Switching to a new smartphone is always an exciting process, especially when you change the ecosystem, for example, from Samsung to Xiaomi. the owner of the flagship Xiaomi 11T expects lightning fast work and a quality screen, but the first obstacle is often data migration. Contact transfer is only the tip of the iceberg, since along with phone numbers it is important to keep the history of calls, SMS messages and installed applications.
Fortunately, modern Android technology makes this process as painless and fast as possible, so you don't have to manually type in hundreds of numbers or look for business cards in an old notebook, and there are several proven ways to sync, each with its own advantages depending on the amount of data and the speed of your Internet connection.
In this article, we will discuss all the current migration methods in detail, paying special attention to the Mi Mover utility, which is designed specifically for such cases. We will look at the nuances of working with a Google account, transferring data via Bluetooth for small amounts of information and the peculiarities of working with vCard files. Understanding these processes will help you avoid losing important information and immediately start enjoying a new device.
Using the Mi Mover app to migrate fully
The most efficient and quick way to transfer data between Xiaomi devices and other Android smartphones is to use the proprietary Mi Mover app. This utility is pre-installed on Xiaomi 11T and allows you to transfer not only contacts, but also photos, music, apps and even system settings. To get started, you need to install the same app on your old Samsung phone, if it is not there, or find it in a standard toolkit.
The process starts with running the program on both devices. On the new Xiaomi 11T, you choose the role of the recipient ("I'm a receiver"), and on the old Samsung, you choose the role of the sender ("I'm a sender"). After that, the devices will create a temporary Wi-Fi network to which you need to connect, and the transfer speed in this mode is much faster than through standard Bluetooth, which is critical when transferring gigabytes of multimedia.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure both smartphones are charged at least 50-60%, Active Wi-Fi Direct data transfer can quickly consume the battery power of both devices.
Once the connection is established, the interface will suggest selecting data categories to transfer. You can only mark "Contacts" and "Messages" if you want to leave media files in the old place, or select all at once. The Mi Mover algorithm automatically converts the data to a format compatible with the MIUI shell, which eliminates errors in the display of names or dates in the phone book.
It is important not to interrupt the process or switch to other applications during transfer. Although Android is quite resistant to failures, interrupting the connection during the recording stage of the contact database can lead to partial loss or duplication of records. Once completed, you will receive a report on the number of items transferred.
☑️ Preparation for transfer via Mi Mover
Particular attention should be paid to the contacts saved on the SIM-The Mi Mover can work with them, but for reliability, you'd better copy them to your phone's memory or to your Google account on your Samsung device, which will create an additional backup in case you're having a technical difficulty reading from the card because of the format of the records.
Synchronization through Google account
The most universal and “cloud” method is synchronization through a Google account. If your Samsung contacts were tied to a Google account, then on Xiaomi 11T it is easy to enter the same username and password when you first set up, the system will automatically tighten all saved numbers, email addresses and even profile photos.
To check and force sync on your old device, go to Settings → Accounts → Google. Make sure the switch opposite Contacts is active. If you just added new numbers, click on the menu (three dots) and select Sync. This ensures that the latest version of your phone book gets to Google servers.
| Parameter | Samsung (Start) | Xiaomi 11T (Finish) | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action. | Synchronization activation | Account login | Automatic update |
| Speed. | Depends on the Internet. | Depends on the Internet. | Instantly after entering |
| Data data | Contacts, Email. | Contacts, Email. | Complete copy |
| Risks. | Duplicates in mergers | We need stable Wi-Fi. | Minimum |
On the new Xiaomi 11T, the process is also simple: in the Settings menu → Accounts and sync, add your Google account. The system will ask what exactly to sync. Choose Contacts and wait for the process to end. In the Contacts app, you can choose to display data from Google, which will ensure that it is safe even if you reset your phone in the future.
This method is particularly handy because it doesn’t require both devices on hand at the same time.You can sell Samsung and set up Xiaomi 11T at home just by logging in to your profile.However, if the internet connection is unstable, the process may take a while, or sync may be interrupted, requiring a re-run.
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Use the web interest contacts.google.com to remove duplicates and merge entries before syncing with a new phone.
Export and import via vCard file
The classic method that works seamlessly even without the internet is to create a backup file in.vcf (vCard) format, a de facto standard for storing contact information and supported by almost all operating systems, including Android, iOS and Windows.
On a Samsung device, open the Contacts app, click on the menu (three bars or dots) and select Contact Management or Settings. Find Import/Export Contacts and select Export. SD-The resulting file, commonly called contacts.vcf, contains your entire phone book.
⚠️ Note: When exporting, make sure that contacts are selected from the memory of your phone or account, not just from the memory of your phone or account. SIM-maps if they have important records that are not synchronized with the cloud.
Next, the file must be transferred to Xiaomi 11T. This can be done via Bluetooth, USB cable or messenger. On the new phone, open the file (or import it through the contact menu), and the system will prompt you to add all the entries found. Xiaomi 11T automatically recognizes the format and will prompt you to choose the place of saving: in the phone memory, on SIM or in Google account.
The advantage of the method is its autonomy and transparency: you see the file, you can copy it to the computer as an additional one. However, when importing a large number of contacts (more than 500-1000), the process can take some time, and the phone can temporarily "think" due to the processing of graphic elements (photos) in the contacts.
Transfer SIM-maps and work with duplicates
The easiest but limited way is physical transfer. SIM-If your contacts are stored on a SIM, then after installing it in Xiaomi 11T They'll appear on the list, but modern ones. SIM-Cards have limitations: they often don't support long names (cutting them to the top of the list). 10-12 characters) and do not allow multiple numbers or email addresses to be stored for a single contact.
After transferring any of the methods, you may encounter a duplicate problem. For example, the same number can be written as "Ivan", "Ivan Ivanov" and "Ivan (Work)". Xiaomi 11T has a built-in tool to solve this problem. Go to the Contacts app, open the menu and select "Clean" or "Combine repetitive contacts".
The system will analyze the database, find matches by phone number and suggest combining cards, saving all the unique fields (photos, different numbers, addresses) – a critical procedure for maintaining order in the phone book. Don’t ignore it, because having dozens of takes can slow down the search for contacts and the system as a whole.
Also worth mentioning is storage formats. At Samsung, contacts could be saved in a proprietary Samsung Account format. When transferred to Xiaomi, they will be converted to the standard Android format. Visually, this is not noticeable, but the data structure will change, so some specific fields (such as Samsung special notes) may not be ported or simplified.
Transferring SMS messages and call history
Contacts are only part of a user's digital life, and it's often just as important to keep a record of their conversations and logs. It's hard to move text messages with standard Android tools without root permissions, but the Mi Mover app I mentioned above does a great job of doing that.
When selecting categories to transfer to Mi Mover, be sure to tick "Messages" (SMS/MMS). The app will create a full cast of your correspondence and restore it to Xiaomi 11T as if you never changed your phone. Messages will be saved in the same dialogs, with the same dates and senders.
What to do if the SMS has not been transferred?
The same thing happens with the call log. Mi Mover transfers the history of incoming, outgoing and missed calls. This can be useful for finding a number you called six months ago or confirming a call. However, if you use a number detector from Google or Yandex, the history can be synchronized through the cloud of these services regardless of the device port.
It is important to understand that messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber) have their own backup mechanisms. Transferring normal SMS will not affect WhatsApp correspondence. To transfer it, you need to use the built-in backup function in WhatsApp itself (on Google Drive) and restore it when you first launch the messenger on Xiaomi 11T.
Solving problems in data transfer
Despite the fact that the processes are fine, sometimes errors occur, and one of the most common is "Not enough space" when using the Mi Mover. This happens if the new phone has little free memory. Before you start migrating, make sure that the Xiaomi 11T has at least 1.5 times more space than the weight of data on the old device.
Another problem is name encoding. If you see Krakozabras instead of Russian names, it means that the vCard file was saved in the wrong encoding, in which case it is better to use synchronization through Google, since it automatically processes the UTF-8 encodings correctly. Also, the problem may lie in the Android version on the old device: if it is a very ancient Samsung (Android 4-5), a direct Wi-Fi Direct connection may not be installed due to differences in security protocols.
⚠️ Note: When transferring contacts from secure corporate accounts (Exchange), additional device administrator permissions may be required.
If neither of these works, you can use third-party utilities like Copy My Data or Send Anywhere, which work on a similar principle: installing on both phones, selecting data and transferring over Wi-Fi. However, the use of official tools Xiaomi and Google is always preferable from a data security perspective.
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The most reliable and complete way to transfer is to use Mi Mover over Wi-Fi, as it retains the data structure and transfers not only contacts, but also system settings.