Buying a new smartphone is always a joyous event, but often overshadowed by the prospect of a long and tedious setup. The owner of a newly unpacked Xiaomi or Redmi device wants to start using the gadget right away, rather than spending hours restoring contacts, photos and app settings. Fortunately, the MIUI and HyperOS ecosystem offers powerful migration tools that allow you to clone an old phone into a new one in just a few clicks.
The process of transferring information depends on how radically the device model changes and which version of the operating system is installed. There are methods that work even without a Wi-Fi connection, and methods that require a stable Internet to synchronize cloud backups. In this article, we will analyze all the current options so that you can choose the most suitable for your situation.
Before you start, you need to make sure that both devices are charged at least 50-60%. interruption of the data transfer process due to battery discharge can lead to file damage or malfunction of system applications on the new gadget.
Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration
The most effective and native way to transfer data between Xiaomi devices is to use the pre-installed Mi Mover application. This tool is designed specifically for working in a bundle of "old phone - new phone" and allows you to transfer not only multimedia, but also system settings, the location of icons on the desktop, as well as data from some applications.
To start, run the app on both devices, select Receiver on the new smartphone, and Sender on the old one. QR-code or connect via device search. Once you have established the connection, you will see a detailed menu for selecting data categories to copy.
It is important to note that the transfer speed depends on the supported Wi-Fi standards. If both phones support Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi Direct, the process will go as fast as possible. The application creates a local network, so the mobile operator traffic is not consumed, and the speed is limited only by the technical capabilities of the communication modules.
⚠️ Warning: Do not interrupt the transmission process or turn off phone screens until the copy is complete. Interrupting during the transfer of system settings can lead to a cyclical reboot of the new device.
What if the Mi Mover can’t see the device?
Make sure both phones are GPS and Bluetooth enabled. Sometimes it helps to temporarily shut down the mobile Internet or restart the application on both devices at the same time. Once you have finished copying, the system will suggest rebooting the new smartphone to apply all the changes. This is a critical step, because it is after the reboot that the launcher (desktop shell) will take on a new look, and all passwords from the Wi-Fi networks will be activated. Restore from the Google Account backup Google Ecosystem is fundamental for Android devices, and it is not worth ignoring its capabilities when changing the phone. This method is ideal if you switch from another phone, or if you have already saved the old Xiaomi phone in the backup. When you first activate a new device after selecting a language and connecting to the network, you will be prompted to log in to your Google account.The system will automatically detect the latest backup associated with that email address.In the list of available backups, select the latest by date. 📱 Contacts and phone numbers are restored instantly after synchronization. 📸 Photos and videos are uploaded gradually through the Google Photos app in original quality or in space-saving mode. 📦 The list of installed applications will start to download automatically, although the programs themselves will have to download from the Play Market again. It should be noted that this method does not transfer the contents of folders inside applications (for example, progress in games without cloud storage) and does not copy files stored in internal memory outside of system directories. For full migration, this is best combined with manual copying of media files. Pay special attention to synchronizing passwords. If you have logins saved in Chrome or Google password manager, they will automatically appear in the new browser after authorization. This eliminates the need to remember complex character combinations for each site.Mi Cloud storage Mi Account holders have access to the Mi Cloud cloud service, which is deeply integrated into the system shell. Unlike Google, which focuses on apps and contacts, Mi Cloud does a great job of saving specific settings. MIUI, For example, the location of widgets, the themes of the recording and recording of the recorder. To back up your old device, go to Settings. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud. Here you need to activate synchronization of the desired data categories and click the button "Create backup". Make sure that the device is connected to Wi-Fi, as the data volume can be large. Data type Limit in the free version Recovery Speed Synchronization Priority Contacts and SMS 5 GB (total) Instantly High Photo and Video 5 GB (total) Depends on the network Average System Settings Unlimited * At the first setting High 5 GB (total) Depends on size Low *Note: Limit 5 GB is a limit for a common account, but often have enough to restore the same system from the new one's account, but have a lot of the same system from the same place in the same system to the same place. This is especially handy if you lost an old phone or it was stolen - you will be able to return contacts and important notes on a new device. USB When it comes to transferring heavy files, such as videos to a computer 4K, If you have a file of documents or a folder of music, wireless methods can be too slow, and in this case, the most reliable "old-fashioned" way is to use the computer as an intermediate buffer. USB-In the notification on the phone screen, select the mode of operation. USB —"File transfer" (MTP). The computer will define the device as an external drive. Copy the required folders (usually this is the same as the external drive). DCIM, Download, Documents, Music, to your computer's hard drive. Then plug in the new Xiaomi and do the reverse operation -- copy files from your computer into the internal memory of the new phone. The structure of folders on Android is standardized, so compatibility problems usually do not arise, however, some applications may require manual indication of the path to media files after transfer For advanced users who own the command line, there is the possibility of using the protocol. ADB (Android Debug Bridge: This allows you to make exact copies of partitions or specific application databases, but requires debugging mode enabled. USB and installed drivers on the PC. ⚠️ Note: When manually copying, don’t try to port system folders with names like Android/data or Android/obb It can disrupt applications, copy their content if possible, or allow applications to create new cache files, and it's a good way to be versatile, independent of the Android version, account availability, or Internet speed. You get a physical copy of your data on your hard drive, which is an additional security measure. Special attention should be paid to the transfer of correspondence in messengers, as they often store data in encrypted form and do not always fall into a common system backup. WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber have their own backup mechanisms. On WhatsApp, before transferring data, be sure to back up in chat settings by selecting save on Google Drive. On the new phone, when the application is first launched, you will be asked to restore your message history from the cloud. Without this step, you will only get a list of contacts, but not correspondence. 📲 Telegram stores the entire history of correspondence on its servers, so just enter the phone number and all chats will appear automatically. 💬 Viber also requires you to back up your Google Drive (on Android) before you upgrade to a new device. 📸 Instagram and Facebook do not store correspondence in the cloud in the same way, so to save important dialogs, it is better to use the Download Info function in the acca settings Some banking applications and programs with two-factor authentication may require re-associating the device or Sign in via SMS, be prepared for the SIM-The card with the number to which the accounts are registered, it is better to temporarily install in the new smartphone before setting up applications (FAQ) Can we move data if the old phone is broken and it doesn't turn on? If the screen doesn't work, but the phone turns on and makes sounds, you can try to connect it. USB-mouse-over OTG, to unlock the device and allow access to data. If the phone is completely dead, you can only recover data from previously created cloud copies (Google or Mi Cloud). It is impossible to extract data directly from the damaged board without professional equipment. How long does it take to transfer 100 GB of data via Mi Mover? The time depends on the speed of the Wi-Fi modules. When using the Wi-Fi standard 5 (ac) and higher, the process can take from 15 to 30 minutes. If both phones are old and support only Wi-Fi 4 (n), the time can increase to an hour or more. It is recommended not to use the phones during the process, so as not to slow down the speed. Should I reset the new phone before transferring? However, if you’ve already started setting up a new Xiaomi and want to use Mi Mover for a full one-to-one migration (including icon layout), it’s sometimes easier to reset a new device (Settings) → The phone. → Reset settings) and start activating again by selecting data import. Are saved Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices passwords portable? Yes, when using Mi Mover or recovering from a full Mi Account backup, Wi-Fi passwords and paired Bluetooth devices are ported. When using only Google Account, the Wi-Fi passwords stored in Google’s system are transferred mainly, but not always the settings specific to the user’s account. MIUI function.