Changing your smartphone is always a bit stressful, especially when it comes to transferring important personal information. If you move from a Huawei device to a Xiaomi device, one of the first tasks will be to save your phone book. Fortunately, today’s Android ecosystems provide many tools to automate this process, making it fast and secure.
You don't have to manually interrupt hundreds of numbers or fear data loss. There are both built-in system utilities and third-party solutions that allow you to copy contacts in just a few minutes, and the specific method you choose depends on your version of Android, your Google account, and your personal privacy preferences.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available ways of data migration. We will look at the operation of the proprietary application Mi Mover, cloud synchronization, export through the Internet. SIM-And the map and the Bluetooth transmission, each of which has its own nuances, which we're going to highlight.
Using the Mi Mover application for direct transmission
The most efficient and modern way to migrate data is to use the official Mi Mover application, which is designed specifically for users who are switching to the Xiaomi platform, and supports the transfer of not only contacts, but also photos, music and even some system settings. The application creates a direct Wi-Fi connection between devices, which ensures high speed transfer without using Internet traffic.
The process begins with installing the app on both smartphones. On the new Xiaomi, the program is often already built into the settings section or available in the Tools folder. On the old Huawei, you will need to download the APK installation file from the official website or through the built-in browser, since the application may not be available in the Google Play store due to restrictions.
After launching on both devices, you need to select the role of each phone: "Sender" (Old phone) on Huawei and "Receiver" (New phone) on Xiaomi. QR-It's important to have both phones in close proximity to each other for stable connection.
⚠️ Warning: Do not block smartphone screens during the process of transferring large amounts of data, as some Huawei models can break the Wi-Fi connection in power saving mode.
Once the connection is established, the old phone will display a list of data categories to transfer, so you have to select Contacts. If you plan to transfer photos and videos, the process will take longer, but for a phone book it's a matter of seconds. Press Send and wait for the progress bar to be completed.
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
Once successfully completed, a report of the number of records transferred will appear on the screen. Contacts are automatically saved to the memory of the new device and will usually be immediately synced with your Google account if it was added when you first set up Xiaomi.
Synchronization through Google account
The most reliable and versatile method that works regardless of the smartphone brand is sync via Google Cloud.This method is ideal in that your contacts will always be safe, even if you lose your phone or decide to change it for the third time. All data is stored on the search giant's servers and is accessible from any Android device.
To start, make sure your Huawei is logged in to Google. Go to Settings → Accounts (or “Users and Accounts”). Find your Gmail address on the list and click on it. Make sure the switch opposite the Contacts item is activated and lit in blue.
If the sync has been disabled, turn it on and press the menu button (three dots in the corner) by selecting "Sync." Wait until the system reports a successful data update. Now your entire phone book is uploaded to the cloud.
What if you don’t have a Google account on Huawei?
Now, we're going to set up Xiaomi. When you first turn on a new smartphone, you type in the same email address and password. The system automatically prompts you to restore data from the backup. If the phone is already set up, just add an account in Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
After adding an account, make sure that the contact sync slider is active. Within a couple of minutes, the phone book will fill up with all the numbers, a method that ensures that new contacts added to Huawei automatically appear on Xiaomi if both devices are connected to the network.
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Using a Google account is the only way to ensure that your contacts are continuously synchronized in real time between different devices.
Transfer through SIM-map: classical method
The SIM-transfer method is considered outdated, but it remains extremely useful in situations where there is no Wi-Fi access, the Internet is unstable, or you prefer local storage without being tied to the cloud.
However, this method has significant limitations. SIM-The card has a small amount of memory and does not support the storage of additional fields such as email, photo of a contact, address or multiple numbers for a single name.
First, insert SIM-Go to the Contacts app, click on the management menu (three dots or button "More") and select "Import/Export." From the menu that opens, select "Export" SIM-The system will warn you about the possible loss of part of the data - confirm the action.
After the export is completed, extract SIM-Map and paste it into the new Xiaomi. On the new device, open the Contacts app again, go to the import/export settings, and select Import with SIM-You will be asked to choose a location for saving: you should choose a Google account or phone memory, but not the phone itself. SIM-map so as not to duplicate the records.
| Characteristics | SIM-map | Google Account | Mi Mover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo preservation | No. | Yes. | Yes. |
| Several rooms. | No (usually 1) | Yes. | Yes. |
| Internet is required | No. | Yes. | No (locally) |
| Speed. | Low. | Tall. | Very high. |
Use this method only as a temporary solution or if other options are not available. For full use of the smartphone Xiaomi is better immediately after importing the contacts to the cloud or memory of the device.
Export and import of VCF (vCard) files
The vCard format (.vcf) is the industry standard for sharing contact information. The vCard file can contain one or more contacts with all the information available: names, numbers, addresses, photos and notes. via Bluetooth, messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) or copy via USB-computer-mount.
On Huawei, open your phone book, go to contact management, and select "Import/Export." Click "Export to Storage" (or "Export to Device Memory"). The system will create a file with the.vcf extension, which is usually stored in the root of internal memory or in the Contacts folder.
Now, this file needs to be transferred to Xiaomi. If you use Bluetooth, turn it on both phones, find a new device in the list and send the file. When received on Xiaomi, the system automatically prompts you to open the file with the Contacts app for import.
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When transferring a vCard file via messengers (such as Telegram), make sure to send it as a “File” and not as a media to keep the data structure free of distortion.
The alternative is the use of USB-Connect Huawei to your computer, copy the contacts.vcf file to your desktop. Then connect Xiaomi, copy the file to internal memory, disconnect the cable, and run the file through the phone's file manager.
Once you've selected a file to import to Xiaomi, you'll be asked where to save your contacts. Choose a Phone or your Google account. It's quick, and all the records will appear on the list. It's one of the cleanest methods, and it doesn't require a permanent connection to the network.
Use of the “Contact” application from Google
Many Huawei smartphones with Google services preinstalled already have Google’s Contacts app, not its EMUI shell. If you have one, the process is simplified to a minimum. Check the app icon: if there are Google colored letters, you’re lucky.
In this app, all changes are saved automatically in real time, so you don't have to do any export or import actions, just log in to the same Google account on the new Xiaomi and allow sync.
If Huawei has a proprietary app, but you want to use Google’s capabilities, you can download the Contacts app from the AppGallery store or APK-Open it, log in to your account and select "Copy Contacts" in the settings" ->"From Device to Google Account".
⚠️ Note: When copying contacts to your Google account, make sure you have enough free space in Google storage (although it is always enough for contacts, the limit of 15 GB applies mainly to photos and files).
This approach is especially convenient for those who change devices frequently, and you will never have to think about moving numbers again, they will always be “linked” to your email address, no matter what phone you buy next time.
Solution and possible problems
Despite the simplicity of the methods described, users may encounter technical difficulties, often with file formats or access rights. SIM-Xiaomi cards with a new version MIUI HyperOS system can "think" long, processing old records.
Another common problem is duplicate contacts, which occurs if you use multiple methods at the same time (e.g. synced Google and then imported with SIM), to avoid this, always back up or check the duplicate list through the Google Contacts web interface before starting new operations.
If contacts don't show up after sync, check the display settings in the Contacts app. Click on the menu (three dots or bars) and select "Filter Contacts." Make sure that the "All Contacts" tick is ticked, not just "Phone" or "SIM."
In the rare cases where Huawei has a very old version of Android and Xiaomi is the latest, the name encoding format can get lost (instead of letters, there will be squares), in which case only export to vCard through a computer encoding UTF-8 or manually entering critical numbers will help.
⚠️ If photos of contacts are lost after transfer, try to sync your Google account again, since photos are uploaded separately from text data and require a stable Internet connection.
Remember that the software is constantly updated and the interfaces may vary slightly, and the main thing is to understand the logic of the process: the data must go from the source (Huawei memory) to the buffer (file, cloud, SIM) and then to the destination (Memory Xiaomi).