Changing your smartphone is always an exciting process, often overshadowed by the prospect of a long and tedious migration of personal information. Samsung device owners who choose to move to the Xiaomi or Redmi ecosystem often wonder about the safety of their photos, contacts and correspondence history. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to perform this procedure as quickly as possible and without losing important data.
In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of transition, from the use of proprietary utilities to cloud services. Data transfer does not require deep technical knowledge, if you follow proven algorithms of actions. You can customize a new gadget in minutes, preserving the usual digital environment.
Consider both wired and wireless synchronization techniques, and consider the nuances of messaging, and getting both devices right is key to success, and let's go through each step in detail to avoid common errors and failures.
Preparation of devices before the migration
Before you start copying files directly, you need to do a number of preparatory steps: make sure that both smartphones are charged at least 50-60%, as the process can require significant energy resources.
Both phones must be connected to a stable Wi-Fi network if you plan to use the wireless method of transmission. USB-cable (usually Type-C to Type-C or with an adapter) will provide a higher speed, but requires an appropriate adapter.
⚠️ Note: Do not interrupt the data transfer process or switch between apps on your old phone during sync, this can cause damage to archives.
It is recommended to update the operating system on both devices to the latest available version in advance, which minimizes the risk of software conflicts and ensures file format compatibility, check security settings and unlock the screens of both devices.
☑️ Preparation for transfer
Using the Mi Mover application for wireless transfer
The most effective and official way to migrate is to use a specialized application Mi Mover. This utility was developed by Xiaomi engineers specifically for such cases and supports the transfer of contacts, messages, calls, notes, voice recordings, system settings, photos, video, audio, documents and installed applications.
The process starts with installing the app on both devices. On the new Redmi, it's often built into the system and is in the Tools folder, and on Samsung, you need to download it from Google Play. Once launched, select the role of each device: "I'm the sender" on the old phone and "I'm the recipient" on the new one.
The devices will find each other through each other. QR-A code or a hand-selected hotspot. Once connected, you can select specific categories of data to transfer. The system itself optimizes the process by compressing the data to speed up the transfer.
What if the Mi Mover can’t see the device?
The speed of transmission depends on the amount of data and the quality of the wireless connection. On average, it takes 15 to 40 minutes to transfer 32 GB of data, and once the process is complete, the new phone will offer an initial interface setup.
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M i Mover is a native solution that ensures the best format compatibility and folder structure when switching to MIUI or HyperOS.
Synchronization through Google Account
An alternative and often more reliable way is to use Google’s cloud service, which is ideal for saving contacts, calendar, notes and installed app lists. When you first activate a new Xiaomi, just log in to the same account that was used on Samsung.
To ensure that you keep your contacts, open the Contacts app on your old device, go to the settings and select “Import/Export Contacts.” Save them as.vcf on Google Drive or send them to your email.
Photos and videos are best synced through the Google Photos app. Turn on Autoboot and Sync in the Samsung app settings and wait until the process is complete. On the new device, all media files will appear automatically after you log in.
- 📱 Contacts and calendar are synced instantly after logging in to your account.
- 📷 Media files require pre-uploading to the cloud or using the “Free Space” function».
- 📝 Notes from Samsung Notes can be exported to the format PDF or TXT and save it to Google Drive.
It is important to understand that this method will not carry system settings, desktop icons or passwords from Wi-Fi networks unless they were stored in the Google cloud.
Transferring Multimedia and Files via PC
If the data volume is large and the wireless connection is unstable, the fastest way is to use a computer. Connect Samsung to a PC via a computer. USB-cable and select file transfer mode MTP. Copy the folders. DCIM, Pictures, Download and Music on your computer hard drive.
Then plug in Xiaomi and transfer the saved files to the appropriate internal memory directories. Android folder structure is universal, so the photos will automatically be determined by the new phone gallery.
| Type of data | Samsung folder | Where to copy on Xiaomi | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | /DCIM/Camera | /DCIM/Camera | The main gallery folder |
| Screenshots | /Pictures/Screenshots | /Pictures/Screenshots | Structure is maintained |
| Downloads. | /Download | /Download | Files from the browser |
| Documents | /Documents | /Documents | Office files |
When copying large amounts of data over USB 3.0, speeds can reach 40-50 Mbps, which is significantly faster than most Wi-Fi connections. Use original cables for maximum bandwidth.
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Use a file manager with folder comparison on your PC to make sure no file was skipped when you copied it.
Migration of WhatsApp and Viber correspondence
Special attention should be paid to transferring the history of correspondence in messengers, as standard methods often do not affect this data for security reasons. WhatsApp on Android has a built-in backup feature on Google Drive.
On an old Samsung, go to Settings → Chats → Chat Backup and click on “Backup.” Make sure you’re using the same Google account that’s on your new phone. When you install WhatsApp on Redmi, the app will automatically detect the backup and prompt you to restore it.
For Viber, the procedure is similar: More → Settings → Account → Backup Viber. Select save to Google Drive. It is important that the version of the app on the new device is no older than the one on the old one.
⚠️ Note: Local WhatsApp backups stored in your phone’s memory won’t be available after a reset or when you change your device without using Google Drive or manually transferring your folder. /Android/media/com.whatsapp/WhatsApp/Databases.
Some users prefer to use third-party software for PCs, however, official methods through the Google cloud are the most secure and free.