How to transfer your account and data from Samsung to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about changing your smartphone, but about migrating your entire digital life — contacts, photos, messages, even customizations — and many users fear losing important data or spending hours manually setting up an account, and in fact, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to transfer an account between these brands, depending on the method and the amount of data you choose.

In this article, we will analyze all the current methods of transfer (including official tools Xiaomi and Samsung, cloud services and third-party applications), compare them in speed and reliability, and warn about hidden nuances that manufacturers often keep silent. For example, why Samsung’s Smart Switch port might not work on new Xiaomi models MIUI 14+, and how to get around it.

We’ll focus on migrating your Mi Account (if you’ve used Xiaomi devices before) and syncing data through Google — methods that are often ignored, even though they’re the most versatile — and how to keep Samsung Pay, Samsung Health, and other exclusive services unparalleled in the Xiaomi ecosystem.

Preparation for transfer: what to do before the start

Before you start migrating, follow the mandatory preparatory steps to save time and prevent data loss.

• 📱 Update the firmware on both devices. On Samsung, check Settings → Update on Xiaomi - in Settings → The phone. → Update: Outdated versions may not support modern transmission protocols.
• 🔋 Charge both smartphones to at least 50%. Data transfer consumes charge faster than normal use.
• 📡 Connect to Wi-Fi (preferably a single network) and mobile internet may not be able to handle large amounts of data.
• 🔐 Make sure that Xiaomi does not have a tied Mi Account. If the phone is used, reset via Settings → Additionally. → Resetting settings.

On Xiaomi, also check out:

• 🛠️ Turn off battery optimization for portability applications (such as Mi Mover). → Annexes → Application management → Mi Mover → Battery → No restrictions.
• 📂 Free up space. Xiaomi internal drive should have at least 20% of the free space from the volume of data transferred.

Charge of both phones >50%

Both devices are connected to Wi-Fi

Xiaomi has disabled battery optimization for Mi Mover

Samsung has turned off energy saving mode

Backup of important data on PC or cloud-->

If you transfer data from Samsung to Xiaomi via cable, use the original one. USB-C cable (preferably from Samsung) cheap cables may not support the protocol USB OTG, direct-transmission.

⚠️ Note: If your Samsung has enabled Samsung Knox (usually on enterprise devices), some portability methods may be blocked.In this case, use the cloud backup via Google Drive.

Method 1: Official transfer via Mi Mover (recommended)

Mi Mover is a proprietary application from Xiaomi designed to migrate data from other Android devices. It supports the transfer of:

• 📞 Contacts, call logs and SMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• 📱 Annexes (APK-files, but no data)
• ⚙️ Some system settings (wallpaper, sounds)

However, there are limitations:

• ❌ Application data (such as saves in games or WhatsApp chats) is not transferred).
• ❌ It does not work with iOS devices.
• ❌ Some Samsung models with One UI 5.0+ additional adjustment is required.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Portability. If your phone is already configured, download Mi Mover from Google Play.
2. On Samsung, install Mi Mover (available from the Galaxy Store or APKMirror).
3. Run the app on both devices and select “I am the sender” on Samsung and “I am the recipient” on Xiaomi.
4. Connect to a single Wi-Fi network or use a direct connection via a Wi-Fi network QR-code (Xiaomi will have a code that needs to be scanned from Samsung).
5. Select the data to transfer and wait until it's done. Don't interrupt the process!

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If Mi Mover doesn’t see Samsung’s device, try turning on the developer mode (Settings) → The phone. → Build number - tap 7 times) and activate Debugging by USB.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi models 13/14 series MIUI 14 You may need to disable Data Protection in your security settings, otherwise Mi Mover will block the transfer of some files.

Method 3: Transfer through a Google Account (universal method)

If you've used Google services on Samsung, most of the data is already synced to the cloud.

• 📇 Contacts, calendars and notes (Google Keep)
• 📧 Email (Gmail) and Events (Google Calendar)
• 📸 Photos and videos (if you have autoloaded in Google Photos)
• 🎮 Some of these games (via Google Play Games)

How to move:

1. On Samsung, check that sync is enabled: Settings → Accounts and archiving → Account management → Choose a Google account → Synchronization.
2. On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account when you first turn on. If your phone is already configured, add your account to Settings → Accounts. → Add an account.
3. Wait for automatic synchronization (can take up to 30 minutes).
4. For photos, open Google Photos and click "Restore" in the menu.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ No need for cables or additional applications.
• ✅ Data is available on any device with your Google account.
• ✅ Supports incremental synchronization (updates only new data).

Disadvantages:

• ❌ Not all apps support cloud backup (for example, WhatsApp needs to be ported separately).
• ❌ Photos in original quality take up space in Google Drive (free only 15 GB).

Method 3: Transfer over Smart Switch (with limitations)

Samsung Smart Switch is Samsung’s official data migration solution, which works well between Samsung devices, but it can be a problem when migrating to Xiaomi.

How it works:

1. Download Smart Switch to Xiaomi from Google Play (officially, the app does not support Xiaomi, but it can work).
2. On Samsung, open the Smart Switch (usually preinstalled).
3. Select “Send Data” on Samsung and “Receive Data” on Xiaomi.
4. Connect devices via cable USB-C (Recommended original from Samsung).
5. Follow the instructions on the screen.

What could go wrong:

• 🚫 On Xiaomi MIUI 13/14 Smart Switch may not recognize the device.
• 🚫 Some data (such as Samsung Notes) will not be ported due to the proprietary format.
• 🚫 Applications may not be installed due to differences in processor architecture (Exynos vs Snapdragon).

If Smart Switch refuses to work, try an alternative:

1. On Samsung, create a backup via Smart Switch on PC (in.spb format).
2. Download the Samsung Smart Switch Decryptor (available on GitHub) on PC.
3. Unpack the backup and manually transfer the files to Xiaomi.

5. Method 4: Manual transfer via cable USB (advanced)

If the automatic methods do not work, you can manually transfer the data through the USB OTG It takes longer, but it gives you complete control of the process.

Option 1: Direct connection (USB OTG)

1. Buy it. USB-C OTG adapter (if you don't have one).
2. Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via an adapter.
3. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer Mode (you may need to install File Manager).+ Google Play).
4. Copy the right folders (DCIM, Downloads, WhatsApp, etc.) from Samsung to Xiaomi.

Option 2: Computer-assisted

1. Connect both phones to the PC.
2. On Samsung, allow access to files ("File Transfer" when connected).
3. Copy data from Samsung to PC, then from PC to Xiaomi.
4. Use the application transfer APK Extractor (on Samsung) and manual installation APK Xiaomi.

Advantages of the manual method:

• ✅ Full control over the data transferred.
• ✅ You can select only the necessary files (saving time).
• ✅ It works on older or uncertified devices.

⚠️ Note: When manually transferring, do not copy the entire Android folder, as this can lead to conflicts in these applications.

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Manual transfer is the most reliable way to do this if the automatic tools don't work, but it does require more time and care when selecting files.

6. Method 5: Transfer your Mi Account (if you’ve already used Xiaomi)

If you already had a Xiaomi smartphone and used a Mi Account, you can transfer it to the new device along with all the associated data:

• 🌐 Bookmarks and history of the Mi Browser browser
• 📁 Files from Mi Cloud (if synchronization is enabled)
• 🎵 Music and notes from Mi Music and Mi Notes
• 🛒 Mi Pay data (if the service is available in your area)

How to transfer your Mi Account:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select “Login to Mi Account”.
2. Enter your username and password. If you forget your password, restore it through account.xiaomi.com.
3. Confirm the entry via SMS or email.
4. Enable data synchronization in Settings → Mi Account → Synchronization.

If you don’t remember the password from your Mi Account:

• Go to Xiaomi’s website and click “Forgot your password?”
• Use a linked email or phone number to recover.
• If your account is not restored, contact Xiaomi with proof of ownership (checks, IMEI arch-story).

What if your Mi Account is linked to an old number?

If you change your phone number and can’t get it SMS entrance:

1. Try to log in via backup email.
2. If email is not available, please contact Xiaomi with a passport photo and a purchase check.
3. In a pinch, create a new Mi Account, but keep in mind that old Mi Cloud data will not be available.

7.Mobilization of exclusive Samsung services (Samsung Pay, Health, etc.)

Some of Samsung’s services are unparalleled in the Xiaomi ecosystem, and here’s how to save their data:

For Samsung Health:

1. Open the app on Samsung.
2. Go to Settings. → Data management → Export of data.
3. Choose.tcx (for training) or.csv (for statistics).
4. Import files to Google Fit or Mi Fitness on Xiaomi.

For Samsung Pay:

• Take screenshots of all the cards and transaction history.
• Remove the cards from Samsung Pay and add them to Google Pay or Mi Pay (if available in your area).
• Export coupons and discounts to PDF through settings → My coupons. → Exports.

8.What to do after the transfer: setup Xiaomi

After successfully transferring data, follow a few important steps to make the new smartphone work optimally:

• 🔄 Update all apps via Google Play. Some programs may not have automatically updated.
• 🔒 Set up the lock screen. We recommend using a fingerprint. + PIN safe.
• 📶 Check your mobile network settings. Xiaomi may have VoLTE disabled or 4G+ default.
• 🎵 Personalize sounds and vibrations. MIUI You can customize unique tunes for each contact.
• 🔋 Optimize the battery. Turn off auto-run of unnecessary applications in Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery.

Recommended settings for MIUI:

• 📱 Include "Smooth Animations" in Settings → Additionally. → Special facilities → Windows animation (improves responsiveness).
• 🌙 Activate Dark Mode and set the schedule in Settings → Display. → Dark mode.
• 🔍 Turn off "Recommendations" MIUI" In Settings → Main screen screen → Recommendations MIUI, if they annoy you.

If after the transfer some applications do not work correctly:

• Check the permissions in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Select the application → Permits.
• Clear the app cache from the same menu.
• If the problem persists, reinstall the application.

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After transferring the data, be sure to check the privacy settings in MIUI. By default, some functions (such as Usage Analytics) may be enabled.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Samsung’s move to Xiaomi