Changing a smartphone, especially the transition between Android ecosystems, is often perceived by users as a complex and risky process. Many fear losing important contacts, photos or customizations of the familiar interface, which makes it difficult to postpone the purchase of a new device. However, modern data migration technologies have reached such a level that the transition from Xiaomi to the Samsung Galaxy A52 can be done in a matter of clicks, while preserving the entire structure of information.
In this article, we will take a closer look at all the portability methods available, from Google cloud services to specialized utilities such as Smart Switch and Mi Mover. You will learn how to properly prepare both devices, what nuances One UI file system has versus MIUI, and how to avoid typical errors that can lead to loss of data or prolonged synchronization.
We’ll look at not only standard scenarios, but also specific cases like transferring your call history and SMS, which often cause difficulties when changing vendors. Proper account preparation and understanding the logic of Android will help you complete your migration faster than you expect.
Preparing devices before data migration
Before any copying process begins, it is critical to properly prepare both smartphones: on a Xiaomi device, you need to make sure all your data is up-to-date and synchronized, and on the Samsung A52, an initial system update is performed if possible, although often migration is done out of the box.
Be sure to check the battery levels on both devices. The process of transferring large amounts of data, especially over Wi-Fi Direct, can be energy intensive. If the phone runs out in the middle of the operation, it can lead to file damage or the need to start the procedure again, which will take too much time.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to use old or damaged cables USB-C for wired connection, as this can lead to unstable connection and interruption of file transfer in the middle of the process.
It’s also worth freeing up space on the receiving device, although the Samsung A52 usually has enough memory.Remove temporary files or cache of system applications on the old phone to speed up the initial data scanning by the carrier program.
☑️ Checklist of preparations
An important step is to sign in to the Google account on both devices, which syncs contacts, calendar and data of some applications. Make sure that Xiaomi has a checkmark on the Google account settings to sync all the necessary items.
Smart Switch Method: Official Solution from Samsung
The most reliable and recommended way to migrate is to use the branded Smart Switch Mobile app, which is designed specifically for the transition to Samsung devices and supports data transfer from almost any Android smartphone, including Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models.
The process starts with installing the app on both devices. A52 It's often preinstalled in the Samsung folder or offered when you first set it up. APK-Find the file or app in Google Play Market. After launching, select the role of each device: "Sender" on the old phone and "Receiver" on the new one.
Connection between devices can be established in two ways: wireless (via Wi-Fi Direct) or wired (via USB-C to USB-C cable). The Wireless method is handy if you don't have a cable at hand, but it can be slower when transferring gigabytes of photos and videos.
Why is cable better than Wi-Fi?
When selecting data to transfer, Smart Switch will offer you a list of categories. You can choose all at once or customize-and-select, eliminating, for example, system settings that may conflict with the new One UI shell.
- 📱 Contacts and call logs – carry over without loss, maintaining the name structure.
- 🖼️ Gallery and multimedia – photos, videos and audio files retain original quality.
- 📅 Calendar and notes – synced through an account or local file.
- ⚙️ System settings – only basic parameters specific to Android are transferred.
Using Google Cloud and Synchronization
An alternative to direct connectivity is cloud sync via Google services, which is ideal if you have a stable Internet and have already been using the Google ecosystem on Xiaomi, and it doesn't require additional software installation because it's built into the operating system.
The bulk of the data that is carried by this method is contacts, calendar events, Google Keep notes and passwords saved in Google Password Manager. For multimedia, Google Photos is used, which will automatically upload all your pictures to the cloud when sync is enabled.
Once you log in to your Samsung A52 account, the system will prompt you to restore data from the backup. You can select the last restore point created on Xiaomi. It is important to note that apps will also start loading automatically, but their internal configuration may reset.
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Use the “Clean Storage” feature in Google Photos after successfully migrating to Xiaomi to make room, as all photos will already be in the cloud.
The downside is speed: downloading tens of gigabytes of data via mobile internet or even home Wi-Fi can take hours, and some specific settings and files outside of standard folders may not get backed up.
Alternative methods: Mi Mover and third-party utilities
While Samsung Smart Switch is the preferred method, Xiaomi users are often familiar with the Mi Mover utility. However, it is worth noting that Mi Mover is primarily designed to move to Xiaomi. When trying to use it to move from Xiaomi to Samsung, the functionality will be limited or completely absent.
To reverse this, consider universal tools like Send Anywhere or SHAREit, which allow you to transfer files of any type over the local network, which is a great way to throw over heavy folders that for some reason missed the main converter.
Third-party applications are particularly useful for transferring files from specific directories, such as downloads from messengers or documents, and work on the principle of creating a temporary Wi-Fi network between devices.
| Method | Speed. | Reliability | What's transferable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Switch (Cable) | Tall. | Maximum | All (including settings) |
| Smart Switch (Wi-Fi) | Medium | Tall. | All (including settings) |
| Google Sync | Low. | Medium | Contacts, Photos, Calendar |
| Send Anywhere | Tall. | Medium | Files, Photos, Videos |
When using third-party utilities, it is important to monitor permissions, and the application must have access to the entire file system, otherwise it will not be able to "see" hidden folders with the messenger data.
Transfer of WhatsApp and messengers
The issue of transferring the history of correspondence to WhatsApp deserves special attention, since the version of WhatsApp for Android is universal, the main mechanism of migration here is tied to backup in Google Drive.
On Xiaomi, you need to go to WhatsApp settings, select Chats → Backup and click Backup. Make sure the copy is created on Google Drive, not locally. Once you install WhatsApp on the Samsung A52 and enter the same phone number, the system will prompt you to restore the history from the cloud.
An important nuance: Local backups stored in the phone’s memory may not be automatically determined when you change the device model, as the paths to the files may differ, so relying on the Google Drive cloud is the safest way.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure there is enough free space on Google Drive to create a full WhatsApp backup, otherwise the process will end in an error and the correspondence history will not be saved.
For Telegram, the situation is simpler: this messenger stores the entire history of correspondence on its servers. Simply enter the phone number and confirmation code on the Samsung A52, and all chats, channels and media (within the cache) will be downloaded automatically.
Common mistakes and ways to solve them
Users often face a number of technical difficulties in migrating, and one of the most common problems is wireless interruption, which can be due to MIUI energy saving, which aggressively kills background processes.
To avoid this, Xiaomi should temporarily turn off the power saving mode and give the carrier app full rights to the Security menu → Permissions → Autostart. Also helps to turn on the “Do not turn off the screen” mode during transfer.
Another problem is broken files or missing some photos after transfer, often because some images are stored in hidden folders (such as.thumbnails or browser cache) that standard utilities ignore.
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Use a wired connection for the primary migration to ensure the integrity of the contact and message database, and leave the wireless methods to file retrieval.
If some apps don’t work after migrating to the Samsung A52, try clearing the Galaxy Store and Google Play cache and then updating all apps to the latest versions compatible with the new version of Android.
Setup of the new Samsung A52 after the transfer
Once the data migration is successfully completed, the Samsung A52 requires an initial setup to suit your habits.The One UI shell is significantly different from MIUI in terms of element layout logic and gesture control.
First, check the biometrics, and fingerprints and facial data must be re-registered, as they are stored in a secure memory sector of each device and cannot be transferred for security reasons.
Samsung Themes offers a huge library of free and paid themes that can visually bring the interface closer to what you’ve seen on Xiaomi if you’re used to a certain aesthetic.
- 🔋 Battery Optimization – Give the Phone 2-3 Adaptation of the algorithms of use.
- 🔒 Security – Set up Secure Folder for Hiding Files.
- 🔔 Notifications – Check the notification settings, they may differ from the usual ones.
Don’t forget to check the work of NFC and contactless payment. Bank cards will have to be added to Samsung Pay or Google Pay again, confirming them through the SMS code, as the tokens are tied to a specific device.