How to transfer all data to the new Xiaomi phone: 5 proven ways

Why migrating data to Xiaomi requires a special approach

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but many users face the same challenge: how to transfer all data from an old device without losing contact, photos, or important settings? Unlike the iPhone, which has a unified Quick Start system, Android devices (especially from Xiaomi) offer several alternative ways to migrate - and not all of them are equally effective.

The main difficulty lies in the variety of protocols: here and the proprietary tool Mi Mover, and the standard features of Google Account, and manual methods through the OTG cable or PC. Each method has its own nuances. For example, Mi Mover automatically transfers SMS and call log, but can skip the data of some third-party applications if they do not support backup through the Android Backup Service. And transfer via Google Drive is limited to 25 MB for applications and their data — this is not enough for everyone.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for transferring data to Xiaomi (including Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models), their pros and cons, and give a checklist for preparing an old phone.

Preparing an old phone: what to do before transferring

Before you start migrating, you need to properly prepare your old device, which will reduce the transfer time and minimize the risk of data loss.

• 📱 Update: Make sure the latest version is installed on your old phone MIUI It's important for compatibility with Mi Mover and other tools.
• 🗑️ Clean up the garbage: Use the built-in Security app → Cleaning to remove temporary files and cache.
• 🔒 Unlock: If a pattern lock or password is installed on the phone, temporarily disable it – some portability methods require an unlocked screen.
• 📶 Check the storage: Make sure that your old phone has enough free space (at least 10% of the storage capacity) to back up your phone.

Pay special attention to applications with local data (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, games), many of which do not sync to the cloud automatically.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring data from iPhone to Xiaomi, pre-disable iMessage and FaceTime in the Apple settings ID. Otherwise, SMS The calls may not be coming to the new phone.

Remove unnecessary applications and files|Create a backup copy of contacts in VCF|Sync photos with Google Photos|Write down Wi-Fi passwords (if there is no cloud sync)|Check the balance. SIM-card (when changing number)-->

Method 1: Mi Mover is a Xiaomi proprietary tool

Mi Mover is the official application from Xiaomi, which allows you to transfer data directly over Wi-Fi Direct without using cables or cloud services. It is pre-installed on all modern smartphones of the brand (starting with MIUI 9) and supports the transfer of:

• 📞 Contacts, call logs and SMS (including MMS).
• 📷 Photo and video (in original quality).
• 🎵 Audio files (music, recordings).
• 📱 Annexes (APK-files and their data (if the application supports Android Backup).
• 📍 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, brightness, etc.).

How to use Mi Mover:

1. On the new Xiaomi phone, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Mi Mover.
2. On your old phone, open the Mi Mover app (if you don’t have one, download from Google Play).
3. Select a role: new phone – “Recipient”, old – “Sender”.
4. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old phone (or connect via Wi-Fi Direct).
5. Select the data to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The speed of transfer depends on the amount of data and the model of the phone. For example, Xiaomi 13 Pro can cope with 30 GB of photos in 15-20 minutes, and the budget Redmi 10A can spend an hour on this.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has custom firmware installed (like LineageOS), Mi Mover may not work.

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (for all Android)

If you already have a Google Account synced to your old phone, this is the easiest method to use.

• 📇 Contacts (via Google Contacts).
• 📅 Calendars and Notes (via Google Keep or Google Calendar).
• 📎 Chrome bookmark and browser history.
• 📱 Some system settings (language, date/time, network settings).
• 🎮 Game data (if saved in Google Play Games).

Step-by-step:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Google → Backup and enable the option to Backup in Google Drive.
2. Click Create a backup now and wait until it is completed.
3. On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select Recover Data → Google Account and log in to the same account.
4. Select the latest backup and confirm the recovery.

Limitations of the method:

💡

If you use Google Photos to transfer media files, select the “Original Quality” option in your backup settings, which will save the original photo resolution, but require more space in the cloud.

Method 3: Transfer over OTG or PC cable (for large volumes)

If you have tens of gigabytes of data (for example, a collection of movies or a collection of films). RAW-And the wireless methods may be too slow, and in this case, you'd better use a direct cable connection. OTG computer.

Option 1: OTG cable (for OTG-enabled phones)

1. Buy it. OTG-Adapter (e.g., Xiaomi Type-C to) USB).
2. Connect your old phone to your new phone via an adapter (use a USB-C cable – USB-A or MicroUSB – USB-C, depending on the ports).
3. On your new phone, open the MIUI File Manager and select the old phone that is connected.
4. Copy the files you need manually (e.g. DCIM, Downloads, WhatsApp).

Option 2: Computer transfer

1. Connect both phones to the PC via USB (in MTP file transfer mode).
2. Open this computer and copy the data from your old phone to your PC.
3. Transfer files from the PC to the new Xiaomi.

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 Maximum speed (up to 40 MB/s when used) USB 3.0).
• 📁 Full control over the transferred files.
• 🔄 There are no limits on volume (unlike cloud services).

⚠️ Note: When copying the WhatsApp folder, don’t forget about the file msgstore.db.crypt14 — It's a messaging database. Without it, chat history won't be restored!

💡

Cable transfer is the only reliable way to save data from applications that don’t support cloud backup (such as some games or banking apps).

Method 4: Cloud Services (Yandex.Disk, Dropbox, OneDrive)

If you don't have an OTG cable or you prefer remote porting, you can use cloud storage, which is convenient for media files, documents and application backups.

How to move data through the cloud:

1. Install one of the apps on both phones: Yandex.Disk, Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive.
2. On an old phone, upload files to the cloud (for example, the DCIM folder with a photo).
3. On the new Xiaomi, download files from the cloud.

Comparison of popular services:

To speed up the process:

• 🌐 Use Wi-Fi instead of mobile internet.
• 📦 Archive folders before downloading (for example, in the ZIP).
• ⏳ Download files at night when server load is minimal.

Method 5: Transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi (features)

If you’re switching from an iPhone to Xiaomi, standard methods (like Mi Mover) won’t work — you need special tools. Xiaomi offers the Mi Move for iOS app, but it has limitations.

Step-by-step:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when setting up, select Data Transfer from iPhone.
2. Download the Mi Move app from the App Store on iPhone.
3. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. On the iPhone, select data for transfer (contacts, photos, videos) and confirm.

What's not going to happen with the iPhone:

• 🎵 Music from Apple Music (because of the music) DRM).
• 📱 Apps (you need to install manually through Google Play).
• 📅 Notes from Apple Notes (if not synced to Gmail).
• 🔑 Passwords from iCloud Keychain.

To transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Xiaomi:

1. Back up your chats in iCloud (in WhatsApp settings).
2. Install the new Xiaomi app Move to iOS (yes, it works the other way around!).
3. Follow the instructions to move the story (you will need an iPhone with the latest version of iOS).

⚠️ Note: WhatsApp porting from iPhone to Android is officially supported only for new Samsung and Google Pixel devices. Xiaomi will have to use informal methods (for example, Backuptrans).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems. TOP-5 mistakes and their solutions:

1. Mi Mover can't find an old phone Reason: Different versions of MIUI or Wi-Fi Direct disabled Solution: Update both devices and turn on Wi-Fi Direct in the settings.
2. Not tolerated. SMS Reason: Messages saved on SIM-card or phone memory, not Google Account. Solution: Use the app SMS Backup & Restore to create backup.
3. Photos moved in low quality Reason: Google Photos has High Quality Mode enabled (compression). Solution: Before perenosom, select Original Quality in the backup settings.
4. Apps not recovered Reason: The new phone has a different Google Play region Solution: Check the region in your Google account settings and change it if necessary.
5. New Xiaomi slows down after transfer Reason: Too many unnecessary files or cache moved Solution: Clear memory with Settings → Memory → Cleanup.

If none of these methods worked, try a combination approach:

• 📱 Contacts and calendars – through Google Account.
• 📷 Photos and Videos via Google Photos or Cable OTG.
• 💬 SMS — through SMS Backup & Restore.
• 🎮 Apps – Manually from Google Play.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions