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

Switching from iPhone to Xiaomi smartphone (or Redmi/Poco) — It's not just a change in operating system, it's also a migration of all the important data -- contacts, photos, messages, even app settings -- that many users fear because of the risk of losing information or the complexity of iOS and Android compatibility. But with the right approach, the transfer takes no more. 30 minutes and passes without errors.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data, from official tools (Move to iOS backwards, Mi Mover) to universal solutions like Google Account or cloud services. We will focus on migrating iMessage messages to Xiaomi without losing history, as this is the most problematic moment for users.

It doesn’t matter if you’re switching from the iPhone 15 Pro to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the iPhone. SE 2020 Redmi Note 13: All models are the right instructions, and the key is to prepare both devices in advance and choose the best method depending on the amount of data.

1. Preparing iPhone and Xiaomi for data transfer

Before migrating, several critical steps must be taken to avoid disruptions, and skipping any of them can result in loss of data or inability to synchronize.

On the iPhone:

• 🔋 Charge the device to at least 50% – the process can take up to 1 hour with a large amount of data.
• 🔄 Update iOS to the latest version through Settings → Mainstream → Update: Older versions may not support modern transmission protocols.
• 📱 Turn off Find iPhone in Settings → [Your name] → Find it. → Find an iPhone. It's a must for Mi Mover to work properly.
• 🔒 Make sure there are no restrictions on the iPhone. USB-Connection (check in Settings) → Face ID and password).

On Xiaomi:

• 📦 Reset your smartphone to factory settings (if it’s new, skip this step) and avoid conflicts with existing data.
• 🔌 Connect to a stable 5GHz Wi-Fi network – this will speed up file transfer by 2-3 times compared to 2.4GHz.
• 📲 Install the latest version MIUI through settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🛠️ Enable the Developer Mode and activate Debugging by USB (If you plan to use a cable, tap 7 times on the version. MIUI phone-setting.

⚠️ Note: If your Xiaomi already has data (for example, after partial setup), use the method of transferring through Google Account or the cloud.

2.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi that allows you to transfer data from the iPhone to the iPhone. Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco wirelessly or cablely, and this works on all devices with MIUI 10 And newer, including the latest models like Xiaomi. 14 or Redmi Note 13 Pro+.

Advantages of the method:

• 📲 Carrys contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, calendars and notes.
• 🔗 Keeps folder structure (for example, albums in the Gallery).
• 🚀 It works without a computer – two smartphones are enough.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Does not tolerate applications and their data (for example, saves in games).
• ❌ Can crop video for more than 10 minutes (solved by pre-export to iCloud).
• ❌ Does not support the transfer of Safari bookmarks and reminders.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, run Mi Mover (if you don’t have one, download from Google Play).
2. Choose I'm the recipient → iPhone.
3. On iPhone, open your browser and go to the address that will appear on the Xiaomi screen (for example, http://192.168.x.x).
4. Confirm the connection on both devices.
5. Select data types to transfer and wait until it is completed (can take up to 40 minutes for 64GB of data).

Turn off Find iPhone|Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network|Charge devices to a minimum of 50%|Free up 10-15% of memory on Xiaomi|Make sure there is enough space for temporary files on your iPhone-->

⚠️ Note: If the Mi Mover is stuck in the “Data Preparation” phase, check if it is blocking. VPN or antivirus (e.g. Avast) connection. Disable them while you're transferring.

3. Transfer via Google Account (for contacts, calendars, mail)

If you only need to migrate your contacts, calendars and email, the most reliable way is to sync through Google Account, which works on 100% of your devices and doesn’t require any additional software.

How to transfer contacts:

1. On iPhone, open Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add an account → Google.
2. Enter your Google account details (if you don’t have one, create a new one).
3. Activate the Contact switch and wait for synchronization.
4. On Xiaomi, add the same account to Settings → Accounts and synchronization → Google.
5. Turn on the synchronization of contacts – they will appear in the phone book in 1-2 minutes.

Transfer of calendars and notes:

• 📅 For calendars, repeat the steps above, but activate the Calendar option.
• 📝 Notes from Apple Notes are only transferred via iCloud (export to the Internet) PDF) or third-party applications like Evernote.

💡

If contacts are duplicated after sync, use the Contacts Optimizer app (available on Google Play) to clean up repeats.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔄 Automatic sync in the future (a contact on Xiaomi is added – it will appear on all devices with the same Google account).
• 🛡️ Data is stored in the cloud and does not take up space on the phone.
• 📱 It works even if the iPhone is already dropped or unavailable.

⚠️ Note: If you used iCloud to store your contacts, export them to.vcf via iCloud.com before syncing with Google to avoid conflicts.

4. Photo and video transfer: iCloud vs Google Photos

Photos and videos usually take up the lion's share of smartphone memory, so porting them requires special attention. You have two main options: iCloud or Google Photos. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each.

