How to transfer data from an old smartphone to the new Xiaomi Redmi: all ways 2026

The transition to the new Xiaomi Redmi is always an exciting moment: a bright screen, a powerful processor, fresh firmware. But the joy of the new one can be clouded by the thought: "How do I move all my data now?" Photos over 5 years, correspondence in messengers, saved passwords, notes - it is scary to lose it, and manually copying is tedious.

Fortunately, Xiaomi has a number of tools for painless data transfer, from built-in MIUI features to universal cloud services. In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways of 2026, including the nuances for different Redmi models (from the Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Redmi K70), and also tell you how to avoid typical migration errors. Whether you switch from Android, iPhone or another Xiaomi, here is the solution for your case.

We warn you right away that some methods (such as Mi Mover) only work when you first turn on a new phone, and if you've already set up Redmi, you'll have to reset it to factory settings or use alternatives, but about everything in order.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for transferring data between devices to MIUI, and is the most reliable method, as it is optimized specifically for the Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco ecosystem and supports the transfer of almost all types of data, including:

• 📞 Contacts and call log
• 💬 Communications (SMS/MMS) and correspondence in Mi Messages
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Xiaomi Gallery albums)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📁 Documents and downloads
• 📱 System settings (Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sound profiles)
• 🎮 Data from certain games (if supported)

Important: Mi Mover only works when the new Redmi is first launched. If the phone is already configured, you will have to reset via Settings → About Phone → Settings Reset. Both devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on the old phone).

Charge both phones at least 50% | Connect to the same Wi-Fi | Make sure the new Redmi has enough memory | Disable VPNs and firewalls | Download Mi Mover to an old phone (if it's not Xiaomi)

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Step instructions:

1. Turn on the new Redmi and reach the Data Portability screen (appears after selecting the language).
2. On your old phone, open Mi Mover (if you don’t have one, download from Google Play or the App Store).
3. Click on “I am the sender” on the old phone and “I am the receiver” on the new one.
4. Scan it. QR-code with the new Redmi old phone.
5. Select data types to transfer (you can mark everything or select selectively).
6. Confirm the transfer and wait until the completion (can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the volume).

⚠️ Warning: If the transfer is interrupted, do not turn off the phones from power and do not close the Mi Mover - wait for an automatic attempt to resume.

2. Transfer through Google Account (universal method)

If you can’t use Mi Mover (like switching from an iPhone or other Android phone), the most reliable option is sync through a Google account, which works on any device and allows you to transfer:

• 📞 Contacts (from Google Contacts)
• 📅 Calendars and reminders
• 📧 Letters from Gmail
• 📁 Google Drive files (if previously downloaded)
• 📍 Google Maps Data (Selected Places, History)
• 🔑 Passwords from Google Password Manager

How it works:

1. On your old phone, check that Google sync is enabled: For Android: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync. For iPhone: Add Google Account to Settings → Passwords and Accounts.

Redmi

Select a backup (usually the latest) and wait for the recovery.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS/MMS (They need a separate backup through Google Messages).
• ❌ Photos and videos are synced only if they were uploaded to Google Photos.
• ❌ Applications are restored, but their data (for example, saved in games) is not.

Mi Mover|Google account|OTG|Cable |Cloud services (Yandex Drive, Dropbox)|Another way |Never ported data

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3. File transfer via OTG cable or adapter

If you only need to transfer photos, videos, music or documents (no apps or settings), the quickest way is to connect your old phone to your new Redmi via an OTG cable or USB-C → USB-A adapter (depending on the connectors), which works even without the Internet and is suitable for devices of any brand.

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable OTG (If you have an old microUSB phone, or USB-C).
• 🔄 Adapter (if connectors do not match, for example, Lightning) → USB-C iPhone).
• 📂 File Manager on the new Redmi (e.g., embedded Files or MiXplorer).

Instructions:

1. Connect the OTG cable to the new Redmi and the other end to the old phone.
2. On your old phone, select File Transfer Mode (MTP for Android or Trust This Computer for iPhone).
3. On the new Redmi, open the file manager – the old phone will appear as a removable drive.
4. Copy the folders you need (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads, etc.) into internal memory or memory card.

⚠️ Note: When connecting iPhone to Android via OTG You will only see photos and videos (due to Apple restrictions) and use iTunes or cloud services to access other files.

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4. Cloud services: Yandex Drive, Google Photos, Telegram

If you have slow Internet or little space on your phone, cloud services are a lifeline, and they allow you to upload data to a server from one device and download it to another.

Step-by-step instructions for Google Photos (the most popular option):

1. On your old phone, install Google Photos (if not installed).
2. Log in to your account and enable autoboot: Settings → Backup and Sync.
3. Wait until the download is complete (can be accelerated via Wi-Fi).
4. On the new Redmi, install Google Photos, log in to the same account and download files.

5. Transfer of applications and their data

Standard methods like Mi Mover or Google accounts restore the apps themselves, but don't always save their data, like game progress, messaging settings, or browser history.

• 🎮 Helium (Carbon Backup) – backs up applications and their data (requires root on some devices).
• 🔄 Titanium Backup is a powerful backup tool (root users only).
• ☁️ Cloud-based application syncs (such as WhatsApp) → Settings → chat → Backup copy).
• 🖥️ ADB-manual backup commands (for advanced users).

Example of WhatsApp portability:

1. On your old phone, open WhatsApp. → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Create a backup copy in Google Drive.
3. Install WhatsApp on the new Redmi, log in to the same account and restore chats from the backup.

For games, use the link to the accounts:

• 🎮 Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail – Link to miHoYo or Google Play.
• 🎮 Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars – Use Supercell ID.
• 🎮 PUBG Mobile – Link to Facebook or Twitter.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. banking) prohibit data portability for security reasons, and will have to be reconfigured.

6.Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi Redmi: features

The transition from iOS to Android is always more difficult because of Apple's closed ecosystem, but Xiaomi offers a special tool, the Mi Mover, which supports iPhone.

Steps to transfer from iPhone:

1. On the new Redmi, when you first turn on, select “Data Transfer from iPhone”.
2. Download Mi Mover from the App Store on iPhone.
3. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. On your iPhone, scan it. QR-Redmi screen code.
5. Select data for transfer (contacts, photos, videos, notes).
6. Confirm the transmission and wait for completion.

What's not going to happen with the iPhone:

• ❌ Apps (you need to install them again from Google Play).
• ❌ Music from Apple Music (you can download it via YouTube Music or Spotify).
• ❌ iMessage and FaceTime Call History.
• ❌ Apple Pay settings (Google Pay is used on Redmi).

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7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

Even with proven methods, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

If none of the methods worked, try manually transferring the following via computer:

1. Connect your old phone to your PC and copy the files to your hard drive.
2. Connect the new Redmi and transfer the files back.
3. For contacts, export them to the.vcf file via Google Contacts.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions