How to transfer photos from Xiaomi to Xiaomi: all ways with pros and cons

Transferring photos between Xiaomi smartphones may seem like a trivial task, but in practice, users face nuances from data limitations to compatibility issues between old and new models. If you upgraded the Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra or just want to share pictures with a friend who also owns POCO, it is important to choose a method that takes into account the transfer speed, quality and convenience.

In this article, we will discuss 7 current ways to transfer photos, from built-in MIUI functions to universal cloud solutions. We will focus on hidden settings that speed up the process, and typical errors that cause files to fail to reach or lose resolution. For example, did you know that when you transmit images via Mi Share, image compression is automatically turned on if the free space on the receiving device is less than 10%?

We will also analyze which method is best suited for specific scenarios:

• 📱 Quick transmission 10-50 Photos between devices in the same room
• 📁 Transfer the entire gallery (thousands of pictures) when changing your smartphone
• 🌍 Remotely sending photos to a friend across town
• 🔒 Confidential images that cannot be uploaded to the cloud

1. Mi Share (Quick Share) – built-in solution from Xiaomi

Mi Share (renamed Quick Share in new MIUI versions) is Xiaomi’s proprietary technology for wireless file transfer between the brand’s devices. It works on the principle of Wi-Fi Direct, which provides speeds up to 10-15 MB / s (under ideal conditions).

To take advantage of the function:

1. Open the Files app on both devices.
2. Select photos, click Share → Mi Share.
3. On the receiving smartphone, activate Get Files in the same menu.
4. Confirm the connection on both screens.

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Note: If the host Xiaomi has power saving enabled, Mi Share can shut down after 30 seconds of inactivity. Turn off battery optimization for the Files app in settings (Settings → Applications → Battery Management).

The transmission speed depends on:

• 📶 Versions MIUI: on MIUI 14+ Quick Share is 20% faster than the old Mi Share.
• 📱 Device models: smartphones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T Pros process files faster than budget Redmis on Helio G.
• 🔋 Battery charge: If the level is below 15%, the system automatically reduces the transfer rate.

Turn off the power saving mode

Make sure that both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled

Clear the Files cache (if there have been previous failures)

Close background applications that consume the Internet (YouTube, Telegram)-->

2. Transmission via USB OTG cable: maximum speed and reliability

If you need to transfer hundreds of gigabytes of photos (for example, when changing your smartphone), USB OTG-And the cable is the most reliable method, and the speed of the copying is as high as the speed of the copying. 40-60 MB/s (depending on version) USB), The risk of data loss is minimal, and it is suitable for all Xiaomi models, starting with the Redmi. 4A (2016 year).

Step-by-step:

1. Buy it. OTG-Adapter (such as the original Xiaomi) USB-C to USB-A Type-C to Type-C for new models).
2. Connect your old smartphone to your new one via an adapter "USB-plug-in".
3. On the new device, open the Files → USB-accumulator.
4. Go to DCIM → Camera (or Pictures if the photos were saved to the cloud) and copy the files.

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Note: Some models (POCO X3 Pro, Redmi Note 10) require that you allow access to the data in the notification when you first connect. If you skip this step, the folders will be empty!

Critical detail: When copied via OTG, photos store the original metadata (date of shooting, geotags, camera parameters), whereas when transmitted via messengers or the cloud, this information is often lost.

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If OTG-The cable doesn't recognize, try plugging it in the reverse order, first to the new smartphone, then to the old one, and check if the port is contaminated (use a flashlight and toothpick to clean it up).

3. Bluetooth: When there are no other options

Bluetooth is the slowest but most versatile way, suitable for transferring 10-20 small photos (up to 5 MB each), speed is limited to 1-2 MB / s, and on older models (Redmi 5, Mi A1) can drop to 500 KB / s.

How to send a photo:

• 📎 Select photos in the gallery, click Share → Bluetooth.
• 🔵 Turn on Bluetooth on the receiving device and make it visible (Settings) → Bluetooth → Visibility).
• 📲 Confirm the pairing on both smartphones.
• ⏳ Wait for the transfer to be completed (it can take up to 10 minutes for 50 photos).

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Note: On MIUI 13+, when transmitted via Bluetooth, photos are automatically converted to JPEG format with a quality of 85%, even if the original was in HEIF or RAW.

The advantages of Bluetooth:

• ✅ It works without the Internet and additional accessories.
• ✅ Suitable for older models (Mi 3, Redmi 2).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ File size limit (maximum 50MB per transfer).
• ❌ High battery consumption (up to 15% per hour of active transmission).

4. Cloud services: Google Photos vs Mi Cloud

Cloud storage is convenient for remote transfer or backup. Xiaomi offers two main options: the branded Mi Cloud and universal Google Photos. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each.

Mi Cloud (built into MIUI):

• 📤 Automatic Photo Sync (included in Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → gallery).
• 🆓 5GB free (expands to 100GB for 99)₽/month).
• ⚡ Fast loading in the background (priority of traffic in the background) MIUI).

⚠️ Important: When uploading to Mi Cloud, photos are compressed to a resolution of 16 MP (even if the original is 48 or 108 MP). To preserve quality, use Original quality in the synchronization settings.

Google Photos:

• 🌍 Access from any device (including PC and iPhone).
• 🔍 Smart search by persons, places and objects.
• 📦 15GB free (shared with Gmail and Google Drive).

To be transmitted via Google Photos:

1. Upload the photo to the cloud from the old Xiaomi.
2. On the new device, log in to the same Google account.
3. Download photos through the Google Photos app (select High Quality or Original).

Comparison of services:

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If you need to transfer photos without loss of quality, use Google Photos in the "Original Quality" mode or USB OTG. Mi Cloud and instant messengers always apply compression.

5. Messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp and their limitations

Sending photos through instant messengers is convenient for single shots, but has critical limitations:

• 📏 WhatsApp compresses the photo to 1600×1200 pixels (maximum) 5 MB).
• 📊 Telegram allows you to upload files up to 2 GB, but without compression only in Save Messages or Channels.
• 🔄 Viber limits the file size to 200 MB.

How to send without loss of quality in Telegram:

1. Open a chat with yourself (Saved Messages).
2. Click the Paperclip → File (not "Photo!").
3. Choose photos in.jpg or.png format.
4. On the receiving device, download files via Download (not "Save to the Gallery" to avoid re-compression).

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Note: When sending photos via WhatsApp, they are converted to JPEG format with a quality of 70-80%, and metadata (geoteges, camera model) are deleted. If location binding is important, use Google Photos or USB OTG.

6. Local area network: Wi-Fi transmission over FTP or HTTP

For advanced users who want to avoid clouds and instant messengers, LAN transmission is suitable, which requires minimal configuration, but provides speeds of up to 20-30 MB / s (depending on the router).

Method 1: Built-in FTP-server MIUI

1. On the old Xiaomi, open the files → … → FTP-server.
2. Start the server and write down the address (e.g. ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
3. On the new device, connect to this address through any FTP-client (e.g. Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
4. Copy files from the /DCIM/Camera folder.

Method 2: Send Anywhere App

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Note: When transmitted over FTP, photos retain the original file names but lose geotags if you don’t copy the.nomedia file from the DCIM folder as well. To avoid this, use archiving (.zip) before transfer.

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If the router supports the Wi-Fi 6 standard (802.11ax), the transfer speed over the local network will increase to 40 MB / s. Check this in the router settings (section "Wireless mode").

7 Computer Transfer: Reliable but Longer

If you have a PC or laptop, you can use it as an intermediate storage, a method that is suitable for a full backup gallery before selling an old smartphone.

Instructions for Windows:

For Mac, you will need additional software:

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Note: On a Mac, when copying via Android File Transfer, Cyrillic file names (e.g., photo vacation.jpg) can appear as?????.jpg. To avoid this, rename the files to Latin before transfer.

FAQ: Frequent questions about photo transfer