Changing your smartphone is always accompanied by a desire to quickly and painlessly transfer all the accumulated files over the years. For owners of the Xiaomi ecosystem, this process is greatly simplified thanks to the built-in tools MIUI and HyperOS. You do not need to search for third-party applications or delve into complex settings to save your memories.
However, despite the abundance of automatic scripting, users often have difficulty migrating heavy videos or thousands of high-resolution photos. Standard methods can seem slow and cloud storage can seem crowded. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to transfer a gallery from one phone to another, using the most efficient and proven methods.
We're going to look at both Wi-Fi Direct wireless technology and classic wired connectivity, and understanding the difference between these methods will allow you to choose the best option for your situation, whether it's an urgent transfer of several images or a complete migration of a archive of tens of gigabytes.
Using the Mi Mover app to migrate fully
The most reliable and native way for Xiaomi devices is to use the Mi Mover app, which is designed specifically for the manufacturer’s ecosystem and allows you to transfer not only photos, but also contacts, messages, system settings and even desktop icons. Make sure that both devices are at least 50% charged to get started.
Run the app on both smartphones. Select Receiver on the new device and Sender on the old one. The system automatically creates a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to, and the good thing about this is that it doesn't require an Internet connection and works even without a SIM card, using a direct link between the gadgets.
Once you connect, the interface will suggest you select data categories to transfer, so you need to find the Images or Gallery section and mark it, and it's important that if you've got a lot of video, it can take a lot of time, so it's best not to interrupt it and leave the phones lying nearby.
What if the Mi Mover can’t see the device?
The main advantage of the method is to keep the folder structure and file metadata, so that shooting dates, geotags and even hidden albums will be transferred correctly, making Mi Mover the perfect choice when switching from the old Xiaomi to the new flagship of the same brand.
Transfer files via Mi Drop (ShareMe) without the Internet
If you need to selectively flip the gallery, or you don’t want to migrate the system completely, Mi Drop (known as ShareMe in global versions) is a tool that uses a high-speed data protocol that is significantly faster than Bluetooth and does not consume mobile operator traffic.
To get started, open the app on both devices. On the receiving phone, click the "Get" button and on the transmitting phone, "Send." Unlike standard Bluetooth, here you can go up to 20-40 MB/s, which allows you to flip a gigabyte movie in a couple of minutes.
- 🚀 High speed: transfer of large amounts of data is several times faster than cable USB 2.0.
- 📶 Router Independence: Devices connect directly to create their own local area network.
- 🔒 Security: Files do not pass through third-party servers, remaining within your personal perimeter.
Once you have selected a recipient from the list of available devices, go to the gallery, select the photos you want, and click "Send." The system will prompt you to open them via Mi Drop. This method is especially convenient when you need to quickly share a vacation album with a friend who also has Android.
💡
If the transfer speed drops to zero, try temporarily disabling Smart Wi-Fi in your wireless network settings, a feature that sometimes attempts to shift priority to the mobile network, breaking the local connection between phones.
The interface is minimal and understandable even to a beginner, you can see the progress bar and the remaining time in real time. In the event of a communication breakdown (for example, if the phones are spread too far), the transmission is paused and can be resumed.
Sync through Google Photos and Cloud Services
Cloud technology has become the de facto standard for storing digital memories. If you're wondering how to flip a gallery without using cables or creating direct connections, Google Photos is the best solution. It's pre-installed on any Xiaomi certified Android smartphone.
The way it works is simple: on an old phone, you turn on sync, and photos are uploaded to a Google server. On a new device, just log in to the same account, and the entire gallery will appear automatically. This is convenient because it frees up space on both devices if you use the "Free Space" feature.
But it has its own features: the free rate provides 15GB of space that is shared between Mail, Disc and Photos. If your gallery weighs 50GB, you'll either have to buy a subscription or download archives.
| Parameter | Google Photo | Mi Cloud | Yandex Disk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free volume | 15 GB (total) | 5GB | 10GB |
| Compression quality | High (with original option) | No loss. | No loss. |
| Speed of operation | Depends on the Internet. | High in RF/CIS | High in Russia |
Mi Cloud is also a service that is deeply integrated into the MIUI shell, and by entering the Mi Account settings, you can activate gallery sync, which allows you to see photos on any device authorized to use the Mi Account, including tablets and the web version.
💡
Cloud sync is the best way to keep data safe in case of loss or breakdown of your phone, but requires a stable and fast Internet connection.
Remember that when downloading over a mobile network, traffic may be consumed, and it is recommended to configure synchronization only over Wi-Fi to avoid unexpected bills from the carrier.
Wireless: USB-cable
When wireless methods seem too slow or unstable, the good old classic comes to the rescue — USB-This method allows you to transfer the gallery from one phone to another Xiaomi Android through the mediation of a computer, ensuring maximum stability of the connection.
Connect your old phone to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode. Copy the DCIM folder (where the camera photos are stored) and Pictures (screenshots and images from messengers) to your computer's hard drive. Then plug in the new phone and transfer the data to the appropriate directories.
This method is ideal for transferring huge archives, for example, if you change your phone and you have accumulated 100 GB of photos in 5 years. No radio waves will interrupt the process, and the speed is limited only by the capabilities of USB ports and memory write speed.
☑️ Preparation for wired copying
There is also the option of using a USB OTG (Type-C to Type-C) cable if both smartphones support this feature, in which case you don't need a computer: you connect two phones directly with a cable. Android will offer to copy files, but support for this mode depends on the version of MIUI and the device model.
When using a computer, keep a close eye on folder structure. If you just put files at the root of internal memory, the new phone gallery may not recognize them or confuse dates. Keep the original directory structure.
Problems with metadata and album organization
A common problem with transference is chronology, and the photos may get mixed up, and the events of last year will be mixed up with today's images. EXIF-Data or improper processing of time stamps by the file system.
To avoid chaos, use methods that preserve original file attributes. EXIF — This is the technical data recorded by the camera in each shot: date, time, shutter speed, lens model and GPS-When transmitted via Mi Mover or cable, this data is stored in its entirety.
If you use instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp) to transfer photos between your numbers, be sure to send them as a "File" rather than an image. In normal sending, media is compressed, and metadata is often deleted to save space.
⚠️ Note: When transferring hidden albums through the file manager, make sure you copy the folder.MIUI/Gallery/Cloud/secretAlbums. In normal gallery viewing mode, these files may not be visible and you risk losing sensitive photos.
Once the transfer is complete, give the new phone system time to index, the gallery can run slowly or show empty previews in the first minutes, and that's normal behavior: Media Scanner's background process reads all the files and builds a database.
Cleaning the old device after transfer
Once you've successfully moved the gallery, you're asking yourself what happened to your old smartphone, and before you sell or dispose of it, you need to make sure that your data is permanently deleted, and simply deleting files through the gallery doesn't guarantee that they're gone.
Make a full reset to factory settings (Settings → About phone → Factory reset) This action will delete all user data and return the software to its original state. Make sure you log out of all Google and Mi Accounts before doing so so that FRP protection does not work.
If the phone stays in the family, for example, passes to the child, you can simply delete the extra photos. To do this, the Xiaomi gallery has a convenient selection function: pinch one photo, then swipe your finger across the screen to highlight hundreds of pictures at once, and click “Delete”.
Check the recently deleted folder in the gallery, where the files are stored for another 30 days and take up space, and clear this section to finally free up space on the old device.