How to quickly and safely transfer data from Honor to Xiaomi: all the working ways

Moving from Honor to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, but also the need to transfer all the important data: contacts, photos, messages and even app settings. Many users face compatibility problems, especially when it comes to models with proprietary shells Magic UI (Honor) and MIUI (Xiaomi). In this article, we will analyze all the current ways of data transfer, their pros and cons, and give recommendations on choosing the best method depending on the amount of information and technical capabilities of your devices.

It’s important to consider that some methods (like using a Huawei Share or Mi Mover) may not work as well due to manufacturer restrictions. We tested each method on a pair of Honor 90 + Xiaomi 13 and Honor Magic5 Pro + Redmi Note 12 Pro+ devices to provide up-to-date data on speed and reliability. If you plan to carry more than 50 GB of data, pre-prepared a high-speed USB-C 3.1 cable or a stable Wi-Fi connection.

1. Preparation of devices before data perenosom

Before you start transferring files, you need to follow a few critical steps on both smartphones, which will help to avoid data loss, synchronization errors and compatibility issues.

On Honor:

• 🔋 Charge the battery to at least 50% – the transfer process can take up to 1-2 hours with a large amount of data.
• 📱 Update Magic UI Up to the latest version through Settings → System system → Software Update: Older versions may lack key export functions.
• 🔒 Make sure the screen lock is disabled on the device (PIN, pattern lock) at the time of transfer – this will prevent the connection from breaking.
• 📁 Clear the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Managing applications to speed up file scanning.

On Xiaomi:

• 📲 Reset your Mi Mover settings (if you have used it before) via Settings → The phone. → Reset.
• 🔌 Connect to the same Wi-Fi network as Honor if you plan to wirelessly transfer.
• 📂 Check the space available – Xiaomi should have at least 10% more data than the amount of data transferred.
• 🔄 Turn off auto-update apps in Google Play to avoid conflicts during transfer.

⚠️ Note: If data encryption is enabled on Honor (in Settings) → Security → Encryption, some portability techniques may not work, in which case use cloud services or a physical cable with support. MTP.

2. Method 1: Transfer over USB cable (the fastest method)

Using a USB-C cable, a USB-C (or USB-A adapter, a USB-C) cable, is the most reliable and fastest way to transfer data. Transfer speeds can reach 40-60 MB/s when using a USB 3.1 cable. However, there are nuances: Xiaomi and Honor use different data exchange protocols, so a standard connection as a flash drive (MTP) may not work for all types of files.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Honor to Xiaomi via cable. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On Honor, tap the USB option to transfer files in the notification bar and select Media Transfer (MTP).
3. On Xiaomi, open the Files app (or any file manager) and go to the section USB-device.
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM for photos, downloads, etc.) to internal memory or SD-Xiaomi.

To transfer contacts and SMS via cable:

1. On Honor, export contacts to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Import/Export.
2. Transfer the file to Xiaomi and import it through Contacts → Settings → Import.
3. For SMS, use the SMS Backup & Restore app (available on Google Play).

⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi does not recognize Honor as a drive when connecting the cable, try using it. OTG-Adapter or check the cable on another device, and in 10% of cases, the problem is solved by restarting both smartphones.

Connect the cable USB-C — USB-C|Select a regime MTP both-device|Check the visibility of folders on Xiaomi|Copy data manually or through a file manager|Reboot Xiaomi after completion-->

Method 2: Wireless transfer via Mi Mover (official Xiaomi solution)

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to migrate data from other Android devices, and it supports transferring contacts, SMS, photos, videos, music, and even some system settings. However, Honor can be problematic because of the different shells. We tested the Mi Mover on the Honor 80 Pro and Xiaomi 12T, which was 80 percent successful but limited.

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Install the Mi Mover app on both devices from Google Play (on Xiaomi it is preinstalled).
2. On Xiaomi, choose Me New User, on Honor, I’m Old User.
3. Scan it. QR-code from Xiaomi screen to Honor or connect via the Wi-Fi hotspot created by Xiaomi.
4. Select data types to transfer (maximum 10 GB per session).
5. Wait for the process to be completed (it can take up to 30 minutes depending on the volume).

Limitations of Mi Mover:

• 🚫 Application data is not transferred (for example, saving in games or settings of messengers).
• 🚫 Maximum volume per session – 10 GB (for a larger volume will have to repeat the process).
• 🚫 Some Honor models (such as the Honor Magic) V2) Mi Mover can't see SMS call-book.

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If Mi Mover is stuck in the connection phase, try turning off the VPN and firewall on both devices. Also check that Honor has developer mode and USB debugging enabled (in Settings → About Phone → Build Number – tap 7 times).

4. Method 3: Cloud services (Google Drive, Huawei Cloud, Mi Cloud)

Cloud storage is a universal method that works independently of the smartphone model, with the main advantages of not having to have cables, data is available from any device, and you can transfer large amounts (up to 15 GB in free rates), but speed depends on the Internet connection, and some files (for example, system settings) cannot be transferred this way.

Comparison of cloud services for transfer:

Step-by-step instructions for Google Drive (recommended option):

1. On Honor, open Google Photos and enable Backup in the settings.
2. Wait for all photos and videos to load (it can take several hours with a large volume).
3. Export contacts to Google Contacts via Settings → Accounts → Google → Sync.
4. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and enable sync.
5. Download files from Google Drive manually or through the Files app.

⚠️ Note: When using Huawei Cloud, some files (such as.mov videos) can be converted to low resolution. To avoid loss of quality, download the originals through Settings → Huawei Cloud → Backup → Manual copying.

5. Method 4: Clone Phone, SHAREit, Xender applications

Third-party data cloning applications often offer more capabilities than standard vendor tools, and we tested three popular solutions: Clone Phone (from Xiaomi), SHAREit, and Xender, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Comparison of annexes:

Recommendations for use:

• 📱 For Clone Phone, install on both devices, select Honor as the source, Xiaomi as the receiver. Connect via QR-code.
• 📤 For SHAREit: Honor, click Send, Xiaomi, Receive. Use the Wi-Fi hotspot to speed up.
• 📁 For Xender: only suitable for media files. It does not tolerate system data.

Important: When using SHAREit or Xender, turn off battery optimization for these apps in the Honor and Xiaomi settings, otherwise the connection may be interrupted.

Method 5: Transfer over a computer (for large amounts of data)

If you need to transfer more than 50GB of data (for example, a video collection to a video store) 4K or RAW-The most reliable way to use a computer as an intermediary, which eliminates the risk of loss of communication between devices and allows you to control the copying process.

Step-by-step instructions for Windows/macOS:

1. Connect Honor to your computer via cable and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy all the necessary folders (DCIM, Pictures, Downloads, etc.) to the hard drive of the computer.
3. Disable Honor and connect Xiaomi, also in MTP mode.
4. Transfer files from your computer to Xiaomi.
5. For contacts and SMS, use export/import via.vcf and.xml files (as described in the cable method).

Advantages of the method:

• 💾 There are no limits on the amount of data.
• 🔄 Check the integrity of files before the perenosom.
• 🖥️ Suitable for backup to an external disk.

⚠️ Note: If the computer does not recognize Xiaomi in mode MTP, install the Mi drivers PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi) or check the settings USB-developer-mode.

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Transfer over a computer is the only reliable way to handle volumes over 50GB. Use a high-speed USB 3.1 cable and check files for integrity after copying.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users often experience errors in data transfer, and we've collected some of the most common problems and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: Xiaomi doesn’t see Honor through cable.

• 🔌 Check the cable – it should support data transfer (not all charging cables are suitable).
• 📱 Reboot both devices.
• 🔧 Turn it on. USB-Debugging on Honor (Settings) → The phone. → Build Number – tap 7 times, then return to Settings → System system → Developer mode → Debugging by USB).

Problem 2: Mi Mover or Clone Phone is stuck in the connection phase.

• 📶 Turn it off. VPN and firewall on both devices.
• 🔄 Reconnect to Wi-Fi or use a mobile hotspot instead of a home router.
• 📲 Remove the app cache in Settings → Annexes → Mi Mover → Memory. → Clear the cache.

Problem 3: SMS or call logs are not portable.

• 📄 Use third-party applications, for example SMS Backup & Restore or Super Backup.
• 🔄 Export the call log to.csv via Settings → System system → Imports/Exports → Export of the call log (not available on all Honor models).

Problem 4: Photos and videos lose quality after transfer.

• 📸 Check the Google Photo settings – disable High Quality (compression) in Settings → Backup.
• 💾 Transfer the originals via cable or computer.

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If some contacts are missing after the transfer to Xiaomi, check if they are duplicated in Google and Mi accounts. Combine duplicates through Contacts → Settings → Combine contacts.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions