Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring data from an old Android device can seem like a daunting task. Many users fear losing important contacts, photos or settings, especially if they have not experienced this procedure before. Fortunately, Google offers built-in tools that greatly simplify this process. No need to connect cables, install third-party programs or spend hours manually rebooting files - just take advantage of the capabilities of your Google account.
In this article, we will take a look at how to transfer data from the old Android to the new Xiaomi using Google services, including contacts, calendars, photos, notes, apps, and even some system settings. We will focus on nuances that are often overlooked: for example, why some data may not sync automatically and how to fix it, and you will learn what types of data can not be transferred through Google (for example, SMS or call history) and what alternative ways to consider in such cases.
If you've tried porting data and you've encountered errors, don't worry. At the end of this article, we've collected answers to some of the most common questions and problems, including solutions for cases where sync is "hanging" or new data doesn't appear on Xiaomi. And for those who want to automate the process as much as possible, we've prepared a step-by-step checklist with both devices.
1. Preparing an old Android device for data transfer
Before you start the transfer, you need to make sure that your old device is ready for synchronization. This stage is often missed, and in vain: the wrong settings can lead to data loss or incomplete transfer of information.
Step 1: Check your Internet connection. Google sync requires a stable connection. If you use mobile internet, make sure you have enough traffic (porting photos and apps can take up to several gigabytes).
Step 2: Update your Google account. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for all the services you need:
- 📇 Contacts – without this, you will lose all phone numbers;
- 📅 Calendar - Events and Reminders;
- 📁 Disk – if you save files to Google Drive;
- 📷 Photos – to back up images in Google Photos;
- 📝 Notes – if you use Google Keep.
Step 3: Start Forced Synchronization. Even if Auto Synchronization is enabled, sometimes the data is not updated in time. To avoid problems, manually run synchronization:
- Open Settings → Accounts → Google;
- Tap your account;
- Click Sync (or Sync Now)
⚠️ Note: If the old device has Traffic Saving or Background Data Limitation enabled, the sync may not work properly. → Internet and Internet before transfer.
📊 How often do you back up your data?
Every week.
Once a month
Just before changing the phone.
Never.
2. Set up a new smartphone Xiaomi to receive data
Now that the old device is ready, it’s time to set up your new Xiaomi. There are a few key points that many people miss out on, like if you skip the step of logging in to your Google account during the initial setup, then you’ll have to reset your phone to factory settings, otherwise sync might not work properly.
Step 1: Sign in to your Google account the first time you turn on. When you first turn on Xiaomi, the system will prompt you to log in to your Google account. Use the same account as your old device!
- Go to Settings → Accounts and synchronization;
- Click Add Add Account → Google;
- Enter the data from your main account.
Step 2: Auto sync is enabled. By default, Xiaomi can limit background activity to save battery life, so that data is loaded immediately:
- 🔄 Go to Settings. → Accounts and synchronization → Google;
- 🔄 Turn on the switch Autosynchronization of data;
- 🔄 Tap on your account and make sure that all the necessary services (contacts, calendar, etc.) are ticked.
Step 3: Check your connection to Google Services. Xiaomi devices sometimes have problems with the Google Play Services.
- Open Settings → Applications → Application Management;
- Find Google Play Services;
- Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache;
- Reboot the phone.
These three types of data are synced through Google the easiest way, but there are some nuances here, for example, if your contacts are not stored in Google Contacts, but in the memory of your phone or phone. SIM-So, the map, they're not going to be automatically transferred. Let's figure out how to avoid losing important information.
Contacts
To transfer contacts, they must be saved to your Google account.
- Open the Contacts app on your old phone;
- Slip on any contact and see where it is saved (it should be specified by Google, not Device or SIM).
- If the contacts are saved locally, export them: Contacts → Settings → Export / Import → Export to the device (then import to Google Contacts).
Calendars
Calendars are synced automatically if you've used Google Calendar to check:
- 📅 Open Google Calendar on your old phone;
- 📅 Make sure all events are displayed (if not, update the data manually);
- 📅 On the new Xiaomi, open Google Calendar – events should appear through the 5-10 minute.
Notes (Google Keep)
If you've used Google Keep, all your notes are automatically linked to your account. Just install the app on a new Xiaomi and log in to the same account. Other apps (like Mi Notes) will require separate export.
⚠️ Note: If you have multiple Google accounts installed on your old phone, make sure you are logged in to the same Xiaomi account where the basic data was stored. Otherwise, contacts and calendars may not show up.
What if the contacts are duplicated after the transfer?
If you have duplicate contacts after syncing, open Contacts → Settings → Combine and Fix. Google will automatically find and merge duplicate entries. If this option is not available, use the Google Contacts web version on your computer. —> 4. Porting photos and videos via Google Photos is one of the most convenient ways to transfer media files, but there are limitations. Free storage only provides 15 GB per account (common to all Google services), and files in their original quality take up a lot of space. If you have thousands of photos, you might want to consider alternatives (we’ll talk about them later). Step 1: Set up backup on your old phone 📷 Open the Google Photos app; 📷 Tap the account avatar. → Settings Photo → Backup and synchronization; 📷 Turn on the switch and select quality: Original - no compression (takes up space in the cloud); High quality - free compression (photos up to 16 MP, video up to 1080p). Step 2: Check the download on the new Xiaomi After setting up the backup, wait until all files are uploaded to the cloud (this can take anywhere from a few hours to days, depending on the amount of data). On the new Xiaomi: Install Google Photos from the Play Store; Sign in to the same account; Enter the Photos → Library → Devices – All your media files should be displayed here. Step 3: Save photos to your device (optional) If you want your photos to be stored not only in the cloud, but also in your phone’s memory: 📥 Open the album in Google Photos; 📥 Tap. ⋮ → Save it to the device; 📥 Files will be saved to the folder DCIM → Google Photos. Max file type. Allowed size (free storage) Compression Photos 16 MP Yes (up to 16 MP) Video 1080p Yes, until Full. HD) Photo (original quality) No restrictions No Video (original quality) No restrictions No 5. Moving apps and their data through Google Play App synchronization through Google doesn't work as obvious as it might seem. Your new Xiaomi won’t automatically install all the programs from your old phone, it’ll only show you a list of previously installed apps, and the data inside the apps (such as game progress or settings) isn’t always portable. Step 1: Restore the App List When you first sign in to a Google account on the new Xiaomi, the system will offer to restore the apps. If you missed this step: Open the Play Store; Slip on the avatar → Manage applications and devices; Go to the Installed tab → Not installed; Select the right apps and click Install. Step 2: Application Data Portability Not all apps support data synchronization via Google. Here's what you can do: 🎮 Games: Many games (such as from Playrix or Supercell) are linked to a Google Play Games account. log in on a new phone and select Sign in via Google; 📱 Social media: VK, Telegram, WhatsApp synced through their cloud services (not through Google); 📊 Other applications: Check the settings of a particular application – often there is an option Export / Import data. ⚠️ Note: Some apps (e.g. banking) prohibit data portability for security reasons, will have to be reconfigured, and alternative apps (e.g. Mi Browser instead of Chrome) may be pre-installed on Xiaomi that are not synced to Google. 💡Google only stores a list of installed apps, not their data. To transfer progress in games or settings, use the built-in backup features of the apps themselves. 6. What's not migrating through Google and how to fix it Unfortunately, not all data can be transferred through Google services. Here's what's left behind and how to deal with it: SMS Google’s call history does not sync messages and call logs. To carry them: 💬 Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (Saves) SMS into XML And it's restoring it on a new phone); 📞 Call Logs Backup & Restore: files and documents outside of Google Drive If you have stored files in your phone’s memory (for example, in the Download folder), you need to manually transfer them: 📂 Connect your old device to your computer and copy the files; 📂 Or upload them to Google Drive manually; 📂 On Xiaomi, use Explorer to access downloaded files. Google's system settings and wallpapers are too much for you: 🔧 Individual interface settings (e.g. gestures in the MIUI); 🎨 Desktop wallpaper; 🔔 Notification settings for apps. You'll have to reconfigure these settings. You can use Google Photos for wallpapers (save the image you like and manually install it). Data from some Chinese applications of Xiaomi Apps (such as Mi Fit, Mi Home) and other Chinese services are often not synchronized with Google: 🔄 Use the built-in backup function in Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset; 🔄 Or export data through your Xiaomi account (if it was on your old phone). 7. Alternative ways to migrate data to Xiaomi If porting through Google for some reason is not suitable (for example, there is not enough space in the cloud or you need data that is not synchronized), consider alternative methods. Using Mi Mover (official solution from Xiaomi) Mi Mover is a built-in application on Xiaomi that allows you to transfer data over Wi-Fi Direct (without the Internet). Supports: 📱 Contacts, SMS, call-in; 📷 Photos and videos; 🎵 Music; 📱 Apps (but not always with data) How to use: Install Mi Mover on an old device (available in the Play Store); Open Mi Mover on the new Xiaomi (usually offered when you first set up); Follow the on-screen instructions to connect devices. Method 2: If you have a PC, you can copy files directly: Connect the old device to the computer via USB; Copy the files you want (photos, videos, documents) on your PC; connect the new Xiaomi and transfer the files back. Method 3: Cloud services (not Google) If you have accounts on other cloud services, you can use them: 🌥 Yandex Disk - 10 GB free; 🌥 Mail.ru Cloud - 8 GB free; 🌥 Dropbox – 2 GB free (can be increased by invitation). Google Pros Method Free, Automatic, No Additional Software 15GB Limitation, Not All Data Is Portable Mi Mover SMS and call log, works without the Internet May not work with some brands of Android Computer Reliable, without volume restrictions Need additional time and USB-Cable Other clouds More free space (e.g. in Yandex Drive) You need to download and download files manually 8. Frequent problems and their solutions Even with the right setup, sometimes errors occur. Problem 1: Data is not synchronized if contacts, calendars or photos do not appear on the new Xiaomi: 🔄 Check your internet connection on both devices; 🔄 Go to Settings. → Accounts. → Google and manually start syncing; 🔄 Make sure that the new phone has enabled the option of Autosynchronization data; 🔄 Reboot both devices.Problem 2: Not enough space in Google Drive If you have 15GB of free storage full: 🗑 Remove unnecessary files from Google Drive and Google Photos; 🗑 Buy an extra seat (from 100 GB per seat) ~139 ₽/month); 🗑 Use alternative transfer methods (e.g. Mi Mover). Problem 3: Apps are not restored if the Play Store does not display a list of previously installed apps: 📱 Make sure you are logged in to the same Google account; 📱 Check if apps are hidden in the Play Store settings; 📱 Try clearing the cache of Play Store and Google Play Services. Issue 4: Photos in Google Photos are not uploaded If photos do not appear in the cloud: 📷 Check if backup is enabled in Google Photos settings; 📷 Make sure the app is allowed access to the storage; 📷 Try downloading files via your browser on your computer (photos.google.com). ⚠️ Note: If you used the storage optimization feature in Google Photos on your old phone, the original photos could have been removed from your device. In this case, they can only be downloaded from the cloud - make sure that the backups are successfully created! FAQ: Frequently asked questions like Can you transfer data from iPhone to Xiaomi via Google? Yes, but with limitations. Google syncs contacts, calendars, photos (via Google Photos) and some apps. However, SMS, call log and app data (like WhatsApp) can’t be transferred — you need special programs like Move to iOS (but it only works backwards) or Dr.Fone. How long does it take to transfer data through Google? Time depends on the amount of data and Internet speed: Contacts and calendars — a few minutes; Photos (1-5 GB) — from 30 minutes to a few hours; Apps — you need to transfer a newer to use the device to download, for example, if you can transfer a lot of data from the device to the Steam and store a new one on the device, you can start a new one on the device, if you start the Steam at night? Yes, if you used Google Chrome and logged in to the same account. Passwords are synced automatically through Google Smart Lock. To check: Open Chrome on a new phone; Log in to the new one. ⋮ → Settings → Passwords; Make sure the list of saved passwords matches the old device. If the passwords don't show up, check the sync settings in Settings → Google → Managing a Google Account → Data and personalization → Sync settings: Why Xiaomi doesn't display all the photos from Google Photos? Possible reasons: 📵 Photos were uploaded in the original quality and you ran out of space in Google Drive; 📵 New phone has disabled sync for Google Photos; 📵 Photos were removed from the old device before the cloud upload was completed; 📵 You are logged into another Google account on Xiaomi. Solution: Check the free space in Google Drive, run forced sync in Google Photos and make sure you use the right account. How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Xiaomi without Google? If you don't want to use Google, use alternative methods: 📱 Mi Mover – Xiaomi’s official Wi-Fi port solution; 📱 Backup to MIUI: Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset → Local backup (saves data to a memory card or to the Xiaomi cloud); 📱 Computer – copy files through USB; 📱 Third-party applications — CLONEit, ShareMe (Mi Drop) — minus these methods — they may not be able to carry some system settings or application data.