How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Honor: 5 proven ways

Moving from Xiaomi to Honor is not just a brand change, but also a need to port personal data – contacts, photos, messages and even app settings – and many users fear losing important information or spending hours manually copying files. In fact, the process can be automated using built-in tools. MIUI magic UI, So, and universal solutions from Google.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data, from the official Mi Mover app to using cloud services and physical cable connection, and pay special attention to the nuances that are often overlooked in standard instructions: For example, why a Google Account transfer can “short” WhatsApp message history, or how to avoid a “Incompatible Device” error when connecting directly, POCO X5) and Honor (Magic 5, 90, X9).

If you have already tried to transfer data and faced problems, at the end of the article there are FAQ-A block with solutions to common errors, such as when Honor can’t see Xiaomi through a cable or files are not copied due to restrictions. MIUI. Let’s start with the most reliable way – the official tool from Xiaomi.

1.Move over Mi Mover: the official way from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is an integrated application in the MIUI, It's designed to migrate data between devices. It supports the transmission of contacts, messages (SMS/MMS), Photos, video, audio, calendars, and even some of the system's settings, the main advantage of which is that you don't need Internet (except for the first stage of setting up), and the data is transmitted directly over Wi-Fi.

However, there are limitations: Mi Mover officially works only between Xiaomi devices, but with a workaround it can be used to transfer to Honor. This will require you to temporarily change the device model in the Honor settings (details below).

• ✅ Pros: high transfer speed, maintaining the folder structure, no data volume restrictions.
• ❌ Cons: requires manual configuration to Honor, does not transfer applications and their data.
• ⚙️ Required: Both devices with charge >50%, Wi-Fi, cable USB-C (for some).

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, open Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app through search).
2. Select I sender and wait for generation QR-code.
3. On Honor, temporarily change the device model: Go to Settings → The phone. → Model of the device. Click on the model name 5 times until the edit window appears. Enter any Xiaomi model, such as the Redmi Note 11.

Install Mi Mover on Honor via APK-File (download from APKCombo).

Run Mi Mover on Honor, select Me Recipient and scan QR-code.

Select the data to transfer and confirm the start of the transmission, and it takes 5 to 30 minutes depending on the volume.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure to return the original model to Honor settings after the transfer, otherwise you may have problems with Magic updates. UI.

Charge both devices to 60%|

Download APK Mi Mover on Honor|

Change the Honor model to Xiaomi|

Disable VPNs and firewalls |

Connect to a single Wi-Fi network (if required)-->

2.Move over Google Account: Universal Method

Google Account Sync is the most reliable way to transfer basic data, such as contacts, calendars, notes (from Google Keep) and some settings, and the advantage of this method is that it works on any Android device without any additional applications.

• 📱 What is transferred: contacts, calendar events, Chrome bookmarks, some system settings (Wi-Fi passwords, wallpaper).
• 🚫 What's not tolerable: SMS/MMS, Call history, files (photo/video), application data (e.g. saves in games).
• ⚠️ Limitation: If Xiaomi used a local Mi Account, contacts may not sync with Google.

How to transfer data:

1. On Xiaomi, open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Make sure that sync is enabled for Contacts, Calendar and other relevant data. Click Sync now.
3. On Honor, when you first turn on, select Recover Data and log in to the same Google Account.
4. If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → Users and accounts → Google and enable synchronization.

You can use Google Photos to transfer photos and videos:

1. On Xiaomi, install Google Photos and enable Backup.
2. Wait for the download to complete (check in Settings → Backups).
3. On Honor, install Google Photos and log in to the same account – files will start downloading automatically.

⚠️ Note: If you have more than 15GB of data in Google Photos, note that free storage is limited. Alternatively, use a Yandex Drive or OneDrive with a large volume.

Mi Mover|

Google Account|

OTG/PC| cable

Cloud services (Google Drive, Yandex Drive)|

Manual transfer (by hand) Bluetooth/email)-->

3. Transfer over OTG cable or computer: for large amounts of data

If you need to move tens of gigabytes of photos, videos or other files, the fastest way is to physically connect via cable.

1. Direct connection (OTG): Xiaomi connects to Honor as a flash drive. Requires cable USB-C — USB-C (adapter).
2. Through computer: both phones are connected to the PC, the data is copied through the conductor.

Instructions for Direct Connection (OTG):

1. Connect Xiaomi to Honor with a cable.
2. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On Honor, open File Manager – Xiaomi device will appear as an external drive.
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM Photos, Downloads for downloads, etc.).

