How to transfer data from your old phone to the new Xiaomi: the complete guide

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but data transfer can turn into a headache if you don’t know the nuances. How to keep all contacts without duplicates, why some photos are not copied through Mi Mover, or how to transfer passwords from applications. MIUI and typical user errors.

We’ll not only look at standard methods like cloud backup or Google Account, but also less obvious tricks like how to transfer data from your iPhone to Xiaomi without losing photo quality, or why some files “disappear” when you copy through a cable. Special attention will be paid to data transfer between devices with different versions MIUI (13 vs 14), where compatibility conflicts often arise.

1.Preparation for the transfer: what to do before buying a new Xiaomi

Many users only start thinking about data portability after unpacking a new phone, a major mistake. A few simple steps in advance will save hours of time:

• 📱 Update the firmware on your old phone to the latest version MIUI (This will eliminate compatibility bugs when copying.
• 🔌 Check the cables: you need original Mi Mover USB-C cable (cheap analogues may not transmit data).
• ☁️ Clean up the cloud: Remove unnecessary backups in Google Drive or Mi Cloud – space limit often disrupts the transfer.
• 🔒 Unlock: Disable Find My Device (on Android) or Find My iPhone (on iOS) – otherwise the system will block data transfer.

Particular attention is paid to applications with two-factor authentication (for example, banking or instant messengers). SMS-I can't use standard methods to code code:

1. Save backup access codes (usually in the application account settings).
2. Link accounts to email instead of phone number if possible.
3. Make sure you have access to email linked to a Google Account or Mi Account.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data from iPhone to Xiaomi, disable iMessage and FaceTime in Apple’s settings ID 24 hours before the migration. SMS Calls may not come to a new phone for up to 7 days.

2. Method 1: Mi Mover – official Xiaomi tool (fastest method)

Mi Mover is a built-in data portability app that only works between Xiaomi devices (or from some models). Redmi/POCO). The main advantage is that the transmission takes place over a direct Wi-Fi connection (without the Internet), which is the most important. 3-5 faster than cloud services.

How to use:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Mi Mover. If the phone is already configured, find the app in the menu.
2. On an old phone, open Mi Mover (download from Google Play if it isn’t) and select I sender.
3. Bring your phones to each other and scan them. QR-code from the new device.
4. Select data for transfer (contacts, SMS, Photos, applications and confirm.

Typical problems and solutions:

• 🔄 Mi Mover freezes 99%: restart both phones and try again. If it doesn't work, use a different cable.
• 🚫 Does not see the old device: check that the old phone is enabled File Transfer Mode (MTP) developer-setting.
• 📶 Slow transmission: Turn off mobile internet on both phones – it can interfere with direct Wi-Fi connections.

Charge both phones at least 50 times%|Use the original cable USB-C|Turn it off. VPN firewalls|Free space on the new phone > volume of data transferred|Turn off the power saving mode-->

3. Method 2: Google Account – a universal method for any Android

If you don’t have a second Xiaomi, or Mi Mover refuses to work, syncing through Google is the most reliable option.The main plus is that the data will be available on any Android device, not just Xiaomi.

What exactly is being transferred:

• 📇 Contacts (if linked to Google, not to Google) SIM telephone)
• 📅 Calendar and reminders
• 📧 Gmail mail
• 📸 Photos and videos (if backup is enabled in Google Photos)
• 🎮 Data from some games (if they support Google Play Games)
• 🔑 Passwords from Google Smart Lock

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the data you need.
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync).
3. On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select Restore from a backup and log in to the same Google Account.
4. Select the latest backup (pay attention to the date!).

⚠️ Note: If the old phone used Mi Account for backup, not Google, then contacts and SMS They don't automatically transfer. They need to be exported manually through Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Apps are not portable, only their listings in Google Play (you will have to install them again).
• ❌ Photos in original quality take up space in Google Photos (free only compressed versions).
• ❌ SMS and the call log is not synced via Google (you need to use Mi Mover or third-party apps).

💡

If you're migrating data from your iPhone, install the Google One app on it first and back it up. Then on the new Xiaomi, restore data from your Google Account. This is the only way to migrate contacts and photos without loss.

Method 3: Transfer over a cable OTG Adapter (for older phones)

If your old phone doesn’t support Mi Mover or Wi-Fi Direct (like a push-button device or an ultra-budget Android Go), you can use a direct connection via a Wi-Fi Direct phone. OTG-This method works even with iPhones, but requires additional accessories.

What you need:

• 🔌 OTG-adapter (e.g, USB-C to Lightning for iPhone or Micro-USB to USB-C old Android).
• 📱 File Manager (built-in in the MIUI Solid Explorer from Google Play).
• 🔋 Charging: when copying a large amount of data, the phone can discharge for 20-30 minute.

