How to transfer applications from Xiaomi phone to another smartphone: the full guide 2026

Moving apps from an old Xiaomi smartphone to a new one is a challenge that every user faces when updating a gadget. Even if you stay in the brand ecosystem, the process doesn’t always go smoothly: settings are lost somewhere, account data is lost somewhere, and sometimes applications are not restored at all. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transfer, including Mi Mover and Mi Account branded tools, as well as universal methods through cloud services.

Xiaomi’s smartphones are deeply integrated with the company’s services, which makes migration easier but also imposes restrictions, such as some system applications (such as Mi Home or Mi Fit) are only portable through official channels, and we tested each method on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Ultra models to give accurate recommendations.

Importantly, if you’re moving from Xiaomi to a device of another brand (like Samsung or iPhone), some of the ways in this article won’t work, so look at the Universal Cloud Services section.

1.Move over Mi Account: The fastest way to get Xiaomi devices

The Mi Account is the brand’s primary tool for synchronizing data between smartphones, automatically storing the list of installed applications, their settings (where possible), and some system services, with the advantage of not requiring a PC connection or additional programs.

To transfer applications through Mi Account:

• 📱 On your old phone: Open Settings → Mi Account → Cloud. → Sync and enable the Application option. wait until the process is complete (may take up to 10 minutes).
• 🔄 On a new phone: sign in to the same Mi Account when you first turn on or through Settings → Accounts. The system will offer to restore data - select Applications.
• ⚡ Confirm the recovery and wait for the download. Apps will appear on the menu, but their data (for example, save in games) may not be transferred.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not all apps support sync via Mi Account (especially third-party apps).
• ❌ Data inside apps (e.g., Telegram correspondence or game progress) will not be saved.
• ❌ Requires a stable Internet connection (Wi-Fi is recommended).

⚠️ Warning: If another Mi Account has already been used on the new phone, reset to factory settings via Settings before restoring. → The phone. → Reset settings. Otherwise, the data may be mixed.

2.Mi Mover: Official Migration App

Mi Mover is a specialized tool from Xiaomi for transferring data between the brand’s devices, including apps, contacts, photos and even SMS. It works on the point-to-point principle via Wi-Fi Direct, without the need for an Internet connection.

Instructions for use:

1. Install Mi Mover on both phones from Google Play or App Gallery (if it is not in the default firmware).
2. On the old phone, select Send, on the new phone, Receive.
3. Scan it. QR-code from a new phone on an old phone or connect via device search.
4. Select the Application category and confirm the transfer. The process can take from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the amount of data.

Advantages of Mi Mover:

• ✅ It transfers not only the applications themselves, but also their data (where possible).
• ✅ It works without the Internet (using a local network).
• ✅ It also supports older Xiaomi models (starting with the MIUI 9).

⚠️ Note: If the new phone already has some of the portable apps installed, Mi Mover may skip them or overwrite the data.

Charge both phones to at least 50%|Make sure that the new phone has enough memory.|Turn it off. VPN firewalls|Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (if you use it) QR-code)-->

3. Transfer through Google Account: a universal method

If you use Google services, you can transfer some of the apps through your Google Play account, which is also suitable for switching to other brands (such as Samsung or Pixel).

How it works:

• 📲 On your old phone, open Settings. → Google → Backup and enable the option of Backup Application Data.
• 🔄 On the new phone, when you first turn on, log in to the same Google account and select recovery from backup.
• 📥 After recovery, open Google Play → Library → Installed, where you'll see a list of apps from the old device. Click Install All.

What is transferred and what is not:

• ✅ List of installed applications (but not their data).
• ✅ Settings for some apps (if they support Google Backup).
• ❌ Game data (e.g. progress in Genshin Impact or Clash of Clans).
• ❌ Local application files (caches, downloads).

This method is convenient because it is not tied to the Xiaomi ecosystem, but has a significant drawback: not all applications support backup through Google, for example, Chinese services (such as WeChat or Alipay) often ignore this feature.

💡

Before transferring, check which apps support backup to Google. To do this, open Settings → Google → Backup → App Data and see the list.

Manual transfer through APK-Files: for experienced users

If you only need to migrate the applications themselves without data, you can extract them. APK-Files from an old phone and set to a new one, which is suitable for rare applications that are not available on Google Play, or for creating a local copy.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with APK retrieval, such as APK Extractor or Solid Explorer, on your old phone.
2. Select the desired applications and export them to the folder (for example, Download/APK_Backup).
3. Move the folder with APK-files on a new phone via Bluetooth, USB-cable.
4. On the new phone, allow installation from unknown sources (Settings → Applications → Special Rights → Install Unknown Apps) and install the APK manually.

Warnings:

• ⚠️ Installation APK From unknown sources, it may not be secure.
• ⚠️ Some applications (such as banking) block work on uncertified devices.
• ⚠️ Updates to such applications will have to be installed manually.

⚠️ Attention: When transferring APK-System application files (e.g. com.miui.gallery) on a new phone may experience a version conflict leading to crashes. APK needlessly.

5.Mobile over cloud services: Dropbox, Yandex Disk, Telegram

If you need to migrate not only apps, but also their data (such as saving games or settings), you can use cloud storage, which is universal and works on any device, but requires manual configuration.

Algorithm of action:

1. On an old phone, find folders with app data. They're usually on the path: /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/[name packet app] For example, for WhatsApp, it's /Android/data/com.whatsapp.
2. Copy these folders to the cloud (Google Drive, Yandex Disk, Dropbox, or even Telegram via Save to the Cloud).
3. On the new phone, install the app from Google Play, then download the saved data from the cloud to the same folder.

Examples of applications whose data can be transferred in this way:

• 🎮 Games: Genshin Impact, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile.
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp (chats), Telegram (media files).
• 📷 Editors: Lightroom, VSCO (presto).

Important: Not all applications store data in plaintext. Some (e.g., banking) encrypt files, and transferring them can lead to errors.

6.Move over PC: Full backup with ADB

For advanced users who want to transfer all application data without loss, the method is suitable through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and allows you to create a full copy of the applications along with their settings and files.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB on your PC (download Google’s Platform Tools).
2. On your phone, turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Settings → Additional → For Developers).
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command to create a backup: adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab On the phone, confirm the creation of a backup (password can not be set).
4. Copy the backup.ab file to your new phone and restore the data with the command: adb restore backup.ab

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Stores all application data, including settings and cache.
• ✅ It works even for system applications.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Requires skills to work with ADB.
• ❌ On the new versions MIUI (14+) It may not work due to security restrictions.
• ❌ Some applications (such as Mi Fit) block backups through ADB.

💡

The ADB method is the only way to transfer application data with 100% security, but requires technical knowledge. For most users, Mi Mover or Google Account is enough.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When migrating apps between Xiaomi phones, users often face typical problems, and let's look at the most common ones and how to solve them.

Problem 1: Applications are not restored through Mi Account.

• 🔹 Make sure that both phones are synced (Settings) → Mi Account → Cloud).
• 🔹 Check if the cloud storage limit is exceeded (free 5 GB).
• 🔹 Reboot both devices and try again.

Problem 2: Mi Mover is stuck in the connection phase.

• 🔹 Turn it off. VPN and firewall on both phones.
• 🔹 Switch from Wi-Fi Direct to Connect via QR-code (or vice versa).
• 🔹 Make sure that the latest version is installed on the phones. MIUI.

Problem 3: After the transfer, the applications fly out.

• 🔹 Remove problematic apps and install them again from Google Play.
• 🔹 Check the app’s compatibility with the new version of Android or MIUI.
• 🔹 If you've been through APK, Try to download the current version from the official source.

Problem 4: The game data is not transferred.

• 🔹 Most online games (like Genshin Impact or Clash Royale) are tied to an in-game account, not a device. Sign in on a new phone - progress will pick up automatically.
• 🔹 For offline games, use manually transferring saves through the cloud (see Section 5).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions