Changing a smartphone, especially from one ecosystem to another, such as Samsung to Xiaomi, often causes users to panic a little. There are many questions: will contacts remain, where the photos will go and how to deal with the installed applications? Fortunately, modern technology allows you to make this process as painless and fast as possible, without requiring deep technical knowledge.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available ways to migrate data so you can start using your new device comfortably, and learn about the built-in tools, cloud services, and manual techniques that ensure your digital life is safe when you change gadgets.
Preparing devices for data migration
Before you start directly transferring files, you need to properly prepare both smartphones. Make sure that the battery charge on both devices is at least 50-60%, as the process can take considerable time and require significant power grid resources. It is also recommended to check the availability of free space on the new Xiaomi to make sure that all your data from the old Samsung will fit in there.
Both phones need to be connected to a stable Wi-Fi network if you plan to use cloud methods or wireless file transfer. The speed of copying depends on the quality of the connection, so using mobile Internet may not be effective for large amounts of information.
⚠️ Note: Do not start the transfer process if one of the devices is power-saving mode, as the system can forcibly break the connection to save charge.
It is also worth upgrading the operating system on both devices to the latest available version in advance, which minimizes the risk of compatibility errors and ensures that the utilities for data transfer work correctly. Check the updates in the Settings → About Phone → System Update.
☑️ Preparation for transfer
Use of the Mi Mover app
The most effective and “native” way for owners of Xiaomi equipment is to use the proprietary application Mi Mover. This tool is designed specifically for data migration and supports the transfer of contacts, messages, call history, multimedia and even some system settings. The application is preinstalled on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO.
On a Samsung device, you will need to download and install the Mi Mover app from the Google Play store. After installation, run the program on both smartphones. On the new Xiaomi, select the role of “I’m a recipient” (I’m a receiver), and on the old Samsung, choose the role of “I’m a sender”.
The connection process takes place through the creation of a temporary Wi-Fi hotspot. Xiaomi will create a network to which you need to connect with Samsung by scanning. QR-code or enter a password. Once you have established the connection, you can select data categories to transfer.
- 📱 Contacts and call history are transmitted without loss or duplicate.
- 📸 Photos and videos are saved in original quality without compression.
- 📲 Applications are transferred, but their data may require re-authorization.
- 🎵 Music and documents are copied to the corresponding file system folders.
⚠️ Note: When transferring large amounts of data (over 20 GB), the process can take up to an hour, do not interrupt the connection or switch to other applications during the transfer.
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If Mi Mover is stuck in the “Waiting for Connection” phase, try temporarily disabling the VPN or antivirus on both devices, as they can block local traffic.
Synchronization through Google account
The most versatile method that works on almost any Android smartphone is sync through a Google account. If you’ve used Samsung before, chances are your contacts, notes, and calendar are already saved in the search engine cloud.
When you first set up Xiaomi, it will offer to restore data from Google backup, so you can choose what to download: apps, contacts, Wi-Fi settings and passwords, which is especially convenient because it does not require additional software installation and works even if the old phone is already lost or sold.
However, it is worth considering that photos are not transmitted through Google in their original quality unless the “Autoload” feature in the Google Photos app is enabled. Also, some Samsung specific settings (for example, Good Lock or specific One UI themes) will not be transferred, as they are unique to the shell of the South Korean company.
Data transfer via PC
For users who are used to having complete control over their files, the ideal option is to use a computer as an intermediary, a method that is especially relevant if you want to transfer huge archives of photos and videos that are long to download through the air, you need a USB cable and a computer with Windows or macOS.
Connect Samsung to your computer, select the USB File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification curtain. Copy the DCIM (photo and video), Pictures, Download and Documents folders to your computer's hard drive. Then turn off your old phone and plug in Xiaomi.
Copy the stored data from your computer into the corresponding folders of your new smartphone. The folder structure on Xiaomi is similar to standard Android, so there should be no problems with media compatibility. It is also a great way to make a local backup before starting any experiments with a new device.
What to do if your computer can’t see your phone?
Comparison of transfer methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right way, we have compiled a comparative table of the main migration methods, each with its own advantages and limitations, depending on the volume of data and technical literacy of the user.
| Method | Speed. | Data volume | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Mover | Tall. | Big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big big | Low. |
| Google Account | Medium | Medium. | Very low. |
| Through PC (Cable) | Very high. | Huge. | Medium |
| Bluetooth | Low. | Small. | Low. |
As you can see from the table, Mi Mover is the middle ground for most users, combining high speed and ease of use. The PC-based method beats the speed but requires a computer and cables. Google is good for basic settings but slow at downloading gigabytes of media files.
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The best strategy is a combined approach: use Mi Mover for applications and settings, and throw heavy video archives through your computer if their volume exceeds 30-40 GB.
Transfer of messages and call history
One of the most painful issues when changing phones is keeping your SMS and call log history. Standard Android tools don’t always make it easy to export that data in readable form, but the Mi Mover app does a great job of doing that.
When choosing a data type in Mi Mover, be sure to tick the boxes “Messages” and “Call logs.” Once the process is complete, the entire history of correspondence will be available in the standard Messages app on Xiaomi. It is important to note that messages from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) are transmitted separately.
To migrate WhatsApp chats, use the built-in backup feature in the app itself on Samsung (Google Drive), and then when you install WhatsApp on Xiaomi restore data from this copy. Samsung local backups may not be compatible with the Xiaomi file system without root rights, so the cloud method is more reliable.
⚠️ Warning: Two-factor authentication in messengers may require re-entering code from SMS, So make sure that SIM-The card is already installed in the new phone before the start of chat recovery.