How to transfer data from Huawei to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways through apps

The transition from Huawei to Xiaomi is not only about changing the ecosystem, but also the need to transfer personal data: contacts, photos, messages and applications. Many users are afraid of losing important information or spending hours manually copying files. Fortunately, modern data migration applications make this process much easier. In this article, we will discuss 5 reliable ways to transfer data between devices on Android, including official tools from Xiaomi and universal solutions.

The peculiarity of the port between Huawei and Xiaomi is the differences between their firmware: EMUI (Huawei) and MIUI (Xiaomi).This can create compatibility problems, but the right choice of application and preparation of devices will minimize the risks. We will consider both free and paid tools, and also give recommendations for optimizing the process for different types of data.

If you've never moved data between smartphones before, don't worry, our instructions are good for beginners, but follow the steps consistently and don't miss the preparation of devices, and for power users, we've created unique life hacks to speed up the process and solve common mistakes that you won't find in standard manuals.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before migrating, there are several critical steps to follow on both smartphones, and neglecting preparation can lead to data loss or portability app failures.

On Huawei (EMUI):

• 🔋 Charge the battery to at least 50% – transfer data can take from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the volume.
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (preferably 5GHz) or make sure you have enough mobile traffic (between 500MB).
• 🔒 Unlock screens on both devices — some apps require validation on both smartphones.
• 📁 Free up at least 1GB of memory on Xiaomi – temporary files can take up a lot of space.

On Xiaomi (MIUI):

• 📱 Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔄 Enable Developer Mode (if you plan to use ADB): Go to Settings → About Phone and tap MIUI 7 times.
• 🚫 Turn off battery optimization for the transfer application: Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization.

⚠️ Warning: If Huawei has enabled data encryption (Settings → Security → Encryption), some applications may not see the files, in which case you will have to temporarily disable encryption or use cloud porting.

Also check the compatibility of Android versions:

2. Method 1: Official Xiaomi Migration Application

Xiaomi Migration is a proprietary tool from Xiaomi, optimized to transfer data from other Android devices, including Huawei.The app supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, video, audio, calendars and even some settings of system applications.

How to use:

1. Download Xiaomi Migration to both devices: 📱 On Huawei: from APKCombo (Huawei’s official store may not have this program). 📱 On Xiaomi: pre-installed or available in Settings → Memory → Data Import.

"I'm a new user."

Xiaomi

"Send data."

Huawei

Xiaomi

Huawei

"Annexes"

Google Play

Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 40 minutes for 64GB of data).

Advantages of this method:

• 🔄 Stores folder structure and file metadata (creation dates, geotags).
• 📞 Transfers call logs and SMS/MMS (including group chats).
• 🔒 Works without root rights and does not require a PC connection.

⚠️ Warning: If Huawei has firmware installed without Google services (e.g., Huawei Mobile Services), the Xiaomi Migration app may not see some system data. In this case, use method 3 (cloud porting).

Install the app on both devices | Connect to one Wi-Fi network | Charge phones up to 60%+|Free 2GB of memory on Xiaomi | Disable VPN on both devices-->

Method 2: Universal Clone Phone App (from Huawei)

The Phone Clone is a product of Huawei itself, but it works well for transferring data to other brands, including Xiaomi, and the main advantage of this method is support for all Huawei models, even the oldest.

Step-by-step:

1. Download Phone Clone: 📱 To Huawei: from AppGallery or by link. 📱 To Xiaomi: from Google Play or direct link.
2. Run the app on both devices and select: On Huawei, "This is an old device." On Xiaomi, "This is a new device."
3. Scan it. QR-code from the screen Xiaomi camera Huawei.
4. Please note that Phone Clone can carry: 📇 Contacts and Call Logs 📸 Photos and videos (including Huawei Gallery albums) 💬 Messages (SMS and MMS) 🎵 Music and recordings 📅 Calendars and notes

15-20 minutes on 30GB

Features of the Phone Clone:

• ⚡ Xiaomi Migration is faster by 20-30% thanks to Huawei’s optimized algorithms.
• 🔄 Supports Wi-Fi Direct transmission (no router required).
• 🚫 Does not transfer installed applications and their data (only APK- files).

