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

Moving from Xiaomi to iPhone is not just a smartphone change, it’s a complete migration to a different ecosystem. Even if you’ve long dreamed of iOS, the process of migrating data can seem daunting: a bunch of photos in the Gallery, years of WhatsApp correspondence, saved passwords and notes — all of which need to be carefully moved without losing a single byte. Fortunately, Apple and third-party developers have tools that make it easier. But there are pitfalls: from format incompatibility to the limitations of Move to iOS on new versions of Android.

In this article, we will look at all the current methods of transfer, from the official Move to iOS app to manual methods using cloud services and a computer, focusing on the transfer of messages from Chinese messengers (for example, WeChat), which are often ignored in standard guides, and learn how to avoid typical errors that may cause data to not move or migrate in an uncomfortable way (for example, contacts without photos or a calendar with broken events).

Before you start, check out two key points:

1. The iPhone should have a clean system (if the device is already configured, you will have to reset to factory settings).
2. Xiaomi has enough free space for temporary files (at least 1-2 GB).

1. Official way: Move to iOS app

Move to iOS is a free app from Apple that automates the transfer of most data: contacts, messages, photos, mail, calendars and even some applications (if any are in the App Store).

• 📱 It only works when you first set up your iPhone (after resetting).
• ⚡ Requires Wi-Fi connection (not working via mobile internet).
• 🔄 Transfers take from 10 minutes to several hours depending on the amount of data.
• ❌ Does not support the transfer of WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers (only) SMS/MMS).

How to use:

1. On the iPhone, when setting up, go to the Apps and Data screen → Choose to Transfer Data from Android.
2. On Xiaomi, download Move to iOS from Google Play, open it and follow the instructions.
3. The iPhone will have a 10-digit code – type it into Xiaomi.
4. Select the data to transfer and wait for completion.

⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi has custom firmware installed (like LineageOS), Move to iOS may not work, and the app often freezes during the connection stage - in this case, restart Wi-Fi on both devices.

Charging both smartphones > 50%|Shut down. VPN Xiaomi|Connect to a single Wi-Fi network|Close all background applications-->

2. Cloud services transfer (Google, Mi Cloud, iCloud)

If Move to iOS doesn’t work (like your iPhone is already set up), use cloud services, which is universal but requires more time and manual setup.

Method 1: Through Google Account (for contacts, calendars, mail, notes)

• 📲 On Xiaomi, open Settings → Accounts. → Google and enable sync for the data you need.
• 🍎 On iPhone, add the same Google Account to Settings → Passwords and accounts.
• 🔄 Enable synchronization for Contacts, Calendars and Mail.

Method 2: Mi Cloud for photos and notes

1. On Xiaomi, upload data to Mi Cloud (Settings) → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud).
2. Download photos to your computer via i.mi.com.
3. Move files to your iPhone via iTunes or Finder (for macOS Catalina and later).

Method 3: iCloud for backup

If you already have a backup in iCloud (like the previous iPhone), you can restore it to a new device, but for Xiaomi data, this method is not suitable - iCloud does not know how to import backups of Android.

Google Drive|Mi Cloud|iCloud|Dropbox|Other-->

3. Transfer of photos and videos without loss

Photos are the most voluminous and valuable type of data, and to transfer them without compression or loss, use one of these methods:

Method 1: Google Photos (the easiest one)

• 📷 On Xiaomi, enable autoload in Google Photos (Settings) → Backup and synchronization).
• 🍎 On your iPhone, install Google Photos and log in to the same account.
• 🔄 Download photos to the device (select albums) → Save it to the device).

Method 2: Direct transmission via cable (without cloud)

If you have a lot of photos (tens of gigabytes), the cloud can be slow or paid.

1. Connect Xiaomi to your computer via USB-cable (in file transfer mode).
2. Copy the folder. DCIM (Where photos and videos are stored on PC.
3. Connect your iPhone and transfer files via iTunes (Files) → Add a file or Finder (for macOS).

⚠️ Note: iPhone does not support the.heic format (standard for Xiaomi on Android 10)+). Before penos, convert files to.jpg using applications like HEIC Converter.

Method 3: Through messengers (for small volumes)

If you need to transfer only a few gigabytes, you can use Telegram:

• 📎 Create a chat Save Messages.
• 📤 Send photos there as files (without compression).
• 📥 On the iPhone, download them back.

💡

If photos take more than 100 GB, break them into archives of 10-15 GB. 7-Zip WinRAR with maximum compression.

4. Transfer of messages from WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers

Standard tools (Move to iOS, cloud) can't transfer correspondence from instant messengers. There's a different way for each application:

WhatsApp

The official method is via Move to iOS (works only when you first set up your iPhone):

1. On Xiaomi, update WhatsApp to the latest version.
2. In Move to iOS, select WhatsApp at the data port stage.
3. On your iPhone, install WhatsApp and log in to the same account – the correspondence will be downloaded automatically.