Nuances:

• 🔌 If Honor doesn’t see Xiaomi, try changing the cable – some cheap cables don’t support data transfer.
• 📁 For the portability of applications (APK-files) copy the folder /data/app, But please note that application data (e.g., saves in games) will not be migrated.
• 🔒 If folders are not displayed, on Xiaomi, enable Display of Hidden Files in the File Manager.

Instructions for transfer via computer:

1. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and copy the data to a folder on your hard drive.
2. Disable Xiaomi, connect Honor and transfer files back.
3. Use TeraCopy or FastCopy to speed up, as they copy files faster than standard Explorer.

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If you are connected through OTG Honor asks you to format the device -- don't agree! That means the cable or the port is faulty. Try another cable or port. USB computer-based.

4. Cloud Transfer Services: Dropbox, Yandex Drive, OneDrive

Cloud storage is convenient if you have slow Internet or no cable at hand, and the main advantage is that you can move data piece by piece without taking up space on your phone.

• ☁️ Pros: no physical connection, you can transfer data gradually, access from any device.
• ❌ Cons: volume limit (usually free 5-15 GB), dependence on Internet speed.
• ⏳ Time: 10GB of photos can take hours to download.

Step-by-step instructions on the example of Yandex Disk:

1. On Xiaomi, install Yandex Drive and log in to your account.
2. Upload files to the cloud: Open the file manager, highlight folders (e.g., file manager, DCIM/Camera). Press Share. → Yandex Disc. → Download.

Honor

Yandex Disc.

Comparison of cloud services:

• 📁 Google Drive: 15GB free, Android integration, but slow download.
• 📁 Yandex Disk: 10 GB free, high speed in Russia, but restrictions for foreign IP.
• 📁 OneDrive: 5GB free, convenient for Windows users.
• 📁 Dropbox: 2GB free, the slowest of the listed.

⚠️ Note: When uploading to the cloud, photos and videos may be compressed (for example, in Google Photos when selecting the High Quality option). To avoid loss of quality, choose Original Quality (but this will take up more space).

5. Transportation of messages and data applications: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber

Standard methods (Mi Mover, Google Account) do not carry the history of chats from instant messengers.

• 💬 WhatsApp: Use built-in backup in Google Drive.
• 📧 Telegram: data is stored in the cloud, just log into the account on a new device.
• 📞 Viber: backup is created manually through Settings → Account. → Backup copy.

Transferring WhatsApp history:

1. On Xiaomi, open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Click Create a copy and wait until it is completed (use Wi-Fi!).
3. On Honor, install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats from Google Drive.

Important nuances:

• ⚠️ If your phone number is different on Honor, WhatsApp history will not be restored. Use the same number or change it in your account settings.
• 🔄 For Telegram, it is enough to log into the account - the chat history will be downloaded automatically (if Secret chat was not used).
• 📱 For Viber, backup is saved to the device. Move the viber.bak file over a cable or cloud, then restore to Honor.

If you use two-factor authentication in messengers, disable it before perenosom or save backup codes - otherwise you may lose access to your account!

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To transfer these applications (for example, games) use Helium or Swift Backup (root rights are required). APK-files, but not saves.

6. Transfer system settings and accounts: Wi-Fi, wallpaper, sounds

Many users forget that in addition to files and contacts, you need to transfer the system settings:

• 📶 Wi-Fi passwords
• 🎨 Wallpaper and themes
• 🔔 Notification and alarm clock sounds
• 🔑 Social media and mail accounts

How to move the settings:

• 📶 Wi-Fi Passwords: On Xiaomi, install WiFi Password Viewer (root required) or export passwords through Settings → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Export network (not available on all models) Password file transfer to Honor and import via the same path.
• 🎨 Wallpapers and topics: Wallpaper is usually stored in /Pictures/Wallpapers — Copy the folder through the cable. MIUI Incompatible with Magic UI, You can save color schemes through screenshots.
• 🔔 Notifications: The sound files are in /Ringtones, /Notifications, /Alarms — On Honor, install Ringtone Maker to assign sounds to notifications.

To transfer social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) it is enough to log into the applications on the new device, however, if you used two-factor authentication, in advance:

• Save the backup codes.
• Turn off the phone number (if you change your phone number) SIM-map).
• Export data (e.g. to Facebook: Settings) → Your information. → Download the data).

7.Data Transfer Problems and Errors: How to Solve

Even when following the instructions, there may be errors.

Additional advice:

• 🔋 If the transfer is interrupted due to battery discharge, do not continue the process – start again, otherwise the data may be damaged.
• 📡 When using Wi-Fi for data transfer, turn off power saving mode on both devices.
• 🔒 If encryption is enabled on Xiaomi, some files may not be copied. Try temporarily disabling encryption in Settings → Security.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions