Transferring contacts from Samsung to Xiaomi via Bluetooth: the full guide

Changing a mobile device often causes users to feel mixed feelings: joy at the novelty of the gadget and anxiety for the safety of personal data. Especially this applies to the phone book, the loss of which can be a real disaster. owners of Samsung flagships switching to Xiaomi smartphones often wonder how to quickly and without loss to recycle all records. One of the most affordable and “offline” methods that do not require a computer connection or a stable Internet is the use of Bluetooth protocol.

While modern cloud services offer automatic synchronization, the direct Bluetooth method remains relevant, especially when you don’t have a Wi-Fi network on hand, or want to avoid uploading personal data to third-party servers. However, this process is not without the technical nuances associated with differences in the One UI and MIUI shells. In this article, we will discuss how to properly prepare devices, perform pairing and avoid common errors in format conversion.

And it's worth noting that contact transfer is not just about copying files, it's about migrating data structures, where every record needs to be properly recognized by the new system, and if you're planning to migrate not just numbers, but also photos attached to subscribers, or extra fields like email addresses, you need to be mindful. Bluetooth allows you to do this locally, ensuring the privacy of the process.

Preparation of devices and setting of visibility

Before you start the active transfer phase, you need to make sure that both smartphones are ready to exchange data. On a Samsung device, the activation process of Bluetooth is usually intuitive, but it is important to check the visibility settings. One UI system by default can hide the device from other gadgets after a certain time of downtime. You need to go to the settings and make sure that your phone is visible to all surrounding devices.

On the Xiaomi side, the situation is similar, but the MIUI or HyperOS interface may have its own features of displaying the status of the connection. Open the notification curtain and activate the wireless module. Make sure that the screens of both phones are on and not locked, as the Android security system can interrupt the search for devices on the locked screen.

💡

To speed up the search for devices, both smartphones are recommended to approach each other at a distance of no more than 1-2 meters and remove any physical obstacles, such as metal cases or thick cases.

The important step is pairing. When Xiaomi finds Samsung on the list of available devices, both screens will be asked to confirm the access code, which is the standard procedure for protecting against unauthorized access. The codes must match, and then you need to click "Confirm" or "Pair" on both devices.

Exporting contacts to Samsung in vCard format

The key to successful porting is the correct file format. The universal vCard (.vcf) format is best suited for Bluetooth transfer, supported by almost all mobile operating systems, and allows you to save not only the number, but also your name, surname, company and other fields.

The export process to Samsung is as follows:

• 📱 Open the standard “Contacts” or “Phone” application and go to the settings menu (three dots or gears).
• 📂 Select Contact Management and then Import/Export Contacts".
• 💾 Click Export and select the save location – internal device memory.
• 📝 Confirm the creation of a file that the system will assign the name of the type contacts_date time.vcf.

Once the process is complete, your Samsung will have a file in your memory that contains the entire phone book in a compressed form, and the size of this file depends on the number of records and information available, but it usually does not exceed a few megabytes, which makes transfers fast even by old Bluetooth standards.

⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to share contacts directly from your contact list by selecting All Contacts and sending them as text or individual cards, which can result in hundreds of individual files being created or names being incorrectly displayed on the new device. Use only export to a single file.vcf.

Process of transferring a file via Bluetooth

Now that the contact file is created, it's time to transfer it. Find the file you created earlier in the Samsung file manager (usually in the Internal storage or Downloads folder). Click on the file and select the "Share" option, then specify Bluetooth as the transfer method.

Find your Xiaomi on the list of available devices. The device name usually matches the phone model. The pairing process (if not previously done) and the data transfer will begin after the selection. The Bluetooth transmission speed is relatively low, about 1-2 MB/s, so the process can take from a few seconds to a couple of minutes depending on the volume of the phone book.

The receiving device (Xiaomi) will request a file, you must accept it, after you have finished downloading the file, it will be stored in the internal storage in the Bluetooth folder, the system can notify you of successful receipt of the file, but the contacts themselves will not appear in the phone book yet, and this requires the next step.

Import contacts to Xiaomi from the received file

The file that you get is not a phone book, it's just a data container, and you need to import it to make Xiaomi use of those numbers for incoming calls. Open the file manager on Xiaomi (usually the “Files” or “Conductor” application), find the Bluetooth folder and click on the resulting file. contacts_....vcf.

The system will automatically prompt you to open the file using the Contacts or Contact Import app. Choose this one. You will see a menu where you need to select a destination to save, and here lies the important point: MIUI will offer you to save contacts either to your phone's internal memory or to your Google account.

You should choose a Google account if you have one set up, which will automatically sync and save data in the cloud in case you lose your phone, and if you prefer local storage, choose Phone. After you choose, click Import or OK, the process will take a few seconds, after which you will see a notification about the number of imported records.

Solving problems with coding and duplicates

When transferring data between different manufacturers, such as Samsung and Xiaomi, there may be problems with the encoding of names, especially if the contacts contain Cyrillic characters or special signs. This is due to differences in coding standards. UTF-8 and UTF-16, Used by default in different versions of Android.

Another common problem is the appearance of duplicates, if you've already synchronized some contacts through the SIM-If you import a full list from a.vcf file, you may have double entries. Xiaomi has a built-in tool to solve this problem.

To clean the list, follow the following steps:

• 🧹 Go to the “Contact” app on Xiaomi.
• ⚙️ Click on three dots in the corner and select Contact Organizer or Settings".
• 🔄 Find the item "Combine repetitive contacts".
• ✅ Confirm the action, and the system will automatically merge duplicates, saving all the information in one card.

⚠️ Note: Before combining duplicates, make sure that the import has been completed.If you run the combination during the import process, this can lead to database conflicts and loss of part of the numbers.

Comparison of data transmission methods

While Bluetooth is a convenient way to communicate the contacts here and now, it's not the only solution. To get the picture, it's worth considering alternatives so you can choose the best option for your situation. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages depending on the amount of data and the speed of the Internet.

Below is a table comparing the main ways to transfer contacts from Samsung to Xiaomi:

As you can see from the table, Bluetooth is the only method that does not require either the Internet, nor the installation of additional applications, nor the presence of the Internet. SIM-But to move thousands of contacts with media files, it’s faster to use Mi Mover, which creates a direct Wi-Fi connection between devices.

💡

Bluetooth is ideal for fast transfer of a small phone book without setting up accounts, but for full cloning of a smartphone it is better to use specialized applications-migraters.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)