If your iPhone is already set up, use third-party tools:

• 🔧 Backuptrans (paid software for the Windows/macOS).
• 📱 iMazing (requires iTunes backup).

Telegram

Telegram is stored in the cloud, so it is enough:

1. On the iPhone, install Telegram and log into your account.
2. All chats and media files will be downloaded automatically (if Autoboot is enabled).

WeChat, QQ and other Chinese messengers

These applications often block data export. The only reliable way is to:

• 📸 Take screenshots of important correspondence.
• 💾 Save them to Google Drive or to your computer.

5. Transfer of applications and game data

You can't transfer the Xiaomi apps to the iPhone directly, you have to reinstall them, but you can save them.

• 🎮 Game progress (through linking to Google Play Games, Facebook or developer account).
• 📝 Application settings (if synced to the cloud).
• 💳 In-game purchases (link your account to Apple) ID post-transfer).

How to reschedule games:

1. Check if the game supports cross-platform synchronization (e.g. Genshin Impact, Clash of Clans).
2. If yes, link the game to your account (miHoYo, Supercell) ID etc.).
3. On the iPhone, install the game, log in to the same account – progress will be pulled up automatically.

For applications without cloud sync (such as some offline games), portability is not possible.The alternative is to use Android emulators on a PC (such as BlueStacks), but this is a temporary solution.

⚠️ Note: Some apps (like Xiaomi Home for Smart Home) are unmatched in the App Store. Before switching to iPhone, check if there are replacements in the Apple ecosystem for your key apps.

6. Transfer of music, books and other files

Music, e-books and documents are the easiest to transfer – they can be copied like regular files.

Music.

• 🎵 If you bought music from Google Play Music, transfer it to YouTube Music (available on iPhone).
• 💿 For local files, use iTunes or Finder (drop the tracks to the Music section).
• 🎧 Alternatively, upload music to Apple Music (if you have a subscription).

Books and documents

• 📚 For PDF/EPUB Use iBooks or Google Play Books.
• 📄 Port documents (.docx,.xlsx) via Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.

Browser bookmarks

If you have used Chrome on Xiaomi:

1. Sign in to Chrome on your iPhone under the same account.
2. The bookmarks are synchronized automatically.

For Mi Browser, export bookmarks to HTML-file settings → Export bookmarks and import them to Safari via iCloud.

7. iPhone setup after portability: what to check

After transferring the data, don’t rush to reset Xiaomi. First, make sure everything works correctly on the iPhone:

Contacts are displayed with photos|Photos are not damaged (open a few random photos)|Communications in WhatsApp/Telegram loaded|Calendars are synchronized with the right events|Apps from the App Store are without errors-->

Typical problems and their solutions:

• 📵 No sound in the messages. → Check the notification settings (Settings) → Notifications).
• 🔋 Fast battery discharge → Turn off background updates of unnecessary apps.
• 📶 Bad signal from the network → Update your eSIM profile with the operator (if you use a virtual one). SIM).

If something went wrong, don't panic.You have 14 days to return data from Xiaomi (if you didn't reset it).

1. Make a backup copy on Xiaomi (Settings) → Additionally. → Backup and reset).
2. Repeat the transfer in another way (for example, through the cloud instead of Move to iOS).

💡

Do not delete data from Xiaomi for at least a week after the transfer – this is your “insurance” in case of errors.

8. Alternative methods: for experienced users

If standard methods don't work, try advanced solutions. They take longer, but give you complete control.

Method 1: ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

It allows you to copy data directly from Xiaomi to your computer and then to your iPhone.

• 📱 Transfer SMS/MMS.xml.
• 📁 Backup of all applications (including data).

Instructions:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab


adb pull /sdcard/backup.ab

Backup.ab can be unpacked using Android Backup Extractor and transferred to the iPhone manually.

Method 2: Using third-party programs

Programs like Syncios, MobileTrans, or Dr.Fone promise one-click transfer, but:

• ⚠️ Often require root rights to Xiaomi.
• 💰 Paid (free versions are limited).
• 🛡️ Data breach risk (use only proven tools).

Method 3: Through Linux (for advanced)

If you use Linux, you can mount Xiaomi as an external drive and copy files directly:

sudo mkdir /media/xiaomi


sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /media/xiaomi # Replace sdX1 with your drive




cp -r /media/xiaomi/DCIM ~/iphone_photos

⚠️ Attention: Methods with ADB And root can disrupt Xiaomi (for example, reset) DRM-keys L1, Netflix will stop working in high definition, and only use them if other methods have failed.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring from Xiaomi to iPhone