How to synchronize data on Xiaomi: contacts, photos, notes and applications

Synchronizing data between Xiaomi devices is a key feature that saves time and protects important information from loss. Whether you upgraded your smartphone to a new Redmi or POCO model, or just want to have backup photos and contacts, properly configuring synchronization will eliminate manual file transfer. In this article, we will analyze all the available methods, from the standard Mi Account to integration with Google services and third-party clouds.

Xiaomi’s ecosystem is very connected, but many users are facing problems: data is not updated, synchronization is halfway through the process, or some file types (such as notes from Mi Notes) refuse to be ported, and we’ll not only show basic settings, but also reveal hidden MIUI options that speed up sync by 2-3 times and solve 90% of typical errors.

1. synchronization through Mi Account: the main method

Mi Account is the heart of Xiaomi’s ecosystem, which connects all the devices of the brand: smartphones, Mi Band smartwatches, Mi TVs and even robot vacuum cleaners. To enable synchronization, you need to log in to all the gadgets under one account.

First, not all data is automatically synchronized. By default, Xiaomi only stores contacts, notes, call history and some system settings in the cloud. Photos, videos and documents will have to be downloaded manually or set up autosynchronization through the Gallery → Settings → Mi Cloud. Second, the amount of free cloud storage is limited to 5 GB (for comparison, Google Drive gives 15 GB).

• 📱 Contacts: synced automatically when you first log in to your account. Updated in real time.
• 📝 Notes: require manual inclusion in the application settings. Support versioning (you can restore the old edition).
• 📞 Call history: syncs only between Xiaomi smartphones (not working with other Android devices).
• ⚙️ System settings: themes, wallpaper, some interface parameters (e.g. navigation gestures).

To check which data is already synced, go to Settings → Mi Account → Sync. This shows you a list of categories with the date of the last update. ❗ — It means there's been an error, and most of the time it's due to an unstable Internet connection or a lack of cloud space.

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If the synchronization hung during the “Waiting” stage, try restarting the smartphone or temporarily disabling it. VPN. Xiaomi servers sometimes block suspicious servers IP-address.

2.Set up sync with Google: an alternative to Mi Account

If you prefer a Google ecosystem or use devices of different brands, sync through Google Account will be more reliable.

• 📅 Calendar and Reminders (including events from Google Calendar).
• 📧 Gmail emails and contacts (with the ability to merge duplicates).
• 📁 Google Drive files: Automatic backups of photos (Google Photos) and documents.
• 🎮 Game data (via Google Play Games) if supported by the developer.

To enable synchronization:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Select your account (or add a new one).
3. Activate the switches in front of the desired categories (for example, Contacts, Calendar, Disk).
4. To automatically upload photos to Google Photos, open the app and go to Settings → Backup and Sync.

Important point: Xiaomi by default disables Chrome sync (bookmarks, history) and Gmail to save battery.To return these features, go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Chrome/Gmail → Battery → No restrictions.

Synchronization of photos and videos: cloud vs local storage

Photos and videos take up the lion’s share of smartphone memory, so syncing them requires a special approach. Xiaomi has two main tools:

1. Mi Cloud (embedded cloud): Automatically uploads photos in original quality, but limited to 5 GB. Supports albums and facial recognition (on models with MIUI 12+).
2. Google Photos: offers "unlimited" storage for compressed photos (up to 16 MP) or 15 GB for originals.

Comparison of two services:

To enable autosynchronization in the Mi Cloud:

1. Open the Gallery → Profile (human icon) → Cloud settings.
2. Enable the option of Automatic backup.
3. Select networks: Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + mobile data.
4. Specify which folders to sync (e.g., exclude Screenshots or Downloads).

4. Synchronization of notes, SMS and other data

Mi Notes (or Notes in Russian firmware) supports sync via Mi Account, but there are pitfalls. For example, if you delete a note on one device, it will disappear on the rest of the device - the basket does not sync.

• 📌 Enable backup: Notes → Settings → Synchronization and backup.
• 🔄 Export important notes to.txt or.md via the Share Menu».
• 📱 Use alternatives: Google Keep or Evernote for cross-platform sync.

With SMS and MMS, the situation is more complicated: Xiaomi does not provide built-in cloud backup for messages.

1. Third-party applications: SMS Backup & Restore (saves SMS in XML on Google Drive).
2. Manual copying: via Settings → Memory → Backup → Local backup (includes SMS, but does not share them by chat).
3. Sending to email: in Messages → Settings → Additional → Self-sending MMS to email.

Is synchronization enabled in Mi Notes settings?|Is there a backup on Google Drive?|Access rights to the storage are checked?|Is the application updated to the latest version?-->

5. Solving synchronization problems

If the data is not synchronized, the reasons may be on the device side, and on the server side of Xiaomi or Google.

If none of these methods worked, try resetting your sync settings:

1. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset Sync.
3. Confirm the action and restart the device.

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Before resetting sync, be sure to create a local backup of data through Settings → Memory → Backup. This process will remove all unsynchronized changes!

⚠️ Note: If you use custom firmware (e.g. xiaomi.eu or LineageOS), sync via Mi Account may not work smoothly, in which case it is recommended to switch to Google sync or third-party services like Syncthing.

6. synchronization between Xiaomi and other devices (iPhone, PC, Mac)

Xiaomi’s ecosystem works well internally, but when interacting with devices from other brands (such as iPhone or Windows PC), it’s difficult.

• 📱 Xiaomi → iPhone: Contacts: export via Mi Account to vCard and import to iCloud.Photo: use Google Photos or iTunes (via wired connection).
• 💻 Xiaomi → PC/Mac: Files: Connect the phone as MTP-device (enable File Transfer when connected to the USB). Messages: Use SMS Backup & Restore + export CSV.
• 🖥️ PC/Mac → Xiaomi: Music/video: copy to the Music or Movies folder via wired connection. Documents: upload to Google Drive or Mi Cloud via web interface.

To automate synchronization between Xiaomi and Windows, you can use the Mi PC Suite (official software from Xiaomi).

• Manage files on your phone through a conductor.
• Install applications from APK.
• Create backup copies of SMS and contacts.

You can download Mi PC Suite from the official website: pcsuite.mi.com.

⚠️ Note: When connecting Xiaomi to a Mac, you may need to install the Android File Transfer driver. If the device is not detected, try rebooting the phone with Debugging Mode enabled USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap → For developers → Debugging by USB).

7. Alternative synchronization methods: cloud services and local area network

If standard methods do not work, consider alternatives:

• 🌐 Cloud services: Yandex.Disk: 10 GB free, integration with Yandex Mail. Dropbox: 2 GB is free, but it's a user-friendly interface for collaboration. OneDrive: 5 GB free, close integration with Windows 10/11.
• 📡 Local sync: Syncthing: Open source software for synchronizing files over Wi-Fi without cloud: P2P-Synchronization (suitable for large files). FTP-server: built-in MIUI (Settings → Connections and sharing → FTP-server).
• 🔗 Messengers: Telegram: channels and saved messages (up to 2 GB per file). WhatsApp: backup chats in Google Drive.

To automate backup on Xiaomi, you can use the task in Automation (built-in application in MIUI 12+):

1. Open Automation → Personal → Backup.
2. Select a trigger (for example, when connecting to Wi-Fi).
3. Add the action to Sync Mi Cloud data.
4. Keep the rule.

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Local sync (e.g., Syncthing) is safer than cloud-based sync because files are not transferred to third-party servers, but it requires both devices to be on the same network.

FAQ: Frequent synchronization questions on Xiaomi