Moving from Samsung Galaxy to Xiaomi Redmi, POCO or Mi is not just a change of interface, but also a need to transfer personal data. Travel photos, work documents, music playlists and correspondence archives all need to be moved to a new phone without loss. Unlike transferring between devices of the same brand (for example, through Samsung Smart Switch), transferring between different brands requires alternative solutions.
Many users mistakenly believe that this task requires a computer or special programs. In fact, most of the ways work directly between phones — via cable, Wi-Fi or cloud services. The main thing is to choose a method that fits your data volume and Internet speed. In this article, we will discuss 5 current methods (including little-known chips for models from 2023-2026), compare them in time and reliability, and also warn against typical errors that cause files to get corrupted.
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1.Transfer over OTG cable: the fastest way for large volumes
If you need to transfer tens of gigabytes of data (for example, a video collection in the Internet) 4K or RAW-photo, cable OTG It's a way of getting around the Wi-Fi speed limit and not requiring a stable Internet connection:
- 🔌 Cable OTG (Type-C → Type-C or Type-C → MicroUSB, depending on your phone's connectors. for Samsung Galaxy S22/S23 Xiaomi 13/14 It's symmetrical. USB-C — USB-C.
- 📱 File Manager on both phones (e.g. standard My file on Samsung and Files on Xiaomi).
- ⚡ Charge not less than 30% – when transferring large files, the phone can discharge faster than usual.
Connect the cable to Xiaomi (it will act as a "host"), then paste the second end in Samsung. Samsung's screen will display a notification "Connected as" USB-drive — click on it and select File Transfer:
- Open the file manager on Xiaomi.
- In the Devices or USB section, look for a folder with the Samsung model name (such as the Galaxy S21).
- Copy the files you want to use in Xiaomi memory (internal or on-board) SD-map).
Transfer speed depends on the USB version: on the Samsung Galaxy S20+ (USB 3.2) and Xiaomi 12 Pro files of 10 GB will be transferred in ~5-7 minutes. On budget models (for example, Redmi Note 10 with USB 2.0), the same volume will take up to 20 minutes.
Disable Battery Optimization for File Manager
Use the original cable (cheap OTGs may not support data transfer)
Close the background apps on both phones
Check the free space on Xiaomi (should be 10% more portable files)
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⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi doesn’t see Samsung when connecting, try changing the cable or enabling Developer Mode on Xiaomi and activating Debugging. USB. On some firmware MIUI (for example, MIUI (14) additional permission is required to access external storage devices.
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2. Wireless transmission via Mi Mover (official solution from Xiaomi)
Mi Mover is an integrated application on Xiaomi that can transfer data from other Android devices, including Samsung. It works on the Wi-Fi Direct protocol, so it does not require connection to the router. DCIM/Camera They will remain in the same directory).
How to use:
- On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
- Choose I'm the new phone.
- On Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if it’s not in standard settings).
- Launch the app on Samsung, select I'm an old phone and scan QR-Xiaomi screen code.
- Select files for transfer (you can select separate categories: contacts, messages, multimedia).
Mi Mover supports portability:
- 📸 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums if synced locally).
- 📞 Contacts and call logs (if stored in your phone’s memory, not Google Account).
- 💬 Communications SMS/MMS (But not messenger correspondence!).
- 🎵 Music and documents (except DRM-secure files).
Mi Mover does not port installed applications and their data (for example, save in games or configure messengers).
Up to 5GB
5-20 GB
20–50 GB
More than 50GB
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| Method | Speed. | Limitations | Do I need an internet connection? |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTG-cable | ⚡ Very high (up to 40 MB/s) | We need a cable, not all models support OTG. | ❌ No. |
| Mi Mover | 🐢 Average (5-10 MB/s) | Cannot tolerate applications, sometimes the connection is broken | ❌ No (Wi-Fi Direct) |
| Google Drive | 🐌 Low (depending on the Internet) | 15 GB limit on free account | ✅ Yes. |
| SHAREit/Xender | 🐇 High (up to 20 MB/s) | Advertising in applications, errors are possible with large files | ❌ No. |
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3. Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and alternatives
If you have a stable Internet and a non-critical amount of data (up to 15-20 GB), cloud storage will be an easy solution, and the main advantage is that files will be available on any device, not just Xiaomi.
Google Drive
Suitable for transferring photos, documents and contacts.
- Install Google Drive.
- Download files manually or enable autosynchronization for folders (such as DCIM or Downloads).
- On Xiaomi, log in to the same Google account and download files.
Restriction: free tariff - 15 GB. For a larger volume you will have to buy a subscription (from 139) ₽/month).
Mi Cloud
Xiaomi’s cloud offers 5GB for free, but it’s nuanced: you can only download files from Xiaomi devices. So you’ll have to transfer data to Xiaomi in another way (e.g. via OTG) and then upload it to Mi Cloud for backup. Useful if you plan to use Xiaomi for a long time and want to synchronize data between multiple devices of the brand.
Alternatives: Yandex Disk, Mail.ru Cloud
Russian services offer more free space:
- 📁 Yandex Drive – 10 GB free, there is an automatic photo download.
- 📧 Cloud – 8 GB, but often gives bonuses (for example, +32 GB for installing the application).
⚠️ Note: When uploading photos to Google Photos in the "High Quality" mode, they are compressed to a resolution of 16 MP. If you want to maintain original quality, choose "Original Quality" (but it takes place in your cloud storage).
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Before uploading to the cloud, archive the folders with photos in ZIP — It'll save space and speed up the process. RAR or the built-in functionality of the Xiaomi file manager (Select → Squeeze).
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4. applications for fast transfer: SHAREit, Xender, Snapdrop
If you want to move files without a cable or without a cloud, third-party data applications are a good alternative. P2P (peer-to-peer, creating a local network between phones.-3 decision:
SHAREit
One of the most popular applications for transferring files between Android devices, speeds up to 20 MB/s (faster than Bluetooth), supports batch sending.
How to use:
- Install Sharet on both phones.
- On Samsung, select Send, on Xiaomi, Receive.
Xender
It's an analogue of SHAREit, but with a simpler interface, and it supports app transfer (APK), which is not available in most of the world's analogues, and it's a negative, it's aggressive advertising on the free version.
Snapdrop
A web service that runs directly in the browser without installing apps is ideal if you don't want to download additional software. Open snapdrop.net on both phones, connect to the same network, and drag files into the browser window.
Comparison of annexes:
| Annex | Max, speed. | Support for large files | Advertising |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHAREit | 20 MB/s | Yes (up to 4GB at a time) | Medium |
| Xender | 15 MB/s | Yes (no restrictions) | Many. |
| Snapdrop | 10 MB/s | Yeah, but it depends on the browser. | No. |
Why is Bluetooth not suitable for file transfer?
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5. Computer Transfer: Reliable but Longer
If you have Windows or Mac on hand, you can use your computer as an intermediary, and this is a good way to do this.
- 🖥️ Transfer files from a damaged Samsung (if the phone doesn’t turn on, but is defined as a drive).
- 🔄 Simultaneous file sorting (e.g., deleting duplicates before copying).
- 📂 Transfer data to an external hard drive (if Xiaomi has little memory).
Instructions for Windows:
- Connect Samsung to your computer via USB, select File Transfer mode.
- Copy the folders you want (e.g. DCIM, Downloads, WhatsApp/Media) to your hard drive.
- Disable Samsung, connect Xiaomi and paste files into the appropriate directories.
Macs will require additional software, as Android devices are not recognized as default drives. Use Android File Transfer (the official application from Google) or MacDroid (paid but supports MTP and PTP).
⚠️ Note: When copying via computer, do not use disk formatting (e.g, FAT32 If Xiaomi does not see files after transfer, check them for viruses (sometimes antiviruses on Windows block access to folders from the phone).
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What to do if the files are not transferred?
Even if you follow the instructions, you can get errors, and let's look at the typical problems and their solutions.
1. Xiaomi doesn't see Samsung through OTG
Possible causes and fixes:
- 🔌 Unoriginal cable - try another one OTG (preferably with a chip USB-IF).
- ⚙️ No permission – go to Settings on Xiaomi → Annexes → Permits → Storage and enable access for file manager.
- 📱 Outdated firmware - update MIUI until the latest version MIUI 14 corrected bugs with OTG).
2.Mi Mover interrupts transmission
This is most often due to:
- 📶 Unstable Wi-Fi Direct – Restart the transmission elsewhere (away from microwaves and other interference sources).
- 🔋 Low battery power – connect both phones to charge.
- 📱 Closing the app – don’t fold the Mi Mover into the background.
3. Files damaged after transfer
If photos don’t open or videos are “slowing down,” check:
- 📁 Integrity of source files – try opening them on Samsung before the penosom.
- 🔄 File system format – if you use it SD-Map on Xiaomi, format it in exFAT (supports files) >4GB).
- 🛠️ Codecs - some videos in HEVC (H.265) You may not be able to play on older Xiaomi models. VLC Player to watch.
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If you port photos taken on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in.srw (RAW) format, make sure that Xiaomi has an application installed to process them (e.g. Lightroom or Snapseed).The standard MIUI gallery does not support proprietary RAW formats from Samsung.
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