How to transfer data from Samsung to Xiaomi: All ways

Changing a smartphone is always an exciting process, often overshadowed by the need to transfer a huge amount of accumulated information. Samsung device owners who decide to move to the Xiaomi ecosystem often face the question of how to move their contacts, photos, apps and settings as quickly and without loss. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to do this in several ways, each of which has its own advantages depending on the amount of data and user preferences.

The data migration process has become much easier in recent years thanks to the standardization of the Android operating system and the emergence of specialized gates. However, the differences in the shells of One UI from Samsung and HyperOS (or MIUI) from Xiaomi can make their own adjustments. In this article, we will discuss the most effective methods, from built-in tools of manufacturers to cloud services, so you can choose the best option for your situation.

Before starting the procedure, make sure that both devices have sufficient battery power, as the data transfer process can be energy intensive. It is also recommended to check the availability of free space on the new device to avoid errors in the middle of the process. The most reliable way to fully clone the system is using the official Mi Mover application, which minimizes the risk of data loss.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before you start copying files directly, you need to properly prepare both smartphones, a basic step that can lead to connection interruption or transmission errors, and first of all, connect both devices to a stable Wi-Fi network if you plan to use cloud methods or wireless transmission.

Make sure that both smartphones have Bluetooth and GPS enabled, as some synchronization methods use these modules to detect devices and establish a secure communication channel. On a Samsung device, it is recommended to close all unnecessary applications to free up RAM and speed up the system.

It’s also worth checking the operating system versions. Although data porting usually works cross-version, having up-to-date updates on Xiaomi ensures better compatibility with the file formats and data structures used in One UI. Check the settings in the Settings menu → About Phone → System Update.

Also, be sure to unlock the screens of both devices and allow access to the file system if the system requests permissions when you first start the transfer programs, a critical step without which the software will not be able to access your contacts and media files.

Using the Mi Mover app for full cloning

The most efficient and preferred way to switch from any Android smartphone, including Samsung, to Xiaomi is to use the Mi Mover utility, an official application designed specifically for data migration that can port not only multimedia, but also system settings, desktop layout and even passwords from Wi-Fi.

To get started, you need to install the app on both devices. On Xiaomi smartphones, it is often pre-installed in the Tools folder. On Samsung, you need to download it from the Google Play Store. Once you launch the app on your new Xiaomi device, select Recipient and on the old Samsung, Sender.

⚠️ Attention: When scanning QR-Make sure you connect to the network created by your new phone, not to a third-party access point with a similar name.

The connection process is done by creating a local Wi-Fi hotspot. Once the devices find each other, a list of data categories available for transfer will appear on the Samsung screen, you can choose all at once or make selective migrations by marking only the desired items, such as Contacts, Messages, Applications and Multimedia.

The speed of transfer depends on the amount of data and the quality of the wireless connection. During the process, do not lock the device screens and keep them close. The application will automatically create a folder structure on the new device similar to the one on Samsung, which will make it easier to find files.

Synchronization through Google Account

An alternative and classic method is to use cloud sync via a Google account, ideal for those who want to avoid direct cable or wireless linking between devices and prefer to download data from the cloud, the main advantage here is that your contacts, calendars and notes will be available immediately after login and password.

On a Samsung device, you need to make sure that sync is enabled. Go to Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management → Google. Check here to check that the boxes are in front of Contacts, Calendar, Keep and other important services. Click on three dots in the corner and select Sync to make sure all data is uploaded to the server.

Then pick up the new Xiaomi. When you first set up or in the Settings menu → Accounts and sync, add the same Google account. The system automatically prompts you to restore data from the cloud. This method is especially good for restoring the list of contacts and installed applications, since the Google Play Store itself will offer you to download previously used programs.

However, there are limitations to this method. It won’t carry photos in original quality unless you have an extra volume purchased from Google One, as the free limit of 15 GB may not be enough, and the system settings and desktop layout will remain standard for Xiaomi.

Transferring Multimedia through Google Photos and Disk

Photo and video porting is a special consideration, as it is usually the largest block of data. Google Photos is the de facto standard for backing up your library. On Samsung, open the app, log in to your account, and select high quality or original in the Autoupload and Sync settings.

Once you have finished downloading on Xiaomi, it is easy to open Google Photos and your entire gallery will be available in the same form, broken down by date and album. This frees up space on the new device, since photos can be stored in the cloud, downloading them as needed.

For documents and heavy files, you can use Google Drive or OneDrive, which is often pre-installed on Samsung. Upload files to the cloud on an old device and download them on a new one. This can take time on a large volume, but guarantees file integrity.

Using Smart Switch and Transfer to PC

Samsung owners are familiar with the Smart Switch utility, which, although it's tailored to the Samsung ecosystem, can be used as a middle ground. You can create a full Samsung backup on your computer and then try to extract media files manually. However, it's not possible to directly migrate the system via Smart Switch to Xiaomi.

A more efficient method using a PC is manual copying. Connect Samsung to your computer in file transfer (MTP) mode. Copy the DCIM (camera), Pictures, Download and Music folders to your hard drive.

Then plug in Xiaomi and transfer those folders to the appropriate directories in internal memory. Android folder structure is universal, so Xiaomi gallery automatically recognizes photos and videos. This method is recommended if wireless methods are unstable or the data volume exceeds 50-100 GB.

⚠️ Note: When copying via PC, do not interrupt the cable connection. Removing the device without safely turning off may damage the file system and cause some data to be lost.

For users accustomed to order, this method allows you to immediately sort files on your computer, removing unnecessary debris before downloading to a new clean smartphone.

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Use the cable that came with the phone, or the high-quality analogue that supports high data rates. Cheap charging cables may not support file transfer mode or run extremely slow.

Transfer of WhatsApp messages and messengers

A special category of data is messages from instant messengers, in particular WhatsApp. Simply transferring an application through a Google Account is often not enough to save the history of correspondence. WhatsApp needs to go to Settings → Chats → Backup of chats and create a copy on Google Drive.

When you install WhatsApp on the new Xiaomi, the app will detect the backup in the cloud and offer to restore the message history. It is important to use the same phone number and the same Google Drive account. Without this, recovery will be impossible.

For Telegram and Viber, the process is simpler: data is stored on messenger servers; just log in to your phone number and all chats (except secret ones in Telegram) will be downloaded automatically; Viber can also require you to create a local backup on Google Drive to recover media files.

Some third-party apps, such as MobileTrans or AnyDroid, claim the possibility of directly porting WhatsApp between different Android brands, but they are often paid and require a PC connection.The official method via Google Drive remains the most reliable and free.

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For a successful WhatsApp port, it is critical that a fresh backup is made on your old phone on Google Drive, rather than locally in the phone’s memory.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)