Changing your smartphone, especially to the new flagship or budget Xiaomi Redmi, is always stressful, not only to transfer contacts, but also to preserve the history of communication. For millions of users, WhatsApp is the main channel of communication, and the loss of correspondence can be a critical problem. Fortunately, the architecture of the Android operating system and the functionality of the messenger itself provide several reliable ways to recover lost data.
Recovery on Xiaomi devices has its own features related to the shell MIUI or HyperOS, which can aggressively manage background processes and access rights. In this article, we will examine all the current methods in detail, from the standard cloud backup in Google Drive to manually transfer local copies, which often turn out to be the only salvation if the cloud is not synchronized in time.
Before you start taking action, make sure you use the same phone number and, in the case of the cloud method, the same Google account as on your old device. Ignoring this basic rule is the most common cause of failure. Next, we will look at the technical nuances that will help avoid typical errors when migrating data to new models of the Redmi Note or Xiaomi Pro series.
⚠️ Note: If you have already installed WhatsApp on your new phone and have signed up but the story hasn’t appeared, you’ll have to uninstall the app and reinstall it to start the recovery process from the backup.
Preparing the old device and creating a backup copy
The foundation of successful data transfer is a properly created backup on the original device. In the Android ecosystem, Google Drive is the main storage for WhatsApp, but relying on it alone is risky due to possible sync failures or lack of space in the cloud.
To create a current backup, open WhatsApp settings, go to Chats → Chat Backup. Here you will see the date of the last save. If it doesn't suit you, click Backup. Make sure you have the right Google account and check the box on "Backup on Google Drive" and also check if video saving is enabled if media files are important to you because they take up a significant amount of space.
- 📱 Make sure your old phone has stable Wi-Fi installed, as uploading to the cloud can consume a lot of traffic.
- 🔋 Connect the device to charging so that the process is not interrupted due to battery discharge during the creation of the archive.
- 📂 Check out the free space in Google Drive storage as the 15GB quota could quickly run out due to heavy video files.
In parallel with cloud copying, the system automatically creates a local database file. On modern versions of Android and MIUI shells, the path to it may differ, but most often it is in the directory Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Databases or in the root folder WhatsApp/Databases. The presence of a file called msgstore.db.crypt14 (the number can vary depending on the encryption version) indicates the successful creation of a local restore point.
⚠️ Note: Local copies are only stored for 7 days.If you plan to recover data a month after losing your phone, cloud backup will remain the only option.
☑️ Ready for transfer
Recovery Method through Google Drive on Xiaomi
This is the simplest and most recommended method, which is ideal for most Xiaomi Redmi users, requires minimal file system intervention and works automatically under a number of conditions, the main requirement is to use the same phone number and Google account from which the copy was created.
Install WhatsApp from the official Google Play Market store on your new smartphone. Don’t try to use old APK installation files, as they may not have the latest security certificates or features to work with the latest backups. During the initial setup, the app will ask for permission to access contacts and media files – this is necessary for proper operation.
After entering the phone number and receiving SMS-When you have the confirmation code, WhatsApp will detect that there is a backup in the linked Google account, and the "backup found" message will appear on the screen, indicating the date and size. Press Restore. If you click “Skip”, the process will not start and you will have to delete the application.
- ☁️ The recovery process can take anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours depending on the size of the archive and the speed of the internet.
- 📶 Use a stable Wi-Fi connection to avoid breaks when loading large amounts of data.
- 🔒 Make sure that your new phone has Google’s two-factor authentication enabled if it was previously configured.
It is important to understand that during recovery from the cloud, chats appear gradually, first the text history is restored, and then the media files are downloaded, at which point you should not close the application or block the Xiaomi screen, since the MIUI energy saving system may suspend the background load, considering it an unnecessary waste of resources.
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If recovery is 99% frozen, don't panic. Leave your phone connected to Wi-Fi and charging overnight - the system will complete the background download of media files on its own.
Manual transfer of local copy through file manager
So there are different situations: the cloud may not be updated, the Internet may not be stable, or you may simply prefer to store data locally, and in these cases, manually transferring a database file is a helpful method, which requires physical access to both devices or using a computer as an intermediary.
First, you need to find a backup file on your old phone. Open the file manager (like the standard Explorer in MIUI) and follow the path Internal Memory → Android → media → com.whatsapp → WhatsApp → Databases. If the com.whatsapp folder isn't there, just look for WhatsApp/Databases at the root of the internal memory. You need the file msgstore.db.cryptXX, where XX is the encryption version number.
Copy this file to your computer or transfer it to the new Xiaomi via Bluetooth, Mi Share or USB cable. On the new device, don't install WhatsApp right away. First create the necessary folder structure. Install the file manager if you don't have one, and create a path: Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Databases. If your version of Android is old, the path could just be WhatsApp/Databases.
The correct folder structure for Android 11+:
/Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Databases/Place the copied file msgstore.db.cryptXX in the created folder Databases. Make sure the file name is exactly the same as the original. After that, you can install WhatsApp. When you register, the application will find a local copy and prompt you to restore data from it, ignoring the cloud backup if the dates are the same or locally newer.
| Parameter | Google Drive | Local copy. | Cable transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed. | Depends on the Internet. | Instantly. | Tall. |
| Required seat | Cloud storage | Phone memory | PC/Phone memory |
| Difficulty | Low. | Medium | Tall. |
| Reliability | Tall. | Depends on the user. | Very high. |
Using Mi Mover to Migration Data
Xiaomi has developed its own tool called Mi Mover, which is pre-installed on most of the brand's devices, which allows data to be transferred between Android and iOS phones, but it works best in a bundle of Android-Android, and it's a feature that transfers not only the database file itself, but also the folder structure, which eliminates the human factor when you copy it manually.
Run Mi Mover on both devices. On the old phone, select "I send" and on the new Redmi, "I accept." After pairing the devices through the QR-code or manual code, in the list of transmitted data, be sure to select the "WhatsApp" section. The application automatically packs all the necessary files, including media and databases, and transfers them to the new device.
The main advantage of this method is that Mi Mover tries to immediately deploy data to the desired directories of the new system, but after the transfer is completed, WhatsApp will still need to install and start the recovery procedure inside the messenger itself, since the application must independently recognize and decrypt the transferred database files.
- 🚀 Transfer speed is generally faster than Bluetooth due to the use of direct Wi-Fi connection.
- 📦 Not only chats are transferred, but also application settings and mailing lists.
- ⚠️ Make sure both phones have a screen on and the Mi Mover app is active.
It is worth noting that on some versions of MIUI with enhanced privacy protection, Mi Mover may not access the content of the WhatsApp folder without additional permissions, in which case the system will prompt you to open access settings - follow the instructions on the screen to allow the application to read the necessary directories.
What if Mi Mover doesn’t see WhatsApp?
Solution: Mistakes and problems in recovery
Even with strict follow-up, Xiaomi users can run into technical issues, with one of the most common mistakes being the “failed to recover” message or the endless preparation process, often because the version of WhatsApp on the new phone is older than the old one, and it can’t read the new database encryption format.
Another common problem is access rights. MIUI If you didn't give WhatsApp full file management rights when you first installed it just won't "see" the backup folder, even if it's in the right place. → Annexes → All applications → WhatsApp → Rights. → Files and media → Allow management of all files.
If the recovery is interrupted in the middle, check the space available. The file needs approximately double the backup memory size to decompress the archive. Also make sure the file name of the local copy has not been changed. msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14 plainly msgstore.db.crypt14 latest version.
⚠️ Warning: Never rename.crypt extension files manually unless you are sure of the encryption version, which will make the file unreadable and the data will be lost forever.
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The matching of WhatsApp app versions on your old and new device is a critical success factor. Update the app on Google Play before migrating.
Features of working with encryption and security
Modern versions of WhatsApp use end-to-end encryption, which means a high degree of data protection, but also imposes restrictions. Backups in Google Drive can now also be protected with an additional encryption key that is not stored on Google servers. If you have enabled this feature, you will need to enter the 64-digit key or password you previously set when you restore it.
Without this key, it will be impossible to recover correspondence from the cloud even if you know your phone number, so that neither the service provider nor the hackers who hacked the cloud can read your messages. On Xiaomi devices with their MIUI+ or HyperOS Connect security system, it is also important to consider that transferring through secure profiles may require additional authorization.
Local files are encrypted with a key that is tied to a particular device and account. In theory, you can't transfer the database to a phone with a different number, so when you register a new number, a new database will be created, and the old one will become useless, so the recovery is always tied to the SIM card on which the copy was made.