Method 1: iCloud + Xiaomi

1. On iPhone, enable sync with iCloud: Settings → [Your name] → iCloud → Photo Photo → Download to My Photo Stream.
2. Wait for the download to be completed (check in Settings). → [Your name] → iCloud → Storage management).
3. On Xiaomi, open your browser and go to iCloud.com, log in.
4. Select photos, click Download and save them to the folder on your phone.

Method 2: Google Photos (Recommended)

1. Install Google Photos on your iPhone from the App Store.
2. Launch the application, log in to your account and enable Backup and Sync.
3. Choose the original (if quality is important) or high (to save space).
4. On Xiaomi, install Google Photos and log in to the same account – photos will start uploading automatically.

If you have more than 100GB of photos, consider using a physical cable.

• 🖥️ Connect your iPhone to your computer, copy the photo to your folder.
• 📁 Connect Xiaomi and transfer files to the folder DCIM/Camera.
• 🔄 Use the Xiaomi Gallery to scan new files.

5. Postponement of messages (SMS and iMessage on Xiaomi

Message porting is the most difficult part of migrating from iPhone to Android, as iMessage does not have official support on other platforms.

Method 1: Exports SMS via iTunes (for the purpose of Windows/Mac)

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later).
2. Create a backup by selecting this computer (not iCloud!).
3. Use iMazing or iExplorer to extract SMS backup.
4. Export messages to.csv or.xml format.
5. On Xiaomi, import the file through the app SMS Backup & Restore.

Method 2: Transfer iMessage via email (partial)

Unfortunately, the full history of iMessage cannot be transferred, but you can save important correspondence:

1. Open the desired chat in Messages on iPhone.
2. Swipe left on the message and click More → Export.
3. Choose. PDF Or text and send it to your mail.
4. On Xiaomi, save the file and use it as an archive.

⚠️ Note: After porting to Android, your contacts with iPhone will receive messages via the Internet. SMS, To avoid splitting chats, turn off iMessage on your old device: Settings → Communications → iMessage.

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Messages from WhatsApp, Telegram and other messengers are carried separately through the built-in export of chats in these applications.

6. Transfer of applications and their data

Unfortunately, apps from the App Store can’t be migrated to Android — they’ll have to be reinstalled from Google Play, but you can save some apps (like games or instant messengers).

How to transfer application data:

• 🎮 Games: Use a Google Play Games, Facebook or Game Center account link (if the game supports cross-platform play).
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber have built-in chat exports. For example, WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup copy.
• 📊 Social networks: Log in to the same accounts (Instagram, TikTok), and the data will be downloaded automatically.
• 🏦 Banking apps: Reconfigure from scratch – because of security, data is not exported.

List of cross-platform synchronization applications:

To transfer game saves (e.g., Genshin Impact or Clash of Clans):

1. Link the game to your Google Play Games or Facebook account on your iPhone.
2. Install the game on Xiaomi and log in to the same account.
3. Download save from the cloud (usually offered on first run).

7. Manual transfer: files, documents, music

If you need to transfer documents (PDF, Word, Excel, music, or other files are the easiest to use a physical connection or cloud services.

Method 1: Transfer through the cable (USB-OTG computer)

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and copy the files to your folder.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. Transfer the files to the appropriate folders: Music → Music Documents → Documents or Download Books → Books

Method 2: Cloud services

• 📁 Google Drive: 15GB free, easy to use for documents.
• 🎵 Yandex Disk: 10GB free, supports direct music downloads.
• 📂 Dropbox: 2GB free, but user-friendly.

Method 3: Local area network (Wi-Fi Direct)

If you do not have a computer or cable:

1. On Xiaomi, enable Wi-Fi Direct in your Wi-Fi settings.
2. On your iPhone, install Feem or Send Anywhere.
3. Send files over the local network (speed up to 10 MB / s).

💡

To transfer music from Apple Music, use the TuneMyMusic service, which converts playlists to a format compatible with Spotify or YouTube Music.

8. Post-transfer validation and optimization

Once the migration is complete, you need to verify the integrity of the data and optimize the work of Xiaomi.

What needs to be done:

• 🔍 Contact check: Open Contacts and make sure all numbers are displayed correctly.If there are duplicates, use Combine Contacts in the app menu.
• 📷 Gallery: Launch Xiaomi Gallery and wait for photos to be indexed. If some of the pictures don't show up, check the folder DCIM via file manager.
• 📱 System settings: Personalize Xiaomi for yourself: Set Gestures in Settings → Display. Activate Dark Theme in Settings. → Screen. Set Notifications for Applications in Settings → Annexes.
• 🔋 Battery: After transferring data, complete a full charge cycle (0–100%) to calibrate the battery.

How to make room on Xiaomi after the transfer:

• 🗑️ Delete temporary Mi Mover files in Settings → Warehouse → Application files.
• 📂 Transfer photos and videos to SD-card (if supported).
• ☁️ Enable automatic cache cleaning in Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup.

⚠️ Note: If after the transfer Xiaomi began to slow down, check the active processes in Settings → Annexes → Maybe Mi Mover or Google Photos are loading the system.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi