Why back up Xiaomi on Google and what does it do?
Smartphone data loss is one of the most frustrating situations for users. Vacation photos, instant messaging, saved passwords, or app settings can disappear at a time due to a system failure, device theft, or accidental reset. Google backup solves this problem by allowing you to recover almost all the data on a new phone or after flashing. But how does it work specifically for Xiaomi on MIUI or HyperOS?
Unlike local backups (which are stored on the device itself or on the memory card), cloud backup in a Google Account has several key benefits:
- 🔄 Automatic synchronization – data is updated in the background without your involvement.
- 🌍 Access from any device – restore the backup on the new Redmi, POCO or even a different brand of phone.
- 🛡️ Loss protection – even if your smartphone breaks, your data will stay in the cloud.
- 📦 Space saving – does not take up memory on the phone (unlike local copies).
However, the method has limitations: not all data is backed up (for example, messages from the standard Xiaomi Messages app are not synced with Google – only through MI Cloud), and the amount of free storage is limited to 15 GB per account.
In this article, we will discuss all the ways Xiaomi backs up in Google, from basic settings to hidden features that not everyone knows, and how to get around common mistakes (for example, when the backup “hangs” by 0% or does not recover on a new phone).
What data can Xiaomi store in Google?
Google is offering to reserve not all of the contents of the smartphone, here is a complete list of what can and cannot be saved through a Google account on Xiaomi:
| Type of data | Syncing with Google? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | ✅ Yes. | Only if they are stored in a Google account, not on SIM or in the phone’s memory. |
| Calendar | ✅ Yes. | Events from Google Calendar. |
| Photos and videos | ✅ Yes* | Only through Google Photos (separate from the system backup). |
| SMS/MMS messages | ❌ No. | Only through MI Cloud or third-party applications. |
| Call logs | ❌ No. | It is not backed up in Google or MI Cloud. |
| System settings | ✅ Yes. | Includes Wi-Fi networks, wallpaper, screen brightness, language settings. |
| Installed annexes | ✅ Yes. | List of applications, but not their data (for example, save in games). |
| Application data | ⚠️ Partially. | Depends on developer support (e.g. WhatsApp is backed up in Google Drive separately). |
It's important to understand that Google backup and Google Photo sync are two different processes: one saves system settings and app lists, and the other saves media files, and to avoid losing anything, you need to configure both mechanisms.
⚠️ Attention: If you are using MIUI 14 or later, some settings (such as the theme of the design) may not recover when you upgrade to HyperOS.
Step-by-step: how to enable Xiaomi backup in Google
The backup setup process takes no more than 5 minutes, but there are a few nuances that are not covered in the official manuals.
- Open Settings on your Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO and go to Google → Backup (or Accounts and Sync → Google → Backup on older versions of MIUI).
- Turn on the "Google Drive Backup" switch, and if it's not there, you don't have a Google account on your device, go back to your Accounts and add it.
- Click on "Create backup now" to manually start the process, and the system will evaluate the amount of data and show you progress.
- Check the automatic reservation settings: 🔄 Reserve over Wi-Fi – turn off if you want to save traffic. 🔋 Reserve when charging - it is recommended to turn on so as not to put the battery down. 📱 Enable reservation of application data – activate to save the settings of supported programs.
After the first reservation, the system will automatically update the copy every 24 hours (if the device is connected to Wi-Fi and is charging), to check the status of the backup, return to the same settings section, which will display the date of the last save and the occupied space in Google Drive.
Has a Google account been added to your phone settings?|Is there a free space in Google Drive (minimum) 1-2 GB)|Is the phone connected to Wi-Fi (recommended)|Is the phone at least charged to 50%-->
💡
If the backup is 0% frozen, try disabling VPNs or proxy services – sometimes they block the connection to Google servers.
How to recover data from Google backup to Xiaomi?
Backup recovery occurs automatically when you first set up a new phone (or after resetting to factory settings), but there is a way to do this on an already configured device:
- Go to Settings → Google → Backup.
- Click Backup Management and select the right backup (if there are several).
- Tap Restore and confirm the action. The system will prompt you to choose which data to restore (applications, settings, contacts, etc.).
The ideal solution is to use both clouds: Google Drive stores system settings and applications, and MI Cloud stores SMS and notes, so you get the most reliability.