The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about branding, but also about migrating all your data, from contacts and messages to photos, videos, and even app settings. Many users fear this process, thinking they’ll lose important information or spend hours manually restarting files. In fact, it takes 10 to 40 minutes to transfer data between Android devices — if you know the proven ways.
In this article, we will discuss 5 current data transfer methods (including official tools from Samsung and Xiaomi), compare them in speed, reliability and limitations, and warn against typical errors. For example, did you know that when using Samsung Smart Switch from Xiaomi, notes from Samsung Notes may not be transferred to Xiaomi, and Mi Mover sometimes “loses” call history?
Whether you’re upgrading from the Galaxy S22 to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or moving from the budget Samsung A13 to the Redmi Note 13 Pro+, here’s a working algorithm. And if you’ve had problems with portability, at the end of the article there’s an FAQ with solutions for 90% of typical bugs.
1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi
Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi, designed specifically for migrating data from other Android devices (including Samsung, Huawei, Google Pixel). Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO Supports Wi-Fi Direct transmission (without internet).
How it works: Step 1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select the Data Portability option (or find the Mi Mover in the Settings menu). → The phone. → Step 2. On an old Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play and run it. Step 3. On both phones, confirm the connection via Google Play. QR-code and select data types to transfer.
- ✅ Pros: does not require cables, retains the folder structure, transfers applications (in the form of a folder) APK-file).
- ⚠️ Cons: can “hang” at the stage of transferring large videos (more than 1 GB), does not support the transfer of Wi-Fi passwords.
- 📌 Feature: on Samsung with Android 13+ You need to manually allow access to files in the application settings.
⚠️ Note: If Samsung has enabled data encryption (in the Settings menu) → Security, Mi Mover won't be able to read some files!
Charge both phones at least 50 times%|Shut down. VPN both-device|Make sure that Xiaomi has enough space (the data is the same)|Sign out of your Google account on Samsung (if you move your contacts)-->
Samsung’s Smart Switch: Does it work for Xiaomi?
Samsung Smart Switch is a Korean brand mirror tool designed to transfer data to Samsung devices, but many users are trying to use it to transfer to Xiaomi, which works in part, but with serious limitations.
How to transfer data:
1. Install Smart Switch on Xiaomi from Google Play.
2. Connect the phones via cable (you need a USB-C - USB-C or adapter).
3. On Samsung, select Send Data, on Xiaomi, Receive Data.
| Type of data | Transferred? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | ✅ Yes. | Only if they are synced to a Samsung account |
| Photo/video | ✅ Yes. | No compression, but slowly (speed ~5 MB/s) |
| SMS messages | ❌ No. | Blocked by Xiaomi's security policy |
| Annexes | ⚠️ Partially. | Only APK-files without data (for example, saving in games) |
| Notes (Samsung Notes) | ❌ No. | Note format is incompatible with Xiaomi Notes |
Critical problem: Smart Switch often interrupts transmission by 60-70% if Xiaomi has MIUI 14+ installed. This is due to a change in the storage access policy.
Smart Switch|Mi Mover|Google Account|OTG |Nikokoi, this is my first transfer-->
3. Google Account Transfer: Reliable, but not for everything
Syncing with Google Account is the most versatile way, but it is only suitable for basic data: contacts, calendars, notes (from Google Keep), mail and some photos (if Google Photos are enabled).
How to set up:
1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts & Archiving → Account Management and select your Google profile.
2. Enable synchronization for all the appropriate categories (especially Contacts and Calendar).
3.On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account – the data will be downloaded automatically.
- 🔄 Pros: No additional applications required, data available on any device.
- ❌ Cons: Cannot carry messages, call history, files outside Google Drive.
- 💡 Lifehack: If you turn on Google Photos with the option “Original quality”, all photos / videos will be uploaded to the cloud without loss of quality (but will take up space in your storage).
⚠️ Warning: If on Samsung contacts are saved in a Samsung account (not Google), they are not synced! → Settings → Contact management.
💡
Before transferring, check how much space your data takes up in your Google Account. Go to Google One – if there is less than 15 GB of free space, clear the cloud or buy an extra amount.
4. Direct transmission over OTG cable: fast but nuanced
If you have a cable. OTG (adapter USB-C — USB-C), You can manually transfer files, like a flash drive, for photos, videos, music and documents, but not for contacts or messages, but it works even on older Samsung models (like the Galaxy). J5 2017) and does not require the Internet.
Step-by-step:
1. Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via OTG-cable.
2.A notice will appear on Xiaomi «USB-Device connected" - click "Open files».
3. Copy the correct folders (DCIM for photo, download, etc.) to internal memory or SD-mapping.
What files can not be transferred through OTG?
Important point: when copying large files (>4 GB), use the exFAT file system on a flash drive or external drive. Standard FAT32 does not support files larger than 4 GB.
5. Cloud services: Dropbox, Yandex Drive, Telegram
If you have slow Internet or no cable, you can upload the data to the cloud and then download it to Xiaomi, which is universal, but depends on the connection speed and the amount of free storage. Let's consider three options:
- 📁 Google Drive: 15GB free, Android integration. Suitable for documents and archives. minus: slow download of large videos.
- ☁️ Yandex Disk: 10 GB free, high speed in Russia. Plus: there is a feature "Photoalbum" for automatic sorting of photos.
- 📎 Telegram: unlimited storage for files up to 2 GB. Lifehack: create a secret chat with you and send files there – they will be saved in the Telegram cloud.
To speed up the process:
Archive your photo/video folders in ZIP (use RAR or 7-Zip).
Upload data at night when internet traffic is minimal.
- On Xiaomi, download files through the File Manager (it has a built-in archive unpacker).
💡
Cloud services are the only way to transfer data if one of the phones is broken (for example, the screen on Samsung does not work, but it connects to Wi-Fi).
6.Transfer applications and their data: what works and what doesn’t
The most difficult part of migration is the transfer of installed applications and their data (for example, progress in games, settings in messengers or bookmarks in the browser).
| Type of application | Mode of transfer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Social media | Authorization through account | VK, Instagram, Facebook |
| Messengers | Backup to the cloud | WhatsApp, Telegram (chat backup) |
| Games | Link to a Google Play or social network account | Clash of Clans, Genshin Impact |
| browsers | Synchronization through account | Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| Financial annexes | Manual input only (due to security) | Sberbank, Tinkoff |
For WhatsApp:
1. On Samsung, back up to Settings → Chat → Backup.
2. Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi and sign in to the same account.
3. Restore chats from Google Drive (if the copy is fresh 7 days).
Exceptions:
Data from some apps (such as Samsung Health) cannot be transferred to Xiaomi due to proprietary formats.
Some games (such as Honor of Kings) are tied to your account region – a VPN may be required when you change your device.