How to transfer data from Xiaomi to iPhone XR: 5 proven ways + frequent errors

The transition from Xiaomi to iPhone XR is not just a change of gadget, but a complete migration between two different ecosystems: Android and iOS. Even if you are a seasoned user, the process of data transfer can turn into a headache: somewhere contacts are duplicated, somewhere photos lose quality, and messages from Mi Messages refuse to move to iMesage. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transfer (including the official Move to iOS and workarounds), and also explain how to avoid the typical errors that cause users to lose data.

The iPhone XR (released in 2018 but still popular) is that it runs on iOS 17+, which means it supports modern migration protocols. However, Xiaomi (especially models on MIUI 14/15) often blocks data transfer due to security settings or format incompatibility. We tested all methods on current firmware and highlighted those that work steadily. If you are afraid of losing important information, first back up Xiaomi via Mi Cloud or Google Account, even if you plan to use a “direct” transfer.

1. Xiaomi Preparation for Data Transfer

Before you start migrating, you need to get Xiaomi to a clean state, which will eliminate 80% of potential problems. Start by checking the free space: the device must have at least 500 MB of free memory (for temporary migration files).

Next, update your firmware: go to Settings → About → System Update and install the latest version of MIUI. This is critical, as older versions (such as MIUI 12) may not support the Move to iOS protocol. Also disable all VPNs and proxies – they block the connection between devices.

• 📱 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (minimum — MIUI 13).
• 🔌 Charge both phones to at least 50% (transfer can take 1-2 hours).
• 🌐 Connect to a single Wi-Fi network (preferably 5GHz for speed).
• 🔒 Disable the ad blocker (such as AdGuard) – it interferes with the work of Move to iOS.

⚠️ Note: If your Xiaomi has root or custom firmware installed (like LineageOS), the official Move to iOS port will not work.

2.Official way: Move to iOS app

The most reliable and recommended Apple method is to use the tool Move to iOS, which is free, supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, bookmarks, mail and even some settings.

1. Install the app on Xiaomi from Google Play.
2. Configure your iPhone XR as new (don’t restore from backup!). During the Apps and Data phase, select Move Data from Android.
3. On Xiaomi, open Move to iOS, accept the terms and enter the 6-digit code that will appear on the iPhone.
4. Connect to the temporary Wi-Fi network created by the iPhone (the name will be like “iPhone-Transfer”).
5. Select the data to transfer and wait until it is completed (may take up to 1 hour).

Important: If the process is interrupted, start over, a partial transfer will lead to duplicate contacts or loss of messages.

• 🎵 Music (except music purchased from iTunes).
• 📁 Files from folders (for example, documents in Downloads).
• 🔐 Passwords from Mi Account or Google Smart Lock.
• 🎮 Game data (progress, preservation).

Disable traffic savings on Xiaomi|Make sure there is enough room on the iPhone|Connect both phones to charging|Turn off Do Not Disturb mode on both devices-->

3. Alternative method: transfer via Google Account

If Move to iOS doesn’t work (for example, because of a “Unconnected” error), you can use Google Account as a stash, which is suitable for contacts, calendars and email, but not for messages or multimedia.

Instructions:

1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → Google Accounts → Sync and enable sync for Contacts, Calendar and Gmail.
2. On iPhone XR, open Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add an account → Google.
3. Enter the same Google account as Xiaomi and enable sync.
4. Wait until it is completed (it can take up to 10 minutes).

To transfer photos and videos, use Google Photos:

• 📸 On Xiaomi, install Google Photos and enable autoload.
• 🖥️ On your iPhone, install the same app and sign in to the same account.
• 🔄 Wait for all media files to be uploaded to the cloud, then download them to your iPhone.

⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi has enabled photo compression in Mi Cloud, images uploaded to Google Photos may lose quality. Before transferring, disable the option "Traffic Saving" in the settings of the Xiaomi Gallery.

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If you have a slow Internet connection, before transferring photos via Google Photos, connect Xiaomi to 5 GHz Wi-Fi or use a mobile hotspot with unlimited tariff.

4.Transfer of messages from WhatsApp and Telegram

The official methods don't support transferring chats from instant messengers, but there are workarounds. For WhatsApp, use the built-in export feature:

Steps for WhatsApp:

1. On Xiaomi, open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Chat history → Chat exports.
2. Select a dialog, specify without media files (otherwise the file will be too large) and send it to your mail.
3. On your iPhone, open the email, download the.txt file and import it through Files.

For Telegram, the process is simpler:

• 📱 On Xiaomi, open Telegram → ⋮ → Settings → Additionally. → Export of data.
• 📧 Select “Export History” and send the file to your email.
• 📱 On iPhone, install Telegram, log in to the same account – chat history syncs automatically (if you used cloud storage).

5. Computer Transfer (for power users)

If you have a Mac or PC, you can manually transfer data via iTunes (for Windows) or Finder (for Mac), a method that works for music, documents and photos, but takes longer.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB (enable File Transfer mode).
2. Copy the files you need (photos from DCIM, music from Music) to your PC folder.
3. Connect your iPhone XR, open iTunes and select the device.
4. Go to the File Sharing section and transfer the files to the appropriate applications (for example, a photo to the Gallery).

For music, use iTunes Match or Apple Music:

• 🎵 Download music from Xiaomi to your computer.
• 🖥️ Add tracks to the iTunes library (File) → Add a file to the library).
• 📱 Sync with iPhone XR cable.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring music in.ogg or.flac format, iTunes will not recognize these files.mp3 or.aac by Audacity or VLC.

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Transferring over a computer is the most reliable way for large amounts of data (e.g., 100).+ GB photo, but it takes time and technical skills.

6. Transfer of applications and game data

Unfortunately, applications from Xiaomi to iPhone can not be transferred - Android and iOS have different installer formats (.apk vs.ipa).

• 🔍 Find App Apps in the App Store (e.g. Mi Fit) → Apple Health).
• 🎮 For games, use cross-platform accounts (Google Play Games, Facebook, Game Center).
• 📱 Move app data over the cloud (e.g. Spotify or Netflix sync your history automatically).

For game saves:

1. Make sure the game supports a cross-platform account (e.g. Genshin Impact, Clash of Clans).
2. On Xiaomi, link the game to your account (Google Play, Facebook, miHoYo).
3. On your iPhone, install the same game, log in to your linked account and download saves.

If the game does not support cross-platform (for example, many offline games), the transfer is impossible. In this case, you can try Android emulators on a PC (for example, BlueStacks), but this does not guarantee success.

7.Typical errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and ways to fix them:

If after transferring to the iPhone XR, some data is missing:

• 🔄 Restart both devices and repeat the transfer.
• 📞 Check if Charge Savings on iPhone is enabled – it can block background synchronization.
• 🌐 Make sure iCloud Drive is enabled on your iPhone (Settings) → [Your name] → iCloud → iCloud Drive).

FAQ: Frequent questions