How to Transfer All Apps to Xiaomi’s New Phone: A Complete Guide with 5 Ways

Moving to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always exciting, but the process of porting apps can turn into a real headache if you do not know the key nuances. Many users lose hours manually installing each application, unaware that MIUI offers built-in tools for automatic porting with the preservation of all data — from logins to progress in games. This article will help avoid typical errors and choose the best method depending on your situation.

It is important to understand that simply copying a folder with APK- files is not enough: without proper synchronization, you risk losing settings, cache and even licenses for paid applications. We will analyze the unique features of porting to the Xiaomi 2026 of the year, including working with MIUI 15, cloud services Xiaomi Cloud and third-party solutions like Google Account or Samsung Smart Switch (yes, it works with Xiaomi!).

1.Preparation for the transfer: what to do before buying a new Xiaomi

Many people only start thinking about data portability after unpacking a new phone -- and it's a waste of time. A few simple steps on an old device will save you hours of time:

• 🔄 Update MIUI on your old phone to the latest version, which ensures that the data protocols are compatible. Check Settings → About Phone → System Update.
• 🔒 Sync accounts: Make sure your old phone has Google Account, Mi Account, and social media accounts (they’ll be needed to restore some apps).
• 📱 Clear the cache of unwanted applications, which will speed up the transfer process. Use Settings → Applications → Clean up.
• 🔌 Prepare cables: For wired transfer, you will need an original USB-C cable (preferably from the new phone set) or a OTG- adapter if the ports are different.

Pay special attention to applications with two-factor authentication (banks, instant messengers). In advance, disable the binding to the old phone number or save backup codes - after transfer, you may need to re-authenticate. For WhatsApp, for example, make a backup of chats in Settings → Chat → Backup.

⚠️ Warning: If you are porting data from your iPhone, disable iMessage and FaceTime in Apple's ID settings 24 hours before the transfer. Otherwise, messages may not arrive on the new Xiaomi due to server conflict.

2 Method 1: Automatic transfer via MIUI Migration (fastest method)

The built-in MIUI Migration tool is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for wirelessly transferring data between devices on MIUI. It works even without the Internet (via Wi-Fi Direct) and saves:

• 📱 All installed applications (including APK- files)
• 📁 Application data (save games, messaging settings)
• 📞 Call log and SMS
• 🖼️ Multimedia (photo, video, music)

Step-by-step:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → From another Android.
2. On your old phone, open Settings → Additional → Data Transfer (or use the Mi Mover app from Google Play).
3. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone or connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
4. Select data for transfer (required to mark Applications and Application Data).
5. Wait until it is completed (it can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the volume).

Advantages of the method: all application settings are saved, including logins (except for banking applications - they will have to be reconfigured for security reasons). Not all third-party applications support data transfer via MIUI Migration (for example, some games or instant messengers may require re-authorization).

Free space on the new phone (should be 1.5 times the amount of data transferred)

Battery charge for both phones > 50%

VPNs and firewalls disabled

Both phones are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (unless you use Wi-Fi Direct)-->

Method 3: Transfer over Xiaomi Cloud (for backup)

Xiaomi Cloud is a cloud storage solution from Xiaomi that allows you to create a full backup of your old phone and restore it to a new one, which is convenient if you don’t have physical access to your old device (for example, it broke) or want to transfer data later.

How it works:

1. On your old phone, go to Settings → Mi Account → Xiaomi Cloud → Backup.
2. Select Backup to the Cloud and tick Applications and Application Data.
3. Click Start Backup (the process can take several hours with a large amount of data).
4. On the new phone, log in to the same Mi Account and restore data from the cloud to Settings → Mi Account → Xiaomi Cloud → Restore.

An important nuance: free tariff Xiaomi Cloud is limited to 5 GB. If you have a lot of applications, you will either have to clear unnecessary data or buy additional space (from 100 GB for ~300 rubles per year). Also note that some applications (for example, Telegram or VK) do not restore data from the cloud – they will have to be configured separately.

💡

If you have a slow Internet connection, before backing up in Xiaomi Cloud, turn off synchronization of photos and videos – this data can be transferred later via cable or SD- card.

Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (universal method)

If you use Google Account on both phones, you can use the built-in Android backup feature, which is suitable for transferring basic application data (such as contacts, calendars, certain settings), but not all APK- files.

Instructions:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Enable Backup in Google Drive and select your account.
3. Click Create a backup copy now.
4. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Copy Data → From a Google backup and log in to the same account.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not carried on by ourselves. APK-Application files (only data from some of them).
• ❌ Not all apps support backup via Google (e.g. WhatsApp or Viber require separate setup).
• ❌ Free space on Google Drive is limited to 15 GB (common for email, photos and backups).

This method is better combined with others – for example, first recover data from Google Account, and then manually install the missing applications through Google Play. To speed up the process, you can use the My apps and games feature → The library in the Play Market, where all previously installed programs are displayed.

5. Method 4: Transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi (features and pitfalls)

The transition from iOS to Android is always more difficult because of Apple's closed ecosystem. Xiaomi offers a special Mi Mover tool, but it has limitations.

Step-by-step:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → From iPhone.
2. On your iPhone, install the Mi Mover app from the App Store.
3. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network and follow the instructions on the screen.
4. Select data to transfer (apps will only be transferred if they are in Google Play).

What's not going to happen with the iPhone:

• 🚫 Apps that are not available on Google Play (such as some banking programs or exclusive iOS apps).
• 🚫 Application data (e.g., game saves or instant messenger settings).
• 🚫 Music and movies purchased on iTunes.
• 🚫 System settings (wallpaper, sounds, widgets).

To transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Xiaomi will require a separate procedure:

1. Make a backup of chats on your iPhone in Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi and sign in to the same account.
3. When you are prompted to restore chats, select Restore (data will be pulled from iCloud if the backup is fresh).

⚠️ Warning: If you’ve used iMessage, turn it off on your iPhone beforehand, otherwise SMS iPhones may not come to Xiaomi. To do this, go to Settings → Messages → iMessage and deactivate the feature.

Method 5: Manual Application Portability (for Power Users)

If automatic methods don't work (e.g., you have a rare phone model or specific applications), you can manually transfer the APK- files, which takes longer, but gives you complete control over the process.

Instructions:

1. On an old phone, install a file manager (such as Mi File Manager or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to the /data/app/ folder (root rights required) or use the APK Extractor app to retrieve APK- files.
3. Copy APK- files to your computer or external drive.
4. Move your files to the new Xiaomi and install them manually (allow installation from unknown sources in Settings → Applications → Special Access).

To port these applications (not just APKs), use Titanium Backup (requires root) or Swift Backup:

1. Install Titanium Backup on your old phone.


2. back up the required applications (select "Freeze + Data").




3. Move the TitaniumBackup folder to your new phone.




4. Install Titanium Backup on the new Xiaomi and recover the data.

Beware of the pitfalls:

• 🔴 Some applications (banking, with DRM) fail to work after manual installation APK.
• 🔴 Application data may not be restored due to different versions of Android or processor architecture (ARM/x86).
• 🔴 Manual portability breaks the update chain — apps won’t be updated through the Play Market.

💡

Manual porting is only suitable for power users. For most tasks, it is better to use the built-in MIUI or Xiaomi Cloud tools.

7.What to do if applications are not moved or do not work

Even if ported correctly, some applications may not behave properly, and here are the typical problems and solutions:

If the phone is slowing down after the transfer:

1. Restart your device (sometimes the system needs to restart to optimize new applications).
2. Clean the cache in Settings → Memory → Cleanup.
3. Turn off auto-run of unnecessary applications in Settings → Apps → Auto-run.
4. Check out the MIUI updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update.

To diagnose specific problems, use the Mi Diagnostic Tool (available in Settings → Memory → Diagnostics). If an application is critical (such as a banking one), contact support for it - some companies (such as Sberbank or Tinkoff) provide separate instructions for porting to new devices.

8.Optimize the new Xiaomi after the app port

To make the new phone work quickly and steadily, you can do a few optimization steps:

• 🔧 Configure permissions: Many applications request access to contacts, location, etc. Check them in Settings → Applications → Permissions and disable unnecessary ones.
• 🔋 Optimize your battery: go to Settings → Battery → Battery Mode and select Balanced for most apps (except messengers).
• 📡 Set up mobile traffic: Limit application background activity in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Application traffic.
• 🛡️ Update security: check Mi Protect settings in Settings → Password and security and set up app lock.

To speed up the system:

1. Enable "Performance Mode" in Settings → Special Opportunities → Performance Mode.


2. Turn off animation: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (click 5 times), then in Developer Settings → Animation Scale, select No Animation.




3. Clear Dalvik cache: Settings → Memory → Cleanup → Additional → Clear Dalvik cache.

If you’ve been through a lot of games, consider using Game Turbo (a gameplay optimization tool built into MIUI) which automatically clears memory and blocks notifications while playing.

💡

After transferring the applications, it is recommended to make a full cache reset to Settings → Memory → Cleanup → Deep Cleanup. This will delete temporary files that may have been transferred from the old phone and slow down.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving apps to Xiaomi