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

Why Data Transfers Between Honor and Xiaomi Need a Special Approach

The transition from Honor to Xiaomi is not just a smartphone change, but a transition between two different ecosystems. While both brands used to run on EMUI (Huawei/Honor firmware), now you have to master MIUI with its unique features and limitations. The main problem is that standard tools like Xiaomi’s Mi Mover don’t always correctly recognize data from Honor devices, especially if they are running firmware without Google services (for example, based on HarmonyOS).

The second is the difference in storage structure: Honor defaults to encrypt some system files (e.g., message backups), and Xiaomi uses its own backup algorithms via Mi Cloud, which means that a direct transfer through the cable can lead to loss of some information or its incorrect display, for example, notes from the Huawei Notes app will not open in Mi Notes without prior export.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to transfer data, from official tools to workarounds for complex cases (for example, if Honor does not have Google services), you’ll learn how to save not only contacts and photos, but also call history, SMS, Wi-Fi settings and even data from game accounts.

Method 1: The official Mi Mover tool - when it works

Mi Mover is a data migration application built into Xiaomi that should theoretically support porting from most Android devices. However, in practice, with Honor (especially on HarmonyOS or EMUI without GMS), there are problems.

1. On Xiaomi: Go to Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or find the app through search).
2. On Honor: Make sure that USB File Transfer is enabled (in the notification curtain when you connect the cable).
3. Connect both phones to charge (the battery must be at least 50% charged).
4. Select the I am a new user option on Xiaomi and follow the instructions.

Mi Mover can move:

• 📱 Contacts (if not synced with Huawei Cloud)
• 📷 Photo and video, but not RAW-file)
• 💬 Communications (only) SMS, without MMS chatrooms)
• 📞 Call history
• 📁 Some files from downloads

⚠️ Note: If Honor is running firmware without Google Mobile Services (GMS), Mi Mover may not see the device. Use Method 3 (transfer over the computer).

Both phones are charged at more than 50 times%|Xiaomi has enough free space|Honor has enabled file transfer mode|Used by the original USB-cable-->

Method 2: Sync through Google Account – a universal method

If your Honor has Google services on it (even if they are not active by default), this is the most reliable way to do this.

• 📇 Contacts (from the Google Contacts app)
• 📅 Calendar (Google Calendar)
• 📎 Notes (from Google Keep)
• 📂 Photos and videos (via Google Photos)
• 🎮 Data of certain games (if linked to Google Play Games)

Step-by-step:

1. On Honor, go to Settings → Accounts → Google and enable sync for all the right categories.
2. Wait for the sync to complete (check in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Management → Sync).
3. On Xiaomi, add the same Google account to Settings → Accounts and Sync.
4. Turn on synchronization and wait for the data to load.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ It works even if the phones are not connected to each other.
• ✅ Data is available on any device with the same account.
• ✅ Only the right categories can be selectively synchronized.

⚠️ If you have HarmonyOS on Honor without GMS, In this case, use Method 4 (Huawei cloud services).

Method 3: Transfer over a computer - for full control

This method is suitable if:

• 🔌 Mi Mover doesn't see your Honor.
• 🚫 Honor doesn't have Google services.
• 📂 You need to migrate specific files (such as application backups or system settings).

You'll need:

• Computer with Windows/macOS.
• USB-cables for both phones.
• HiSuite (for Honor) and Mi PC Suite (for Xiaomi) are not necessary, but simplify the process.

Instructions:

1. Connect Honor to your computer and manually copy the folders: DCIM (photo/video), Download (download), Pictures (images from apps), Movies (video) Music (audio files)
2. Export contacts: open Contacts on Honor → Settings → Import / Export → Export to your device. Save the file in.vcf format.
3. For messages, use the SMS Backup & Restore app (available in APK if there is no Google Play).
4. Connect Xiaomi and transfer the copied files to the appropriate folders.
5. Import contacts: open Contacts on Xiaomi → Settings → Import / Export → Import from the device.

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If your computer doesn’t see Honor as a drive, turn on Developer Mode (7 taps by build number in Settings → About Phone), then activate Debugging over USB and select File Transfer (MTP) mode.

Way 4: Huawei Cloud and Mi Cloud Cloud are Google’s alternatives

If your Honor doesn’t have Google services but you have a Huawei ID account, you can use Huawei Cloud to back up and then manually transfer the data to Xiaomi.

Step 1. Backup to Honor:

1. Go to Settings → Huawei ID → Cloud → Backup.
2. Select categories for reservation (contacts, messages, notes, calendar).
3. Click Backup and wait until it is completed.

Step 2: Exporting data from Huawei Cloud:

• 🌐 Go to the Huawei Cloud website from your computer.
• 📥 Download archives with the necessary data (contacts in.vcf format, photos in the file format) ZIP).
• 📤 Transfer files to Xiaomi via cable or cloud (such as Mi Cloud or Google Drive).

Step 3: Recovery on Xiaomi:

• Contacts: Import.vcf through the Contacts app.
• Photo/Video: Unpack ZIP and transfer it to the DCIM folder.
• Notes: Export from Huawei Notes to PDF and upload to Mi Notes.

⚠️ Warning: Huawei Cloud only stores backups for 30 days for free accounts.If you plan to move later, download the data immediately after you create a copy.

Method 5: Migration applications – when standard methods don’t work

If none of the above methods worked, use third-party apps. We tested the 3 most reliable ones:

Instructions for Clone Phone (we recommend this option):

1. Install the app on both phones (you can download it from APKPure if you don’t have Google Play).
2. On Honor, select Send Data, on Xiaomi, Receive Data.
3. Connect via Wi-Fi Direct or QR-code.
4. Select categories to transfer and wait until completion.

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The application side can carry data that is not available by standard methods (for example, chat history in messengers or application settings), but require caution: download APK only from trusted sources.

What to do if the data is not moved or damaged

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, you can have problems, and here are the typical situations and their solutions.

• 🔄 Contacts are duplicated: Open Google Contacts on Xiaomi, go to Settings → Combining and correcting.
• 📸 Photos not displayed in the gallery: Restart the Gallery app or clear its cache in Settings → Annexes.
• 💬 Not overdue. SMS: Check if antivirus (e.g. Mi Security) blocks access to messages. Turn off protection during transfer.
• 🎵 Music doesn't play: Xiaomi may not support some codecs.Install player VLC.

If the data is damaged during the transfer:

1. Check the integrity of files on your computer (for example, open a photo in Paint or Preview).
2. For backups of SMS/contacts, use the verified formats:.vcf for contacts,.xml for messages.
3. If files are corrupted, try to restore them with Recuva (for Windows) or Disk Drill (for macOS).

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Before transferring data, back up on both devices. On Honor: Settings → System → Backup. On Xiaomi: Settings → About Phone → Backup.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions