How to sync two Xiaomi phones with each other: the complete guide

Why you need synchronization between Xiaomi smartphones

Synchronizing data between two Xiaomi phones on Android solves several tasks at once: from backing up important files to instantly sharing contacts, photos or notes. Imagine a situation: you bought a new Redmi Note 13 Pro+, but do not want to lose the call history, SMS and settings from the old Poco X5. Or you need to quickly transfer 50 photos from vacation to a colleague who also has Xiaomi. In such cases, manual transfer through messengers or clouds takes hours – and synchronization can be done in minutes.

Xiaomi offers several built-in tools for data exchange between devices, from the proprietary Mi Account to standard Android functions. However, not all users know that on smartphones with MIUI 14+, a hidden function "Fast Synchronization" is available through a local Wi-Fi network that works 3 times faster than Bluetooth. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods - from official to little-known life hacks, including nuances for models with HyperOS.

Method 1: Synchronize with Mi Account (official method)

The branded Mi Account is the most reliable way to sync data between Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco phones. It automatically reserves contacts, notes, call history, SMS and even some system settings. The main advantage is cross-platform: you can synchronize not only two smartphones, but also a Xiaomi Pad tablet or Mi Band smartwatch.

To activate synchronization:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Mi Account on both phones.
• 🔑 Sign in with one account (if not, register a new one).
• ☁️ Go to Sync and enable sliders for the desired data types (contacts, notes, calendar).
• 🔄 Click Sync Now and wait for the process to be completed.

Important: Some data (such as photos or videos) are not synced through Mi Account by default, and you need to use Mi Cloud or alternative methods from the following sections.

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If you have a MIUI 13 or older, upgrade to MIUI 14/HyperOS, and newer versions have more stable synchronization with Mi Account and support more data types.

⚠️ Note: When you first enable sync via Mi Account, all existing data on the target device will be overwritten, for example, if the new phone already has contacts, they will be replaced with those stored in the cloud. To avoid losses, pre-export local contacts to the file. VCF via Contact → Management → Exports/imports.

Method 2: Fast Bluetooth Transfer (for small files)

Bluetooth is a universal protocol that works on all Xiaomi smartphones, including budget models like the Redmi A2 or Poco C55, which is suitable for transferring small files (up to 50 MB): contacts, notes, documents or several photos, the main advantage is that you do not need to Internet or register with services.

Step instructions:

1. Activate Bluetooth on both phones via the notification panel or in Settings → Connections → Bluetooth.
2. On the sender phone, select files (for example, in the gallery, click Share → Bluetooth).
3. In the list of available devices, select the second Xiaomi phone and confirm the pairing.
4. On the receiving phone, accept the incoming file in the notification.

The transmission speed over Bluetooth 5.0 (available in all Xiaomi since 2019) reaches 2 MB / s, but in practice rarely exceeds 1 MB / s due to interference.

Method 3: Local Wi-Fi Network (Hidden MIUI Function)

Few people know, but MIUI 14 and HyperOS have a built-in Quick Transfer feature (formerly called Mi Share), which uses Wi-Fi Direct to share files at up to 20 MB/s.

How to turn on:

• 📶 Open the Settings. → Connections → Quick transmission.
• 🔄 Activate the feature on both phones.
• 📁 Select files in the gallery/conductor, click Share → Quick transmission.
• 📱 On the second phone, accept the request for receipt in the notification.

Advantages of the method: there are no quality losses (unlike messengers that compress photos), there are no restrictions on the size of files, works even without any problems. SIM-However, on phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra), the speed can be higher than on models with MediaTek (such as Redmi Note 12 Pro).

⚠️ Note: If one of the phones is power saving mode, the speed of Wi-Fi Direct can drop to 5 MB / s. Before transferring large files, turn off this mode in Settings → Battery.

Method 4: Sync through Google Account

If you use Google services (Gmail, Calendar, Drive), syncing through a Google account can be more convenient than Mi Account, a method that is suitable for transferring contacts, mail, calendars and app backups, the main advantage is that data is available on any device, not only Xiaomi.

Setting:

1. Open Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google.
2. Sign in to your account (should be the same on both phones).
3. Enable synchronization for the right services (contacts, calendar, Chrome, etc.).
4. On the second phone, repeat steps 1-3, and the data will automatically be pulled up from the cloud.

To transfer files (photos, videos) use Google Photos or Google Drive:

• 📸 In Google Photos, enable Backup and Sync.
• ☁️ In Google Drive, upload files to a folder and share it with your second account.

Limit: Google Drive's free plan only provides 15GB of space, and if you want to move more data, you'll have to clear the space or buy an extension.

Charging both phones >50%|Connecting to a stable Wi-Fi|The same Google account on devices|Power saving mode is off.|Free space in Google Drive-->

Method 5: Third-Party Applications for Advanced Synchronization

If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t suit you, you can use third-party apps, which offer additional features such as automatic schedule synchronization, data transfer applications (APK + OBB), or file encryption.

Top.-3 tested applications:

• 🔗 Send Anywhere - transfer files without registration on 6-digit code. speed up to 10 MB / s.
• 📲 Xender – supports transferring apps, music and even backups SMS. Phone Clone feature for full data transfer.
• 🔐 Syncthing – open source software for automatic folder synchronization between devices over a local network (without the cloud).

Example of using Xender to fully clone a phone:

1. Install the app on both phones from Google Play.
2. On the old phone, select Send, on the new phone, Receive.
3. Connect to a single Wi-Fi network or via Hotspot.
4. Select data to transfer (contacts, SMS, applications, files) and wait for completion.

Warning: Some apps (such as SHAREit) have been removed from Google Play due to security issues. Check the reputation of the program on forums like 4PDA or XDA Developers before installing.

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The side of the application is convenient for one-time transfer of large amounts of data (for example, when changing the phone), but for regular synchronization it is better to use the built-in tools MIUI or Google.

Solving problems in synchronization

🔹 Data is not synchronized through Mi Account:

• Check if synchronization is enabled in Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization.
• Update MIUI to the latest version (old firmware bugs are common).
• Reboot both phones and try again.

🔹 Bluetooth does not find a second phone:

• Make sure both devices are visible to others (there is Visibility option in Bluetooth settings).
• Turn off the Energy Saving mode - it can block background processes.
• If you use Xiaomi with MediaTek (like Redmi 10C), try switching Bluetooth to Compatibility with older devices.

🔹 Wi-Fi Direct is not working:

• On some models (such as the Xiaomi 12T), the Quick Transfer feature conflicts with Samsung’s Smart Share.
• If the phones can’t see each other, try connecting via Hotspot instead of Wi-Fi Direct.

🔹 Google synchronization is suspended:

• Delete your Google account on both phones and add it again.
• Check if a VPN or firewall (like NetGuard) is blocking access to Google servers.

FAQ: Frequent questions about synchronization Xiaomi