How to Transfer Messages from One Xiaomi Phone to Another: All Ways to Go 2026

Messaging between Xiaomi smartphones is a challenge that every user faces when buying a new device or changing a gadget. Unlike contacts or photos, SMS and instant messenger chats often contain important information: confirmation codes, correspondence with banks, work approvals or just expensive memories. Fortunately, the MIUI ecosystem offers several built-in and third-party solutions for secure data transfer.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways, from the official MIUI Transfer tool to manual exporting through Google Drive or local backups, and focus on the nuances of why some messages may not be transferred, how to avoid data loss when you change your Mi Account, and what to do if a new phone is on an older version of MIUI than the old one, and you’ll find a comparative method table on speed, reliability, and supported message types.

Importantly, if you use messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram, they're transferred separately, as we'll talk about in the last section, and now we'll start with the easiest and most reliable way.

1.Official method: MIUI Transfer (Mi Mover)

MIUI Transfer (formerly known as Mi Mover) is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for migrating data between devices to MIUI. It supports not only messaging, but also contacts, photos, apps and even some system settings. The main advantage is simplicity and minimal risk of data loss, since the process is controlled by the firmware itself.

To use MIUI Transfer, both phones must be running MIUI 9 or later (MIUI 14/15 is current as of 2026).

• 🔋 Battery charge on both devices at least 50%
• 📶 Stable Wi-Fi connection (or mobile hotspot)
• 📱 Both phones must be unlocked (without any other devices). PIN-portability)
• 🔄 The new phone must not have data (or it will be deleted)

Step-by-step:

1. On your new phone, when you first turn on, select Transfer Data from the settings menu. If the phone is already configured, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer.
2. On your old phone, open the MIUI Transfer app (if not, download from the Mi App Store).
3. Select the device role: new phone - Receiver, old - Sender.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen of a new phone with an old device or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
5. Select Messages from the data list for transfer and confirm the start of the process.

Both phones on MIUI 9+

Free space on the new phone (minimum 2x volume of messages)

VPN and firewall disabled

The old phone has switched off battery optimization for MIUI Transfer-->

Transfer time depends on the volume of messages: 10,000 SMS will take ~15-20 minutes. If the process is stalled in the Preparation stage, try restarting both phones and trying again. MIUI Transfer does not carry MMS and attachments from SMS - they will require a separate backup through Google Drive or local storage.

⚠️ Note: If the new phone already has data, MIUI Transfer will suggest that you erase them before transferring them!

2. Transfer over Google Drive (for SMS and MMS)

If MIUI Transfer doesn’t work for some reason (for example, on one of the phones that isn’t MIUI), you can use the built-in backup function in Google Drive.This method is universal and works on any Android device, but has limitations:

• ✅ Supports SMS and MMS (attachment)
• ❌ Does not tolerate chat messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.)
• ⏳ Requires a stable Internet connection
• 📁 Takes up space in the cloud (up to 15 GB free)

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable Backup in Google Drive and click Create Backup Now.
3. Make sure that Messages are enabled in your backup settings (path: Settings → System → Backup → Google Settings → Application Data).
4. On the new phone, when you set up, log in to the same Google account and select Restore Data from the backup.

If the new phone is already set up, reset it to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Reset) and re-enter your Google account, and it takes 10 minutes to several hours to recover, depending on the amount of data you have.

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Before backing up to Google Drive, clear unnecessary messages – this will reduce loading time and save space in the cloud. Use a date filter in the Messages app (long tap → Delete old ones).

3. Local backup (without cloud)

If you don’t trust cloud services or have slow internet, you can create a local backup of messages and transfer it to a new phone via cable, SD-map or Wi-Fi. This is the standard application Backup in the MIUI or third-party utilities like SMS Backup & Restore.

Method 1: Through the built-in MIUI application

1. Open Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select Messages and click Create Backup.
3. The backup file will be saved in /MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder on internal memory.
4. Copy the folder to your new phone (via Explorer, Xiaomi File Manager or computer).
5. On the new phone in the same menu, select Restore and specify the path to the backup file.

Method 2: SMS Backup & Restore

This utility allows you to export messages to.xml or.json format and restore them on any Android device, including Xiaomi.

• 📥 Install the app from Google Play.
• 🔄 Click Create a Backup and select a save location (internal memory or SD-map).
• 📤 Transfer the file to a new phone and restore the data through Restore.

⚠️ Attention: Local backups MIUI They may not recover on phones with a different version of the firmware. MIUI 14 is not always compatible with MIUI 13.In this case, use SMS Backup & Restore – It’s Universal.

4. Transfer of WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers

Standard methods of transfer (MIUI Transfer, Google Drive) do not work with chat messengers, as they are stored in encrypted application databases.

WhatsApp:

Use the built-in Chat Transfer feature (available when changing your phone) or manually transfer via Google Drive:

1. On an old phone: WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. On a new phone: install WhatsApp, log in to the same account and restore chats from backup.

Telegram:

Telegram chats sync to the cloud automatically, but to transfer media files:

• 📁 Copy the Telegram folder from internal memory to a new phone (via Explorer or computer).
• 🔄 In the Telegram settings on the new phone, select Settings → Data and memory → Warehouse → Change the folder for downloads and specify the path to the copied folder.

Viber:

In Viber, backups are created manually:

1. On the old phone: More → Settings → Account → Backup.
2. Copy the backup file to a new phone and restore it through the same menu.

WhatsApp

Telegram

Viber

Other

I don't use messengers.-->

5. Transfer messages between phones with different Mi accounts

If the old and new phones are linked to different Mi accounts, the standard MIUI Transfer won’t work — it requires the same account on both devices.

Option 1: Temporary account change

1. On the new phone, log out of your current Mi Account (Settings → Mi Account → Sign out).
2. Log in from your old phone.
3. Run MIUI Transfer and transfer the data.
4. After the transfer, change your account to a new one again.

Option 2: Manual export/import

Use Backup & Restore SMS or local MIUI backup as described in Section 3. These methods are not tied to your Mi Account.

⚠️ Note: When you change your Mi Account on your new phone, your Mi Cloud settings, including syncing notes, calendar and photos, may reset!

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users encounter errors, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

Problem 1: MIUI Transfer can't see the second phone.

• 🔄 Reboot both devices.
• 📶 Connect to another Wi-Fi network or use a mobile hotspot.
• 🛠️ Update. MIUI Transfer to the latest version of the Mi App Store.
• 🔌 Try connecting through USB-cable (required) OTG-adapter).

Problem 2: Messages have been moved but no attachments (photo, video in MMS) Solution: Use SMS Backup & Restore — it saves the MMS completely. Or manually copy /Pictures/Mms folder from an old phone.

Problem 3: The new phone doesn't show old SMS after recovery.

• 📱 Install a standard Google Messages app – it works better with backups.
• 🔄 Restart your phone and wait for sync (can take up to 30 minutes).
• 🗑️ Clear the Messages app cache in the settings.

Problem 4: There is not enough space on the new phone to transfer.Solution: Free up space by deleting unnecessary files via Settings → Storage, or move the backup to SD-card (if supported).

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If neither method worked, try transferring messages via your computer: connect both phones, copy the folder /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases (root rights required), or use programs like Moborobo or Dr.Fone.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions