How to Transfer SMS to Xiaomi’s New Phone: A Complete Guide to 2026

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but losing important SMS can ruin all the fun. Bank messages, confirmations of registrations, correspondence with loved ones – all of this is often stored for years in the phone’s memory. Fortunately, transferring SMS to Xiaomi does not require special skills, if you know proven methods.

In this article, we will discuss 5 transference SMS — formal MIUI to universal solutions for Android/iOS. You will learn how to save messages without loss, avoid common errors, and even recover accidentally deleted messages. SMS. For owners of older models (Redmi Note) 8 Pro, Mi 9T) We will give some recommendations taking into account the features of their firmware.

Important: methods run on MIUI 14/15 and are relevant for 2020-2026 models (Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12, POCO F5, etc.) If your phone is older, check compatibility in the table below.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application for transferring data between Xiaomi devices, including SMS, contacts and photos, pre-installed on all smartphones with MIUI and supports portability even with iPhone (with restrictions).

How it works:

• 🔄 Creates direct communication between phones over Wi-Fi (without cloud).
• 📱 Supports portability with Android 5.0+ iOS 9.0+.
• ⚡ Transmission speed: ~50–100 SMS per second (depending on the model).
• ❌ I can't stand it. MMS and messages from messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp).

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app through search).
2. On the new Xiaomi, launch the Mi Mover and select “I’m the new phone.”
3. On an old device, tap "I'm an old phone" and scan QR-screencode.
4. In the data list for transfer, tick “Messages” and click “Start”.
5. Wait until the end (it can take 5-15 minutes depending on the number of SMS).

⚠️ Note: If you are on an old phone MIUI version below 12, update it to the last firmware before transferring. Otherwise, Mi Mover may not recognize it. SMS Or transfer them in an unreadable format.

Charge both phones at least 50% | Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network |Free 1-2 GB of memory on the new Xiaomi | Disable VPN and firewalls | Make sure that the old phone is enabled developer mode (optional, but recommended)

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2. Transfer SMS over Google Drive (for Android)

If you have an old Android phone (not Xiaomi), the most reliable way is to back up Google Drive, which works even on devices without MIUI (such as Samsung, Huawei) and saves SMS in the cloud indefinitely.

Advantages of the method:

• ☁️ Backup is stored in the cloud (can be restored on any Android device).
• 🔒 Data is encrypted and protected by Google’s two-factor authentication.
• 📅 Automatic backup (manually configured).

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable the option of “Data Backup” and select a Google account.
3. Tap “Start copying” and wait until the end (SMS is automatically included in the copy).
4. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select “Recover Data” and sign in to the same Google account.
5. In the backup list, select the last one and confirm the recovery of the SMS.

If the new phone is already set up, reset it to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Resetting) and repeat step 4.

⚠️ Note: Google Drive does not save MMS And attachment messages. Use specialized applications like this. SMS Backup & Restore.

3. SMS port from iPhone to Xiaomi

iPhone owners face additional challenges: Apple does not provide built-in tools for exporting SMS.

Method 1: Through iTunes + third-party utilities

• 🖥️ Install iTunes on your PC and back up your iPhone.
• 📂 Use iMazing or iExplorer to export SMS.csv.
• 📱 Transfer the file to Xiaomi and import through SMS Backup & Restore.

Method 2: iSMS2droid Application (free)

1. On your iPhone, install iSMS2droid from the App Store.
2. Export SMS to.xml file and send it to Xiaomi (e.g. via email).
3. On Xiaomi, install SMS Backup & Restore and import the file.

Important: iSMS2droid only carries text SMS. For MMS and attachments (photos, videos) use iMazing or manual export via iTunes.

4 Third-Party Applications: SMS Backup & Restore

If the built-in methods don’t work, specialized utilities come to the rescue. SMS Backup & Restore is the most popular solution with a rating of 4.7 on Google Play.

• 📥 Exports/imports SMS and MMS.
• ☁️ Save to Google Drive, Dropbox or locally.
• 🔍 Viewing backups before recovery.
• 📊 Filtering of messages by date/contact.

How to use:

1. Install Backup & Restore SMS on your old phone.
2. Launch the application and tap “Create a backup.”
3. Select the format (.xml or.ab) and the location of the save (e.g. Google Drive).
4. Transfer the file to the new Xiaomi (via the cloud or USB).
5. Install the same app on Xiaomi, select “Restore” and specify the copy file.

⚠️ Note: When restoring a large volume SMS (Over 10,000 messages) Xiaomi can hang for 5-10 minutes!

💡

If SMS is displayed without contact names after recovery, synchronize contacts with your Google account: Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync contacts.

5. Manual transfer via ADB (for advanced users)

If you’re familiar with USB debugging, you can transfer SMS over ADB (Android Debug Bridge) – a method that works for older Xiaomi models (Redmi 4X, Mi A1) where other methods don’t work.

Warning: Incorrect ADB commands can damage data, and use this method only if you are confident in your actions.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. On your old phone, turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times tap the build number → go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb backup -f sms.ab -apk com.android.providers.telephony adb restore sms.ab
4. On the phone screen, confirm the creation of a backup copy.
5. Transfer the sms.ab file to the new Xiaomi and restore it with the same team.

This method stores all metadata (date, delivery status), but does not work with encrypted SMS (e.g. Secure Folder on Samsung).

💡

ADB is the only way to transfer SMS from phones without root access, where standard methods do not work (for example, on custom firmware).

6.Recovery of deleted SMS after transfer

If you have been transferred, you have found that part of the SMS Don't panic, this is what you can do:

Method 1: Checking backup copies

• 🔍 If you have used Google Drive, check other versions of copies in Settings → Google → Backup → Management of backup copies.
• 📁 For SMS Backup & Restore Open the folder with copies (Internal Storage) → SMSBackupRestore).

Method 2: Recovery programs

Apps like Dr.Fone or EaseUS MobiSaver scan your phone’s memory for deleted SMS, and are ~60-80% effective for messages deleted no more than 30 days ago.

Method 3: Contacting the Operator

Some operators (e.g. MTS, Beeline) keep the SMS history for up to 6 months, and to request it, write in support with passport data or visit the communication salon.

⚠️ Attention: Recovery through the operator is paid (from 200 to 1000) ₽) It takes 3-5 working days. It's free. SMS in the last 7 days (according to the data retention law).

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving SMS to Xiaomi