How to transfer all data from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi: 5 proven ways

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi Redmi is not just about changing your brand, it's also about migrating all your personal data, from contacts to call history. Many users fear losing important information or spending hours manually transferring files. In fact, you can automate the process using built-in MIUI tools and standard Android features.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for data transfer, from the official Mi Mover app to backup through Google Account, focus on porting messages from the standard SMS Honor application, which is often ignored in general instructions, and learn how to avoid typical errors, such as loss of quality photos or duplicate contacts.

Regardless of the model — whether it’s the Honor 9X or Redmi Note 12 Pro+ — the instructions are suitable for all devices based on Android 10 and later.

1. Preparation of telephones for data transfer

There are several mandatory steps to follow before migrating, and skipping any of them can cause crashes or loss of data.

First, update the firmware on both devices. On Xiaomi Redmi, check the relevance of the MIUI version in the Settings menu → About Phone → System Update. On Honor, the path may differ: Settings → System → Software Update. Outdated firmware often causes incompatibility when migrating over Mi Mover.

Second, clear the cache on both smartphones, which will speed up the process and reduce the risk of errors.

• 📱 On Xiaomi: Settings → Annexes → Application management → [Three points] → Clear the cache of all applications
• 📱 On Honor: Settings → Memory. → Cleanup → Cash.

⚠️ Note: If Huawei Mobile Services is enabled on Honor (HMS), Temporarily turn it off in Settings → Annexes → HMS Core → It can block data transmission through third-party applications.

Finally, prepare an OTG cable (if you plan to use a wired connection) or make sure both phones are connected to the same 5GHz Wi-Fi network. 2.4GHz networks often cause delays when transferring large amounts of data.

Make sure you're on Redmi. ≥30% of free memory|Shut down. VPN both phones|Write down passwords from Google accounts|Connect both devices to charging|Check the compatibility of Android versions-->

2. Method 1: Mi Mover – official solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi, designed to seamlessly transfer data from other Android devices.It supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, video, audio, calendars and even some settings of system applications.

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

1. Download the app to Honor from Google Play (if it’s not available in your area, use the APK from Xiaomi’s official website).
2. On Redmi, the app is preinstalled – find it through a search in the menu.
3. Run Mi Mover on both phones and select roles: I'm new (on Redmi) and I'm old (on Honor).
4. Connect devices via Wi-Fi Direct or OTG cable (the latter option is faster for volumes >10 GB).
5. Select data categories for transfer and confirm the start of the process.

The average transmission speed via Wi-Fi Direct is 5-8 MB / s, via cable - up to 20 MB / s.

⚠️ Warning: If the process is stuck in the Preparation phase, restart both phones and try again. A common cause is a conflict with the Huawei Backup app on Honor.

💡

If Mi Mover doesn’t see Honor, try turning on the developer mode (Settings → About Phone → 7 times click on “Build Number”) and activate Debugging over USB.

3. Method 2: Transfer through Google Account

Syncing with Google Account is a versatile method that works regardless of the phone brand.It is suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, Google Keep notes, data from certain applications (such as Chrome or Gmail), and even Wi-Fi passwords (on Android 10+).

Instructions:

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and make sure that sync is enabled for all the right categories.
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Management → Sync).
3. On Redmi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Add an account.
4. Turn on sync and wait for data to load (can take up to 30 minutes depending on internet speed).

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ No need for additional applications
• ✅ Data is available on any device with your Google Account
• ✅ Automatic updates when changes occur

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Not tolerated. SMS, MMS call-book
• ❌ Photos and videos are synced only if Google Photos has been enabled before.
• ❌ Takes up space in the cloud (15GB free)

Method 3: Using an OTG cable and a file manager

If you only need to transfer media files (photos, videos, music) or documents, the easiest way is to connect Honor to Redmi as a USB drive. This will require an OTG cable (or a USB-C to USB-C adapter if both phones have a Type C).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the OTG cable to Redmi and the other end to Honor.
2. On Honor, select File Transfer (MTP) mode in the Connection Notification.
3. On Redmi, open File Manager (or Explorer) and find the connected device in the section USB-accumulator.
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photo, download, etc.) to internal memory or SD-map.

The OTG copy speed is 40MB/s, which is 2-3 times faster than wireless methods, but there are limitations:

• 🚫 Applications and their data are not portable
• 🚫 Contact and SMS They're still on the old phone.
• 🚫 The folder structure may be broken (for example, photos from Google Photos will be without albums)

Mi Mover|Google Account|Cable OTG|Third-party applications (e.g. SHAREit)|Other-->

5. Method 4: Third-party applications (SHAREit, Xender, Clone Phone)

If the built-in methods don't work, you can use popular data applications.

• 📲 SHAREit – Supports file transfer, applications, and even games without data loss.
• 📲 Xender – fast transmission over Wi-Fi Direct, no volume restrictions.
• 📲 Huawei’s Clone Phone – Optimized for Phones Honor/Huawei, But it works with Xiaomi.

A common algorithm for all applications:

1. Install the selected app on both phones.
2. On Honor, select the role of the sender, on Redmi - the receiver.
3. Connect devices via Wi-Fi Direct or Hotspot.
4. Select the files to transfer and confirm the beginning.

Comparison of popular applications:

⚠️ Note: Apps like SHAREit often request access to contacts and messages. Check permissions in Google Play before installing and disable unnecessary permissions in Android settings (Settings) → Annexes → [Name of name] → Permits).

Method 5: Manual transfer via computer

If wireless methods are unstable and OTG cables are not available, you can use a PC as an intermediary, which is suitable for transferring any files, including application backups (.apk and.obb).

Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect Honor to your computer via USB and select File Transfer mode.
2. Copy the desired folders (DCIM, Pictures, Download, etc.) to the hard drive.
3. Turn off Honor and connect Redmi, also in MTP mode.
4. Transfer the copied files to the new phone.

To transfer contacts and SMS via PC:

• 📥 Export your Honor contacts to.vcf (Contacts) → [Three points] → Exports/imports → Exports in memory).
• 📤 Copy the file on PC, then on Redmi, and import it through Contacts → Imports.
• 💬 For SMS use SMS Backup & Restore (as in spoiler above).

The advantage of this method is that it has 100 percent control over the data being transferred, and the disadvantage is that it takes more time and additional device.

💡

Manual transfer over a PC is the most reliable way if other methods do not work due to firmware incompatibility or lack of Internet.

7.Typical errors and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users face problems. Consider the most common ones:

1 Mi Mover doesn't see Honor

• 🔹 Make sure that the Honor power saving mode is turned off.
• 🔹 Check if Wi-Fi Direct is enabled on both phones.
• 🔹 Reboot both devices and try again.

2.The transfer is 99 percent frozen.

• 🔹 Wait 10-15 minutes – sometimes the process is delayed.
• 🔹 If it doesn’t work, disable Mi Mover and repeat the transfer with less data.
• 🔹 Check if there is enough space for Redmi. ≥20% of free space space).

3. Messages are not carried

• 🔹 Use it. SMS Backup & Restore (see spoiler above).
• 🔹 Make sure that messages on Honor are saved in the standard Messages app, not in Huawei Messages.

4.Photos moved forward without date

• 🔹 Check if Save Metadata is enabled in Google Photos settings (if you used the cloud).
• 🔹 When copying manually, use a file manager with support EXIF (For example, Solid Explorer).

8 What to do after data transfer

Once all files have been successfully transferred, follow a few steps to optimize Redmi’s work:

1. Check the integrity of the data

• 📞 Open Contacts and make sure all numbers are in place.
• 📷 Check out the photos in the gallery – are there any broken files.
• 💬 Send a test. SMS to check the history of the messages.

2. Set up synchronization.

• 🔄 Enable autosynchronization for Google Photos, Contacts and Calendar.
• 🔄 Set up backup in Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Backup.

3. Optimize memory

• 🗑️ Delete temporary transfer files in Settings → Memory. → Cleanup.
• 🔍 Check duplicate photos with Google Photos or Files by Google.

4. Personalize the system

• 🎨 Set themes in MIUI through settings → Screen. → Theme.
• 🔔 Turn off unnecessary notifications in Settings → Annexes → Management of notifications.

💡

If Redmi is slowing down after the transfer, restart it and wait for the background optimization to be completed (it can take up to 1 hour).

FAQ: Frequent questions