Changing a smartphone is always stressful, not so much with getting used to a new device as with the risk of losing important data. Samsung flagships moving to the Xiaomi ecosystem often fear that the familiar shell of One UI is radically different from MIUI or HyperOS. However, modern migration tools allow you to copy almost everything from contacts and SMS to Wi-Fi passwords and home screen layout.
The transfer process has become much easier in recent years, but requires careful attention to detail, you don't need to be a technician to successfully complete this operation, but the main thing is to prepare both devices in advance, charge them up to 80% and make sure that both smartphones have a stable Internet connection or the local network is working correctly.
In this article, we will take a look at all the transition stages, look at both the standard tools and specialized utilities that guarantee the integrity of your data, learn what nuances media transfer hides and how to avoid common errors that can lead to malfunctions in the new system.
Preparing devices for data migration
Before starting the action, you need to do basic training. Make sure that both smartphones are enabled Bluetooth and GPS, as some synchronization methods use these modules to detect devices. Also check the availability of free space on the new Xiaomi: the amount of free memory should exceed the size of the data you plan to transfer from the old Samsung.
An important step is to clean up junk files on an old device. It makes no sense to transfer gigabytes of cache and temporary files, it will only increase the procedure time.
- 🔋 Charge both smartphones to a minimum of 70-80%, So that the process is not interrupted due to battery discharge.
- 📶 Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network or make sure the mobile internet is stable.
- 🔒 Unlock the screens of both phones and allow geolocation access when you first start migration tools.
Don’t ignore system updates before you start the process. If you have software updates available on Samsung or Xiaomi, you’d better install them now, which minimizes the risk of Android version conflicts when you transfer system settings and passwords.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to interrupt the data transfer process by removing the data. SIM-This can cause damage to the contact database or loss of some media files.
☑️ Ready for transfer
Using the Mi Mover application for portability
The most effective and official way to migrate is to use the Mi Mover utility, which is designed specifically to move users from other platforms to Xiaomi, and allows you to transfer contacts, messages, call logs, photos, videos, music, documents, and even installed applications.
The process starts with installing the app on both devices. On the new Xiaomi, it is often already built into the system and is located in the Tools folder or in the settings section. On Samsung, you need to download the app from the Google Play Market. Once launched, select the role of the device: on the old phone, click “I send” and on the new one, “I receive”.
The devices will find each other through each other. QR-code or network search. Once paired, you'll see a list of data categories to choose from, the system will suggest migrating everything at once or selecting specific file types. For maximum efficiency, it is recommended to choose manual control to avoid transferring system debris.
The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data and the quality of the Wi-Fi connection. When transferring a large number of high-resolution photos, the process can take from 15 minutes to an hour. At this time, the screens of the devices should not go out, so turn off automatic screen lock in the settings.
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If the process is stuck in the “Waiting for Connection” phase, try temporarily shutting down mobile internet (4G/5G) on both devices, leaving only Wi-Fi.
Sync through Google Account and Cloud Services
An alternative and often more reliable method is cloud-based synchronization. Google’s ecosystem is ideal for saving contacts, notes, calendars and photos. If you’ve been using Google Photos and Google Contacts on Samsung, then all data will be automatically logged in to the same Xiaomi account.
To activate sync on your new device, go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. Select your Google account and make sure all switches (Contacts, Calendar, Documents) are active.
So if you have a charging storage or a lot of media, it can be expensive or long-term, and you'd better use local portability, but for critical documents, backing up Google Drive would be a great solution.
| Type of data | Google's method | Mi Mover Method | Speed. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Automatically. | Locally. | Instantly. |
| Photo/Video | It requires a place in the cloud. | Locally (quickly) | Depends on the Internet. |
| Annexes | List for download | APK-files (often) | Medium |
| Wi-Fi passwords | Through backup | Transferred directly | Quickly. |
The advantage of using cloud technology is that data is stored even in the event of physical loss or breakdown of the phone, but for the initial setup of a new device, when you need to quickly access all files, the local method is preferable.
Manual transfer of multimedia and documents
Sometimes automatic systems crash or miss certain folders, especially if you’ve used third-party launchers or specific photo editing apps on Samsung, and manual transfer via computer or USB-C cable helps.
Connect both phones to a PC. Copy the contents of the DCIM, Pictures, Download, and Documents folders from your old device to your computer, and then move them to the appropriate directories on Xiaomi. Android folder structure is standardized, so file recognition problems should not arise with the gallery.
For users who prefer wireless methods, there are file sharing applications that use Wi-Fi Direct protocol, which allows you to transfer files of any size without compressing quality, which is critical for photographers and videographers.
⚠️ Note: When manually copying folders, pay attention to hidden files and folders that start from a dot (e.g..thumbnails). These are optional and may even slow down the gallery on the new device, as the thumbnail cache needs to be regenerated.
What to do with the files.obb and cache of games?
Nuances of application and data portability
The hardest part of migration is apps and their internal (data) – if regular programs downloaded from the Play Market are installed automatically after you enter an account, then banking apps, instant messengers and games require a separate approach for security reasons.
Messengers like WhatsApp and Telegram have their own backup mechanisms. For WhatsApp, make sure to create a local or cloud copy of chats on an old Samsung before switching. When you first launch on Xiaomi, the app will offer to restore your correspondence history.
Banking apps and Google Pay (now Google Wallet) will have to be reconfigured, so for security reasons, card data and biometrics are not transferred between devices, you will need to re-assign cards and configure the fingerprint or Face ID login.
- 📱 Messengers: Use the built-in “Backup” function in chat settings.
- 🏦 Banks: Prepare code words and maps as you will have to go through full identification.
- 🎮 Games: Make sure progress is saved in the cloud (Google Play Games, Xiaomi Account or developer account).
Some apps may not display correctly on the new screen due to different pixel density or aspect ratio. In Xiaomi settings (Settings → Advanced Settings → Font size and display), you can customize the interface scale for each application separately.
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Critical data (banks, crypto wallets, corporate mail with 2FA) They are never automatically transferred. Always have access to your phone number to receive them. SMS-confirmation code.
Set up a new interface and fix problems
Once you've successfully migrated data, you'll encounter differences in the interface, like the MIUI shell or HyperOS, which is different from the One UI in terms of the notification curtain, the control center, and the multitasking menu, which can be uncomfortable at first.
It is recommended to immediately go to the settings and adapt the system to suit yourself. Change the speed of the animation, adjust the control gestures (if you are used to navigating buttons or vice versa), and turn off unnecessary advertising in system applications if it annoys you.
If you notice that the battery of a new phone is discharged faster than usual in the early days, do not panic. the system conducts file indexing and application optimization in the background. Usually after 2-3 days of operation, autonomy returns to normal.
In rare cases, you may have problems displaying contacts (duplication of records), and this is solved through the Contacts app → Settings → Combine duplicates, and the system will find the duplicate records and suggest that they be combined.