How to transfer data from iPhone to Xiaomi Poco: 5 proven ways

Switching from iPhone to Xiaomi Poco smartphone is a crucial step that requires careful preparation. The main problem users have in this case is the transfer of data: contacts, photos, messages and applications. Apple and Android use different ecosystems, so standard copying of files via cable often does not work. In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways of data migration, including official tools from Xiaomi and workarounds for complex cases.

Xiaomi Poco features an optimized MIUI firmware that offers built-in data porting tools, but they don’t always work well with iOS, especially when it comes to older iPhones (before the iPhone 8) or new Pocos with HyperOS. We tested each method on current devices (2023-2026) and identified potential problems that may be encountered.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi for transferring data between devices, it supports the transition from iOS to Android, but with restrictions. The main advantage is that you do not need a computer, everything happens wirelessly.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Install the Mi Mover app on Xiaomi Poco (available on Google Play). iPhone doesn't need to download anything.
• 🔗 Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network. Open Mi Mover on Poco and select "I am the recipient".
• 📱💻 On iPhone, open your browser and go to the address that will appear on the Poco screen (for example, http://192.168.x.x:3721).
• 📤 Select data to transfer: contacts, photos, videos or notes. You start transferring files.

⚠️ Note: Mi Mover does not port messages from iMessage, call history and data from some applications (such as WhatsApp), and errors may also occur if the iPhone has enabled the "Limited Tracking" feature (starting with iOS 14.5).

Shut down. VPN both-device|Turn off the power saving mode on Poco|Make sure that the iPhone has enough charge (minimum 50%)|Check that both phones are connected to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (5GHz may not work)-->

2. Transfer through Google Account (contacts, calendar, notes)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendars and notes, the most reliable way is to sync through Google Account, which works on all versions of iOS and does not require additional programs.

Instructions:

1. On iPhone, open Settings → Passwords and accounts → Add an account → Google.
2. Enter your Google account (or create a new one) and enable sync for Contacts, Calendars and Notes.
3. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take up to 10 minutes).
4. On Xiaomi Poco, add the same Google account to Settings → Accounts and Sync.
5. Enable automatic data synchronization.

⚠️ Note: This is not a photo or video-intensive approach, you have to use other methods for multimedia (e.g. Google Photos) and make sure that the iPhone doesn’t have two-tier authentication enabled for Google, which can block sync.

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If contacts aren’t synced, try manually exporting them to.vcf: open the Contacts app on your iPhone → select all contacts → Share → Export Contacts. Then send the file to Poco via email or messenger.

3. Transfer photos and videos via Google Photos

Google Photos is one of the most convenient solutions for media transfer, it automatically compresses photos (if you select the quality "High"), but saves the originals when you choose the option "Original quality" (requires a storage fee of more than 15 GB).

How to transfer photos and videos:

• 📸 Install Google Photos on iPhone from the App Store.
• 🔄 Sign in with the same account as Xiaomi Poco.
• ☁️ Enable automatic booting: Settings → Backup and synchronization.
• 📱 On Poco, open Google Photos – all media files will appear in the app.

⚠️ Note: If you have more than 15 GB of photos in the original quality, you will either have to pay for additional space (from 139 GB). ₽/100GB per month), or compress files. Also note that Google Photos does not save albums and tags from iCloud.

4.Transfer of messages and call history

Messages from iMessage and call history are the hardest data to carry, and Xiaomi doesn't provide built-in tools for this task, so you'll have to use third-party software.

• 📱 iSMS2droid (for SMS/MMS) — Exports messages from iTunes backup to Android compatible format.
• 📞 Backuptrans iPhone WhatsApp to Android Transfer – transfers the history of WhatsApp (paid solution, ~1500 ₽).
• ☁️ iCloud + Third-party services such as AnyTrans (supports transfer of iMessage to text files).

Step-by-step instructions for iSMS2droid:

1. Back up your iPhone via iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later).
2. Download iSMS2droid to your computer and install it.
3. Find the backup file (usually by ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ on Mac or %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\ on Windows).
4. Export SMS to.xml file and transfer it to Xiaomi Poco.
5. Install SMS Backup & Restore on Poco and import the file.

5.Alternative methods: cable, clouds and physical memory card

If wireless isn't the right way, you can use direct connectivity or physical media. Let's look at three options:

• 🔌 Lightning cable → USB-C (adapter-wise) + File Manager. Suitable for transferring photos, videos and documents. iPhones need to allow access to files in Settings. → Photo Photo → Transfer to Mac or PC.
• 💾 MicroSD card. If your Poco supports memory expansion, copy files from your iPhone to your computer and then to your card. Format it in exFAT to support files. >4GB.
• ☁️ Cloud services (Yandex Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) Upload your iPhone files and download them to Poco. Please note that free space is limited (usually 5-15 GB).

⚠️ Note: When using a cable, the iPhone may block the transfer of certain files (such as music from Apple Music or books from Apple Books) due to the fact that the iPhone is not able to transfer any files. DRM-Also, remember that the iPhone file system (APFS) Not compatible with Android – only copy media files, not system folders.

Official Appendix (Mi Mover)|Google Account and Cloud|Direct cable connection|Third-party programmes (iSMS2droid etc.)|Manual transfer via memory card-->

6. Transfer of applications and their data

Unfortunately, it is not possible to directly transfer installed applications from iPhone to Android, they use different formats (.ipa vs.apk).

• 📥 Download analogues from Google Play. Most popular apps (for example, Instagram, Telegram, Spotify) have versions for Android.
• ☁️ Recover your account. Many apps (like games or instant messengers) save progress in the cloud. Sign in to Poco under the same account as your iPhone.

Some applications (such as banking) will require re-registration or proof of identity, and check in advance if the application supports cross-platform data transfer.

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Not all apps from the App Store are available on Google Play. Before you go, check for Android analogues – especially for exclusive Apple services (Apple Pay, Apple Fitness+, Apple Arcade).

7. Post-transfer validation and optimization

After the data transfer is complete, follow a few steps to make sure everything is working correctly:

1. Check contacts: open the Contacts app on Poco and make sure all numbers are displayed correctly. Sometimes there are problems with encoding (e.g. Cyrillic names turn into question marks).
2. Test media: open a few photos and videos in the gallery. If files don't open, they may have been copied in an unsupported format (e.g.,.HEIC for photo). Install HEIF Viewer from Google Play.
3. Set up notifications: Android notifications work differently than iOS. Go to Settings → Apps → Notifications and turn on alerts for important messengers.
4. Update applications: Some programs may require the latest version to work correctly on MIUI.

If you notice that the battery is running out quickly after the transfer, that's OK -- Android indexes new files in the first 24 to 48 hours, and after a couple of days, the power consumption stabilizes.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data transfer