Samsung to Xiaomi Data Transfer: A Complete Guide to Comparing All Ways

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about brand change, but also about the migration of all personal data: photos, contacts, messages, even app settings. Many users fear this process, considering it difficult or risky. In fact, manufacturers have provided several handy tools for seamless transfer, and some methods work even without a computer.

Not all methods are equally effective, however. For example, transferring through a Google Account can take hours if you have thousands of photos, and Mi Mover sometimes refuses to recognize Samsung devices on new versions of MIUI. In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods, from official utilities to workarounds for the rare cases when standard solutions fail.

You will also know:

• 🔄 How to transfer SMS and lossless call log (including media in messages)
• 📸 Why Google Photos May Lose Original Quality and How to Avoid It
• ⚡ What Xiaomi Settings Need to Change Before the Transfer to Speed Up the Process
• 🛠️ What to do if the Mi Mover or Smart Switch can’t see the device

1.The official way: Mi Mover by Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi, designed specifically for data migration from other smartphones. It supports porting from Samsung, iPhone, Huawei and other brands, but there are nuances. First, the application must be installed on both devices. Second, Mi Mover only works when Xiaomi is first turned on or after resetting.

To begin the transfer:

1. On Xiaomi, when you first start, select Data Transfer → With Android.
2. On Samsung, install Mi Mover from Google Play.
3. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network or use an access point.
4. On Samsung, select files to transfer (contacts, SMS, photos, videos, apps).
5. Confirm the transfer to Xiaomi and wait until it is completed.

The speed of the transfer depends on the amount of data, for example, 10 GB of photos and videos are transferred in about 20-30 minutes over Wi-Fi. If the process is stalled, check whether the transmission is blocking the power saving mode on Samsung.

Turn off the power saving mode on both phones |

Make sure that Xiaomi has enough space (transfer takes up time space)|

Connect both devices to charge |

Use 5GHz Wi-Fi to speed up transmissions |

Close all background apps on Samsung

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⚠️ Warning: If the Mi Mover can't see Samsung, try restarting both phones and turning off VPN. Also check if the firewall is blocking transmission in Samsung network settings (Settings) → Connections → Additional parameters → firewall).

Samsung’s Smart Switch: Does it work with Xiaomi?

Samsung Smart Switch is an analogue of Mi Mover, but from a Korean manufacturer. Officially it is designed to transfer data between Samsung devices, but there is a loophole: you can export data to a computer and then import it to Xiaomi.

Instructions:

1. Install Smart Switch on PC from the official website.
2. Connect Samsung to your computer via USB and select Backup.
3. Mark the necessary data (contacts, SMS, photos, notes) and save the file to the PC.
4. Connect Xiaomi and try importing data through Mi Mover or manually (for example, contacts can be uploaded to a Google Account).

The downside of this method is that not all types of data can be transferred, for example, application settings and call logs are often lost, but photos and videos are transmitted in their original quality.

Mi Mover|

Smart Switch|

Google Account|

OTG| cable

Never transferred the data.|

Another way.-->

3. Google Account Transfer: Pros and pitfalls

Syncing with a Google Account is the most versatile method, but it's not the fastest. It's suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, notes and parts of applications.

• 📧 Gmail and contacts are synced automatically, but SMS And the call log, no.
• 📷 Google Photos compresses images if you don’t have a Google One tariff.
• 🎵 Music and video are not portable (only via Google Drive).

How to transfer data:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management.
2. Select your Google Account and enable sync for the data you need.
3. On Xiaomi, add the same account to Settings → Google Accounts.
4. Wait until the synchronization is complete (it can take from a few minutes to hours).

Important: if you have backup in Google Photos in the “High Quality” mode, all photos will be compressed to a resolution of 16 MP. To save the originals, change the settings to “Original Quality” before the penos (you will need space in Google Drive).

⚠️ Note: If you use two-factor authentication on Google, either generate backup codes before the data perenos or add Xiaomi to trusted devices.

4. Direct transmission over OTG cable: faster Wi-Fi

If you have OTG-cable USB-C to USB-C), You can transfer files directly, like a flash drive, which is 2-3 times faster than Wi-Fi, and doesn't require Internet access, but it's only suitable for media files, documents and other applications. APK — contact SMS drag on.

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via OTG-cable.
2. Xiaomi will have a notification USB-device connected – click on it.
3. Select File Transfer (or MTP).
4. Open Explorer on Xiaomi and copy the files from Samsung memory.

Where to look for files on Samsung:

• 📷 Photos and videos: /DCIM/Camera/ or /Pictures/
• 🎵 Music: /Music/ or /Download/
• 📄 Documents: /Documents/ or /Download/
• 📱 APK-file: /Download/ or the application folder if you have saved backups

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If Xiaomi doesn’t see Samsung through OTG, try changing the cable or enabling USB debugging on Samsung (Settings → About Phone → Assembly Number (7 times) → Developer Settings → USB debugging).

5. Computer Transfer: Reliable but Long Term

If you have a PC or a Mac, you can use it as an intermediary, and it's universal and it's suitable for all types of data, but it takes more time and space on the disk.

Algorithm of action:

1. Connect Samsung to your computer and copy all the files to your hard drive.
2. Turn off Samsung and connect Xiaomi.
3. Transfer files from your PC to Xiaomi.
4. For contacts and SMS, use.vcf or.xml (SMS) export through applications like Super Backup & Restore.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔒 100% control over data – you can see what you copy and where you copy it.
• 🛡️ You can back up your computer before the penos.
• 🔄 Suitable for large volumes (100)+ GB).

Disadvantages:

• ⏳ It takes a lot of time (copying) + transfer).
• 💻 You need a computer with enough disk space.

6. Cloud services: Dropbox, Yandex Drive, Telegram

If you don't have an OTG cable or a computer on hand, you can use cloud storage, which is convenient for transferring individual files or small amounts of data (up to 10-15 GB), and is not suitable for large archives due to speed and tariff restrictions.

Comparison of services:

Telegram has no strict limit, but files are stored only in the cloud (not automatically downloaded to the device).

How to transfer data through Yandex Drive:

1. Install Yandex Drive on Samsung and upload files to the cloud.
2. On Xiaomi, install the same app and download the files.
3. To automatically upload photos, turn on the option Autoboot in the application settings.

⚠️ Note: When uploading photos to Google Photos or Yandex Drive in Optimized Quality mode, the originals can be deleted from the device after synchronization. Before the penos, check the storage settings (Settings) → Make room).

7. Transfer of applications and their data

Move it yourself. APK-Application files can be made via Mi Mover or manually (see section on the application file). OTG). However, settings and application data (for example, save in games or chat history in instant messengers) require a separate approach.

Methods of transferring data applications:

• 🔄 Built-in backups: Many apps (e.g. WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram) allow you to backup in the cloud. → chat → Backup copy.
• 📱 Titanium Backup (root): If you have root access, this app allows you to transfer data of any programs. However, on new Xiaomi, unlocking the bootloader can lead to a loss of warranty.
• 🖥️ ADB Backup: For power users, create a backup via adb backup in the command line.

Example of a backup team via ADB:

adb backup -apk -obb -shared -all -f backup.ab


adb restore backup.ab

This team maintains APK-files, application data and external memory in the backup.ab file. Use the second command to recover.

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Transferring these applications without root is possible only for those programs that support cloud backups (for example, instant messengers or games with an account link).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when using official tools, users are faced with errors, and here are the most common problems and ways to solve them:

• 🔌 Devices can't see each other over Wi-Fi: Check that both phones are connected to the same network (not to different routers). VPN and a firewall on Samsung.
• ⏳ The transfer is 99 percent frozen: Don't turn off your phones -- sometimes it's over in 10 to 15 minutes. If it's been hanging out for a long time, restart the Mi Mover and start over.
• 📵 Not tolerated. SMS or contacts: Check if Google contacts sync on Samsung is enabled. SMS Use third-party applications like SMS Backup & Restore.
• 🔋 Phone discharges during transfer: Connect both devices to charge before the process begins.

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If the Mi Mover gives you an error "Did not connect", try using the hotspot mode: on Samsung, turn on the mobile hotspot, and Xiaomi connect to this network.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions