How to transfer files from Samsung to Xiaomi: from photos to apps

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not only about changing the ecosystem, but also the need to transfer tens of gigabytes of personal data: photos, videos, contacts, messages and even app settings. Many users face problems: files lose quality, contacts are duplicated, and some data is not transferred at all. In this article, we will examine all the current ways of migration — from standard tools to professional utilities — and also explain how to avoid typical errors when transferring data between devices of different brands.

The portability between Samsung and Xiaomi is different in operating systems: One UI (based on Android) and MIUI have unique add-ons that can block direct transmission. For example, Samsung’s Smart Switch feature doesn’t work directly with Xiaomi devices — workarounds will be required. But don’t worry: we’ve tested all the methods on models from Galaxy S10 (2019) to Xiaomi 14 Ultra (2026) and are ready to provide proven instructions.

Before proceeding, make sure that:

• 🔋 On both smartphones charge at least 50% – long-term operations discharge the battery faster than usual.
• 📶 Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (for wireless methods) or you have a quality Wi-Fi network. USB-cable.
• 📁 Xiaomi has enough free space – files from Samsung can take up more space due to differences in compression.

1.Move over Mi Mover (official decision from Xiaomi)

Mi Mover is an application built into MIUI that migrates data from other Android devices, and supports contact, message, photo, video, audio, calendars, and even some app settings. However, there’s a nuance: the app doesn’t always work correctly with the latest versions of One UI (for example, the Galaxy S23 may require a rollback to Android 13).

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

1. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
2. On Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play (official app).
3. Select the “I am a new user” option on Xiaomi and the “Send data” option on Samsung.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen Xiaomi camera Samsung.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the operation.

It can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of data, and it's important that if the transmission is interrupted, you have to start over again, because Mi Mover doesn't support resumption.

Install Mi Mover on Samsung|Shut down. VPN both-device|Connect to 5GHz Wi-Fi (for stability)|Close background annexes|Check the free space on Xiaomi-->

⚠️ Attention: Mi Mover is not tolerated:

• 📥 Established APK-files (only links to apps on Google Play).
• 🔐 Passwords from Wi-Fi and accounts (they will have to be re-entered).
• 🎮 Save games (use cloud services like Google Play Games for this purpose).

2. Use of Smart Switch (with a workaround)

Samsung Smart Switch is a proprietary data porting tool, but it doesn't officially support Xiaomi devices. However, there's a workaround: export data to a PC first and then import it to Xiaomi. This method is suitable for transferring contacts, photos and videos without loss of quality.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Download Smart Switch on PC and install it.
2. Connect Samsung to your computer via USB (select File Transfer Mode).
3. In Smart Switch, select “Backup” and save the data to your PC.
4. Disable Samsung, connect Xiaomi and copy files manually (photos – to the DCIM folder, contacts – through Google Contacts).

The process is similar for macOS, but you will need to install Android File Transfer.

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If the Smart Switch doesn’t see your Samsung, try enabling USB Debugging in Settings → System → About Phone → Build Number (click 7 times).

3. Wireless transmission via Google Account

The most versatile way is sync with Google Account, which is suitable for transferring contacts, calendars, photos (via Google Photos), notes (Google Keep), and even some application settings, the main advantage is that the data is automatically updated on the new device.

How to set up:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts & Archiving → Account Management and add your Google account (or make sure it’s already added).
2. Activate synchronization for the desired data: Contacts, Calendar, Google Photos.
3. On Xiaomi, sign in to the same Google account – the data will start syncing automatically.

For photos:

• 📸 Open Google Photos on Samsung and enable Backup and Sync.
• 🖼️ On Xiaomi, install Google Photos and wait for media files to download (may take several hours with a large volume).
• 🔄 To save space, in Google Photos settings, select High Quality (unlimited storage) instead of Original Quality.

⚠️ Attention: Google Photos compresses video resolution above 1080p when you select the "High Quality" option. 4K, Use alternative methods (e.g. physical cable transfer).

4. Transfer via USB cable (OTG or adapter)

If you don’t have Wi-Fi access or want to transfer data as quickly as possible, use the USB-That's gonna take a cable:

• 🔌 Cable USB-C — USB-C (if both devices have a type C) or an adapter USB-A — USB-C.
• 📱 On Samsung, enable File Transfer Mode (MTP).
• 🛠️ Xiaomi may need to enable debugging by USB (see the instruction above).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via cable (use) OTG-adapter if necessary).
2. On Xiaomi, in the notification bar, select File Transfer (if you have a request).
3. Open Explorer on Xiaomi and go to the section USB-device.
4. Copy the folders you need (DCIM for photos, Downloads for downloads) to Xiaomi’s internal memory.

Cable transmission speeds reach 480 Mbps (USB 2.0) or 5 Gbps (USB 3.0), which is 10 times faster than Wi-Fi. However, some files (such as system settings) cannot be transferred in this way.

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Use original cables from Samsung or Xiaomi – cheap analogues may not support high-speed data transfer.

5. Transfer of applications and their data

Standard methods do not transfer installed applications and their data (for example, saving games or setting up instant messengers).

For applications:

• 📱 Use it. APK Extractor (from Google Play) on Samsung to save APK-App files and then install them on Xiaomi.
• 🔗 Enable My apps and games in Google Play on Xiaomi → Library to see a list of previously installed programs.

For these annexes:

• 🎮 For games, use Google Play Games (Savings Sync).
• 💬 For instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) back up to the cloud on Samsung, then restore to Xiaomi.
• 📊 For notes (Samsung Notes) export them to PDF Or transfer it via Google Keep.

Example of WhatsApp portability:

1. On Samsung, open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → chat → Backup copy.
2. Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi, log in to the same account and restore chats from Google Drive.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. banking) prohibit transfer to another device for security reasons.

6. Alternative methods: cloud services and third-party utilities

If standard methods do not work, consider alternatives:

Cloud services:

• 🌥️ Dropbox or Yandex Drive – download files from Samsung, then download to Xiaomi.
• 📁 Mega – offers 20GB of free space, suitable for large archives.
• 🎵 SoundCloud – for porting music playlists (unless they are synced with Google Play Music).

Third-party utilities:

• 🔄 Send Anywhere – transfer files over Wi-Fi Direct without size restrictions.
• 📲 Cloneit clones almost all data, including call history and SMS (It requires rooting on some devices).
• 🖥️ Syncthing – open source software for synchronizing folders between devices.

Example of Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both devices.
2. On Samsung, select files and click "Send".
3. 6-digit code is generated – type it into Xiaomi to get files.

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Use the music without loss FLAC-Resilio Sync format and service – it retains original sound quality.

7. Solving typical transfer problems

Even when following instructions, there may be errors.

If after the transfer to Xiaomi appeared artifacts in the photo, check:

• 🔍 File format: Samsung can save photos in the HEIF (.Heic, which is not supported by older versions MIUI.
• 🎨 Color profile: Some Samsung models use an extended profile DCI-P3, Which is displayed dimly on Xiaomi screens with sRGB.

For correction:

1. Install the HEIF Viewer app on Xiaomi to view.heic.
2. Use Lightroom to correct colors.

8.Xiaomi Optimization After Data Transfer

After successful transfer, it is recommended that:

• 🧹 Clear the cache: go to Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 🔄 Update MIUI: Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔒 Configure permissions: Some applications (e.g., a gallery) may not have access to transferred files.
• 📊 Optimize storage: use the built-in utility Optimization in the battery settings.

Pay particular attention to permissions for applications:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions Management.
2. Check the access rights for the gallery, messengers and file manager.
3. If the photos are not displayed in the gallery, allow access to the storage for the Gallery app.

It is also useful to set up automatic cloud sync to avoid future data loss:

• 📱 Photo: Google Photos or Mi Cloud.
• 📝 For note: Google Keep or Mi Notes.
• 🎵 For music: YouTube Music or Spotify.

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After transfer, check the charge saving settings in MIUI – some background processes (synchronization, backup) can be disabled by default.

FAQ: Frequent questions about data transfer