How to securely transfer data from Huawei to Xiaomi: from contacts to apps

Why data transfer between Huawei and Xiaomi requires a special approach

The transition from Huawei to Xiaomi is not just a smartphone change, but a transition between two fundamentally different ecosystems: EMUI (Huawei’s shell) and MIUI (Xiaomi’s shell). If you’re moving data between devices of the same brand, you need to consider a few key points.

First, Huawei, after the sanctions 2019 year is deprived of access to services Google Mobile Services (GMS), which means the absence of standard tools like Google Drive or Google Photos on new models. Secondly, Xiaomi, on the contrary, is actively integrated with Google services, but has its own limitations - for example, MIUI blocks automatic data transfer via Bluetooth for certain types of files (for example, APK- application files).

In this article, we will discuss 5 working ways to transfer data – from official tools to workarounds for complex cases (for example, if you have a Huawei Mate 50 Pro without a GMS or a Xiaomi 13 Ultra with a blocked bootloader), special attention will be paid to saving contacts, photos / videos in original quality, messages (including chat history in WeChat or Telegram), as well as app settings.

Method 1: Xiaomi’s official tool – Mi Mover

The easiest method for most users is to use the proprietary Mi Mover app, pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones, which supports data transfer from devices to Android 5.0+, including Huawei, but there are nuances.

How Mi Mover works:

1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On Huawei, download Mi Mover from AppGallery (if any) or via APK from Xiaomi’s official website.
3. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on Xiaomi).
4. On Huawei, select the role of “Sender”, on Xiaomi – “Recipient”.
5. Scan the QR- code from the Xiaomi screen to Huawei and select data types to transfer.

What can be transferred through Mi Mover:

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and contact notes)
• 📷 Photos and videos (no compression, but with a file size limit of up to 5GB per session)
• 💬 Messages (SMS and MMS, but not instant messenger chats)
• 🎵 Music and documents (only if stored in the Download or Music folder)
• 📅 Calendar and reminders (if synced to Huawei account ID)

⚠️ Warning: If your Huawei has EMUI 12+ installed, turn off the Private Space feature in the security settings before transferring. Otherwise, Mi Mover will not see some of the files.

Turn off power saving mode | Make sure both phones have ≥30% charge | Sign out of your Google account (if any) | Disable VPN or proxy servers | Allow installation from unknown sources (for APK)

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Method 2: Cloud-based portability (with Huawei restrictions)

If the Mi Mover failed (for example, due to a lot of data), the alternative is cloud storage. However, it is important to consider that new Huawei models (for example, the P60 Pro or Mate X3) are not Google Mobile Services, so standard Google Photos or Google Drive may not work.

Option A: Huawei Cloud + Xiaomi Cloud (for users with both brands):

• 📱 On Huawei: go to Settings → Huawei ID → Cloud and upload data (contacts, photos, videos).
• 🌐 On PC: Export data from the Huawei Cloud via the web version (cloud.huawei.com) in ZIP format.
• 📱 On Xiaomi: upload ZIP to Mi Cloud via Settings → Xiaomi account → Cloud.

Option B: Third-party clouds (if there are no Huawei/Xiaomi accounts):

• 📁 Yandex Drive: Works on both devices, supports automatic photo/video downloading.
• 📁 OneDrive: Requires installation of APK on Huawei (download from onedrive.live.com).
• 📁 Dropbox: 2GB cap on free fare, but it works steadily.

💡

If Huawei does not have Google Play, download the APK cloud services only from official sites (such as OneDrive or Dropbox). Avoid third-party sources - this can lead to the installation of malware.

To transfer contacts separately from other data:

1. On Huawei, export your contacts to.vcf via Contacts → Settings → Import/Export.
2. Upload.vcf to the cloud (e.g. Yandex Drive).
3. On Xiaomi, download the file and import through Contacts → Settings → Import.

⚠️ Warning: When you transfer photos/video through the cloud, Huawei can automatically compress files to 1920×1080 resolution, even if the original is 4K. To avoid loss of quality, turn off Storage Optimization in the Huawei Gallery settings before downloading.

Method 3: Wireless Transfer over OTG or PC

If the data volume is higher than 10 GB or the Wi-Fi speed is poor, use a physical connection. There are two scenarios: direct connection via OTG- adapter or transfer via computer.

Screenplay 1: OTG- adapter (for phones with support for OTG)

• 🔌 Buy a OTG- Type-C → Type-C cable (if both Type-C phones are available) or a Type-C → MicroUSB adapter (for older Huawei models).
• 📱 Connect Huawei to Xiaomi via OTG.
• 📂 Xiaomi will open a file manager (Files) – copy the desired folders (DCIM, Download, Pictures, etc.).

Scenario 2: Transfer over PC (most reliable)

1. Connect Huawei to your computer via the USB- cable (select File Transfer mode in the notification curtain).
2. Copy all the necessary data (DCIM, Movies, Music, etc.) to the hard drive of the PC.
3. Connect Xiaomi and transfer the files back. Use two Explorer windows to speed up.

To transfer applications and their data (for example, save games or settings messengers):

• 📦 Use ADB Backup (requires debugging by USB on both phones).
• 🖥️ On a PC, run the command: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f C:\backup.ab (where C:\backup.ab is the path to the backup file).
• 📱 On Xiaomi, recover data by command: adb restore C:\backup.ab

⚠️ Warning: When ported via PC, Xiaomi may block the installation of APK- files due to the MIUI security policy. To unlock, go to Settings → Special Features → Install Unknown Applications and allow installation for Files.

Wired (via OTG/PC)|Wireless (Mi Mover/Wi-Fi)| Cloud Services|Handheld (one file)|I can't stand it, starting with a clean phone

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Method 4: Transfer of messages and chats of messengers

Standard tools like Mi Mover don’t carry the history of chats on WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat.

WhatsApp:

• 📱 On Huawei, back up: WhatsApp Settings → Chat → Backup.
• 📁 Copy the /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases folder to your PC (file msgstore.db.crypt14).
• 📱 Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, but don't run it! Move the Databases folder to the same location.
• 🔄 Restore chats when you first start WhatsApp.

Telegram:

• 📱 On Huawei, export chats: Settings → Additional → Export Chat History (select JSON- format).
• 📁 Transfer the file to Xiaomi and import through the same path in the settings.

WeChat:

• 📱 On Huawei, back up: I → Settings → Chat → Backup/Restore.
• 🔐 Link the same WeChat account to Xiaomi and recover the data.

💡

To transfer WhatsApp chats, it is critical to use the same phone number as the old device. If the SIM- card is not already activated on Xiaomi, temporarily insert it back into Huawei to create a backup.

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

Porting installed applications is one of the most challenging tasks, especially when it comes to games with local saves (such as Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail), which will help with the combination of APK Extractor and manual data transfer.

1 Export APK- Files from Huawei:

• 📱 Install the APK Extractor app on Huawei (available in AppGallery or as APK).
• 📁 Export APK the desired applications to the folder on the memory card.

Step 2: Transfer of the application data:

• 📂 Copy folders with data from /sdcard/Android/data/ [name packet] and /sdcard/Android/obb/ [name packet].
• 📱 On Xiaomi, install APK- files and transfer the data folders to the same directories.

Step 3: Restoration of access rights:

• 🔧 Use File Manager+ (with root rights, if any) or ADB- command: adb shell chmod -R 777 /sdcard/Android/data/ [packet name] to restore folder rights.

⚠️ Warning: Some applications (e.g., banking or DRM- security) are tied to a unique device identifier (IMEI or Android ID). Once ported to Xiaomi, they may require re-authorization or even refuse to work.

💡

To transfer games with cloud-based saves (for example, Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG Mobile), you need to log in to the same social network (Facebook, Google, Game Center) on a new device. Local saves (for example, in Minecraft) will have to be transferred manually.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even when following instructions, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

1. Mi Mover doesn't see Huawei:

• 🔄 Reboot both phones.
• 📶 Connect to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network (5 GHz may not be supported).
• 🔒 Turn off the firewall or VPN on both devices.

2.Photos moved but not opened on Xiaomi:

• 📸 Check file extensions: Huawei sometimes saves a photo in.heic format, which is not supported by MIUI by default. Install HEIF Viewer from Google Play.
• 🔄 Convert files to.jpg via Huawei Gallery before transferring.

3. Contacts are duplicated after transfer:

• 📇 On Xiaomi go to Contacts → Settings → Combine duplicates.
• 🗑️ Delete unnecessary accounts (such as Huawei ID and Mi Account duplicates) in Settings → Accounts.

4. Applications are not installed on Xiaomi:

• 🛡️ Enable installation from unknown sources: Settings → Privacy → Special permissions → Install unknown applications.
• 🔍 Check APK for viruses through VirusTotal before installation.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions