Changing a smartphone is always an exciting but sometimes stressful process, especially when you need to carry all your digital life with you. Samsung device owners who decide to move to the Xiaomi ecosystem often face the issue of saving important information, especially the phone book. Losing the numbers of colleagues, friends or service providers is unacceptable, so the procedure for migrating data should be approached responsibly and consistently.
Fortunately, modern Android operating systems provide many tools to solve this problem without loss of data quality. You can use built-in MIUI features, third-party apps or Google cloud services that automatically synchronize records. The choice of the specific method depends on the firmware version on your old device and personal preferences regarding the speed and amount of information transmitted.
In this guide, we will take a detailed look at all the current ways, from cloud synchronization to manual export through the Internet. SIM-We'll look at the nuances of the Mi Mover app, the features of importing through a Google account, and the methods that will help if the standard paths don't work. Follow the instructions to make your new smartphone as convenient as the previous one.
Preparing devices before data migration
Before you start directly copying records, make sure both smartphones are ready to go. Charge Samsung and Xiaomi to at least 50-60%, as the data transfer process, especially over Wi-Fi Direct, can be energy-intensive. Also check for a stable Internet connection if you plan to use Google cloud services or third-party applications.
Make sure that both devices are Bluetooth and GPS enabled, and file transfer is allowed. On the new Xiaomi phone, the system will offer you to set up the data transfer when you first turn on, but if you have already passed the initial setup, you will have to manually activate the necessary modules through the Quick Settings menu.
Special attention should be paid to cleaning the memory on the receiving device, if it has already been used. Although contacts take up minimal space, the availability of free space ensures stable operation of the system at the time of writing new data. Backing up current data on a new phone (if there is one) will also not be an extra step in case of unforeseen failures.
- 🔋 Charge both smartphones to at least 60% for stable operation.
- 📡 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or turn on mobile internet.
- 🔓 Unlock the screens of both phones and allow access to files when requested.
- 📲 Install all necessary system updates on Samsung and Xiaomi.
⚠️ Warning: If an old Samsung phone has a lot of apps that you don't need on the new device, it's better not to port them with the contacts, but to install them again. MIUI junk.
Using the Mi Mover app to migrate fully
The most effective and “native” way for owners of Xiaomi equipment is to use the built-in Mi Mover application. This tool is designed specifically for fast data transfer from Android and iOS devices to Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. It allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also messages, call history, photos and even system settings.
The process starts with installing the app on the transmitter. On Samsung smartphones, it may already be preinstalled in the Tools folder, but most often it needs to be downloaded from the Google Play Market. After launching on both devices, you need to choose the role of each phone: on Samsung, you choose “I’m the sender” and on Xiaomi, you choose “I’m the recipient”.
The devices will find each other through each other. QR-code or Wi-Fi search. Once connected, you'll be asked to choose the types of data to transmit. In System Data or Contacts, make sure the tick is in front of the desired categories. Transfer speed depends on the amount of data, but contacts are usually copied in seconds.
☑️ Check before launching the Mi Mover
It's important not to interrupt the process or switch to other applications during the transfer. Although Mi Mover is fairly stable, abrupt task switching can break the Wi-Fi Direct connection, and the procedure will have to start again.
Syncing through Google Account: Cloud Method
The most versatile way, which works regardless of the smartphone brand, is sync through a Google account.If your Samsung contacts were saved to Google (not just in the phone's memory or on the phone's phone). SIM-If you log in to the same account on Xiaomi, they will appear automatically.
To start, check on your old device where the numbers are stored. Go to your Google account settings and make sure the Contacts slider is activated. If you previously saved the numbers only to your phone, you need to export them to your Google account first through the Contact Management menu → Move Contacts.
Once you've made sure that your contacts are uploaded to the Google cloud, take a new Xiaomi. When you first set up, type in the same email address and password. The system automatically prompts you to sync the data, and in a few minutes the phone book will be fully restored. This is ideal, because contacts will be accessible from both the computer and any other device.
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Always save your contacts to your Google account, not your device memory, which ensures that no number is lost or broken and you can restore them to any new gadget in a few minutes.
If you don't automatically sync, you can manually run it. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync → Google. Select the right account and press the sync button. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for Google servers to update information on a new device.
Transfer through SIM-map: classical method
Although this method is considered obsolete due to the limitations on the number of characters in the contact name and the lack of ability to save additional numbers, it remains a working option for emergencies, SIM-map will be salvation.
First, you need to copy contacts from Samsung memory to the SIM-Open the Contacts app, go to the management menu and select Import/Export Contacts. Specify the phone source and the recipient «SIM-map. Upon completion of the procedure, remove SIM-Map and paste it into Xiaomi.
On the new smartphone, the process is reversed: go to the Contacts app, select import from the phone. SIM-You can choose the location of the maps and the location of the save -- you can choose a Google account or a phone memory. SIM Long names can be cut, and Russian letters are sometimes displayed incorrectly (krakozyabr), so this method is suitable only for basic numbers.
| Parameter | Google Account | SIM-map | Mi Mover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed. | High (depending on the network) | Low (record limit) | Very high (Wi-Fi Direct) |
| Photo preservation | Yes. | No. | Yes. |
| Additional numbers | Yes. | No (usually number 1) | Yes. |
| Demands the Internet. | Yes. | No. | No (wi-fi module only) |
Why can contact names be cut off from SIM?
Import via VCF file: manual method
If automatic methods don’t work for some reason, you can always use manual export to a VCF file (vCard), which is the standard format for storing contact information and is supported by almost all email clients and instant messengers.
On Samsung, open contacts, select the export option and save the file to your device memory or send it to your email/messaging app (Telegram, WhatsApp). The file will have the.vcf extension. Then open this file on Xiaomi - the system will automatically prompt you to import the entries contained in it.
And the good thing about this is that you can back up a file that you can store on your computer for years, and you can transfer it in any way you want: Bluetooth, USB-And you can use a cable, a cloud storage, or even copy it to the root of your internal memory. MIUI Ask where to save contacts: Choose Google or phone to avoid duplication.
Problem solving and duplication of contacts
After data transfer, users often face the problem of duplicate records, which occurs when the same contact is stored in the memory of the phone, in the Google account, and on the Internet. SIM-Xiaomi's system has a built-in tool to solve this problem, but sometimes manual intervention is required.
To combine duplicates, open the Contacts app on Xiaomi, click on the menu (three dots or stripes) and select "Combine Repetitive Contacts." The system will analyze the database and suggest lists of numbers with the same names or numbers to merge. Confirm the action and the phone book will be clean.
You may also experience a situation where contacts are not displayed at all, so check the display settings in the contact app. Often the default is the Phone Only filter, and the contacts are in Google, switch the view to All Contacts, or select a specific acca!unt to display.
⚠️ Note: Before combining duplicates, make sure that different records do not contain unique information (for example, one record is home number and another is working.
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Regularly checking the phone book after migration is a must, and make sure that all numbers are readable, photos are in place, and redundant copies are deleted so as not to waste time finding the right caller in the future.