How to Transfer Data from Honor to Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Comparing All Ways

Switching from Honor to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, it's also about migrating all your data, from contacts to your call history, and many users fear this process, thinking they'll lose important information or spend hours manually rewriting it. In fact, it takes 10 to 40 minutes between Android devices depending on the method you choose -- and we'll show you how to do it as quickly and safely as possible.

In this article, you will find 5 proven migration methods (including official Xiaomi tools and universal solutions), a comparative table of their pros and cons, as well as step-by-step instructions with illustrations of key steps. Why Mi Mover may not see your Honor via Wi-Fi Direct EMUI 12+, How to get around this limitation without losing the quality of the transmission.

Now, let me just say, regardless of the method you choose, it's 80 percent successful in preparing the devices, and neglecting this stage is the main cause of portability failures, but don't worry, we're going to take each step so that even the beginner can make it without making mistakes.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before you start migrating, you need to perform 4 critical actions on both smartphones, skipping at least one point can lead to interruption of the process or loss of data.

On Honor (data source):

• 🔋 Charge the battery to at least 50% - when transferring over Wi-Fi Direct, the device discharges 2 times faster than usual.
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if you plan to use cloud services). Avoid mobile Internet - traffic restrictions can interrupt downloads.
• 🔒 Make sure the device is not locked by fingerprint/face during transmission. EMUI Automatically block access to files when biometrics are activated.
• 📁 Clear the app cache in Settings → Memory. → Cleanup. It'll speed up the scanning of data for transfer.

On Xiaomi (target device):

• 🏠 Perform the initial setup prior to the Data Transfer stage (do not skip this step through the Skip").
• 🔄 Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings → The phone. → Update the system. MIUI 14+ Fixed bugs with recognition of Honor devices.
• 📡 Enable Wi-Fi Direct manually: Settings → Connections → Additionally. → Wi-Fi Direct.

⚠️ Note: If your Honor is installed EMUI 13/MagicOS 7.0+, The standard Mi Mover may not recognize the device due to the changed transmission protocols. 3 or 4).

2.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary wireless data transfer solution for Android devices, pre-installed on all smartphones of the brand and supports 12 types of data transfer, including:

• 📞 Contacts and call log
• 💬 Communications (SMS/MMS)
• 📸 Photo and video (in original resolution)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📁 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS etc.)
• 📱 System settings (wallpaper, sound schemes)

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, at the initial setup stage, select Data Transfer → Android.
2. Download Mi Mover from Google Play (if it’s not in AppGallery) on Honor.
3. Run the app on both devices and select the roles: “Sender” on Honor, “Receiver” on Xiaomi.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen or connect via Wi-Fi Direct (password will appear on the screen).
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of transmission depends on the amount of data:

• 📱 Up to 5GB: 5-10 minutes
• 📱 5–20 GB: 15–25 minutes
• 📱 More than 20 GB: 30-40 minutes (we recommend using cable)

Charge both devices >50%|Battery optimization for Mi Mover is disabled|Wi-Fi Direct is enabled on both smartphones|Xiaomi has chosen the role of “Recipient"-->

⚠️ Note: If the transmission is interrupted by 80-90%, check if the power saving mode on Honor is activated. EMUI It automatically restricts background activity of applications, including Mi Mover.

3. Alternative: Google Account and Sync

If Mi Mover doesn't work or you prefer cloud solutions, syncing through a Google Account is the most reliable way.

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and labels)
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 💬 Messages (only if you use Google Messages)
• 📁 Photos and videos (via Google Photos)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if they support cloud storage)

How to transfer data:

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the right categories.
2. Wait until the process is complete (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Management → Synchronization).
3. On Xiaomi, when setting up, select “Restore from backup” and log in to the same Google Account.
4. Select the latest backup (the date of creation is displayed in the list).

Limitations of the method:

💡

If you have a slow Internet connection, go to Settings → Backup before syncing photos in Google Photos and select “High Quality” instead of “Original” – this will save traffic without significant quality loss.

4.Transfer over OTG cable: faster and more reliable

If you have a data volume of more than 30 GB or an unstable Internet connection, a direct connection via an OTG cable is the best option, and this method works even with devices on EMUI 13+ that are not recognized by the Mi Mover.

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (Type-C → Type-C or Micro-USB → Type-C depending on the connectors)
• 📱 File Manager (e.g. Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer)
• 🔋 Charge of both devices at least 70% (cable transmission drains the battery more intensively)

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to Xiaomi via OTG cable.
2. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer (MTP) in the notification that appears.
3. Open the file manager on Xiaomi and go to the section "USB-device".
4. Copy the necessary folders: DCIM → Photos and videos Downloads → Downloaded Pictures files → Images from Music messengers → Audio files
5. To transfer contacts, export them to the file VCF: Contacts → ⋮ → Imports/Exports → Export to your device, then copy the file to Xiaomi and import it.

⚠️ Note: When you copy your Android folder (where app data is stored), some files may not be migrated due to restrictions. MIUI. To get around this, use it. ADB-teams (section 6).

5.Use of SD-card

If you have a microSD card or USB-And this is going to be the most universal, it works even without the Internet, and it doesn't depend on firmware versions:

• 📸 Photo and video (without compression)
• 🎵 Music and podcasts
• 📄 Documents (PDF, DOC, XLS)
• 📱 Backup of applications (via Titanium Backup)

Instructions:

1. Put it in. SD-Card in Honor and copy the necessary files to it through the file manager.
2. Remove the card and paste it into Xiaomi (or plug it in via an adapter).
3. On Xiaomi go to Settings → Warehouse → SD-map and import data.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 It works on all versions of Android (including: EMUI 13/MagicOS 7.0+).
• 📦 Maintains original file quality (no compression like in cloud services).
• ⚡ Transfer speeds 2-3 times faster than Wi-Fi.

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Does not tolerate system settings and application data.
• 💾 Requires additional storage device (SD-flash-card).

💡

SD-The card is the only method that works on Honor with MagicOS 7.0.+, where Wi-Fi Direct is disabled for third-party applications.

Advanced method: ADB-commands for full transfer

If you need to migrate all data without exception (including application settings, game saves, and system files), use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a PC and basic command line knowledge, but gives you 100% control over the process.

What can be transferred through ADB:

• 📱 Full backup of all applications with data
• 📁 System settings (Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices)
• 🔧 Game data (conservation, progress)
• 📞 Call log and SMS (including drafts)

Instructions:

1. Install. ADB-PC drivers.
2. Enable USB debugging on Honor: Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number (tap 7 times) → Developer Settings → USB debugging.
3. Connect Honor to your PC and execute the command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f honor_backup.ab
4. Connect Xiaomi and recover data: Adb restore honor_backup.ab

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ before reconstitution ADB need to be switched off MIUI Optimization in the developer settings, otherwise some data will not be restored.

Comparison of all methods: which one to choose?

To make the choice easier, we have compiled a table with the pros and cons of each method:

* Free Google Photos compresses photos over 16 MP and videos over 1080p.

Selection recommendations:

• 🔄 If you EMUI 12 or older → use SD-card OTG.
• ☁️ If the call log is important, SMS → Combine a Google Account + SMS Backup & Restore.
• 🎮 To transfer game saves → only ADB Titanium Backup.
• ⚡ For maximum speed → cable OTG (up to 40 MB/s vs 5-10 MB/s on Wi-Fi).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when you follow the instructions, you have typical problems. TOP-5 mistakes and their solutions:

1. Mi Mover doesn't see Honor 🔹 Reason: B EMUI 13+ Wi-Fi Direct protocol for third-party applications is disabled. 🔹 Solution: Use the cable OTG Or turn on Developer Mode on Honor and activate Debugging over Wi-Fi".
2. Contacts are not tolerated. 🔹 Reason: Contacts are not saved in Google Account, but in the device memory or SIM-map. 🔹 Solution: Export contacts to file VCF via Contact → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
3. Photos moved in low quality 🔹 Reason: Google Photos Enables Compression ("High Quality"). 🔹 Solution: Before downloading, select "Original Quality" (you will need a paid tariff or free space in your account).
4. Applications moved but are not working 🔹 Reason: Only moved APK-file. 🔹 Solution: Use full application portability ADB Titanium Backup (requires root).
5. Xiaomi doesn't recognize SD-map 🔹 Reason: The map is formatted in NTFS Or exFAT, and MIUI It only supports defaulting FAT32. 🔹 Solution: Reformat the map into FAT32 via PC or use OTG-adapter.

💡

If you lose your wallpaper or notification sounds after you migrate to Xiaomi, check the theme settings in Themes → My Themes → Restore. Often, this data does not migrate automatically.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions