How to transfer data from Xiaomi to Samsung A71: All methods

Changing your smartphone, especially from one popular ecosystem to another, often raises questions and concerns. When you buy a new Samsung Galaxy A71, the real question is how to quickly and safely move from Xiaomi to it, saving all contacts, photos, apps and correspondence history. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to perform this procedure as smoothly as possible, minimizing the loss of important information.

The migration process does not require deep programming knowledge or complex code manipulation. Android developers have provided several built-in tools, as well as third-party solutions that make the transition from MIUI to One UI almost invisible to the owner. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods in detail so that you can choose the most convenient for your situation.

Before you start the action, make sure that both devices are at least 50-60% charged, which is critical, because copying large amounts of data, especially photos and videos, can take a long time and require stable power to both devices. Ignoring this rule can lead to interruption of the process and the potential loss of files.

Device preparation and backup

The first step to a successful migration is to properly prepare both smartphones, and on a Xiaomi device, you need to check if all important data is synced with your Google account, a basic level of protection that allows you to recover contacts, calendars and notes even in the event of unforeseen portability failures.

It’s also worth freeing up space on the new Samsung A71 if it already has some pre-installed files you don’t need, or if you plan to use a microSD card to expand storage.

• 📱 Make sure both phones have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
• 🔋 Charge the battery of devices to at least 60% for stable operation.
• 📸 Check the availability of free space on the new Samsung A71.
• 🔐 Remember passwords from Google and Samsung accounts.

⚠️ Warning: Before launching any migration tools, be sure to unlock the screen of both smartphones. Locking the screen while searching for devices can interrupt the connection and cause an error in the program.

While current cross-platform methods are flexible, the availability of up-to-date Android updates ensures that the protocols are compatible and fixes known bugs that can occur when connecting different shells.

Use Samsung Smart Switch Mobile

The most efficient and official way to transfer data from any Android smartphone to Samsung is the Smart Switch app. This is a proprietary solution from the Korean giant, which is optimized for working with the One UI shell and allows you to transfer not only media files, but also settings, call schedules and even the location of icons on the desktop.

To get started, you need to install the Smart Switch Mobile app on your old Xiaomi. On the new Samsung A71, it is often preinstalled and available immediately after initial setup. If the app isn't available, it can be downloaded for free from Google Play Market or Galaxy Store.

The connection process can be done in two ways: via cable or over Wi-Fi Direct. The cable method is preferable if you have a USB-C to USB-C adapter, as it provides a higher speed of transferring large amounts of data, for example, video in 4K resolution.

The path to the application: Menu → Samsung folder → Smart Switch

Once you run the app on both devices, select the “Sender” role on the old phone and the new Samsung A71 “Receiver” role. The app will automatically start searching for devices. When wirelessly connected, you may need to confirm the connection request on the old phone’s screen.

• 📲 Select the type of connection: Cable or Wireless.
• ✅ Check all categories of data for transfer.
• ⏳ Wait for the process to end without switching between applications.

⚠️ Note: When using the wireless method, don’t move far from the router or devices from each other. Interrupting the Wi-Fi Direct signal may cause the process to have to start over.

Synchronization through Google account

Google’s ecosystem is the link between Android smartphone manufacturers, and if you’ve been using Xiaomi’s search giant, half the data transfer work is done automatically, ideal for transferring contacts, calendar events, notes, and passwords stored in Chrome.

To make sure all data is saved, go to the old phone's settings and find the account section. In MIUI, the path usually looks like Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Here, check that the switches opposite contacts, calendar and other important items are active and have been recently synchronized.

On the new Samsung A71, when you first turn on, the system will prompt you to log in to your Google account. If you missed this step, add your account manually through Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management. Once logged in, the system will automatically start pulling up contacts and calendar events in the background.

If you’ve used the Google Photos app with Autoupload enabled, your entire photo archive is already in the cloud, and you just need to install the Google Photos app on the Samsung A71 and log in to the same account to access all your photos.

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Use the “Clear Storage” feature in Google Photos on your new device after checking to make room on the Samsung A71, leaving the photo only in the cloud.

Manual transfer of files via computer

For users who are used to controlling every byte of information, or if you need to transfer specific files that are ignored by automatic utilities, the classic method through the PC is suitable.

Connect your Xiaomi to your computer via USB-In the notification on the phone screen, select the mode of operation. MTP (Open "My Computer" on your PC, find the device and copy the required folders (DCAM, Pictures, Download, Music on the hard drive.

Then turn off your old phone and plug in the Samsung A71. Copy the stored data from your computer into the internal folders of your new smartphone. The folder structure on One UI is similar to standard Android, so there are usually no problems with path compatibility.

This method is designed exclusively for media files and documents. To keep games progressing, make sure they are linked to a Google Play Games or Facebook account.

Transfer of messages and call history

One of the most delicate tasks is to transfer history. SMS-Standard Android tools don’t always share this information between different manufacturers, but Smart Switch does a great job of it.

When selecting data categories for portability in the Smart Switch app, make sure that the Messages and Call Logs are marked.The app will create a temporary backup file on the old device, transmit it, and integrate the content into the relevant Samsung system applications.

If you use third-party messengers such as WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram, the procedure may be different. For Telegram and Viber, just log in to your account by phone number and your correspondence history will be pulled from the servers (if cloud synchronization is enabled). WhatsApp will need to create a backup copy on Xiaomi in Google Drive, and when installed on Samsung, choose to restore from this copy.

Way to WhatsApp: Settings → Chats → Backup Chats → Create

⚠️ Note: When you port WhatsApp, make sure you use the same phone number and the same Google Drive account.

Possible problems and solutions

Although processes are fine, technical difficulties can sometimes arise, and incompatibility of file formats or secure application data is a common problem; some banking applications or corporate clients may require re-authorization or reconfiguration of biometrics for security reasons.

If the process is stuck at a certain percentage, try restarting both devices and trying again by selecting only one data category, such as contacts, to help you identify which file type is causing the software to crash.

• 🔄 Restart both smartphones before trying again.
• 📉 Try to transfer data in smaller portions.
• 🔌 When using the cable, replace it with original or certified cable.

Also, some MIUI system applications are unmatched in One UI and will not be ported, so you have to find alternatives in Google Play or Galaxy Store, which is normal when you change platforms, and you need a little bit of adaptation.

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Most problems are solved by simply restarting the process or updating the Smart Switch app to the latest version.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions