How to transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi without loss: 5 proven ways

Why migrating data from Honor to Xiaomi requires a special approach

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a brand change, but a transition between two different ecosystems with unique features. Unlike moving between devices of the same brand (for example, from Honor 90 to Honor Magic 6), there are nuances of compatibility, differences in brand services and even limitations at the operating system level. MIUI and MagicOS (or EMUI on older Honor models) use different synchronization protocols, which can complicate automatic porting.

The main problem is that Xiaomi is actively promoting its own migration solution, the Mi Mover app, which is optimized for Android devices, but does not always correctly interact with Honor firmware. For example, users often encounter errors when trying to migrate data from Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) to Google Mobile Services (GMS), since these ecosystems are not originally designed for mutual integration. In this article, we will analyze all working methods, from official tools to manual methods that are guaranteed to work even on older models.

Method 1: Transfer through Mi Mover (official method)

The Mi Mover app is Xiaomi’s proprietary data migration tool, pre-installed on all new devices of the brand, and supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio files and even some settings, but it requires several conditions to be met to work successfully:

• 📱 Both phones must be charged at least 50% (at a rate below 30%, the Mi Mover will refuse to start).
• 🔌 We need a cable. OTG (adapter USB-C → USB-C) direct-connect.
• 📶 Honor should be included in the debugging of USB (Settings → The phone. → Assembly number (7 taps) → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔒 Xiaomi needs to turn off the screen lock (PIN/pattern lock) at the time of transfer.

Step-by-step:

1. Install Mi Mover on Honor from Google Play (if it’s not in AppGallery).
2. On Xiaomi, run Mi Mover through the Settings menu → About Phone → Data Import.
3. Connect your phones with a cable. On Honor, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
4. On Xiaomi, confirm the connection, wait for the data scan and select categories to transfer.

Download Mi Mover on Honor| Charge both phones >50%| Enable USB debugging on Honor| Connect OTG| Cable Disable screen lock on Xiaomi-->

⚠️ Note: If the Mi Mover is stuck in the Preparation phase, try restarting both phones and repeating the procedure. Often the problem is solved by changing the cable - use the original from Xiaomi.

Method 2: Sync through Google account (universal method)

If Mi Mover doesn’t work or you want to transfer only basic data (contacts, calendar, mail, photos to Google Photos), the most reliable way is to use a Google account, which is suitable even for older Honor models (such as Honor 8X or Honor 10 Lite), where there is no support for Mi Mover.

What can be transferred:

• 📇 Contacts (via Google Contacts).
• 📅 Calendar and reminders.
• 📧 Gmail and account settings.
• 📸 Photos and videos (via Google Photos with original quality).
• 🎵 Music and documents (via Google Drive).

Instructions:

1. On Honor, add your Google account to Settings → Accounts → Add an account.
2. Enable sync for the desired categories: Settings → Accounts → Google → [your email] → Account Sync
3. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Google Contacts and Google Photos via browser).
4. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account – the data will be downloaded automatically.

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If there are no Google services on Honor (models for China), install them manually via APKMirror or use the method with Huawei Backup (see Method 4).

⚠️ Note: Photos in Google Photos are synced only when connected to Wi-Fi. If you have slow Internet, download them manually in advance through your browser on your PC.

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

If you need to move tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or music files, the fastest way is to use a PC or Mac as an intermediary, which is also suitable if the firmware on Honor is damaged or the phone is not turned on (but is defined as a drive).

What you need:

• 💻 Computer with USB-port.
• 🔌 Two cables (Micro-USB/USB-C model-wise).
• 📁 Folder on the desktop for temporary data storage.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to your PC and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the files you want (usually in DCIM, Downloads, Pictures) to your computer.
3. Disable Honor, connect Xiaomi and transfer files to the appropriate folders.
4. For contacts and messages, use export in.vcf (contacts) and.xml (messages) formats through applications like Super Backup & Restore.

⚠️ Note: When you transfer applications (.apk files) via PC, you will have to install them manually on Xiaomi. Some programs (for example, banking) may not work due to binding to the previous device.

Method 4: Using Huawei Backup for models without Google

If your Honor runs on EMUI or MagicOS without Google Mobile Services (like the Honor 30 Pro+ for the Chinese market), standard portability techniques won’t work, in which case Huawei’s proprietary solution, the Huawei Backup app, will help.

Algorithm of action:

1. Install Huawei Backup from AppGallery on Honor.
2. Create a backup copy of the SD-card or Huawei Cloud (if you have a Huawei account) ID).
3. Download the backup file to your PC (it will have the.hbk extension).
4. Use HiSuite (the official software from Huawei) to extract data from a.hbk file into a readable format.
5. Transfer the extracted files to Xiaomi via PC (see Method 3).

⚠️ Note:.hbk files cannot be opened without HiSuite.If you don't have access to a PC, try uploading a backup to Huawei Cloud and using the web version to extract data.

Mi Mover|Google account|Through the computer|Huawei Backup|Other-->

Method 5: Transfer applications and their data (for advanced users)

If you need to migrate not only files, but also application settings, game saves or messenger data (such as Telegram or Viber), additional tools will be needed, such as ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or applications like Titanium Backup (requires root rights).

Instructions for ADB:

1. Install ADB on PC (you can download from the official website).
2. Turn on USB debugging on both phones.
3. Connect Honor and execute the command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f honor_backup.ab
4. Connect Xiaomi and recover data: Adb restore honor_backup.ab

⚠️ Note: Not all applications support backup through ADB. For example, WhatsApp or banking app data will not be portable due to encryption.

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To transfer these games (such as Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile), use a Google Play or social media link, which is more reliable than manually copying save files.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems, and here are the most common mistakes and solutions:

• 🚫 Mi Mover doesn't see Honor: Check if debugging is enabled USB And if you're using the original cable, try rebooting both phones.
• 🚫 Contacts are not portable: Make sure they are saved in Google Contacts, not in your phone’s memory or in your phone’s memory. SIM-map.
• 🚫 Photos are not synced: In Google Photos, check your backup settings (High quality or Original quality).
• 🚫 Applications are not installed: On Xiaomi, allow installation from unknown sources (Settings) → Annexes → Special rights → Installation of unknown applications).

If none of these methods worked, try resetting Xiaomi to factory settings and repeating the clean system transfer, sometimes because of previously installed applications or settings.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions