How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi Poco X3: 5 proven ways

Switching from Honor to Xiaomi Poco X3 is a crucial step that requires careful preparation. Even if you purchased a powerful device with a Snapdragon 732G processor and a 120Hz display, losing contacts, photos or important messages can ruin the entire experience. Fortunately, transferring data between Android devices is now easier thanks to built-in tools and third-party solutions.

The main problem with migrating from Honor (especially EMUI/Magic UI models) to MIUI is the firmware differences. For example, Xiaomi’s proprietary portable app Mi Mover doesn’t always work correctly with Huawei/Honor devices due to manufacturer limitations. In this article, we’ll discuss 5 portability workflows, including workarounds for problem cases, and give recommendations for optimizing a new smartphone after the move.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before migrating, there are several critical steps that need to be taken, and neglecting them can lead to data loss or disruption.

On Honor:

• 🔋 Charge the battery to minimum. 50% — transfer of large amounts of data (for example, 64 GB photo may take 1-2 hour.
• 📱 Update your firmware to the latest version through Settings → System system → Update. EMUI 12+ magic UI 7+ Improved compatibility with transfer tools.
• 🔒 Make sure the device is locked off. OEM (if you plan to use ADB). Path: Settings → Password and security → Additionally. → Lockdown OEM.
• 📡 Connect to a stable 5GHz Wi-Fi network – this will speed up data transfer through cloud services.

On Xiaomi Poco X3:

• 🧹 Reset to factory settings (if the device is new) to avoid any conflicts with previous data. → The phone. → Resetting settings.
• 📥 Install the latest version MIUI (minimum MIUI 13). On Poco. X3 Android 11/12 transfer works more stable.
• 🔌 Prepare the cable. USB-C — USB-C (Or adapter for direct connection. USB-A won't fit!

⚠️ Note: If data encryption is enabled on Honor (optional in Settings) → Security → Encryption, transfer via cable may take 2-3 We recommend temporarily disabling encryption before migrating.

Method 2: Transfer through Mi Mover (official method)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for migrating data from Android devices, which supports transferring contacts, messages, photos, videos, music and even some apps, but with Honor, there may be nuances.

Instructions:

1. Download Mi Mover on both devices: Poco X3: App preinstalled (search Settings). Honor: Download APK with APKCombo (version no lower than 3.0.0).

• On Honor: "I'm the sender."
• On Poco X3: "I'm the recipient."
• Connect devices via Wi-Fi Direct (automatically) or cable USB-C — USB-C.
• Select data types to migrate (we recommend not porting applications – they may not work on MIUI).
• Wait until the process is complete. The data transfer report will appear on the screen.

⚠️ Note: If you are on Honor EMUI 10 or older, Mi Mover may not recognize the device. In this case, use compatibility mode: before connecting to Honor, turn on Settings → System system → For developers → Debugging by USB.

Download Mi Mover on Honor|Charge both devices >50%|Enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth|Shut down. VPN/proxy|Prepare the cable. USB-C—USB-C-->

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (Cloud)

If Mi Mover refuses to work, the most reliable option is synchronization with Google, which guarantees the safety of contacts, calendars and media, but requires pre-configuration.

Step-by-step:

1. On Honor: Go to Settings → Accounts. → Google. Turn on sync to: 📇 Contacts 📅 calendar 📎 Notes (if you use Google Keep) 📷 Google Photos (for media backup) Wait for sync to complete (check in Settings) → Accounts. → Google → Account management → Synchronization).

Xiaomi Poco X3

• Sign in to the same Google account when you first activate.
• In Settings → Accounts → Google enable automatic synchronization.
• To recover a photo, open Google Photos and click "Restore" in the notification.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 Data is available on any device with the same account.
• 🛡️ Protection against loss in case of a phone breakdown.
• 📶 No cable or direct connection required.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS/MMS call-book.
• ❌ Media files take up space in the cloud (only 15GB is free).
• ❌ Applications not portable.

💡

If you have a lot of photos, before syncing in Google Photos, turn on the option “High quality” (non-original size) – this will save space in the cloud without significant loss of quality.

Method 3: Transfer over OTG cable and file manager

If you need to transfer large files (video to 4K, app backups or documents), the best option is to directly copy through an OTG cable or adapter, which works even with devices on EMUI 9 and older.

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable USB-C — USB-C (adapter USB-A → USB-C).
• 📁 File Manager (recommended Mi File Manager on Poco) X3 Or Solid Explorer).
• ⏳ Time (copying 64 GB takes time) ~30-40 minutes).

Instructions:

1. Connect Honor to Poco X3 via cable.
2. On Poco X3, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification bar.
3. Open the file manager and go to the Internal Memory folder of the connected Honor.
4. Copy the necessary data into folders on Poco X3: 📷 Photo Photo: /DCIM/Camera → /DCIM/Camera 🎵 Music: /Music → /Music 📄 Documents: /Documents → /Documents

applications

/Android/obb

/Download

⚠️ Note: Do not copy system folders like this /Android/data — This can lead to conflicts in MIUI. Also avoid transferring files with the.nomedia extension – they can hide your media in the gallery.

5. Method 4: Transfer messages and contacts through third-party applications

If you're critically interested in saving your SMS/MMS history or your call log, standard methods won't help.

The best applications for transfer:

Instructions on the example of SMS Backup & Restore:

1. Install the app on both devices.
2. On Honor: Open the app and click "Create a backup." Select "SMS and call log." Save the file to internal memory or Google Drive.

.xml

Poco X3

Poco X3

"Restore."

To port WhatsApp:

• 🔄 Use the built-in “Backup in Google Drive” feature (in chat settings).
• ⚠️ Make sure you're on Poco. X3 The same phone number and Google account are linked.
• 📥 After installing WhatsApp on a new device, the system will offer to restore chats.

💡

To transfer data messengers (Telegram, Viber) is enough to log in to a new device – the history of chats is synchronized automatically if cloud backup is enabled.

Method 5: Transfer over PC (for power users)

If you have a computer, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to fully transfer data, including setting up system applications, which is suitable for advanced users, since it requires working with the command line.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 🔧 Established ADB Fastboot (downloaded as part of Android) SDK).
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Enable USB debugging on both devices:


- On Honor: Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number (shoot 7 times) → Return to Settings → System → Developers → Debugging by USB.




On Poco X3: Repeat the same steps.





2. Connect Honor to your PC and execute the command to create a backup:




adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f honor_backup.ab





3. disable Honor, connect Poco X3 and restore data:




adb restore honor_backup.ab

Warnings:

• ⚠️ Not all apps will recover properly due to differences in architecture. EMUI and MIUI.
• ⚠️ System settings (wallpaper, sounds, shortcuts) will not be transferred.
• ⚠️ The process can take hours for large amounts of data.

7. Optimize Xiaomi Poco X3 after data transfer

After a successful migration, we recommend following several steps to maximize the performance of the new device:

Optimization checklist:

• 🔄 Reboot Poco. X3 after transferring data – this will clear the cache and eliminate possible lags.
• 🧹 Clear the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Clear the cache.
• 🔋 Turn off auto-run of unnecessary apps in Settings → Battery → Auto-start.
• 📡 Set up the performance mode in Settings → Special facilities → Performance mode.
• 🔒 Check permissions for ported applications in Settings → Confidentiality → Permits.

To improve battery life:

• 🔋 Enable "Adaptive Charging" in Settings → Battery → Battery settings.
• 🌙 Activate the dark theme (AMOLED-poco X3 charge-saving).
• 📶 Limit background social media activity in Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery.

💡

To speed up Poco X3, turn off the animation interface. To do this, turn on Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (stick 7 times), then in Settings → Additional → For developers, set all animation settings to “Animation disabled”.

8. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with the exact instructions, there can be difficulties, and let's look at the typical mistakes and how to fix them.

If after transfer to Poco X3 there are lags or overheating:

1. Check the CPU load in Settings → About Phone → System Status.
2. Clear the cache through Settings → Storage → Clear the cache.
3. Turn off background activity for resource-intensive applications.

⚠️ Note: If messages from messengers (for example, Viber or Telegram) are missing after transfer, check if the same phone number is attached to them. SIM-map.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions