How to transfer data from one phone to another Xiaomi Redmi

Changing your smartphone to a new Xiaomi or Redmi model is always an exciting process, but it is often overshadowed by the fear of losing important photos, contacts or customizations of the familiar interface. Fortunately, the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem offers users powerful built-in tools that allow you to clone the contents of an old device in minutes. You do not need to be an experienced programmer to perform this procedure, just follow a clear algorithm of actions.

In today’s world, digital information is growing exponentially, and manually transferring thousands of contacts or gigabytes of media is becoming inefficient, which is why the company’s engineers have developed a dedicated application called Mi Mover, which creates direct Wi-Fi connection between devices, bypassing Internet traffic. This solution works not only between phones of the same brand, but also allows you to import data from Android devices of other manufacturers and even from iPhones.

Before you start moving actively, you need to make sure that both devices are ready to go, which means that you have at least 50% battery life on each of the gadgets, because the process of transferring large amounts of data can be energy-intensive, and it is also worth checking the availability of free space on the target device to avoid errors in the middle of the copying process.

Preparation of devices and compatibility check

The first step to a successful port is to properly prepare the hardware. Make sure both smartphones have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, even if you don't plan to use them to access the Internet. To operate a local data protocol, these radio interfaces must be active, as they are responsible for detecting devices from each other.

While the Mi Mover is highly compatible, very old versions of Android (below 6.0) or older MIUI builds may experience conflicts when transferring system settings, in which case it is recommended to first update the firmware of the old phone to the latest available version through the update menu.

⚠️ Note: If you are using an old phone with a non-standard shell or superuser rights (Root), some system applications may not be copied correctly due to Android security limitations.

Also important is clearing the cache and deleting temporary files that are of no value but can slow down the process of indexing data. Before starting the migration, close all background applications on both devices to free up RAM and ensure connection stability.

Using the Mi Mover application for wireless transfer

The main tool for data migration is the Mi Mover app, which is pre-installed on new Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones, which is usually located in the Tools folder or available immediately when the device is first turned on, and if the old phone does not have this app, you need to download it from the Google Play Store or the manufacturer’s official website.

The process of setting up the connection is as follows:

• 📲 Run the application on both devices and accept the user agreement.
• 📶 On the new phone, select “I’m a recipient” and on the old phone, “I’m a sender).
• 🔗 The sender must scan. QR-code displayed on the recipient screen or select a device from the list of available Wi-Fi networks.
• ✅ After confirming the connection, a data selection menu for transfer will appear on the sender screen.

The interface allows you to flexibly configure what you want to move, you can select only contacts and messages, or you can copy everything, including installed apps, call history and alarms, and the system automatically sorts the data into categories, showing the approximate weight of each partition.

The speed of transmission depends on the number of files and the quality of the antennas of the Wi-Fi modules. When transferring tens of gigabytes of photos and video, the process can take from 15 minutes to an hour. Do not interrupt the connection and keep the devices close to each other, since the Wi-Fi Direct signal is sensitive to distance.

Transfer data through the Mi Cloud

An alternative and highly reliable method is to use Mi Cloud storage, which is ideal if you don’t have both phones on hand at the same time or if you want to back up before selling your old device, and you’ll need a Mi Account, which is the equivalent of the Apple ID for the Xiaomi ecosystem.

On the old device, you need to go to the settings, select the "Mi Account" section, and go to the "Cloud" menu, and you need to activate sync for the desired categories: contacts, notes, voice recorder, gallery and messages, and after you turn on sync, the data will automatically be uploaded to the company's servers.

Settings → Mi Account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization

Once the sync indicators show a successful completion, you can move to a new phone. When you log in to the same Mi Account on a new device, all data will automatically flow into the memory of the smartphone, which is especially convenient for restoring contacts and notes, which are often lost when changing the phone number.

Manual copying through a computer and USB-cable

For users who prefer full control of the file system, or if there are problems with wireless methods, there is a classic way through a PC: connect the old phone to the computer using a USB cable and select the File Transfer (MTP) mode.

You need to copy the DCIM (camera photos and videos), Pictures (screenshots and images from messengers), Download and Music folders. After copying this data to your computer hard drive, disable the old phone and connect a new Redmi.

Move saved folders to the appropriate directories of the new device. Android folder structure is standardized, so there should be no problems with file recognition by the gallery or player. This method is especially effective for transferring heavy video files in the original quality, which is often compressed when transmitted through messengers or the cloud.

⚠️ Note: Manual copying through a computer does not carry application settings, Wi-Fi passwords and call history. This method is suitable exclusively for multimedia and documents.

If you use the Windows operating system, you can use the Explorer feature, and macOS users can install the Android File Transfer application for easy navigation through smartphone files.

Synchronize your contacts and calendar through Google

The most reliable and versatile way to save contacts is to link to a Google account, as opposed to storing contacts on a Google account. SIM-map (which limits the number of characters in the name and the absence of additional fields), Google account saves the entire history of correspondence, avatars and second numbers.

On your old phone, make sure that your contacts are synchronized. Go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure the switch opposite to Contacts is active.

When you first set up a new Xiaomi, the system will prompt you to enter your Google account data, and after you log in, the phone will automatically upload all contacts to the phone book, and calendar events will appear in the corresponding application, which takes place in the background and does not require user participation.

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Keep your new contacts in your Google account, not your phone’s memory, so they never disappear when you lose your device.

It is important to note that Google sync does not carry the apps themselves, but only their list. Install programs will happen automatically from the Google Play Store, but you will need to re-sign in to most of them.

Problem Solving and FAQ

Users may encounter various technical difficulties in transferring data, most often due to an unstable Wi-Fi connection or a lack of memory. If the transmission is interrupted in the middle, the Mi Mover app usually suggests that the process be resumed from the stop rather than starting over.

Sometimes, it happens that the applications of banks or government agencies are not ported along with the data for security reasons, and they have to be downloaded manually and reconfigured biometrics or pin codes, which is normal behavior of Android security.

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The fastest and most complete way to transfer is to use the Mi Mover application over Wi-Fi, since it copies not only files, but also the placement of icons and system settings.

The final step is always to check the integrity of the data, open a gallery, a phone book, and a few key apps to make sure everything is working correctly, and then start cleaning or selling the old device.