Transfer applications to the new smartphone Xiaomi: the full guide 2026

The transition to a new Xiaomi smartphone is always an exciting event, but the process of porting applications often turns into a headache: users lose saves in games, setting up messengers or simply spend hours re-installing hundreds of programs. According to Xiaomi, 68% of owners of new devices of the brand face data migration problems – and most of them are associated with the transfer of applications, not contacts or photos.

Fortunately, Xiaomi has some built-in tools for moving to a new device without pain, but not all of them work equally well: some methods only store the list of installed programs, others transfer data inside them, and still others require manual intervention. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to migrate applications to new models of Redmi, POCO and Mi, including hidden MIUI chips that are not written in the official instructions.

We will pay special attention to the nuances:

• 🔄 Why Mi Mover doesn’t always copy apps in full (and how to fix it)
• 📱 How to transfer data from games like Genshin Impact or Honor of Kings without losing progress
• ⚡ Why some apps (such as banking) can’t be ported and what to do about it

1. Official method: Mi Mover (direct transfer over Wi-Fi)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary solution for data migration between the brand’s devices.The program is pre-installed on all smartphones with MIUI 9 and later, including the latest Redmi Note 13 and Xiaomi 14. The main advantage of the method is the transfer of not only the list of applications, but also their data (for supported programs).

How it works:

1. On your old phone, open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On the new device, execute the same sequence and select "I am a new user."
3. Scanner. QR-The code on the new phone reads the code from the old one – the devices will connect via Wi-Fi Direct.
4. Select "Applications" in the data list for transfer and confirm the operation.

Important limitations of the method:

• 🚫 Not all apps support data portability (for example, WhatsApp will be portable, and Telegram will not)
• 🔋 Both phones must be charged at least 50% – the process consumes a lot of power.
• 📶 Speed depends on the version of Wi-Fi: on Xiaomi 13 Pro (Wi-Fi 6E) transfer 10-15 minute, on Redmi. 9A (Wi-Fi 4) — hourly

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If the Mi Mover is stuck in the connection phase, restart both phones and repeat the process, often by turning off the VPN or changing the Wi-Fi network on your old device.

⚠️ Note: When transferring via Mi Mover, do not interrupt the process, it can damage the data in the applications. If the battery runs down to 15%, the system will automatically stop the transfer.

2. Cloud transfer via Mi Account (for backups)

If direct porting is not available for some reason (for example, an old phone broke), you can use cloud reservation through your Xiaomi account, which is suitable for owners of devices with MIUI 10 and later.

Step-by-step:

1. On an old phone: Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Backup of the device.
2. Select "Create a backup" and tick "Applications" (optional - "System settings" and "Application Data").
3. Once you have finished copying, log in to the same Mi Account on your new phone.
4. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud → Restore from a backup and select the latest copy.

Advantages of the method:

• 🌐 It works even if the old phone is not available (mainly a fresh backup in the cloud)
• 🔄 You can selectively restore only applications, without unnecessary data
• 📦 Cloud storage – 5 GB free (for applications, usually enough)

⚠️ Warning: Restore from Mi Cloud will reset the new phone to backup status.All data added after the first setup will be lost (for example, new contacts or photos).

3. Transfer through Google Account (universal method)

If you don't want to depend on the Xiaomi ecosystem, you can use Google's standard sync mechanism, which works on all Android devices, but has a significant limitation: only the list of installed applications is portable, without their data.

How to set up:

1. On your old phone: Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google → Application Sync (enable the option).
2. On the new device, when you first turn on, select “Copy Data from Old Device” and log in to the same Google account.
3. The system will offer to restore the applications - confirm the operation.

What's important to know:

• 📌 Apps will be downloaded from Google Play, not copied directly – you will need the Internet
• 🔄 Some programs (such as Xiaomi Community or Mi Home) may not automatically recover.
• 📦 The method is not suitable for transfer APK-Manually installed files (outside Google Play)

4. Direct OTG cable transfer (for power users)

The most reliable, but technically difficult way is to cloning data through the OTG-Suitable for users who want to migrate all applications with 100% data, including games, instant messengers and system utilities:

• 🔌 OTG-Type-C to Type-C or MicroUSB, depending on the model)
• 📱 Both phones with a minimum charge of 70%
• ⏳ Time: The process takes from 20 minutes to 2 hours

Instructions:

1. Connect your phones with an OTG cable. On the new device, select "Receive Data" mode.
2. On the old phone in the Settings menu → Additional → Data Transfer, select “Send”.
3. The system will suggest selecting data to copy - mark "Applications" and "Application Data".
4. Confirm the transfer and wait until the completion (do not turn off the cable!).

Turn off the screen lock on both phones

Close all background applications

Connect the charger to the new phone

Check the space available (the new one should have 20% more space than the data takes up)

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A critical nuance: when ported over OTG, some Xiaomi system applications (such as Security or Cleaner) may conflict with new versions of MIUI. In this case, they will have to be reinstalled manually through Settings → Applications → Remove updates.

5. Data transfer from games and social networks

Most modern games and instant messengers use cloud sync, but not all users know how to use it. For example, in Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile, progress is tied to a Google Play Games or Facebook account, not to the device itself.

How to save data:

• 🎮 Games: Before transferring, go to the game settings and link your account to Google Play, Game Center or social network. After installing the game on your new phone, just log in to the same account.
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp: Backup to Google Drive (Settings) → chat → Telegram: All data is stored in the cloud – just log in to your account VK: Enable synchronization in Settings → Account. → Synchronization

Exceptions:

• 🏦 Banking applications (Sberbank, Tinkoff, etc.) cannot be transferred – they will have to be installed again and logged in.
• 🔒 Some enterprise messengers (such as Microsoft Teams) require re-authentication.

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For locally saved games (such as Minecraft or Stardew Valley), use manual copying of /Android/obb/ and /Android/data/ folders via OTG or computer.

6.Manual transfer of APK and data (for advanced)

If the standard methods don’t work, then manual copying is left. APK-This method requires access to the file system and is suitable for users willing to work with the data. ADB File Managers such as Solid Explorer.

Algorithm of action:

1. Install the APK Extractor (from Google Play) on your old phone and extract the APKs of the apps you want.
2. Copy files into a folder on a memory card or computer.
3. Transfer the APKs to a new phone and install them by allowing installation from unknown sources.
4. To transfer these applications, copy the folders from: /data/data/[application packet name]///sdcard/Android/obb/[application packet name]/Use ADB pull or root-enabled file manager.

Limitations:

• 🛡️ To access /data/data/ need root or ADB debuggingly
• 🔄 Not all applications work correctly after manual data transfer (failures are possible)
• 📛 Some programs (such as Netflix) block the installation. APK manually

⚠️ Note: Manual copying of system applications (MiuiHome, SecurityCenter, etc.) can lead to unstable work MIUI. Transfer only user programs.

FAQ: Frequent questions about moving apps to Xiaomi