How to transfer all data from Xiaomi to Huawei: 5 proven ways

Why data transfer between Xiaomi and Huawei requires a special approach

The transition from Xiaomi to Huawei is not just a change of gadget, but a transition between two ecosystems with fundamentally different approaches to data storage. Unlike the transfer between devices of the same brand (for example, from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14), here you will have three key difficulties:

First, Huawei uses its own cloud platform Huawei Mobile Cloud, which is not compatible with Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud.This means that direct transfer through the cloud is possible only using intermediaries such as Google Account or third-party services. Secondly, Huawei on new models (for example, the Mate 60 Pro or Pura 70) often lacks Google services, which makes it difficult to sync through Google Drive or Google Photos. Third, the folder structure and backup formats from manufacturers differ – for example, Xiaomi’s backup in.miui format will not open on Huawei without conversion.

In this article, we’ll break down 5 working ways to migrate data, from official tools to workarounds for devices without Google Mobile Services (GMS), and learn how to save 100% of your contacts, WhatsApp messages, photos in original quality, and even customize some applications without losing or duplicated.

Method 1: Transfer over Huawei Phone Clone (official method)

The most reliable and recommended way for Huawei is to use the Huawei Phone Clone app, which supports porting from most Xiaomi devices (including models to MIUI 14/15) and works even without an Internet connection, the main advantage of maintaining the structure of folders and file metadata.

How it works:

• 📱 Install the Huawei Phone Clone on both devices: Xiaomi (from Google Play) and Huawei (pre-installed or from AppGallery).
• 🔗 Connect your phones to a single Wi-Fi network or create a hotspot on Huawei.
• 📤 On Xiaomi, select the role of “Old Phone”, on Huawei – “New Phone".
• 📋 Check the data types for transfer: contacts, messages, photos, videos, applications (not all supported).
• ⚡ Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 30 minutes with 50 data points).+ GB).

⚠️ Note: When transferring via Phone Clone apps (APK-files are copied, but their data (for example, save in games or cache) is not. For full transfer of games, use Google Play Games (if there is a game on Huawei) GMS) or backups through Helium.

Make sure that both phones have ≥30% battery charge

Turn off VPNs and firewalls (they can block transmission)

Free up ≥10GB of storage on Huawei (temporary files take up a lot of space)

Close all background applications (especially messengers and cloud services)

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Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (for GMS devices)

If your Huawei supports Google Mobile Services (e.g., models up to the Mate 30 or special versions for the European market), the most versatile way is sync through Google Account.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the right categories (especially Contacts and Google Photos).
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Google Drive → Backups).
3. On Huawei, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts.
4. Turn on automatic sync and wait for data to load (can take up to several hours for large photo libraries).

🔹 Advantages of the method: data is available on any device, easy to recover when reset.

🔹 Disadvantages: not tolerated SMS, calls, settings of some Chinese applications (for example, Mi Fit or Themes).

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If Huawei doesn’t have Google Play but a browser, you can upload photos via the web version of Google Photos. log in, select files and download them in archive format (.zip).

⚠️ Note: If you use two-factor authentication in Google Account, check for backup codes before perenosom. Some Huawei models (especially the Chinese build) may have problems confirming through the Google Account. SMS.

Method 3: Transfer photos and videos in original quality

Photos and videos are the most voluminous data, and their transfer requires special attention. If you want to maintain original quality (without compression, as in instant messengers), use one of these methods:

• 🖥️ Direct Cable Transmission: Connect Xiaomi to PC via USB (Select File Transfer Mode and copy folders DCIM Pictures on your computer, then transfer them to Huawei.
• ☁️ Cloud services without compression: Google Photos (select "Original Quality" in the settings) Yandex Drive (up to 10 GB free) Mega.nz (50 GB free, but slow download)
• 📡 Local Network: Use apps like Send Anywhere or LocalSend to transfer files over Wi-Fi without the cloud.

📌 Critical nuance: When copying through Windows folders DCIM And Pictures can merge into one, so you don't have to mess up the whole thing before the penosom:

1. On Xiaomi, create a folder on internal memory Xiaomi_Backup.
2. Move all media files there (use Files → Allocate → Move).
3. Copy this folder to Huawei, so you keep the original structure.

Method 4: Transfer WhatsApp and other messaging apps

Messages from WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber are not carried through standard tools like Phone Clone.

WhatsApp

The official method from Meta works only when transferring between Android devices with Google Drive:

1. On Xiaomi, create a backup: WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Install WhatsApp on Huawei and log in with the same number.
3. When you offer to restore chats, confirm (use a copy from Google Drive).

⚠️ Warning: If Huawei doesn't have Google Play, this method won't work. Alternative is local copy:

• Copy /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases from Xiaomi to Huawei (in the same directory).
• Rename the file msgstore.db.crypt14 to msgstore.db.crypt12 (for compatibility).
• Install WhatsApp on Huawei and restore chats when you first start.

Telegram

In Telegram, all chats are stored in the cloud, so it is enough:

1. Sign up for Huawei with the same number.
2. Enable Media Synchronization: Settings → Data and Memory → Media Autoboot.

Viber

For Viber, use the built-in portability function:

1. On Xiaomi: More → Settings → Account. → Backup copy (save to the SD-map).
2. On Huawei: Install Viber, log in and restore a copy.

WhatsApp

Telegram

Viber

Other

I don't use messengers.

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Method 5: Transfer applications and their data (for power users)

Transfer of installed applications (APK) And the most difficult thing is to cache and save data, and standard methods like the Phone Clone are just copying it. APK-files, but not settings or game progress:

• 🛠️ ADB (Android Debug Bridge: To create a full backup of data apps.
• 📦 Titanium Backup (requires root): Allows you to save and restore applications along with data.
• ☁️ Account Sync: Some apps (like Spotify or Netflix) sync data through their account.

🔧 Instructions through ADB (rootless):

1. Install ADB on your PC and enable USB Debugging on both phones (Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number (7 taps) → Developers → USB Debugging).
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC and execute a command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab (Do not set a password - it may cause recovery errors.)
3. Connect Huawei and recover data: adb restore backup.ab

⚠️ Note: Not all applications support backup through ADB. For example, banking applications (SberBank, Tinkoff) and some games (Genshin Impact, for example) block this feature for security reasons.

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Porting apps over ADB or Titanium Backup may disrupt their performance on Huawei due to differences in Android versions or the lack of Google Services.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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

1. Phone Clone is 99% freeze-free Cause: Background conflict (e.g., antivirus or optimizer) Solution: Disable all memory cleanup applications (e.g., Security on Xiaomi or Phone Manager on Huawei).
2. Contacts are not transferred Reason: Contacts are not saved in Google Account, but in the memory of the phone or SIM-Solution: Export contacts to.vcf (Contacts) → ⋮ → Contact management → Export and import it to Huawei.
3. Photos moved but no date Reason: When copying through some file managers get lost EXIF-Solution: Use Google Photos or Digikam (on PC) to recover metadata.
4. WhatsApp does not restore chats Reason: Different phone numbers or WhatsApp version on Huawei is older than on Xiaomi Solution: Update WhatsApp on both devices and log in with the same number.
5. Apps crash after porting Reason: Incompatibility of Android versions or lack of Google Services on Huawei Solution: Remove problematic apps and reinstall them from AppGallery or APKMirror.

💡 Advice for Huawei owners without GMS: If you can’t install Google Play, use alternative stores:

• AppGallery (Huawei's official store)

FAQ: Answers to popular questions