How to Flip Apps from Xiaomi to Xiaomi: The Complete 2026 Guide

Transferring apps between Xiaomi smartphones only seems like a simple task – in practice, users are faced with lost data, broken programs or endless synchronization cycles.In 2026, owners of Redmi have a chance to use the software, POCO Mi has at least 5 working ways of migration, but each of them has nuances: from the limitations of Mi Account to the peculiarities of working with the company. APK-file-based MIUI 15.

This article will not just list the standard instructions from the official documentation, we will analyze the hidden settings that speed up the transfer by 3 times, explain why some applications (for example, banking or banking). DRM-protection) are not copied by Mi Mover, and show workarounds for devices with different versions of Android. and also - provide an up-to-date table of methods compatibility with popular models Xiaomi 14, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and POCO F6.

1.Official method: Mi Mover - fast, but with limitations

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data porting tool that automatically copies apps, contacts, and even some settings. It works on devices with MIUI 9 and later, but there are critical nuances: applications are ported without data (for example, save in games or messenger cache will have to be restored separately), and some programs (for example, SberBank Online or Tinkoff) are blocked for security reasons.

To use the Mi Mover, both smartphones need:

• 📱 Install the latest version MIUI (Check in the settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔗 Connect to a single Wi-Fi network (or create an access point on an old phone).
• 🔄 Enable debugging on USB on both devices (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap the assembly number).
• 📲 Run Mi Mover on both phones and select the roles "Sender" and "Receiver".

Activate Mi Account on both devices | Make sure the new phone has enough memory |Disable VPN and firewalls |Charge both smartphones to at least 50%-->

It takes 10 to 40 minutes depending on the number of apps. Importantly, if a new phone already has some of the transfer list programs installed, Mi Mover will skip them to avoid version conflicts. Once complete, check the Miui/Backup/AllBackup folder on the new device for backups to appear.

⚠️ Note: If your old phone has custom firmware installed (like LineageOS), Mi Mover may not recognize it as a Xiaomi device.

2. Google Account Transfer: Universal, but not for all apps

Syncing through Google Account is suitable for users who want to migrate not only apps but also their data (such as game progress or Gmail settings), but this method does not work with all programs: many Chinese applications (such as Mi Fit or Mi Home) ignore backup in Google Drive, and some banking services block recovery from the cloud for security reasons.

Instructions for transfer:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Google → Backup and enable the option “Backup in Google Drive”.
2. Select an account to sync and wait until the process is complete (may take up to several hours).
3. On the new phone, when you first turn on, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google account.
4. In the backup list, select the last one and confirm the recovery.

The main advantage of this method is automatic update of applications after recovery: Google Play itself will offer to install the latest versions of programs.

Mi Mover|Google Account|Manual Portability APK|Local backup |Another way-->

3. Local backup via TWRP: for advanced users

If you need to migrate all of your application data (including game saves, cache, and settings), the best way to do this is to create a full backup through TWRP (Castom Recovery), which requires an unlocked bootloader and a TWRP installed on both devices, but guarantees 100% transfer of information, including Xiaomi system applications.

Step-by-step:

1. Install TWRP on both smartphones (see XDA Developers for specific model instructions).
2. On an old phone, boot into TWRP (press Power + Volume Up) and select Backup.
3. Check the Data and System sections (total backup weight may exceed 10 GB).
4. Copy the resulting backup file to a computer or external drive.
5. On the new phone, boot into TWRP, select Restore and point the path to the backup.

The advantage of this method is that it saves the environment, including MIUI settings, wallpaper and even call history, but there are risks:

• 🚨 Version incompatibility MIUI It could cause a new phone to freeze.
• 🔒 Banking apps may need to be activated again due to Android change ID.
• ⚠️ On devices with Dynamic RAM (For example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra requires additional partitioning configuration.

Manual transfer APK-Files: When nothing works

If none of the above methods are suitable (for example, you have different versions of Android or one of the devices is not from Xiaomi), you will be left with manual transfer. APK-It's the most time-consuming way, but it works 100 percent of the time:

• 📁 File Manager with access to root folders (e.g. Solid Explorer or Solid Explorer) FX File Manager).
• 🔌 Cable OTG file-transfer.
• 🔧 The option “Unknown Sources” (Settings) → Annexes → Special rights).

Algorithm of action:

1. On an old phone, copy the /data/app folder (root rights required) or use an app like APK Extractor to extract individual APK programs.
2. Transfer files to the new phone to any folder (like Download).
3. Install APK manually, starting with system applications (Mi Security, Mi Share, etc.).
4. For data applications (such as WhatsApp), additionally copy folders from /data/data/com.package.name.

The main problem with this method is version conflicts, and if a newer version of the app is already installed on the new phone, the system can block the installation of the old one.

⚠️ Attention: Before installation APK Turn off automatic app updates in Google Play (Settings) → Auto-update of applications → Otherwise, the new version will overwrite your data.

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To port save games, use Helium (an outdated but working solution) or Swift Backup (requires root), which can extract game data in a format compatible with the new device.

5.Move over Xiaomi Cloud: For Mi Account Owners

Xiaomi Cloud is an alternative to Google Drive for users of the Mi ecosystem. The service allows you to back up applications and their data, but with strict restrictions: only 5 GB is available for free, and the download / unload speed depends on the region (in Russia and Belarus, servers work slower than in Europe).

How to transfer data through Xiaomi Cloud:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Mi Account → Xiaomi Cloud → Backup.
2. Select "Data Backup" and tick the desired applications.
3. Wait for the download to be completed (may take several hours with a large volume).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and recover data from the cloud.

Features of the method:

• ✅ Supports the transfer of some system settings (for example, topics) MIUI wallpaper).
• ❌ Does not work with applications that block backups (e.g, VK or Telegram with the "Secret Chat" enabled").
• 🔄 When restoring some applications may require re-authorization.

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Xiaomi Cloud is the only official way to transfer Mi Fit and Mi Home data between devices, and other methods (including Mi Mover) ignore these apps because of their account binding.

6. Problem Solving: What to Do If Applications Are Not Portable

Even if you follow the instructions correctly, you may encounter errors, and here are the typical problems and solutions.

If none of the methods worked, check:

• 🔍 Free space on the new phone (minimum 10 percent of memory required).
• 🛡️ Security settings: Turn off Application Protection in Mi Security (Settings) → Confidentiality → Special permits).
• 🔄 Firmware region: on devices with MIUI Global and MIUI China may have conflicts.

For complex cases, use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) for example, the adb logcat command will show application installation errors in real time. If you are not sure about your skills, contact the Xiaomi service center to request “data migration between devices.” They have internal tools (for example, Mi PC Suite Pro) that are not available to ordinary users.

FAQ: Frequent questions about app portability