How to transfer data from your old phone to the new Xiaomi: the complete guide

Introduction: Why Data Transfers to Xiaomi Need a Special Approach

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but many users face the same challenge: how to save all the important data from the old device? Contacts, photos, messages, notes and even app settings – no one wants to lose this. Xiaomi’s feature is that the brand offers its own migration tools, which often work more than universal solutions from Google or Samsung.

In this article, we will look at 5 proven ways to transfer data, from the official Mi Mover app to manually copying through the cloud, and learn what is right for your model (be it Redmi Note 12 or Xiaomi 14 Ultra), how to avoid common errors and what to do if the transfer is interrupted, and also compare the speed and reliability of each option in the table.

Important: If your old phone is not from Xiaomi (like iPhone or Samsung), some methods will be different – we have noted these nuances in each section. MIUI: for smooth transfer on the new device must be installed MIUI 12 or newer.

Method 1: Mi Mover – official solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary tool for data migration between devices, pre-installed on all new smartphones of the brand and supports transfer of almost everything from contacts to call history, the main advantage of which is that you do not need to connect to the Internet (data is transmitted over a local Wi-Fi Direct network).

How to use:

• 📱 Turn on Mi Mover on both phones (on the old one you can download it from Google Play if you delete it).
• 🔄 On the new Xiaomi, select “I am a new user” and on the old one, “I am sending data".
• 📶 Connect to the access point that the new phone will create (password will appear on the screen).
• 📋 Select data types to transfer (you can mark all or only the desired categories).
• ⏳ Wait until it is completed – the process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour (depending on the amount of data).

⚠️ Note: If your old phone is running Android 8.0 or lower, Mi Mover may not see some files (such as notes from Mi Notes.

Battery charge >50% on both phones

VPNs and firewalls disabled

The new Xiaomi has enough free space (at least + 20% of the volume of data transferred)

The old phone doesn't overheat (remove the case)

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The average transfer speed over the Mi Mover is 1-2 GB in 5-7 minutes, but if there is a lot of data (for example, 64 GB photo), it is better to charge both devices and leave them overnight.

• 📞 Contacts in the App Contacts (sometimes duplicated).
• 📷 Photos in the gallery Photographs (should be in the album "Imported").
• 💬 Communications in SMS/MMS WhatsApp (if noted).

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If Mi Mover is 99% frozen, don’t interrupt the process — wait at least 10-15 minutes, often due to indexing media files on a new device.

Method 2: Copying through cable OTG adapter

If you don't have Wi-Fi access or you need to migrate data selectively (e.g., only photos from the last year), a physical cable connection will do.

• 🔌 USB-OTG cable (for modern Xiaomi with Type-C).
• 📁 Cardrier (if the data is stored on a microSD).
• 🖥️ Computer (optional, but convenient for file sorting).

Instructions:

1. Connect your old phone to your new one OTG (Or insert a microSD into the adapter).
2. On the new Xiaomi, open Explorer (File app).
3. Go to section. USB-storage SD-map.
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photos, downloads, etc.) to internal memory or microSD of a new phone.

⚠️ Note: Do not copy system folders like Android or MIUI — This can cause a new device to malfunction, and also note that applications cannot be moved this way (only those that are not available). APK-files, but no data).

Mi Mover (Official Xiaomi App)

OTG cable or adapter

Cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)

Computer (via USB)

Another option-->

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Faster than Wi-Fi (speed is limited only) USB-port).
• 🎯 You can choose specific files rather than transfer everything.
• 🔒 Data is not transmitted over the Internet (relevant to confidential information).

Disadvantages:

• 🔌 We need more accessories (OTG, adapter).
• 📂 Applications and their settings are not portable.
• 🔍 Manually verify the integrity of copied files.

Method 3: Cloud Backup via Mi Cloud or Google Account

If you have a stable Internet, the most versatile way is to sync through the cloud. Xiaomi offers two options: its own Mi Cloud (5 GB for free) or Google Account (15 GB).

Option A: Mi Cloud (for Xiaomi owners)

• 📱 Go to Settings. → Mi Account. → Mi Cloud on an old phone.
• 🔄 Enable synchronization for the desired data (contacts, notes, photos).
• 📲 On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Mi Account and wait for the data to load.

Option B: Google Account (Universal)

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Google → Backup.
• 🔄 Enable Backup in Google Drive and select data.
• 📲 On the new phone, when you first turn on, select "Restore from backup".

⚠️ Note: Cloud services are not available SMS/MMS and a call log on Android devices 10+. For this purpose, use specialized applications such as SMS Backup & Restore.

If you choose a Google Account, please note that photos in their original quality take up space in the cloud (when choosing High Quality – unlimited, but compressed). For Mi Cloud, there is a restriction: free 5 GB are valid only 90 days from the date of registration of the account, then the rates are paid.

Method 4: Transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi (features)

If you're moving from an iPhone to Xiaomi, standard methods like Mi Mover won't work -- you need workarounds. Here are 3 workarounds:

Method 1: Move to iOS (Reverse port)

• 📱 Install the iPhone app Move to Android from Google.
• 🔄 On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Copy data from iPhone".
• 📶 Connect to an access point created by Xiaomi and follow the instructions.

⚠️ Note: This method only transfers contacts, photos, videos and calendars. Music, apps and notes from Apple Notes are not copied.

Method 2: iCloud + Google Account

• 📱 On iPhone, enable sync with iCloud (Settings) → [Your name] → iCloud).
• 🌐 On your computer, open iCloud.com, export contacts in.vcf format.
• 📲 Import them to Google Contacts, then sync with Xiaomi.

Method 3: Direct transmission via computer

• 🖥️ Connect the iPhone to Mac/PC Copy photos via Photos (Mac) or iTunes (Windows).
• 📁 Transfer files to Xiaomi via cable USB (file transfer).

To transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Xiaomi, there is a separate instruction:

1. Back up your chats in iCloud (Whatsapp Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
2. Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi and log in to the same account.
3. When you request, restore data from Google Drive (pre-upload the backup with iCloud through third-party tools like Backuptrans).

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Moving from iPhone to Xiaomi always requires an intermediate step (computer or cloud) and direct transmission over the air is not possible due to Apple’s restrictions.

Method 5: Manual transfer via computer (for advanced users)

If you want complete control over the data you carry (e.g., selecting specific folders or eliminating duplicates), the best way to do this is to use a computer.

• 🖥️ PC or laptop Windows/macOS.
• 🔌 Cables. USB for both phones.
• 📂 Synchronization program (optional: Syncthing, FreeFileSync).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your old phone to your computer in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the right folders (DCIM, Pictures, Downloads, etc.) on a hard drive.
3. Connect the new Xiaomi and transfer the files to the appropriate directories.
4. For contacts, export them in.vcf format via Google Contacts or Xiaomi Contacts.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔍 You can check files for viruses before the penos.
• 📊 Convenient to sort data (for example, to divide photos by albums).
• 🛠️ Suitable for recovering data from old backups.

Disadvantages:

• ⏳ It takes longer (especially if you have a lot of data).
• 🖥️ Computer required.
• 🔧 Minimum technical skills required.

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If you're porting music, check file formats. Xiaomi doesn't support.m4a (Apple - convert to.mp3 via Audacity or online services.

Comparison of all methods: which one to choose?

To make the choice easier, we have collected the key parameters of each method in one table:

Selection recommendations:

• 🔄 If both phones are Xiaomi, use Mi Mover (the easiest way to do this).
• 📁 Do you need to transfer only the photo/video? OTG-cable.
• 🌐 Go with iPhone or Samsung? Combine Google Account + hand-carry.
• 💾 Want to back up "just in case"? Make a backup in Mi Cloud and Google Drive.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, you can get errors.

Problem 1: Mi Mover can't see an old phone

• 🔹 Check if Wi-Fi Direct is enabled on both devices.
• 🔹 Reboot both phones.
• 🔹 Make sure that the new Xiaomi has enough space (minimum 10% of the data portable).

Problem 2: Photographs are moved but not displayed in the gallery

• 🔹 Open Explorer and check if there are files in the folder DCIM/Camera.
• 🔹 Restart your phone – sometimes the gallery doesn’t update the library.
• 🔹 Install a third-party gallery (such as Simple Gallery) and check there.

Issue 3: Contacts are duplicated

• 🔹 Open Contacts. → Settings → Combine duplicates.
• 🔹 Turn off sync with unnecessary accounts (Facebook, VK).
• 🔹 Export contacts to.vcf, delete everything, then import back.

Problem 4: WhatsApp is not restoring chats

• 🔹 Make sure that the backup is created (Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
• 🔹 Check that the new phone has the same number and Google Account.
• 🔹 If you back up to iCloud, use tools like Backuptrans to convert.

⚠️ If after the transfer of the new Xiaomi began to slow down, check the Settings → Annexes → All apps and remove unnecessary services that may have been copied from your old phone (e.g., duplicate system utilities).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions