How to transfer photos and videos from Android to Xiaomi

Changing a smartphone is always an exciting process, often overshadowed by the need to transfer vast amounts of personal data, especially in the media library: thousands of photos and hours of video take up gigabytes of memory, and it can take hours to manually comb through them. Fortunately, modern technology allows you to automate this process, making it fast and safe for the user.

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices are in a winning position, as the MIUI shell (or the new HyperOS) offers powerful built-in tools for migration. However, if you are moving from a device from another manufacturer, it is important to choose the right method so that you do not lose image quality or image metadata. In this article, we will discuss all the current ways of syncing.

We're going to look at both the standard system tools and the third-party solutions that make sure your memories are safe, and whether you're old or you're new, you can find the right one, and the key is to prepare both devices in advance and choose the best way to transfer data.

Using the Mi Mover app for quick migration

The most effective and native way for Xiaomi ecosystem is to use the Mi Mover utility. This application is pre-installed on most new models of the brand, and for older devices or devices of other brands it can be downloaded free of charge from Google Play. The program creates a local Wi-Fi network between two devices, which provides high speed transfer without the use of mobile traffic.

The process starts with launching the app on both smartphones, and the new Xiaomi phone needs to select the Receiver role, and the old Android device needs to select the Sender role. QR-And if you have a code or a manual Wi-Fi Direct connection, you can choose the data types to transfer, and you can drag and drop not only photos and videos, but also contacts, messages, applications, and even system settings.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure that the screens of both devices do not go out during transmission. Although the connection is local, interrupting the process during the recording phase can damage part of the media library or cause broken files to appear.

The speed of copying depends on the amount of memory and the number of files. If you have more than 100 GB of data, the process can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, the advantage of this method is that the folder structure is preserved completely: albums, shooting dates and geolocation will remain in place.

Sync through Google Photos and Cloud Services

For those who prefer wireless solutions without installing additional software, Google Photos is the ideal option, which is especially useful if you already use a Google account on an old device. The principle of operation is simple: the application automatically uploads all media files to the cloud storage, from where they become available on any device with your account.

To implement this plan, open the Google Photos app on your old Android smartphone and log in to your account. In settings (“Settings” → “Shoot and Sync”), activate the switch. The system will start downloading all images and videos in original or compressed quality. Once completed on the new Xiaomi, just log in to the same account, and the entire gallery will appear automatically.

The important nuance is the quality of the saved copies. When you choose the "Original" mode, files take up space in your cloud, whereas the "Saving" mode allows you to store an unlimited number of photos, but with algorithmic compression. For most users, the difference is visually invisible, but professionals should pay attention to this.

• 📸 Automatic sorting by date and location of shooting.
• ☁️ Access to photos from any device, including PC.
• 🔒 Reliable backup in case of phone loss.
• 📉 Ability to save space on the device after synchronization.

Transferring data through a computer and USB-cable

The classic method that never fails when dealing with huge amounts of data is to use the personal computer as an intermediate buffer. USB-There's cable and space on your hard drive, but it gives you maximum control over files. You see every file, and you can sort through the unnecessary stuff before you download it to your new phone.

Connect your old smartphone to your computer, and in the menu that appears on your phone screen, select File Transfer (MTP) mode. The computer will open a Explorer window where you need to find the DCIM → Camera folder. This is where all the pictures and videos taken by the main camera are stored. Copy this folder to the computer's hard drive.

The path to photo: /DCIM/Camera/


The Way to Screenshots: /Inner Memory/Pictures/Screenshots/

Then connect the new Xiaomi to the same computer. Wait for the device to be identified and go to the same DCIM directory. Insert the copied files. Android automatically indexes the new media files and they appear in the gallery. This method is especially good in that it allows you to clean the old phone of excess garbage at the same time.

Comparison of data transmission methods

The best choice depends on your priorities: speed, quality or convenience. Below is a comparative table that will help determine the method of migration in your situation.

As you can see from the table, Mi Mover and cable are the leaders in speed and data security. Cloud services are convenient for background synchronization, but require stable broadband connection. Bluetooth should be considered only as an emergency option for transferring a couple of images, since the speed of one video can be counted in hours.

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To transfer more than 50 GB of data, use Mi Mover or USB-cable to avoid system freeze and time loss.

Gallery settings and metadata recovery

After you physically transfer files, it's important to make sure they're properly displayed on the system. The MIUI and HyperOS shell uses its own gallery with AI features to recognize faces and objects. Sometimes, after migration, it takes time to re-index.

If you notice that some photos are missing or are not displayed correctly, check the settings of hidden albums. In some cases, files may fall into the.thumbnails folder or hidden system directories. To correct the situation, you can use the File Manager Explorer to manually move files to the desired directories.

⚠️ Warning: Do not delete files from your old device until the new phone is fully checked. Make sure all videos are played and photos are opened in full resolution.

It’s also worth checking your sync settings with Xiaomi Cloud, and if you activate this feature, your photos will be further duplicated to the manufacturer’s cloud, which will create another layer of data protection, especially if you’re actively using the smart home ecosystem from that brand.

Solving problems in transfer

Users may encounter various difficulties in migrating, and one of the common problems is the “Not enough space” error, even when there is free space, often due to file system features or application cache.

If the transmission is interrupted in the middle, try breaking it down into parts: first transfer the photo, then the video. Large 4K or 8K video files can cause a connection timeout when using wireless methods, in which case the cable remains the most reliable solution.

• 🔄 Restart both devices before the procedure begins.
• 🔋 Charge batteries to a minimum of 60%.
• 📶 Turn it off. VPN Antiviruses during transmission.
• 📂 Check the file format (some rare codecs may not be supported).

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If Mi Mover can’t see an old phone, try turning on the Wi-Fi hotspot manually and connecting to it via a new phone, then running the app again.