Instructions:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG-On the new Xiaomi, select File Transfer (MTP) plug-in.
2. Open the file manager and go to the old phone’s internal memory folder (usually /storage/emulated/0/).
3. Copy the right folders: DCIM — Download photos and videos - downloads WhatsApp/Media — chat-files

Insert files into the corresponding folders on the new phone.

Important nuances:

• 📂 Contact and SMS You need to export them to.vcf and.xml files separately.
• 🔒 Secure folders (e.g, Android/data/) They won't be visible without root rights.
• 🐢 The speed of copying depends on the version USB: on USB 2.0 10 GB of data copied ~30 minutes, on USB 3.1 — ~10 minutes.

5. Method 4: Cloud Services (Mi Cloud, Google Drive, Yandex Disk)

If you have slow internet or little space on your phone, cloud services can be a lifeline. Xiaomi offers its own cloud, Mi Cloud, but it has limitations:

How to transfer data through Mi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, open Settings. → Mi Account → Mi Cloud and enable synchronization for the desired data.
2. Wait for the download to complete (check in Mi Cloud → Storage).
3. On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Mi Account and enable synchronization.
4. Go to Settings → About Phone → Recover and Reset → Restore from Mi Cloud.

Challenges and solutions:

• 🌐 Mi Cloud is not available in your area: VPN servers in India or Singapore.
• 🔄 Data is not synced: check that both phones have the same version MIUI (or update the firmware).
• 📥 Slow loading: disable background traffic restriction in Settings → The Internet and the Internet → Use of data.

💡

Mi Cloud is the only way to transfer the call log between Xiaomi devices, and other cloud services (Google, Yandex) do not support this type of data.

6. Method 5: Transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi (with preservation of photo quality)

The transition from iOS to Android is always a challenge: Apple makes it difficult to export data.

Method 1: Move to iOS (reverse method)

Yes, this is an Apple app for porting to the iPhone, but it can be used in the opposite direction:

1. On your iPhone, install Google Drive and back up (contacts, photos, calendar).
2. On Xiaomi, log into the same Google Account and recover the data.
3. Use iTunes to transfer music + Syncthing (free program for synchronizing files over Wi-Fi).

Method 2: Direct transmission via cable (with Lightning adapter) → USB-C)

• 🔌 Buy a Lightning to adapter USB-C (Original from Apple or Belkin Certified).
• 📱 On iPhone, turn on Settings → Face ID and password → Transfer data to Android (appears in iOS 15)+).
• 📁 Connect your phones and select data to transfer (only works with the MIUI 13+).

Method 3: Through a computer (for large amounts of data)

1. Connect your iPhone to your PC/Mac and copy photos via iTunes or Photos (Windows) 10+).
2. Transfer files to Xiaomi via cable or Mi Mover.
3. For contacts, export them to.vcf via iCloud.com.

⚠️ Attention: When transferring photos from iPhone to Xiaomi via Google Photos, quality may deteriorate! To avoid this: In the Google Photos settings on iPhone, select Original Quality (not High Quality). Use Mi Mover or direct cable transmission for photos in the format HEIC (They are automatically converted into JPEG lossless).

7. Transfer specific data: WhatsApp, games, passwords

Some types of data require a separate approach:

WhatsApp (chats and media):

• 📱 On Android: Use built-in backup in Google Drive (chat settings) → Restore on your new phone when you first start.
• 🍎 On iPhone: export chats via email (one at a time!) or use paid programs like Backuptrans.

Games (conservation and progress):

• 🎮 If the game supports Google Play Games or Mi Account, saves are automatically synced.
• 💾 For other games, use Helium (requires root) or manual folder copying. /Android/obb/.

Passwords and application data:

• 🔑 Export passwords from Google Smart Lock (settings) → Google → Account management → Security → Passwords).
• 📝 For notes from Mi Notes, use export to.zip via Settings → Imports/Exports.

System settings (wallpaper, sounds, widgets):

• 🎨 Wallpaper: copy files from /Pictures/Wallpapers/.
• 🔔 Sound: Move files from /Ringtones/ and /Notifications/.
• ⚙️ Widgets: They will have to be reconfigured in MIUI There are no tools to carry them.

8 What to do if the data is not transferred or damaged

Even with proper transfer, there can be problems. Here's how to solve them:

Extreme measures:

• 🔄 Reset to factory settings: If data has been moved curved, it is sometimes easier to reset a new phone and repeat the transfer.
• 🛠️ Manual transfer: For critical data (e.g. work chats), use screenshots or file transfer via Telegram.
• 📞 Support: If you have a problem with Mi Cloud or Mi Account, write to settings@xiaomi.com fault-descriptive.

💡

If after transferring the phone began to brake, check the settings → Annexes → All apps and sort by size. Often the cause of lags is the transferred caches of old applications (for example, Facebook or TikTok can borrow on the Internet). 5-10 GB).

FAQ: Frequent questions about data portability to Xiaomi