How to Transfer All Data from Huawei to Xiaomi: From Contacts to Apps

The transition from Huawei to Xiaomi is not just a smartphone change, but a full migration of digital life. Even if you bought the top-end Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra, without data transfer, the new gadget will remain an empty shell. Contacts, photos, messages, notes and even app settings – all this must be carefully moved to avoid losing important information.

Compounding the problem, Huawei and Xiaomi have different ecosystems: the first runs on EMUI (the Android-based shell), the second runs on MIUI. This means that standard Google tools (such as Backup & Restore) may not be able to handle some data, especially if we are talking about branded services like Huawei Cloud or Mi Account. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to transfer data from automatic to manual, taking into account the nuances of specific models and versions of the software.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating, make sure both phones are ready for the procedure, which will prevent errors such as interrupted transfer or loss of files.

On Huawei, check:

• 🔋 Battery charge at least 50%, data transfer can take up to an hour, and discharging in the process will lead to failure.
• 📶 Free space – Xiaomi should have at least 20% more than Huawei data (for example, if the old phone is occupied by 32 GB, the new one needs 40 GB of free space).
• 🔄 Updates – Install the latest version EMUI on Huawei and MIUI Xiaomi to avoid compatibility.
• 🔒 Backup – Create a backup on Huawei Cloud or Google Drive in case of a crash.

On Xiaomi:

• 📱 Reset to factory — if the phone is new, skip this step. If used, reset to Settings. → The phone. → Resetting settings.
• 🌐 Wi-Fi connectivity – transferring data over a cloud or local area network requires a stable internet connection.
• 🔑 Signing in to Mi Account – without a Xiaomi account, some features (such as synchronizing notes) will not work.

⚠️ Note: If Huawei has App Twin enabled, its data will not be automatically transferred.

Method 1: Automatic transfer via Mi Mover (recommended)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s official application for migrating data from other Android devices, which supports transferring contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, calendars and even some app settings, with the main advantage of not requiring root rights and running without a computer.

Instructions:

1. Download Mi Mover on both phones: On Xiaomi: the app is preinstalled (find through the search menu). On Huawei: download APK from APKCombo (version must be at least 3.0).

Mi Mover

Xiaomi

I'm a new user.

Huawei

I'm an old user.

Xiaomi

Huawei

Xiaomi

Select the data to transfer and wait for the process to be completed.

Both phones are connected to charging|Wi-Fi is enabled on both devices|Xiaomi has enough free space|Mi Mover Updated to the Latest Version-->

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data:

⚠️ Note: If the transfer is frozen during the Preparation phase, restart Mi Mover on both phones and try again. If the error repeats, try another method (for example, through Google Account).

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendars, and part of apps)

If Mi Mover failed or you prefer cloud solutions, use Google Account.

• 📇 Contacts (synchronization with Google Contacts).
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar).
• 📝 Notes (if you use Google Keep).
• 🎮 Data from some games (via Google Play Games).

How to move:

1. On Huawei, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for the data you need.
2. Wait for the sync to be completed (check in Google Contacts).
3. On Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts.
4. Turn on synchronization and wait for the data to load.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Photos and videos are not automatically transferred (you need to use Google Photos separately).
• ❌ Communications SMS/MMS Not synchronized (you need to export manually).
• ❌ Application settings (such as WhatsApp or Viber) will not be saved.

💡

If Huawei has enabled Battery Optimization for Google Services, sync may not work smoothly. Turn off optimization in Settings → Apps → Google Play Services → Battery → Battery Optimization → No Limits.

Method 3: Transfer photos and videos via Google Photos or Huawei Cloud

Media files (photos, videos, screenshots) take up the lion's share of memory, and their transfer requires special attention.

Option 1: Google Photos (free up to 15GB)

1. On Huawei, install Google Photos.
2. Log in to your Google Account and enable Backup and Sync.
3. Wait for all files to load (you can speed up the process by connecting to Wi-Fi).
4. On Xiaomi, install Google Photos, log in to the same account and download files.

Option 2: Huawei Cloud → Xiaomi (if you have a Huawei account)

1. On Huawei, upload all media files to Huawei Cloud (Settings → Huawei ID → Cloud).
2. From your computer, log into Huawei Cloud and download files to the archive.
3. Transfer the archive to Xiaomi via USB-cable or send yourself by mail.

Comparison of methods:

Method 4: Message Transfer (SMS/MMS) and Call Logs

Messages and call history are some of the most important data that is often lost when changing phones, and you will need a third-party app to transfer them, since standard Android tools do not support SMS exports.

Best solution: SMS Backup & Restore:

1. Install the app on Huawei.
2. Start backup: Backup → Select Everything → Create a backup.
3. Save the backup file to Google Drive or send it to yourself by mail.
4. On Xiaomi, install the same app, download the backup and restore messages.

For call logs, use Call Logs Backup & Restore (similar algorithm).

⚠️ Note: If encryption is enabled on Huawei SMS (Function Protection of messages in Settings → Security, before exporting, disable it - otherwise the backup will be unreadable.

Method 5: Transfer applications and their data (including games)

Move the apps themselves (APK-Files are not enough – you need to save their data (for example, progress in games, settings of messengers.

Step 1: Syncing with Google

• 🎮 Use Google Play Games to save progress (if the game supports cloud-based saves).
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber have built-in chat export features.

Step 2: Manual backup of application data

1. On Huawei, enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number → 7 taps → Developer Settings → USB Debugging).
2. Connect your phone to your computer and use ADB to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab
3. Copy backup.ab file on Xiaomi and recover data: adb restore backup.ab

Limitations:

• ❌ Not all apps support backup through ADB (For example, banking applications).
• ❌ Some games (such as Genshin Impact) will not be saved, but will need to be linked to a developer account.

💡

To transfer WhatsApp data, use the built-in export: Settings → Chat → Backup. Important! Backup is created in Google Drive, so Xiaomi must have the same Google account.

Method 6: Transfer over a computer (for large amounts of data)

If you have more than 100GB of data or prefer complete control of the process, use a computer (Windows/Mac) as an intermediary.

• 📁 A full copy of the internal memory.
• 🎵 Music and podcasts.
• 📄 Documents (.pdf,.docx,.xlsx).
• 📂 Download folders.

Instructions:

1. Connect Huawei to your computer via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
2. Copy all the folders you need (DCIM, Downloads, Documents, etc.) to your hard drive.
3. Connect Xiaomi and transfer the files back.
4. For music, use Mi Music or Google Play Music to automatically sort.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Full control over the data transferred.
• ✅ There are no limits on volume (except free space on PCs).
• ✅ You can sort files before transferring them.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ It takes time and attention.
• ❌ Does not tolerate application settings and system data.

What to do if the data is not transferred or lost

Even with careful preparation, there can be problems. Here's how to solve them:

Problem 1: Contacts are not transferred

• Check if sync is enabled in Settings → Accounts → Google → Contact Sync.
• Export contacts to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Export/Import and import to Xiaomi.

Problem 2: Photos are not uploaded in Google

• Check if the traffic saving mode is included in Settings → Network and Internet → Traffic saving.
• Turn off the VPN (if you use it) – it can block the download.

Problem 3: Apps fly out after transfer

• Update your apps through Google Play.
• Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps → [Name] → Storage → Clear the cache.

Problem 4: Mi Mover is 99% frozen

• Restart both phones.
• Try another method of transfer (for example, via a computer).

FAQ: Frequent questions about data transfer from Huawei to Xiaomi