How to Transfer Data from Xiaomi Redmi 9 to Another Android: The Complete 2026 Guide

The transition to a new smartphone is always connected with the question: how to save all the important data from the old device? Owners of Xiaomi Redmi 9 face this task especially acutely – the 2020 model is still popular, but its resources can no longer cope with modern applications. Transferring data to a new Android device (be it another Redmi, POCO or smartphone of another brand) requires taking into account the features of MIUI firmware and the limitations of budget hardware.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to migrate data — from cloud services to direct cable connection — and also reveal the unique nuances of porting with Redmi 9, which are not mentioned in the standard instructions. You will learn how to avoid losing contacts due to duplicates in Mi Account, why photos in the MIUI Gallery may not sync with Google Photos, and how to circumvent the restriction on transferring applications through Mi Mover on different versions of MIUI on devices.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating, follow the mandatory preparatory steps – this will save hours on eliminating errors:

• 🔋 Charge both devices to at least 50%. Redmi 9 with a discharged battery can interrupt transmission via cable due to restrictions MIUI energy-saving.
• 📶 Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (for cloud-based ways) or use a mobile hotspot if the router is not available.Important: Mi Cloud blocks synchronization when connecting over public networks (hotels, cafes, etc).
• 🧹 Clear the cache in Settings → Memory. → Clean up on Redmi 9.This will eliminate errors when transferring through Mi Mover caused by overflow of temporary files.
• 🔐 Make sure that both devices have one Mi Account (if you plan to migrate over Mi Cloud) or a Google account (for sync via Google Drive).

Pay special attention to permissions: on Redmi 9, go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Storage and enable access for Mi Mover, Google Photos and Contacts. Without this, the system will block reading files.

⚠️ Note: If the new device is installed MIUI 14+, And on Redmi 9 — MIUI 12, the Mi Mover transfer may result in the error "Incompatible versions". In this case, use alternative methods (see section 3).

Method 2: Transfer over Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi devices)

Mi Cloud is Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud storage that automatically backs up contacts, notes, SMS and even system settings, a method that is optimal if you switch to another Xiaomi smartphone (like the Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5).

Instructions:

1. On Redmi 9, open Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Enable synchronization for all the necessary categories: Contacts, Notes, Calls, SMS, Settings.
3. Wait until the download is complete (the indicator at the top of the screen will turn green).
4. On the new device, log in to the same Mi Account and enable sync in Mi Cloud.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Automatic update of data when changing on old phone.
• ✅ Keeping a call history and SMS (rareness).
• ✅ Free 5GB of storage (enough for contacts and notes).

⚠️ Mi Cloud does not reserve photos and videos in original quality – they are compressed to the original. 2048×2048 Use Google Photos for media files (see method) 3).

Method 2: Synchronization through Google Account (universal method)

If you switch to a smartphone from another brand (Samsung, Realme, Pixel), Google’s account will be a one-stop solution, synchronizing contacts, calendars, email, Chrome bookmarks, and even some system settings. For Redmi 9, this requires pre-setting due to the features of MIUI.

Step-by-step:

1. On Redmi 9, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account and enable synchronization to: 📇 Contacts (required!) 📅 Calendar 🌐 Chrome (bookmarks and history) 📁 Disk (if you need to reserve files)

Synchronize now

Recovery from Google Backup

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS and call log (use Mi Cloud or specialized applications such as: SMS Backup & Restore).
• ❌ Applications are not portable – only their list to install from the Play Market.
• ❌ Photos are synced only through Google Photos (separate application).

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If contacts are duplicated after sync, open Google Contacts on the web (contacts.google.com), select Find and combine duplicates. This will eliminate the problems with duplicate entries from Mi Account and Google.

Method 3: Direct transmission via cable (Mi Mover)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary application for direct data transfer between devices USB-This method is suitable for transmitting large amounts of data (photos, videos, music) without using the cloud:

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Install the application on both devices (you can download it in the Play Market or through Settings). → Annexes → Mi Mover on Redmi 9).
2. On the old phone, select "I give" and on the new one, "I receive."
3. Connect devices through USB-cable (recommended) or Wi-Fi Direct (slower).
4. Select data categories to transfer and confirm the beginning.

⚠️ Note: If the new device is installed MIUI 14+, on the Redmi. 9 — MIUI 12/13, Mi Mover may show "Incompatible firmware versions" error Solution: Update Redmi 9 until the last available version MIUI through settings → Updating the system.

5. Method 4: Transfer through SD-map USB-OTG

If you don’t have access to the cloud or cable, SD-map USB-This is a reliable solution for transferring media files, documents and even some applications (in.apk format:

• 📁 Use it. FAT32 (Maximum file size: 4 GB) or exFAT (for files) >4GB) Redmi 9 doesn't support NTFS.
• 🔌 For USB-storage OTG-Adapter (check compatibility in Settings) → Connected devices).
• 📂 Move files to folders: DCIM — Downloads for Photo and Video – for Music Documents – for Audio Files

Step-by-step:

1. Put it in. SD-map or plug in USB-storage OTG.
2. On Redmi 9, open Explorer (Files) and copy the desired folders to the media.
3. Remove the card/drive and connect to the new device.
4. Copy the files into the appropriate folders on the new phone.

For the portability of applications:

• Use the APK Extractor app (available in the Play Market) to extract.apk files from installed programs.
• Copy.apk on SD-Map and install them on a new device.

⚠️ Note: When transferring through SD-Do not copy the entire Android folder, this can lead to conflicts of these applications.

💡

SD-A map is the only way to transfer data without the Internet and cable, but it requires manual control of folder structure.

6. Method 5: Manual transfer via messengers and mail

If you need to transfer a small amount of data (for example, a few photos or contacts), you can do without specialized tools, which is suitable for emergencies when other methods are not available.

Manual portability options:

• 📧 Email: Send files to your own email (like Gmail) and download them on a new device. Limit 25MB per email.
• 💬 Messengers: Use Telegram (limit – 2 GB per file), WhatsApp or Viber to transfer documents and media.
• 🌐 Cloud Services: Upload files to Yandex Drive, Dropbox or Mega and download them on your new phone.
• 📱 QR-Codes: Use generators to transmit Wi-Fi passwords or contacts QR (for example, QR Code Generator).

For the transfer of contacts:

1. On Redmi 9, open Contacts → More → Export / Import → Export to file.
2. Select the.vcf format and send the file to yourself by mail or messenger.
3. On the new device, import.vcf through the Contacts app.

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To transfer a large number of photos through messengers, compress them to the archive.zip using the RAR or ZArchiver application. This will send up to 2 GB of data in a single message (in Telegram).

7. Frequent errors and their solutions

The data port from Redmi 9 is often accompanied by specific errors related to MIUI and hardware limitations of the model.

If none of these methods work, try alternative tools:

• 🔄 Clone Phone (Huawei app) works on Xiaomi).
• 📱 Samsung Smart Switch (if new device is Samsung).
• 🖥️ Xiaomi PC Suite (for transfer via computer).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions