How to Transfer Data from Android to Xiaomi or Huawei: A Complete Guide to 2026

Switching from one Android smartphone to another – whether it’s Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Huawei P60 Pro — always comes with the need to transfer data, contacts, photos, messages, apps, even Wi-Fi settings: all of these need to be saved to keep from scratch: MIUI and EMUI/HarmonyOS They use different backup algorithms, and some features (such as Xiaomi’s Mi Mover) just don’t work with Huawei phones.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to transfer data, from standard Google tools to specialized manufacturers’ utilities, learn what method is suitable for specific file types (for example, transferring WhatsApp messages between Xiaomi and Huawei requires a separate approach), how to avoid data loss when changing an account, and what to do if devices “can’t see” each other, and compare the speed and reliability of each method in the table and provide solutions for typical errors (for example, “lack of space” or “no format is supported”).

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start the transfer, follow the mandatory preparatory steps – this will save time and prevent data loss:

• 📱 Check out the Android version on both devices: on Xiaomi MIUI 14+ and Huawei EMUI 13+/HarmonyOS 4+ New portability is available. Outdated firmware may limit the ability to do so.
• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50%: the process can take up to 1-2 hours, especially with a large amount of data (100).+ GB).
• 📶 Connect to stable Wi-Fi: for cloud methods (Google Drive, Huawei Cloud) download speed is critical. Mobile Internet is not suitable due to traffic restrictions.
• 🔒 Remove unnecessary files from both devices: Clear the app cache (Settings) → Warehouse → Clear the cache and delete duplicate photos (use Google Photos or Gallery Go).

Pay special attention to the accounts:

• 🔑 Sign in to Mi Account on Xiaomi (if you plan to use Mi Mover).
• 🔑 Create or Sign In to Huawei ID (Needed for Phone Clone and Huawei Cloud).
• 🔑 Make sure that both phones have the same Google account linked to them, making it easier to sync contacts and calendars.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data from Huawei to Xiaomi and have previously used Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Google Mobile Services instead (GMS), Some apps (like Google Maps or Gmail) may not be portable, but they will have to be installed manually from APKMirror or Aurora Store.

2. Method 1: Phone Clone (Huawei) – Official method for porting to Huawei

Phone Clone is a proprietary utility from Huawei, optimized for transferring data from Android (including Xiaomi) to devices running EMUI The advantage of the method is support for all types of files, including:

• 📞 Contacts, call log, SMS/MMS
• 📸 Photos, video, audio (including folders) DCIM and downloads)
• 📱 Annexes (APK + data, if maintained)
• 📍 Wi-Fi settings, wallpaper, alarm clocks

Step-by-step:

1. Download Phone Clone to both devices: On Huawei: the app is preinstalled (look for Tools Folder) and on Xiaomi: install from Huawei AppGallery or APKPure.

Huawei

"This is a new phone."

Xiaomi

"It's an old phone."

Huawei

Xiaomi

Wi-Fi Direct

CLONE_XXXX

Select data types to transfer (we recommend that you mark all items except “Applications” if they take up too much space).

Wait until the process is complete. Time depends on the amount of data (e.g. 60GB photos are portable). ~40-60 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: If Phone Clone is hanging in the “Data Preparation” phase, check: Turn off Battery Savings in Xiaomi Settings (Settings) → Make sure Huawei has enough space (minimum 10% free storage) reboot both devices and try again.

Disable VPN on both devices |

Close background applications (especially messengers)|

Connect to a single Wi-Fi network (unless you use Wi-Fi Direct)|

Check availability of 5+ GB of free space on Huawei-->

Method 2: Mi Mover (Xiaomi) – port to Xiaomi from other Android

Mi Mover is an analogue of the Phone Clone, but from Xiaomi.It is designed to transfer data to Xiaomi devices (including Redmi, POCO, Black Shark) from other Android smartphones, including Huawei:

• ✅ Supports data-driven apps portability (e.g. game progress, WhatsApp settings).
• ❌ It doesn’t work with iPhone (Android only)→Android).
• ⚠️ Huawei without. GMS (For example, models for China may require manual installation. APK.

Instructions:

1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app in the menu).
2. Download Mi Mover from APKCombo on Huawei (no official source).
3. Run the app on both devices. On Xiaomi, select "I'm a new phone," on Huawei, "I'm an old phone."
4. Connect via Wi-Fi Direct (networks with prefix) Xiaomi_XXXX) or QR-code.
5. Select the data to transfer. Attention: if you mark "Applications", the process will take much longer.

💡

If Mi Mover can’t see Huawei, try connecting via cable OTG adapter-wise USB-C → USB-C. To do this, in the settings Xiaomi enable debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap).

4. Method 3: Google Account – a universal method for contacts and settings

Syncing through Google Account is the most reliable way to transfer contacts, calendars, notes and some settings (such as Wi-Fi, wallpaper).

• 🔄 It works on all Android devices, including Xiaomi and Huawei.
• ☁️ Data is stored in the cloud – it can be restored even after a reset.
• 📱 Supports automatic synchronization (new contacts will be added to both phones).

How to move:

1. On your old phone (Huawei or Xiaomi) go to Settings → Accounts. → Google.
2. Make sure that synchronization is enabled for Contacts, Calendar and Disk.
3. On the new phone, add the same Google account (Settings → Accounts → Add an account).
4. Turn on sync and wait until it is completed (usually takes 5-15 minutes).

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ I can't stand it. SMS/MMS, photo/video, annexes.
• ❌ Huawei without. GMS (For example, Mate 50 Pro for China, contact sync may not work – use Huawei Cloud.

Method 4: Cable OTG + PCs for large amounts of data (100)+ GB)

If you need to move tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or music, cloud services (Google Drive, Huawei Cloud) may be too slow or paid, in which case you can optimally use a direct connection via your PC:

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔌 Cable USB-C → USB-A (adapter USB-C → USB-C for new MacBooks).
• 📁 External drive (flash drive or flash drive) HDD, if >200GB).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone (Huawei or Xiaomi) to your PC in File Transfer mode (MTP).
2. Copy the right folders (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures on PC or external disc.
3. Disable your old phone, connect a new one (Xiaomi or Huawei) and transfer files back.
4. Use the application transfer APK Extractor (extract) APK from the old phone and install them manually on the new one.

⚠️ Note: When copying photos/video via PC, metadata (date of shooting, geolocation) is lost: 🖥️ Digikam (Linux/Windows) — retain EXIF. 🖥️ ExifTool (command line) – for mass metadata recovery.

💡

Direct copying via PC is the only way to transfer data volume >100 GB without losses and no paid cloud tariffs.

6. Method 5: Cloud services (Google Drive, Huawei Cloud, Mi Cloud)

Cloud storage is convenient for transferring small amounts of data (up to 50 GB) or if the devices are in different locations.

Instructions for Google Drive:

1. On your old phone, install Google Drive and log in.
2. Press «+» → «Download and select files/folders.
3. On the new phone, download files via the Google Drive app or the web version.

For Huawei Cloud:

1. On Huawei, go to Settings → Huawei ID → Cloud.
2. Enable backup for the desired types of data.
3. On the new Huawei, recover data from the cloud (Settings) → System system → Recovery).

1. On your old phone, turn on autoload in Google Photos (Settings) → Backup and synchronization).

2.On the new phone, log in to the same account - photos are synced automatically in their original quality (if you select "Original Quality»).-->

7.Mobilization of WhatsApp and other messengers

The transfer of WhatsApp chats between Xiaomi and Huawei requires a separate approach, since standard methods (Phone Clone, Mi Mover) do not store the message history.

• 🔄 Local Backup: On an Old Phone, Create a Backup on WhatsApp: ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup. Copy the file. msgstore.db.crypt14 folder /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases Install WhatsApp on your new phone, confirm the number and restore chats from your local backup.

Google Drive (only for WhatsApp with Google Drive) GMS)

• On an old phone, link WhatsApp to Google Drive (Settings) → chat → Backup copy in Google Drive).
• On your new phone, when you install WhatsApp, select Restore from Google Drive.

⚠️ Attention: On Huawei without GMS (For example, Chinese models, this method doesn't work. Use a local backup.

For other messengers:

• 📱 Telegram: chats synced through the cloud automatically (link account on new phone).
• 💬 Viber: Backup to Settings → Account. → Backup (save to Google Drive or memory card).

8. Solving Typical Errors in Data Transfer

Even when following the instructions, there may be errors, and let's look at the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, try manual transfer:

1. Create a data archive on your old phone (for example, through Total Commander or the same as the previous phone). FX File Explorer).
2. Transfer the archive to your new phone via Bluetooth, email or Telegram (limit 2GB per file).
3. Unpack the archive on a new device.

⚠️ Apps with Huawei AppGallery will not be transferred to Xiaomi – they will have to be installed manually from Google Play.