How to Transfer Data from Honor Phone to Xiaomi: A Complete Guide with Proven Ways

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a brand change, but also a migration of all your data, from contacts and messages to photos and app settings. Many users face problems when trying to transfer information between devices from different manufacturers, especially when it comes to Chinese smartphones with customized shells (Magic UI for Honor and HyperOS/MIUI for Xiaomi). In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of transferring data, their pros and cons, and give recommendations for eliminating typical errors.

It's important to understand that there's no one-size-fits-all solution: the choice of method depends on the amount of data, phone models, and even the firmware version. For example, Xiaomi's Mi Mover officially supports porting with Honor, but may not work on older versions of Magic UI. And using Google Account makes it easier to process, but doesn't always store folder structure or call history. We tested all methods on devices from 2022 to 2026 and put together step-by-step instructions with nuance in mind.

If you plan to carry data yourself, save time: the process can take from 15 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of information. Also check the battery power on both devices - when using a cable connection, the discharge of one of the phones below 30% can interrupt the transmission and cause loss of data.

1. Preparation of telephones before data transfer

Before migrating, you need to follow several mandatory steps on both devices, which will help avoid errors and speed up the process.

On Honor's phone:

• 📱 Update the firmware to the latest version (Settings) → System and updates → Software updates. This is important because older versions of Magic are still in use. UI It may not support modern data transfer protocols.
• 🔒 Make sure there is no lock from the manufacturer (e.g. Huawei) on the device ID If the phone is tied to an account, you need to unlock it in advance.
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network or make sure you have enough mobile traffic (when using cloud services).
• 🔋 Charge the battery to at least 50% – some transfer methods require long-term operation of the device.

On Xiaomi's phone:

• 📲 Install the latest version MIUI or HyperOS through Settings → The phone. → Update the system, which ensures compatibility with the transfer tools.
• 🧹 Free up enough memory space — the volume should exceed the size of the data being transferred by at least 20%. For example, 30 GB of photos need 36 GB of free space.
• 🔌 Prepare the original cable USB-C (Or adapter if the ports are different. Cheap cables may not support data mode.

⚠️ Note: If you use Honor with firmware based EMUI 10 or older, some features (such as Mi Mover) may not work, in which case we recommend using cloud services or manual transfer over the computer.

2. Method 1: Using Mi Mover (official solution from Xiaomi)

Mi Mover is an integrated application on Xiaomi smartphones designed to transfer data from other devices, including Honor.It supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio files and even some application settings. However, there are limitations: for example, not all Honor models are compatible, and the amount of data transferred should not exceed 100 GB.

Step-by-step:

1. On your Xiaomi phone, open the Mi Mover app (if not, download from Google Play or AppGallery).
2. Select the option “I am a new user” (or similar).
3. On Honor, download Mi Mover from AppGallery or APKMirror (if the app is not available in your area).
4. Run Mi Mover on both devices and select Send Data on Honor and Get Data on Xiaomi.
5. Connect your phones via a USB-C-USB-C cable (or use an adapter if the ports are different) and you will see a request for confirmation of the connection on the screen, allowing access on both devices.
6. Select data types to transfer (contacts, messages, media, etc.) and click Start.
7. Wait until the process is complete. Don't turn off the cable or lock the screens!

⚠️ Warning: If the Mi Mover is stuck in the connection phase, try restarting the app on both phones and using a different cable. Also check if the antivirus or power saving mode is blocking the data transmission.

Both phones are connected to charging|Updated firmware on both devices|The original cable is used. USB-C|Disabled. VPN and energy-saving regimes-->

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (the most reliable method)

Using a Google Account is one of the most versatile ways to transfer data, as it does not depend on the phone model and works even on older versions of Android. However, this method has limitations: for example, not all data is synced automatically (for example, messages or app settings), and it will require enough space in Google Photos to transfer photos.

How to transfer data:

1. On Honor, open Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for all the right categories (contacts, calendar, Google Drive, etc.).
2. Upload photos and videos to Google Photos: Open the Google Photos app. Go to Settings → Backup and Sync. Select High Quality (free) or Original Quality (Subject to Google Storage). Wait for the download to be completed.
3. Backup Messages (optional): Install SMS Backup & Restore from Google Play. Create a backup and upload it to Google Drive.
4. On Xiaomi phone, log in to the same Google Account.
5. Turn on sync: Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync. Activate the switches for contacts, calendar and other data.

Google Photo

• Open the Google Photos app on Xiaomi.
• Select the files and click "Download".

Advantages of the method:

• 🌍 It works on any Android device.
• 🔄 Data is automatically updated when changes are made.
• 📁 Only the right categories can be selectively synchronized.

Disadvantages:

• 🚫 Not all data is portable (such as Wi-Fi settings or some application data).
• 💾 Requires enough space in Google Drive (15GB free).
• ⏳ The process can take a long time with a large amount of data.

💡

If you don’t have enough space in Google Drive, delete old backups and clear the cart in Google Photos before transferring. You can also temporarily buy additional space (from 100 GB per car). ~139 ₽/month).

Method 3: Transfer over OTG cable and computer

If you don't have Wi-Fi, or if you prefer manual control, you can use a computer as an intermediary, which is suitable for carrying large amounts of data (such as high-resolution video) and ensuring that files are safe, because you can see what is being copied.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux.
• 🔌 Two. USB-cable (or single cable) + adapter OTG).
• 📂 Enough free space on the hard disk.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor phone to your computer via cable.
2. On the phone, select the file transfer mode (“File transfer” or “MTP”).
3. Copy the right folders (DCIM For photos, Downloads for downloads, etc.) to your computer./DCIM/Camera/ — Photos and videos Internal memory/Downloads/ — Downloaded files Internal memory/WhatsApp/Media/ — WhatsApp media files
4. Turn off Honor and connect Xiaomi to your computer.
5. Transfer the copied files to the new phone to the appropriate folders.
6. To transfer contacts, export them to.vcf: To Honor: Contacts → Settings → Import/Export → Export to.vcf. Copy the file to your computer, then to Xiaomi. To Xiaomi: Contacts → Settings → Import/Export → Import from the.vcf file.

⚠️ Note: When copying files through a computer, avoid using a file system FAT32 on flash drives – it does not support files larger than 4 GB. Use exFAT or NTFS.

5. Method 4: Cloud services (Yandex Drive, Mail.ru Cloud, Dropbox)

If you have slow internet or don’t want to use Google, alternative cloud services are available, offering free space (10 to 20 GB) and often have faster download speeds in some regions, and the main advantage is cross-platform: files can be downloaded from Honor and downloaded to Xiaomi without being tied to a specific ecosystem.

Comparison of popular services:

Instructions for transferring through Yandex Disk:

1. Install the Yandex Drive app on both phones.
2. On Honor, upload files to the cloud: Open the app and click Download. Select files and folders (like DCIM for a photo). Wait for the download to be completed.

Xiaomi

• Open Yandex Drive and find the uploaded files.
• Select them and press "Download."

For the transfer of contacts:

• 📇 Export them to a.vcf file on Honor (as described in method 3).
• 📤 Upload the file to the cloud, then download it to Xiaomi.
• 📥 Import contacts through Contacts → Imports/exports.

💡

Cloud services are ideal for carrying small amounts of data (up to 10 GB) or when there is no access to the cable. For large files (video, backups), it is better to use a computer or Mi Mover.

Method 5: Transfer through cloning applications (Clone Phone, SHAREit)

If standard methods don't work, you can use third-party data cloning apps, which often support more file types than Mi Mover, but can contain ads or collect user data, and we recommend using only proven high-ranking apps.

Top.-3 portability:

• 📱 Clone Phone (from Xiaomi) – optimized for Xiaomi devices, but works with other brands as well. Supports app, messaging and media portability.
• 📲 SHAREit is a popular application for fast file transfer over Wi-Fi Direct. does not require Internet, but can be unstable on large amounts of data.
• 🔄 Send Anywhere is a reliable service with data encryption, allowing you to send files via a link or QR-code.

Instructions for Clone Phone:

1. Install the app on both phones from Google Play or AppGallery.
2. On Honor, select "Old Device" and on Xiaomi, "New Device."
3. Connect your phones to a single Wi-Fi network or use an access point.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen on Honor.
5. Select the data to transfer and wait for completion.

⚠️ Note: When using SHAREit or similar applications, turn off power saving mode on both phones. Otherwise, transmission may be interrupted due to automatic Wi-Fi shutdown.

7.Typical errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users often have problems with data transfer, and we've collected some of the most common errors and ways to fix them.

If none of the methods worked:

• 🔧 Check if the data transfer is blocked by antivirus or firewall.
• 📡 Try using another Wi-Fi network (such as a mobile hotspot).
• 📱 Reset your network settings on both phones (Settings) → System system → Resetting settings → Resetting network settings).
• 💬 Contact Xiaomi or Honor for phone models and firmware versions.

8. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)