💡

If the transfer is stuck at 99%, don’t interrupt the process – wait for 10-15 minutes, most often this is due to the final data integrity check.

Method 3: Cloud Transfer via Google Account

If you have a Google Account synced to Huawei, you can move most of your data through the cloud, a method that is suitable for users who don’t want to install additional apps or are facing compatibility issues.

What can be transferred via Google:

• 📇 Contacts (synchronized automatically if enabled in Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync).
• 📅 Calendars and reminders.
• 📸 Photos and videos (via Google Photos with original quality up to 15 GB or compressed - unlimited).
• 💬 Messages (only if you used Google Messages as the default app).
• 🎵 Music and documents (via Google Drive).

Instructions for transfer:

1. On Huawei: Check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync. Upload photos to Google Photos (open the app and wait for the download to complete). Export SMS via SMS Backup & Restore (if you need to save messages).
2. On Xiaomi: Sign in to the same Google Account. Enable sync: Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync. Install Google Photos and wait for media files to download.

Limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Call logs (contacts only) are not portable.
• 📱 Applications and their data will have to be reinstalled.
• 🕒 Synchronizing large amounts of data can take hours.

5. Method 4: Transfer over a computer (for large amounts of data)

If you have more than 100 GB of data, or prefer to control the process manually, porting over a PC is the most reliable option, and you will need a USB- cable (preferably original) and a backup program.

Step-by-step process:

1. Connect Huawei to your computer via USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all important data into a folder on your PC: 📸 Photos and videos: Internal Storage → DCIM and Pictures. 🎵 Music. 📄 Documents: Documents and Download. 💬 Messages: Use SMS Backup & Restore to export to XML.
3. Turn off Huawei and connect Xiaomi.
4. Move the files back to the new device to the appropriate folders.
5. For contacts and SMS: Import through Google Contacts (for VCF- files). Restore SMS via SMS Backup & Restore on Xiaomi.

Automation programmes:

⚠️ Warning: When you connect Xiaomi to a PC for the first time, you may need to unlock OEM in Settings → For developers → Unlock OEM. Without this, the computer will not see internal memory.

💡

Transferring over a PC is the only way to save 100% of your data without loss, including files from hidden folders (such as saving games).

Method 5: Transfer of applications and their data (advanced)

Standard methods do not carry installed applications and their data (for example, saving games, setting up messengers), this will require special tools and possibly root rights.

Instructions for experienced users:

1. Install Titanium Backup (requires root) or Swift Backup (works without root on some firmware) on both devices.
2. On Huawei: Back up your desired applications in.apk+data format. Export the backup to a folder on the SD- card or to the cloud.
3. Transfer backup files to Xiaomi.
4. On Xiaomi: Install the same backup apps. Restore the data from the backup.

Alternative methods without root:

• 🎮 For games: Use built-in sync through Google Play Games or developer accounts (e.g. Supercell ID for Clash of Clans).
• 💬 For instant messengers: WhatsApp: backup in Google Drive (Settings → Chat → Backup). Telegram: data is synced through the cloud automatically.

Limitations:

• 🚫 Without root, some applications (e.g. banking) will not migrate their data due to security restrictions.
• 🔄 The transfer of APK- files can cause errors due to differences in processor architecture (Huawei often uses Kirin, and Xiaomi uses Snapdragon or Mediatek).

💡

Before transferring applications, check their compatibility with the Xiaomi processor through the Google Play website (Requirements section).

7.Typical errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems, and we've collected some of the most common errors and ways to fix them.

Challenges and solutions:

If none of the methods worked:

• 📡 Try another type of connection (e.g., from Wi-Fi to cable OTG).
• 🔄 Reboot both devices and try again.
• 📱 Update the firmware on both smartphones to the latest version.
• 💬 Contact Xiaomi Support via Settings → Review (for Xiaomi Migration).

FAQ: Frequent questions about data transfer