How to transfer programs from your old phone to the new Xiaomi: the complete guide

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but migrating all the usual programs, settings and data can turn into a real headache, especially if you have been setting up your desktop for years, saving important chats in messengers or downloading rare applications that are no longer available in Google Play. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of porting programs, from standard MIUI tools to manual methods for experienced users.

The main problem with migrating to the new Xiaomi is not the apps themselves (you can reinstall them), but the data stored inside them: game progress, correspondence history, widget settings, or even cache files that save traffic, and we'll show you how to migrate not only the lists of installed programs, but also their internal data so that you don't start from scratch, and we'll also tell you which apps are better to port manually — and why.

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

The easiest and most recommended method is to use the Mi Mover app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 9 and later, and allows you to transfer not only programs, but also contacts, SMS, photos, videos and even some system settings. The main advantage is that you do not need to connect to the Internet: data is transmitted directly over Wi-Fi between devices.

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

• 📱 Make sure that both phones have the latest version installed. MIUI (Update through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔄 On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Portability (if the phone is already configured, find Mi Mover in the app menu).
• 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or create an access point on an old phone.
• 🔗 On the old phone, open Mi Mover, select the role “Sender”, and on the new one – “Receiver».
• 📋 Select data categories for portability (be sure to tick "Applications" and "Application Data»).

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If Mi Mover can't see the old device, try rebooting both phones and turning on In-Air mode for 30 seconds, which will reset the network settings and often solve the problem.

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the amount of data you have, and don't interrupt the connection, even if it doesn't seem like anything is happening: in the transfer phase, the system backs up the data, which takes time, and when it's done, the new Xiaomi will automatically restart, and you'll see all the transferred programs on the home screen.

⚠️ Note: Mi Mover does not support some system applications (such as Mi Pay or Mi Home) or programs that are not installed from Google Play (APK-They'll have to be installed separately.

2. Transfer through MIUI backup

If Mi Mover doesn't work for some reason (like you have phones from different brands), you can use MIUI backup, which is suitable for porting not only programs, but all system settings, from wallpaper to network settings, but it has a limitation: you can only restore a copy on a device with the same or newer version of MIUI.

Instructions for the creation and restoration of the backup:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select “Create a backup” and tick “Applications” and “Application Data.”
3. Wait until the process is complete (the file is saved in the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder).
4. Copy the backup folder to the new Xiaomi (via cable, cloud, or memory card).
5. On the new phone, repeat the Settings path → Backup and Reset → Local Backup and select Restore.

An important nuance: when you restore from the MIUI backup, some applications may not start due to version incompatibility, in which case they will have to be updated manually through Google Play, and it is not recommended to restore the backup to a phone with an older version of MIUI, this can lead to system failures.

3. Move through Google Account (for apps from Play Market)

If you're only interested in migrating the list of installed programs (without their internal data), the fastest way is to sync through Google Account. This method works on any Android device, but has a limitation: only apps downloaded from Google Play are portable. APK-Files or programs from third-party developers will have to be installed separately.

How to transfer programs through Google:

• 🔄 On your old phone, make sure that app sync is enabled: Settings → Google → Backup → Backup of data.
• 📱 On the new Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account as on your old phone when you first launch.
• 🔍 After setting up the system, open Google Play, go to the Library» → «Installed. Here you'll see a list of all the programs from the old device.
• 📥 Click "Install" next to the desired applications. To speed up the process, you can select "Install everything».

This method does not carry data within applications (for example, save in games or correspondence in messengers), but it is guaranteed to work even between devices of different brands. If you care about internal data, use additional backup of the applications themselves (we will talk about it later).

Manual transfer APK-file and application data

For experienced users who want to have full control of the process, manual transfer is suitable. APK-The data and files are relevant if:

• 📦 You have apps that aren’t on Google Play (such as modified or regional versions).
• 🎮 You need to move saves from games that don’t support cloud sync.
• 🔧 You want to choose which programs and data to transfer and which not.

For extraction APK-Application files and data will be required:

1. Install a file manager with root rights (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer) or use ADB.
2. Find the file. /data/app — stored APK-files of all installed programs.
3. Copy the APKs you need to your new phone and install them manually (allowing installation from unknown sources in Settings → Applications → Special Rights).
4. To transfer these applications, copy folders from /data/data/[packet name] (e.g. /data/data/com.whatsapp for WhatsApp).

⚠️ Note: Transfer data from the folder /data/data It requires root rights on both devices, and without them, you can only copy. APK-files, but not internal application data (chats, settings, etc.) and some programs (for example, banking) can block work if you detect modified files.

If you don’t have root rights but need to migrate data from a particular application (like WhatsApp or Viber), use specialized backup programs. Most popular messengers have a built-in function to export chats to the cloud or to a memory card. For example, on WhatsApp this is done through Settings → Chat → Backup → Save.

5. Transfer over ADB (for advanced users)

For those who are not afraid of the command line, ADB (Android Debug Bridge) offers maximum control over data transfer, which allows you to copy all applications and their data without the need for root rights, but requires connecting phones to a computer and basic knowledge of working with the terminal.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB on your computer (download Platform Tools from Google’s developer site).
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 a command to create a list of all applications: adb shell pm list packages -f | grep"/data/app" Copy output to a text file - these are paths to the APK of all installed programs.
4. Use the adb pull command to download APK-Files on the computer: adb pull /data/app/com.example.app/base.apk
5. To transfer these applications, copy the folders from /data/data (root or adb backup required): adb backup -f backup.ab -apk -obb -shared -all This command will create a backup.ab file with all application data.
6. Connect the new Xiaomi and install it. APK-Files from adb install: adb install base.apk

To recover data from backup.ab, use the command:

adb restore backup.ab

However, note that some applications (especially system ones) may not recover due to differences in MIUI versions.

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ADB is the most versatile way, but it requires technical skills, and its main advantage is the ability to selectively transfer specific applications and their data without loss.

6. Transfer of game saves and messenger data

Games and instant messengers deserve special attention – their data is often stored in the cloud services, but not always synced automatically. For example, in PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, progress is tied to a Google Play Games or Facebook account, but if you do not log in in in advance, saves can be lost. The same applies to WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber – without a backup chats will not be transferred.

How to transfer game data:

• 🎮 Check if the game supports cloud-based saves, for example, in Genshin Impact you need to link your account to an email or Facebook account before transferring.
• 🖥️ For games without cloud sync (for example, offline projects), copy the folder with saves from the /Android/obb or /Android/data.
• 🔄 Google Play Games (Google app) can manually save progress to the cloud: open the game → Click on the Play Games icon → «Save the game».

For messengers:

• 💬 WhatsApp: Backup your Settings → chat → Backup and save it to Google Drive or locally.
• 📱 Telegram: All chats and media files are stored in the cloud, but to transfer secret chats you need to manually export them through Settings → chat → Exports of history.
• 🔵 Viber: Backup is available in Settings → Account. → Backup (requires Google Drive or email).

⚠️ Note: If you are migrating WhatsApp from Android to Android but changing your phone number, first add a new number to your old account via Settings → Account. → Change the number, or the chats won't come back.

7 What to do if the programs are not moved or do not work

Even if ported correctly, some applications may fail or fail, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

If the app doesn’t work, try:

1. Remove it and install it again from Google Play.
2. Update to the latest version.
3. Check the permission settings in Settings → Apps → Permissions (some programs require access to storage or contacts).
4. If the problem is in a system application (such as Mi Fit), reset its settings through Settings → Apps → Reset.

You can use Logcat (Android Error Log), but it requires a PC connection and knowledge of ADB commands. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to contact Xiaomi support or the 4PDA forum, where there is a section dedicated to your phone model.

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring programs to Xiaomi