How to transfer applications from one Xiaomi to another: all the ways of 2026

Moving apps from an old Xiaomi smartphone to a new one is a challenge that every user faces when updating a gadget. Even if both devices are from the same manufacturer, the process does not always go smoothly: somewhere data is lost, somewhere applications are not restored, and sometimes synchronization errors occur. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transfer — from official tools (Mi Mover, Mi Account) to alternative solutions (local network, Bluetooth, third-party services).

Xiaomi has its own migration tools, but they don’t always work perfectly. Mi Mover may refuse to copy some system applications, and synchronization through Mi Account sometimes “forgets” the settings of individual programs. We tested each method on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, Xiaomi 13 Ultra and POCO F5 models, and we are ready to share the results.

Importantly, if you're switching from Android to iOS (or vice versa), this instruction won't work for you, because there are other mechanisms, and it's just about transferring between Xiaomi devices based on MIUI or HyperOS.

1.The official way: Mi Mover - pros and pitfalls

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data porting solution, including apps, contacts, photos and even some system settings. It works on all smartphones of the brand with MIUI 9 and later (including HyperOS).The main advantage is that it does not require root rights and retains the structure of application folders, which is important for games with local saves (eg, Genshin Impact or Honkai: Star Rail).

How it works:

• 📱 Install Mi Mover on both devices (available in the App Store for new models or via Settings) → The phone. → Data portability).
• 🔗 Connect your smartphones to a single Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on your old phone).
• 📤 On the old device, select the role of “Sender” (Sender), on the new one – “Receiver” (Receiver).
• 🔍 Scan it. QR-The code from the screen of the new phone is old (or enter) PIN-manually).
• 📋 Select data for transfer: tick "Applications" and confirm the transfer.

⚠️ Attention: Mi Mover is not tolerated:

⚠️ Annexes established through APK (Only those downloaded from Google Play or Mi App Store). ⚠️ Data from some banking applications (e.g. SberBank Online or Tinkoff) due to security restrictions. ⚠️ Widget settings and the location of icons on the desktop (you will have to adjust manually).

Both phones are charged at least 50 times%|Free space on the new device exceeds the size of the data transferred|Disabled. VPN and ad blockers|Both smartphones have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled-->

The transfer speed depends on the amount of data. For example, 50 applications (total weight ~2 GB) are copied in 10-15 minutes. If the process is stalled during the Preparation stage, try restarting Mi Mover or clearing the app cache in the settings.

Synchronization through Mi Account: Automatic Transfer

If both of your Xiaomis are linked to the same Mi Account, some applications can be restored automatically when you first turn on a new device, which is suitable for basic programs (messaging apps, social networks, some games), but does not guarantee the transfer of all data.

How to turn on synchronization:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Sync → turn on the switch for “Apps”.
2. On the new phone, when you first start, select “Restore from backup” and log in to the same Mi Account.
3. Wait until the process is complete (it can take up to 30 minutes depending on the speed of the Internet).

🔍 What's important to know:

• 🔄 Only those applications that support cloud storage are synced (for example, WhatsApp or Telegram will restore chats, but not media files).
• 🚫 Some applications (e.g, VK Instagram or Instagram require re-entering the login / password.
• 📥 The volume of cloud storage Mi Account is limited to 5 GB (to expand you need to pay).

If some applications have not appeared after recovery, check:

• Google Play (they may have been removed from the market).
• Account Region (some programs are not available in certain countries)
• Security settings (Settings → Applications → Special Access → Install Unknown Applications).

3. Transfer over a local area network (Wi-Fi Direct)

If Mi Mover doesn't work, the alternative is to use Wi-Fi Direct or create a local area network, which is faster than Bluetooth, but requires additional applications. APK-file and application data.

The following is a step-by-step guide for Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both phones from Google Play.
2. On your old phone, select “Send” → “Apps” → mark the desired programs.
3. Click "Send" and select the "Wi-Fi Direct" method.
4. On the new phone, select “Get” and connect to the network you have created.
5. Confirm the transmission and wait for completion.

⚠️ Note: This transfer does not save application data (e.g. game progress or chat history) and requires additional folders to be copied to transfer them:

• 📁 For games: /Android/obb/ and /Android/data/.
• 📁 For messengers: /storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/ (WhatsApp).

💡

If the transfer is interrupted, try to reduce the packet size: send applications 5-10 pieces at a time.

Wi-Fi Direct transfers up to 10-20MB/s, which is 5-10 times faster than Bluetooth. However, some antiviruses (such as Avast or Kaspersky) can block transmissions — temporarily turn them off.

4. Bluetooth Transfer: Slowly but Reliably

Bluetooth is the most versatile, but also the slowest way, and is suitable for transferring several small applications (up to 50 MB each) when other methods are not available, such as when there is no Wi-Fi or Mi Mover does not work.

How to move applications:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Connected Devices → Bluetooth and turn on visibility.
2. On the new phone, find the old device in the list and connect (code confirmation will be required).
3. File Manager (Files by Google or Mi File Manager) APK-Application files (usually in the /data/app/, But without root access, you can't get there).
4. Alternative: Use the APK Extractor app to extract APKs from installed programs, then send them via Bluetooth.

📊 Transmission speed comparison:

🔧 How to speed up Bluetooth transmission:

• 📶 Move the phones closer together (within 1 meter).
• 🔋 Close all background apps (especially instant messengers and games).
• 🔄 Use Bluetooth 5.0 (available on Xiaomi 11 and up-to-date).

5. Computer Transfer: For Power Users

If you need to migrate all the data applications (e.g. emulators or specialized software), the best way to do this is to use a computer and tools like ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires technical skills but gives you complete control over the process.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB on your computer (download Platform Tools from Google).
2. Enable USB debugging on both phones: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 7 times to activate Developer Mode), then Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your old phone to your PC and execute the command to retrieve the application list: adb shell pm list packages -f | grep "/data/app"
4. Copy. APK-Files on the computer: adb pull /data/app/com.example.app (Replace com.example.app with the real name of the package).
5. Connect a new phone and install apps: adb install app.apk

⚠️ Attention: With this transfer:

⚠️ Application data (/data/data/) Not copied without root rights. ⚠️ Some Xiaomi system apps (Mi Home, Mi Fit) may not install due to signature verification.

💡 The alternative ADB: App Backup & Restore (available on Google Play) allows you to create backups APK + It does not work with all applications (for example, does not save data from Clash of Clans or Brawl Stars).

6 Third-party services: cloud and P2P-decision

If the official methods don't work, you can use third-party services, and we tested three of the most reliable ones.

🔹 ShareMe (formerly Mi Drop) is an application from Xiaomi for transferring files without the Internet. APK, It doesn't store any application data. It's up to 20MB/s.

🔹 CLONEit is a specialized migration tool that portes applications, contacts, SMS And even some settings.

🔹 Google Drive + App Backup & Restore – Create a backup of apps on Google Drive, then restore them on a new phone.

📌 Comparison of third-party services:

🔐 Security: Avoid little-known data porting apps - they may contain malicious code. Before using, check for reviews on Google Play and the rights the program requests.

💡

For maximum reliability, combine methods: for example, transfer APK through Mi Mover, and game data manually through the file manager.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions