How to transfer data from old Android to new Xiaomi smartphone: 5 proven ways

Switching to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but transferring data from an old device can turn into a real headache if you don’t know the nuances. Even experienced users sometimes lose hours searching for missing contacts or recovering photos from backups. In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of data migration – from the official Mi Mover tool to manual transfer through the cable. USB-C/OTG, — We will also reveal the hidden limitations of Xiaomi when working with devices of other brands (Samsung, Honor, Realme).

Xiaomi’s smartphones are uniquely featured by its own MIUI ecosystem, which doesn’t always interact properly with standard Android tools. For example, notes from the Notes app can be lost when you transfer through Google Account, and Mi Mover sometimes refuses to see Samsung devices older than 2020. We tested each method on Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra models – and are ready to provide honest results with pitfalls.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary data porting solution pre-installed on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. The app supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, applications (including their data), and even some system settings.

• 🔄 It only works between devices on MIUI (HyperOS in new models and Android 5.0+. Samsung, Huawei or Google Pixel will require additional customization.
• 📶 It requires a connection to a single Wi-Fi network or a direct Wi-Fi Direct connection.
• ⚡ Speed depends on the amount of data: 30 GB of photos can be transmitted up to 2 hours.
• 🚫 Does not tolerate: data of some third-party applications (for example, WhatsApp or Viber), passwords from Wi-Fi, call history.

To avoid mistakes, follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Mi Mover. If the smartphone is already configured, find the application in the menu.
2. On an older device, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if it’s not available) and run it.
3. Select the role: new smartphone - Recipient, old - Sender.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

Connect both phones to charge (process drains battery)

Make sure that the new Xiaomi has enough memory (at least 20% more data portable)

Turn off VPNs and firewalls (they can block the connection)

Close all background applications on both devices-->

⚠️ Warning: If the Mi Mover can't see the old device, try restarting both smartphones and turning on Flight mode for 30 seconds. In 15% of cases, this solves the detection problem.

2.Move over Google Account: Pros and Hidden Limitations

Google Account Sync is a universal method that works on all Android devices, and it is suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, photos (via Google Photos), notes (Google Keep) and some settings.

• 📁 Photos and videos are synced only if backup in Google Photos was enabled on the old phone before the transfer.
• 📱 Applications will recover, but their data (such as game saves) will only be restored if they support cloud sync.
• 🔒 SMS and call history are not automatically transferred – this requires separate applications such as: SMS Backup & Restore.
• 🕒 The timing depends on the speed of the Internet. On a slow connection, the process can take a day.

How to transfer data via Google correctly:

1. On your old phone, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync Make sure all the items you need (Contacts, Calendar, Chrome, etc.) are active.
2. For photos, open Google Photos → Settings → Backup and Sync and wait for the download to complete.
3. On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select Copy Data from your old device → From the cloud → Log in to the same Google Account.
4. Select the data to recover and wait for the process to be completed.

Mi Mover by Xiaomi|Google Account|Cable OTG/USB|Cloud services (Dropbox, Yandex Disk)|Other-->

3. Manual copying via OTG or USB-C cable

If you need to transfer large files (video to 4K, game backups, archives) or data that is not supported by Mi Mover and Google, manual cable transfer is the most reliable option.

• 🔌 Cable OTG (for older models; or USB-C — USB-C (new).
• 📂 File Manager (e.g. Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
• ⚡ Charging – the process can take a long time and drain the battery.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your new Xiaomi via cable. On the screen of your old device, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On your new smartphone, open the file manager and find the connected device in the Devices or USB section.
3. Copy the folders you need: DCIM → Camera (photos), Downloads (downloads), Pictures (images from social networks) WhatsApp → Media (media files from Watsap)
4. For applications, copy the Android/obb folder (game data) and Android/data (application settings).

⚠️ Note: Not all apps work properly after manually transferring their data. For example, WhatsApp may require re-authorization, and games may require re-booting saves. Before copying, check if the application supports this migration method.

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If the new Xiaomi doesn’t see the old device through a cable, try connecting it to your computer and copying the files to your PC and then to your new phone, which bypasses some manufacturers’ restrictions (e.g. Huawei blocks direct data sharing with other brands).

4. Cloud services: when they are getting and when they are failing

Cloud storage like Yandex Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive is convenient for transferring selected files, but has limitations:

• 📥 Free accounts usually give 5-15 GB, which is enough only for photos or documents.
• ⏳ Download/download speeds depend on the Internet connection. On the mobile Internet, 10 GB transmission can take 5 GB+ hours.
• 🔒 Security: Do not upload sensitive data (passwords, document scans) to the cloud without encryption.

How to move data through the cloud:

1. On an old phone, upload files to the cloud (for example, through the Yandex Drive app).
2. On the new Xiaomi, install the same app and log in to your account.
3. Download files to your device. For convenience, create an Imported folder in internal memory.

Automate or Tasker can be used to automate the process, and these applications can create tasks for downloading and downloading files on a schedule.

5. Applications and their data portability: what works and what doesn’t

One of the most difficult aspects of migration is the transfer of installed applications and their data, and standard Android and MIUI tools do not cope with this well, so you have to use workarounds:

• 📦 APK-Files: You can get them out of your old phone APK Extractor and install it on a new one, but that won't carry the application data.
• 🔄 Backup copies through ADB: Suitable for power users. Commands: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab adb restore backup.ab However, not all applications support this method.
• 🎮 Games: Use built-in cloud services (Google Play Games or Xiaomi Cloud) to save).
• 💬 WhatsApp and Telegram have their own tools for transferring chats.

For WhatsApp, the instructions are as follows:

1. On your old phone, create a backup: Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Copy /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases to your new phone (via cable or cloud).
3. Install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi and recover data when you first start up.

⚠️ Note: If you use WhatsApp Business, backups are not compatible with the regular version of the app!

6. Transfer system settings and passwords from Wi-Fi

System settings, Wi-Fi passwords, and account data are often lost when you switch to a new smartphone. Here's how to save them:

• 🔐 Passwords from Wi-Fi: Settings → Wi-Fi → Save networks → Share (QR-Code or text password: Scan your new phone QR or enter the password manually.
• ⚙️ Settings MIUI: Some parameters (such as gestures or themes) can be exported through Settings. → The phone. → Backup and reset → Local backup.
• 🔑 Account Passwords: Use Google Smart Lock or Password Managers (Bitwarden, 1Password).

To transfer messages and call history, SMS Backup & Restore is suitable:

1. Install it on your old phone and create a backup.
2. Export the file to the new Xiaomi (via cloud or cable).
3. Install the app on your new phone and restore the data.

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The most reliable way to transfer system data is to use Xiaomi’s proprietary tools (Mi Mover + local backup), and universal solutions like Google Account often miss specific MIUI settings.

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when following instructions, users face problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the settings on the new Xiaomi and repeat the data transfer from scratch, which solves compatibility problems in 80% of cases.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions