How to transfer files from Samsung to Xiaomi: everything from Bluetooth to cloud services

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not only about changing interfaces and habits, but also about transferring personal data. Photographs, contacts, documents and music accumulated over the years should be safely and quickly transferred to a new smartphone. Fortunately, modern technology offers several ways to solve this problem, from classic (cable, Bluetooth) to innovative (wireless transmission over Wi-Fi Direct or cloud services).

In this article, we will discuss 7 working methods for transferring files between devices of different brands, comparing them in speed, reliability and convenience, and give recommendations on which way to choose depending on the amount of data and tools available.

Whether you’re switching from the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Xiaomi 14 Pro or from the budget Samsung A12 to the Redmi Note 12, here’s the best solution. And if you need to migrate not only files, but also apps with settings, check out the specialty software section.

1. File transfer via USB cable (OTG or adapter)

The most reliable and quickest way is to physically connect smartphones to each other using a cable, which will require either a USB-OTG adapter (if one device has a Type-C connector and the other has a Micro-USB connector), or a special Type-C cable (for modern models), which can transfer speeds up to 40-60 MB / s, which is 5-10 times faster than Bluetooth.

How it works:

• 🔌 Connect your smartphones with a cable. Samsung may have a request to select a mode — select File Transfer (MTP).
• 📂 On Xiaomi, open Explorer (or any other file application) and find your Samsung device list.
• 📤 Select the files you want on Samsung and copy them to Xiaomi memory (or vice versa, if more convenient).

The advantages of this method are: high speed, no dependence on the Internet, minimal risk of data loss.

• ⚠️ Not all cables support data transfer (some only charge).
• ⚠️ On some models, Xiaomi may need to enable Developer Mode and allow Debugging. USB.

The cable supports data transfer (not just charging)

On both smartphones unlocked screen

Xiaomi has enabled File Transfer (MTP) mode

Free space on the target device is enough to copy-->

If your smartphone doesn’t recognize each other, try:

1. Reconnect the cable.
2. Change the USB port (if you use an adapter).
3. Update software on both devices – sometimes bugs are fixed in new firmware versions.

2. Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi Direct or Mi Share

Wi-Fi Direct and Mi Share (similar to Samsung Quick Share) allow you to share files without the Internet, creating a local network between devices. Transfer speeds reach 10-20 MB / s — this is slower than cable, but much faster than Bluetooth.

Instructions for Mi Share (works on Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO):

1. On Xiaomi, open the Mi Share app (or find it in Settings → Connections and Sharing).
2. Click Send or Receive depending on the direction of transmission.
3. On Samsung, enable Wi-Fi Direct in your Wi-Fi settings and select a Xiaomi device from the list.
4. Confirm the connection on both smartphones and select the files to transfer.

If Mi Share doesn’t find Samsung, try the alternative:

• 🔄 Use the Send Anywhere app (available on Google Play and Mi App Store).
• 🌐 Turn on both devices Mobile hotspot and connect the second smartphone to the network of the first, then use Explorer to transmit over the local network.

Cable.

Bluetooth.

Google Drive (Mi Cloud) and Google Drive (Mi Drive)

Special Applications (Send Anywhere, ShareIt)

Another way.-->

An important nuance: when you transfer a large amount of data (for example, video files in 4K) through Wi-Fi Direct, automatic compression can occur if Xiaomi has enabled the Transmission Optimization option. To avoid loss of quality, turn it off in the Mi Share settings before starting the process.

3. Bluetooth Transfer: When Speed Is Not Important

Bluetooth is the most versatile but also the slowest method (speeds rarely exceed 1-2 MB/s), it is suitable for transferring small files: contacts, notes, PDF/DOCX documents or several photos.

How to transfer files:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both smartphones (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. On Samsung, find a Xiaomi device in the list and connect to it (you may need to enter it). PIN-code).
3. Select files in Gallery or Explorer, click Share and select Bluetooth.
4. Accept the file on Xiaomi in the notification.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ The maximum file size is usually 100-200 MB (depending on the model).
• ❌ Transmissions can be interrupted if devices are more than 10 meters away.
• ❌ Some Xiaomi models will automatically convert HEIF-Photo (Samsung format) in JPEG, reduces quality.

💡

If Bluetooth is permanently breaking the connection, try turning off power saving mode on both devices – it can limit the operation of the wireless communication module.

4. Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud, Yandex Disk

Cloud storage is convenient if you have a stable Internet and you need to transfer files quickly. The main advantages are that you can transfer data at any distance, and also synchronize it between several devices.

Comparison of popular services:

The following steps are provided for Google Drive:

1. On Samsung, open Google Drive, click + → Download and select files.
2. Wait for the download to be completed (you can close the application – the process will continue in the background).
3. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account, find the uploaded files and download them.

⚠️ Note: If you are transferring contacts or notes, it is better to use specialized sync services (such as Google Contacts) rather than uploading them as files. VCF. This will preserve the data structure and avoid duplication.

5 Special Applications: Send Anywhere, Xender, SHAREit

File transfer applications often offer faster speeds than standard protocols (Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth) thanks to optimized algorithms. P2P-connection, which allows data to be transmitted at speeds up to 30 MB/s without loss of quality.

Top.-3 Applications for transfer between Samsung and Xiaomi:

• 📲 Send Anywhere – supports files up to 10 GB, there is a function of generating 6-digit code for fast connection.
• 📲 Xender is a user-friendly interface, but it contains advertising. Maximum speed is 20 MB/s.
• 📲 SHAREit – popular in Asia, but may request unnecessary permissions (e.g. access to the Internet) SMS).

How to use Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both smartphones from Google Play or Mi App Store.
2. On Samsung, select files and click Send – a 6-digit key is generated.
3. On Xiaomi, enter this key in the Get field.
4. Confirm the transfer – the files will start to be copied without using the Internet.

💡

Apps like Send Anywhere or Xender are the best choice if you want to transfer a large amount of data (for example, a backup of WhatsApp or a photo archive) without cable and without loss of quality.

⚠️ Note: some applications (e.g. SHAREit) may install additional services or display intrusive advertising. Before installing, check the reviews in the store and the permissions the program requests. SMS, Calls or geolocations for no obvious reason – it is better to refuse to use it.

6. Transfer of contacts, messages and applications

Files are just a piece of data, and often users need to migrate contacts, SMS, call logs, and even app settings.

Contact:

• 📇 The most reliable way is to sync with your Google Account. On Samsung, go to Contacts. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Exports to Google.
• 📇 Alternative: Exporting to the file VCF (via Contact settings → Export and transfer it in any convenient way (cable, cloud).

SMS and call logs:

• 💬 Use the app. SMS Backup & Restore (available on Google Play) backs up messages in a format XML And restore them to Xiaomi.
• 📞 Call Logs Backup & Restore is available.

Annexes and their data:

• 📱 Samsung Smart Switch is not compatible with Xiaomi, but you can use Titanium Backup (requires Root rights) or Helium (works without Root, but not on all models).
• 📱 The easiest way to reinstall apps from Google Play and log in to them under the same account – many services (for example, WhatsApp, Telegram) automatically synchronize data.

⚠️ Note: When transferring WhatsApp data, remember that chat backups are stored in Google Drive and tied to your phone number. SIM-map, first save the copy manually (Settings) → chat → Backup and then activate WhatsApp on Xiaomi.

7. Alternative methods: SD-map, NFC

If none of the above methods are suitable, consider the less popular, but sometimes useful options:

Through SD-map:

• 📁 Copy files from Samsung to MicroSD, then paste the card to Xiaomi (or use an adapter). USB-C → MicroSD).
• ⚠️ Make sure that the card is formatted in FAT32 Or exFAT, or Xiaomi may not see the files.

Through the computer:

• 💻 Connect Samsung to your PC, copy files to your hard drive, then connect Xiaomi and transfer data.
• 🖥️ Use Total Commander or TeraCopy to accelerate – they support multithreaded transmission.

Through NFC:

• 📶 Suitable only for transferring small data (such as contacts or links). NFC on both devices, zoom them together and select a file to send.
• ⚠️ On Xiaomi, the Android Beam feature (required for the NFC-transfers) can be disabled by default - check in Settings → Connections → NFC.

⚠️ Note: If you use a Mac for intermediate copying, please note that Android File Transfer (the standard application for working with Android devices) does not always correctly display files with Cyrillic names.

FAQ: Frequent questions about file transfers