How to Transfer Data from Xiaomi to Apple: A Step-by-Step Guide

The transition to the Apple ecosystem from an Android device often raises many questions about the safety of personal information. The owner of a Xiaomi smartphone, who decided to change the platform, is primarily concerned about how to correctly transfer contacts, photos, correspondence history and installed applications. The process of migrating data between different operating systems requires careful attention, since direct synchronization of file systems is impossible here.

Fortunately, Apple has developed a formal solution that makes this as easy as possible: Move to iOS allows you to create a secure communication channel between devices and transfer basic data sets without using a computer. However, this tool may not be enough to fully transition, especially if you have actively used specific features of the MIUI or HyperOS shell. In this article, we will discuss all the nuances, including working with messengers and cloud storage.

It's important to understand that moving to iOS is not just copying files, but adapting to the new logic of the system. Some familiar features may work differently or require the installation of additional applications from the App Store. The transfer process does not affect system settings, Wi-Fi passwords and stored data in the browser if they are not synchronized with the Google account. Preparing for the migration will take time, but the correct algorithm of actions will help to avoid losing important information.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before starting the procedure, make sure that both smartphones are ready to work. On a Xiaomi device, you should check the availability of free space and battery level, as the process can be energy-intensive. It is also recommended to update the Android operating system to the latest available version to avoid compatibility errors when transferring data packets.

On the receiving device, the iPhone, the situation requires a more rigorous approach. The data porting app only works at the initial setup stage. If you have already activated the phone and are using it, you will have to perform a full reset. To do this, go to Settings → Main → Portage or Reset iPhone → Erase content and settings. This action will delete all current data from the iPhone.

⚠️ Warning: Performing a reset on the iPhone will result in the complete removal of all information from the device.Make sure the new phone doesn't have important data that wasn't stored before.

Both devices must be connected to a power source. Although data is transmitted via a local Wi-Fi channel, both smartphones will actively consume energy. Do not interrupt the process or switch to other applications during the migration, so as not to disrupt the integrity of the transmitted packets.

Use of the Move app to iOS

The main tool for migration is the official application Move to iOS, developed by Apple engineers, which must be downloaded to a Xiaomi smartphone from the Google Play store. On the iPhone, you do not need to install anything, since the necessary module is already built into the system and activates automatically when you start setting up a new device.

Launch the app on Xiaomi and follow the on-screen instructions. At the iPhone setup stage, when you reach the Apps and Data screen, select the option “Move Data from Android.” The new phone will have a six-digit or ten-digit code that you will need to enter into the app on your Xiaomi device.

Once the code is entered, the devices will create a temporary Wi-Fi network. Xiaomi will offer you to choose the types of data to transfer. You can choose contacts, message history, photos and videos, as well as email accounts. If you have paid apps available in both stores, the system will offer to download their free counterparts from the App Store.

• 📱 Contacts: are automatically transferred along with numbers and email addresses.
• 📸 Media files: photos and videos are saved in their original quality.
• 💬 Messages: history SMS and MMS Transferred to the standard application "Messages».
• 📅 Calendars: events from the standard Android calendar will be available in iOS.

The latency depends on the amount of information being transmitted. With a large number of photos, the process can take from 30 minutes to several hours. Do not unlock device screens or open other applications, as this may break the connection. Once the iPhone is complete, the configuration will be completed, and Xiaomi will receive a message about the successful completion.

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If the process is stuck in the “Time Assessment” phase, try to turn on the “Do Not Disturb” mode on both devices so that background notifications do not interrupt the connection.

Transferring the history of correspondence WhatsApp and Viber

The transfer of messenger history is worth special attention, as it is often the most important part of the data for the user. Unlike regular SMS, chats on WhatsApp and Viber are stored in secure cloud storage or local backups, whose structure is different on Android and iOS.

For WhatsApp, Apple has introduced native portability support through the Move to iOS app. When selecting data on the Xiaomi screen, make sure that the checkmark is in front of WhatsApp. The app will create a special backup file that will be recognized when you install WhatsApp on the new iPhone. You will need to log in to the same phone number, and the history of correspondence will be downloaded automatically.

Viber situation requires cloud backup. On Xiaomi, open Viber, go to Additional → Settings → Account → Backup Viber and create a copy in Google Drive. However, it is impossible to directly restore the backup from Google Drive to your iPhone (in iCloud). This will require either using paid third-party programs on your PC or manually transferring important chats through the Send Chat feature via email.

⚠️ Note: WhatsApp chats can only be ported to a clean iPhone. If the phone is already configured, recovering a history from an Android backup won't work without a full reset.

Once you install messengers on your iPhone, be sure to check your privacy settings. In iOS, the management of microphone and camera permissions is more stringent, so you will need to give appropriate permissions through system queries when you first launch the applications.

Working with multimedia and cloud services

Photos and videos make up the lion's share of the space. If you've used Google Photos on Xiaomi, the easiest way to access media on your iPhone is to simply install the Google Photos app from the App Store and log in to your account. All images will be available in the cloud, taking up as little space as possible on your Apple device.

If you prefer to store photos locally in the iOS gallery, the Move to iOS app will cope with this task by transferring files to a standard gallery. However, you should consider the limits of free iCloud storage (only 5 GB). For comfortable use of an iPhone with a large amount of media files, it makes sense to consider iCloud + tariffs or use alternative cloud services such as Yandex.Disk or Dropbox.

Music files downloaded to Xiaomi memory will not automatically be transferred to the Music app on the iPhone via Wi-Fi. This will require a connection to a computer and use the Finder program (on macOS) or iTunes (on Windows), and subscription to streaming services will also be a great solution, which will eliminate the necessary file management.

Synchronize your contacts and calendar through Google

The most reliable and cleanest way to migrate contacts and calendar events is to use a Google account. On Xiaomi, make sure sync is enabled. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google and make sure the switches opposite Contacts and Calendar are active.

On your iPhone, add the same Google account. Go to Settings → Contacts → Accounts → Add an account → Google. Once you enter your login and password, the system will ask you what data to sync. Be sure to turn on the switches for contacts and calendars.

The good thing about this is that it's two-way. If you decide to go back to Android in the future, all your contacts will stay safe in the Google cloud, whether you edited them on an iPhone or an android, which creates a single information space that is not tied tightly to the hardware manufacturer.

Calendars can have different colors and names. When you first sync them on your iPhone, they can show up all at once. In the Calendar app, click on the word "Calendars" at the bottom of the screen to select which ones to display and rename them for convenience if necessary.

Alternative methods and working with files

Sometimes, the regular funds are not working properly, or you need to transfer specific files, such as APK installation packages (which do not work on the iPhone, but may be necessary for archive) or documents in complex formats, in which case cross-platform solutions come to the rescue.

One of the fastest ways to transfer files without loss of quality is using web services like Send Anywhere or Xiaomi Share (if there is support on a PC), you upload the file to a server or transfer it over the local network, and on the iPhone you download it through a browser or a recipient application.

To work with the file system on your iPhone, use the Files app, which allows you to connect network disks, FTP servers and cloud storage. If you are used to an open Android file system, Files will become your main tool for managing documents downloaded from the Internet or received through instant messengers.

And the wired method, though less convenient for mass migration, is also a must-have: once you connect Xiaomi to your computer, copy the folders you want to use to your hard drive, then connect your iPhone and, through iTunes or Finder, upload the files to the appropriate applications that support document import.

⚠️ Note: When transferring files via third-party messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) in the Document mode, the quality of media files is preserved, but metadata (date of shooting, geolocation) may be lost.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Using the Google ecosystem (Contacts, Photos, Drive) on the iPhone makes the transition between platforms as painless as possible and saves access to data in the future.