 🔗 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or activate Wi-Fi Direct on your old phone.
- 📤 On the old phone, select the role of “Sender”, on the new one – “Recipient».
- 🔍 Scan it. QR-code from a new phone or enter PIN-pairing.
- ✅ Select data types for transfer (contacts, SMS, Multimedia, applications and confirm.
The speed of transfer depends on the amount of data: for example, 50 GB of photos and videos are copied in 20-40 minutes. If the process is interrupted, do not turn off the phones, wait for an automatic pause and resume transmission.
⚠️ Warning: If the new phone already has data, Mi Mover will prompt you to erase it before transferring!
Battery charge >50% on both phones |Similar version of MIUI (or compatible) |Suppressed VPN and firewall |Sufficient space on new phone |Synchronization Mi Account disabled (to avoid conflicts)
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Method 2: Transfer over Mi Account (Xiaomi Cloud)
If you have a Mi Account, you can sync data through the cloud, which is convenient when phones are physically far apart or you transfer data to Xiaomi from another brand (such as Samsung or iPhone). Xiaomi cloud provides 5 GB of space for free, which is enough for contacts, notes and parts of photos.
Step-by-step:
- On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization and enable options for contacts, SMS, notes, calendar.
- Wait for the synchronization to be completed (check in Settings → About Phone → Synchronization Status).
- On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and enable synchronization of the same data.
- For photos and videos, use the Gallery → Xiaomi Cloud and upload files manually.
Limitations of the method:
- 🚫 Applications and their data are not synchronized (system settings only).
- 🚫 The maximum size of one file is 50 MB (video will have to be divided).
- 🚫 If the old phone is disabled Mi Account, you can restore access only through the SMS email.
What to do if your Mi Account is blocked?
Method 3: Manual transfer via OTG cable or computer
If you don't have access to Wi-Fi or the cloud, the most reliable way to do this is to directly copy files over the cable.
- 🔌 OTG-cable (to connect a flash drive or a second phone).
- 💻 Computer with USB-port (if you use a PC as an intermediary).
- 📁 Flash drive or external disk (volume not less than the amount of data transferred).
Instructions for transfer via computer:
- Connect your old phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
- Copy DCIM (photo/video), Download, WhatsApp (if necessary) folders to your computer.
- Connect a new phone and paste files into the same folders.
- For contacts, export them to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Import/Export.
For transfer through OTG-cable:
- Connect the flash drive to an old phone and copy the data to it.
- Connect the flash drive to the new phone and transfer the files to internal memory.
- Use the MIUI File Manager to unpack your archives.
⚠️ Note: When you copy your Android folder (where app data is stored), not all programs will recover. For example, WhatsApp will require additional backup through Settings. → chat → Backup copy.
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Method 4: Transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi (via Move to iOS or manually)
The transition from iPhone to Xiaomi requires a special approach, as Apple restricts data exports. the official Move to iOS app only works one way (from Android to iPhone), so you will have to use workarounds.
Portability options:
| Type of data | Mode of transfer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Export to iCloud → Contacts → Settings → Export vCard | Import.vcf file to Xiaomi via Contacts |
| Photo/video | Google Photos or iCloud for Windows + PC | Upload media to Google Photos, then download to Xiaomi |
| SMS | Applications like iSMS2droid (requires iTunes backup) | Not all SMS can be transferred correctly (without emojis or attachments) |
| Annexes | Install manually through Google Play | Application data (such as games) will have to be restored through accounts. |
To transfer notes from Apple Notes:
- Export notes to PDF or TXT via Mac or online services.
- Import them to Google Keep or MIUI Notes.
iPhone|Samsung|Another Android|Huawei|Nothing (first smartphone)
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Method 5: Transfer data through Google Account (universal method)
If you've been using Google services on an old phone, it's going to take minutes to migrate to Xiaomi.
- 📇 Contacts (synchronization through Google Contacts).
- 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar).
- 📧 Mail (Gmail).
- 📸 Photo and video (Google Photos with unlimited storage for compressed files).
- 🎮 Game and App Data (if linked to Google Play Games).
How to set up:
- On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync.
- On the new Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts.
- Turn on synchronization for the right services.
- For Google Photos, open the app and wait for the media files to load.
The advantage of this method is that it automatically updates data on both devices, for example, if you add a contact on an old phone, it will appear on a new one, but SMS, calls, and some MIUI settings are not synced through Google.
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Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Even when you follow instructions, users have problems. TOP-5 mistakes and their solutions:
- Mi Mover doesn't see the second phone Check that both devices have Wi-Fi Direct on and are connected to the same network. Reboot the phones if the connection doesn't set up.
- Most apps (like Viber or WhatsApp) require separate backups through their settings. Use built-in export features.
- Photos moved but not displayed in the gallery After copying files via computer or OTG, restart your phone or update the gallery library manually (in Files, find the DCIM folder and open any file).
- This happens if you sync them through both Mi Account and Google. Delete duplicates in Contacts → Settings → Merge contacts.
- Before transferring, clear the cache and unnecessary files on the old phone (use Settings → Memory → Cleanup). If there is still not enough space, transfer the data in parts.
If none of these methods worked, try alternative applications:
- 📲 CLONEit – clones Wi-Fi data, including call history.
- 📲 Send Anywhere – transfers files without size restrictions.
- 📲 Xender – fast transfer of multimedia and documents.