Changing a smartphone is always stressful, especially when it comes to moving between ecosystems of different manufacturers. Users who decide to change the popular Xiaomi to a flagship or budget device from Huawei often face the primary problem of data migration. It would seem that it may be easier than moving the list of phone numbers, but in practice this process is acquiring technical nuances associated with the features of the shells MIUI and HarmonyOS.
The main difficulty lies in the difference in formats for storing the address book. MIUI by default seeks to save data in its own cloud or a local file of a specific format, while Huawei (especially new models without Google services) focuses on Huawei Cloud or local Android databases. The wrong approach to synchronization can lead to the fact that numbers “scatter” from different sources, duplicates appear or completely lose the first reset.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods of data transfer, from classic synchronization through a Google account to the use of specialized utilities like Phone Clone, learn how to export.vcf files correctly and understand how to avoid common import errors by saving the structure of contacts, photos and additional fields.
Device preparation and verification of data sources
Before you start taking action, you need to audit where exactly your records are stored on an old Xiaomi device. Often users do not even suspect that some of the numbers lie on the phone. SIM-The card, part in the phone's memory, and the other in the manufacturer's cloud. Open the Contacts app and go to the display or contact management settings.
Make sure that both smartphones have at least 50-60% battery charge. The transfer process, especially if you use wireless transmission of large amounts of data with photos, can be energy-intensive. Also check for free space on the new Huawei, although text data takes up negligible space.
⚠️ Note: If you plan to use cloud services, make sure both devices are connected to a stable Wi-Fi network. Mobile internet can be unstable and loading a large amount of data will be interrupted, leading to sync error.
A critical step is to clean the duplicates on the old device before transferring. MIUI has a built-in tool to combine the repetitive recordings. If you transfer the garbage to a new phone, it will be harder to clean it because of the differences in the shell interface.
☑️ Checklist before the start of migration
Method 1: Use the Phone Clone (Huawei Phone Clone) app
The most effective and official method of moving is to use a special Phone Clone app developed by Huawei, which is designed specifically for migrating data from Android and iOS to Huawei devices, and it does a great job of converting data from the device. MIUI. The app is available in AppGallery on a new phone and can be installed on Xiaomi via scanning. QR-code or search on Google Play.
The process starts with running the app on both devices. On Huawei, you choose the role "This is a new phone," and on Xiaomi, "This is an old phone." QR-If you use a new device's camera or you manually enter a password, your smartphone will create a direct Wi-Fi connection, and that will allow you to transfer fast, without using Internet traffic.
In the data selection menu, make sure to tick the “Contacts” box, and the advantage of this method is that the Phone Clone automatically recognizes the structure of the MIUI address book and correctly allocates fields (name, number, email, address) to the corresponding cells of the Huawei system, and you can also transfer photos, videos and installed applications simultaneously.
- 🚀 High data transfer speed thanks to direct Wi-Fi between devices.
- 📱 Automatic conversion of database formats without user participation.
- 🔒 Security: Data is transferred locally and not uploaded to third-party servers.
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If the transfer process is frozen in the “Data Preparation” stage, try to turn off power saving mode on Xiaomi and allow the Phone Clone application to access all files in the Android access rights settings.
Method 2: Sync through your Google account
The universal solution for the Android ecosystem is synchronization through Google services, which is ideal if you want your contacts to be accessible not only on Huawei, but also at any time can be restored on any other Android smartphone or through the web interface.
On a Xiaomi device, you need to open Settings, find the Accounts and Sync section, and select your Google account. Make sure the switch opposite the Contacts item is active. If your numbers are stored locally in your phone memory or in your Mi Account, the system will prompt you to copy them to Google Contacts before syncing - agree to this action.
Once you have synced on your old phone, pick up Huawei. When you first set up or use the Accounts menu, log in to the same Google account (Gmail) and automatically pull up all your saved records, a method that is particularly handy because contacts that are deleted accidentally can be restored from the Google Contacts shopping cart within 30 days.
However, it is worth considering that some specific fields from MIUI, such as contact notes or certain types of numbers, may not appear correctly in the standard Huawei phone book, although the basic information will remain completely.
What to do if your contacts are not synchronized?
Method 3: Export and import via VCF (Bluetooth or Mi Drop)
If for some reason the use of clouds or special applications is impossible (for example, network problems or blocked services), the good old method of manual export comes to the rescue..vcf (vCard) is the de facto standard for contact information exchange and is supported by absolutely all smartphones.
To implement this method on Xiaomi, open the Contacts app, click on the menu (three dots or bars) and select Import and Export. Next, select Export to Storage. The system will create a file, commonly called contacts.vcf, in internal memory.
Now you have to transfer this file to Huawei. The easiest way to do this is via Bluetooth or the proprietary Mi Drop utility (if it is installed on both devices). Once you receive the file on the new phone, just click on it in the file manager. Huawei's system recognizes the format and suggests importing the entries into the phone book or account.
| Method of transmission | Speed. | Reliability | Photo preservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone Clone | Tall. | Maximum | Yes. |
| Google Sync | Medium | Tall. | Yes (if synchronized) |
| VCF file (Bluetooth) | Low. | Medium | Partially. |
| SIM-map | Very low. | Low. | No. |
Method 4: Transfer through SIM-map (classical method)
This is considered a “daddy” option, but it is still relevant if you want to throw only phone numbers without unnecessary tinsel like email addresses, avatars and companies. SIM-cards are usually kept no more than 250-500 The name of the contact is often cut off before 10-15 symbolism.
On Xiaomi, go to contact management, select “Import and export” and click “Export on” SIM-The system will warn you that some of the data may be lost (photos and long names). Confirm the action and wait for the process to be completed.
Then insert it. SIM-card to Huawei (if you have changed the slot) or simply go to the contact menu on the new device. SIM-All the numbers will be in the phone's memory. It's a great way to back up just in case, but it's not very good for a full-fledged move.
⚠️ Note: When exporting to SIM-The numbering card may be confused, and the names written in Cyrillic on some old ones. SIM-The cards can be displayed as unreadable characters. Use this method only for the base numbers.
Solving problems with coding and duplicates
After transferring data, users often face an unpleasant surprise: instead of names, “crackers” are displayed, or one contact was duplicated five times. The encoding problem (UTF-8 vs. other encodings) most often occurs when imported from.vcf files created on very old versions of Android or third-party applications.
If you see unreadable characters, try opening a.vcf file on your computer through Notepad and selecting UTF-8 encoding when you save it, then downloading the file again. In the case of duplicates, the EMUI or HarmonyOS shell on Huawei has a built-in cleaning tool.
Go to Contacts, click on four dots (or menus) and select Contact Management -> Combine Repeats. The system will analyze the database and suggest combining records with the same numbers, which will return order to your address book.
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The ideal migration algorithm is a combination of methods: first sync through Google for the bulk, and then check through Phone Clone for the contacts’ media data.