How to transfer photos from iPhone to Xiaomi Redmi: the full guide 2026

The transition from iPhone to Xiaomi Redmi smartphone is not only about changing the ecosystem, but also the need to transfer valuable data, especially photos. Users often face difficulties: different operating systems (iOS and MIUI), the lack of universal cable, the limitations of cloud services. In this article, we will discuss 7 working ways to transfer photos, from classic (via computer) to modern (direct sharing over Wi-Fi), taking into account the features of Xiaomi Redmi Note 12/13, Redmi 12/13 and other models.

We'll focus on the quality loss problem of messaging — many users don't know that WhatsApp and Telegram automatically compress images. We'll also look at how to get around the limitations of AirDrop (which doesn't work on Android) and why a standard USB connection might not work without additional settings. If you're looking for the fastest or most reliable method, at the end of the article there's a comparison table with all the pros and cons of each option.

1. Computer-assisted transfer (USB-cable: classical method

The most reliable way, regardless of Internet speed or wireless protocol compatibility, is to transfer a large amount of photos (e.g., an entire gallery in a few years), you will need a Windows or macOS computer, as well as original cables for both devices (or universal USB-C → Lightning).

On your iPhone, be sure to unlock the screen before connecting to your PC and confirm trust in that computer (a pop-up will appear when you first connect). On Xiaomi Redmi, activate File Transfer (MTP) mode in the notification curtain after you connect the cable. If this does not appear, check the developer settings: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times), then to Settings → Additional → For Developers and enable USB Debugging.

• 📁 For Windows: iPhone will appear as a device in a conductor (This computer) → Apple iPhone Photos are stored in the Internal Storage folder → DCIM. Copy them to your computer, then transfer them to a folder. DCIM Xiaomi.
• 🍎 For macOS: Use the Photos app to import your iPhone shots, then plug in Redmi and drag the files to the Pictures folder or DCIM.
• ⚡ Speed: Up to 40 MB/s (depending on version) USB-1000 photos in port format HEIC (3 MB each) are copied for ~10 minutes.

⚠️ Note: If Xiaomi Redmi is not defined by the computer as a drive, update the MediaTek drivers (for models on this chipset) or Qualcomm through the official Xiaomi website. Also check if Charging mode is activated instead of File Transfer.

Make sure there is enough space on your computer (photos are taken up) ~2-5 GB 1000 snapshot)

Use original cables (non-Chinese counterparts may not support data transfer)

Turn off iCloud Photos on your iPhone while copying (Settings → [Your name] → iCloud → Photos)

Check that Xiaomi has a mode enabled MTP (in the notification curtain when connected)-->

2 Wireless transmission over Wi-Fi: without cables and computer

If you don’t have a PC or cable, you can share photos directly between devices over a local network, and both smartphones must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or Xiaomi can give away an access point), which works on all Redmi models, but the speed depends on the Wi-Fi standard (on the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ with Wi-Fi 6, the transfer is faster than on the Redmi 10A with Wi-Fi 4).

The easiest way is to use the Send Anywhere app (available on the App Store and Google Play) and it generates 6-digit code or QR-The alternative is Feem or LocalSend (open source), all of which support the transfer of original files without compression, unlike instant messengers.

• 🔗 Send Anywhere: Select a photo on your iPhone → "Send" → "Generate code. On Xiaomi, type this code in the app.
• 📡 Feem: Create an in-app group on both devices, then drag and drop files into chat.
• 🛡️ LocalSend: Choose Xiaomi as the recipient on the local network, confirm the reception on the smartphone.

Cable via PC| Through the cloud (Google Drive, iCloud)| Over Wi-Fi (Send Anywhere, Feem)| Through instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)|In another way-->

3. Cloud services: Google Photos vs iCloud

Cloud storage is convenient for backing up and syncing photos between devices, but has limitations. For example, iCloud does not offer an official Android app, and Google Photos compresses images for free use (if you choose the quality “High”).

For iCloud, you will need a web version of iCloud.com on Xiaomi Redmi. Go through a browser (preferably Chrome or Mi Browser), select "Photos", mark the desired pictures and download them in ZIP format. Minus method - you can not choose the original quality (HEIC is converted to JPG), as well as a limit on download (maximum 1000 photos at a time).

Google Photos is more versatile: install the app on your iPhone, enable autoload (Settings → Backup and Sync), then log in to the same Xiaomi account. To avoid compression, select the option “Original Quality” (requires a space fee of over 15 GB). Alternatively, Yandex Drive or Mail.ru Cloud, which give 10–100 GB for free when registering.

⚠️ Attention: When loading HEIC-Photos from the iPhone are automatically converted to Google JPG, If you select "High" quality, use "Original Quality" or pre-convert files through the application to preserve the original format. HEIC to JPG iPhone.

4. Messengers: Telegram, WhatsApp and their limitations

The fastest, but most unreliable, way is to send photos via messenger, the main drawback is image compression. For example, WhatsApp reduces the resolution to 1600×1200 and the quality to 85%, and Telegram in normal chats limits files to 50 MB (in channels – 2 GB).

• 📎 Telegram (channel/saved messages): Send a photo as a file (hold your finger on the clip icon) → "File") to avoid compression.
• 💬 WhatsApp (small files only): Maximum 100 photos at a time, quality drops to 70-80%.
• 🌐 Viber: Supports sending original files, but limits the size of a single message to 200MB.

For mass transmission, it is better to create a secret chat in Telegram (between your accounts) and send photos in packs of 50-100 pieces. The speed depends on your Internet connection: Redmi with 5G support (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G) download will be faster than on models with 4G.

💡

If you want to transfer a photo from your iPhone to Xiaomi via Telegram without losing quality, use @SaveAsBot. Send it a photo as a file, then send the saved copy to your Redmi.

5. Direct transmission via Mi Mover (official decision from Xiaomi)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary app for migrating data from other devices, including iPhones, pre-installed on all Redmi smartphones (starting with the Redmi Note 5) and supports the transfer of photos, videos, contacts and even some applications, the main advantage of which is that you do not need a computer or the cloud.

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

1. On Xiaomi Redmi, go to Settings → Memory → Data Migration (Mi Mover).
2. Select I'm the sender → iPhone.
3. On your iPhone, scan it. QR-code that appears on the Redmi screen.
4. Select the category "Photos and videos" and confirm the transfer.

Transfer speed depends on the model: on the Redmi Note 13 Pro with Wi-Fi 6, the process is 2-3 times faster than on the Redmi 9A. Note that Mi Mover does not transfer photos in the original HEIC format - they are automatically converted to JPG. Also, the application can "hang" when transferring more than 5,000 files - in this case, break the gallery into parts.

💡

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s only official way to migrate data from the iPhone, but it doesn’t save albums and geolocation tags.

6. Use of adapters and memory cards

If you have a microSD card, you can use it as a middleman for photo transfer. This method is suitable for Xiaomi Redmi with support for memory expansion (for example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro has a microSD slot up to 1 TB). iPhone will need a Lightning → USB-C adapter and card reader (for example, SanDisk iXpand).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the card reader to the iPhone via the adapter.
2. In the Photos app, select pictures → Share → Save to your device (select a memory card).
3. Remove the card and paste it into Xiaomi Redmi.
4. Open the Files app, go to SD-map → DCIM Copy the photo into your internal memory.

Advantages of the method: no dependence on the Internet or PC, the original quality is preserved. + card reader ~1500–3000 ₽), a copy speed is limited by the memory card class (recommended) UHS-I U3 fast-transmit).

7. Alternative methods: AirDrop for Android and FTP-server

iPhone users are used to AirDrop, but Android doesn't have built-in support for this protocol.

• 🍎 AirDroid: Install on Xiaomi and connect to your iPhone via the web interface (web.airdroid.com). Allows you to download photos directly, but requires registration.
• 🌍 FTP-server on Xiaomi: Use the application FX File Explorer or Solid Explorer FTP-servers on Redmi, then connect to it from your iPhone via FileExplorer or Documents by Readdle.
• 🔄 Snapdrop: Snapdrop.net works like AirDrop through a browser. Open the site on both devices on the same Wi-Fi network and drag and drop files.

FTP-The method is suitable for advanced users: it allows you to transfer files without size restrictions, but requires configuration (enable). FTP-server in the application, enter IP-Snapdrop is easier, but speed depends on the stability of Wi-Fi (on Redmi with Wi-Fi 5 can "slow down" when transferring more than 1 GB of data).

Comparative table of all methods

FAQ: Frequent questions about transferring photos from iPhone to Xiaomi Redmi