How to transfer photos from iPhone to Xiaomi: a complete guide to comparing all methods

Sharing photos between smartphones in different ecosystems — Apple and Xiaomi — is often a headache for users. While both manufacturers emphasize convenience, their closed systems are not always friendly. If you recently switched from your iPhone to a Redmi Note 12 or POCO X6 Pro, the question of how to transfer photos from your iPhone to xiomy becomes relevant from the first minutes of using a new device.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods of transmission, from classical (via computer or cloud) to modern (direct transmission over Wi-Fi), you will learn which method is the fastest, which retains the original quality of images, and which is suitable if you do not have access to a PC.

Important: instructions are current for iOS 15/16/17 and MIUI 13/14 (including HyperOS shells on new Xiaomi models).If you have an older version of the software, some features may work differently, check the settings in advance.

1. Transmission via computer (the most reliable way)

Using a PC or laptop remains the most versatile method, as it does not depend on Internet speed or wireless protocol compatibility, it is suitable for transferring large volumes (thousands of photos) without loss of quality.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows or macOS
• 🔌 Cables. Lightning/USB-C (for iPhones and USB-C/USB-A (Xiaomi)
• 📁 Enough free space on the hard disk (photos from the iPhone 14 Pro in ProRAW format can weigh 25-50 MB each!)

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and unlock it. In the window on your phone that appears, select Allow Photos.
2. On Windows: Open This Computer → Find Apple iPhone → Go to Internal Storage → DCIM. On macOS: Launch Photos app, your iPhone will appear in the side menu.
3. Copy the desired folders from the photo to the computer (it is better to create a separate directory, for example, iPhone_Photos_Backup).
4. Disable your iPhone, connect Xiaomi, and drag files to the DCIM or Pictures folder on your smartphone.

Free space on PC (photos take up more than it seems)| File format (HEIC may not open on Windows without codecs)| Battery charge on both smartphones (at least 30%)| USB settings on Xiaomi (file transfer mode)

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Advantages of the method: the original resolution is preserved, there are no limits on volume, works even without the Internet. Disadvantages: requires a computer and time to copy (with 10,000 photos, the process can take 1-2 hours).

⚠️ Note: If the folder is not displayed on Xiaomi DCIM After connecting, check the settings. USB. Go to Settings. → Connection and sharing → Regime. USB and select File Transfer (MTP).

2. Use of cloud services (Google Photos, iCloud, Mi Cloud)

Cloud storage is convenient because it requires no wires and allows you to access photos from any device, but each service has nuances, from volume restrictions to image compression.

Let’s compare three popular options:

Instructions for Google Photos (recommended option):

1. On your iPhone, install the Google Photos app from the App Store.
2. Sign in under your Google account and enable Backup and Sync in the app settings.
3. Wait until the download is complete (you can speed up the process by connecting to Wi-Fi).
4. On Xiaomi, install Google Photos from Play Market, log in under the same account and download the photo to the gallery.

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If you only need to transfer selected photos, create a separate album on your iPhone in Google Photos, and download only it on Xiaomi. This will save time and traffic.

Important: When you upload photos to Google High Quality, photos are compressed to 16 MP resolution (even if the original is 48 MP). To avoid loss of quality, choose the "Original Quality" option, but note that it takes up space in your cloud storage.

Direct Wi-Fi transmission (without computer)

If you don't have a PC on hand, and the clouds seem inconvenient, you can use specialized wireless applications that create a local network between devices and copy files directly.

The best applications for this task:

• 📲 Send Anywhere – supports transmission without size restrictions, generates 6-digit code for connection.
• 📲 Xender is popular in Asia, but can run ads. Transfer speeds up to 40 MB/s.
• 📲 LocalSend – open source, non-advertising, works over Wi-Fi or mobile network.

Example of transfer via Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both smartphones from the App Store and Play Market.
2. On your iPhone, select a photo, click Send and generate a code or QR.
3. On Xiaomi, enter this code in the Get field.
4. Confirm the transfer – the photos are saved to the folder Downloads or Pictures.

Through the computer|Bluetooth.|Through the Cloud (Google Photos, iCloud)|Special Applications (Send Anywhere)|In other ways.

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Pros: no wires or internet, high speed (up to 10–50 MB/s depending on the router) Cons: applications can collect data about your files, and with a weak signal Wi-Fi transmission will be interrupted.

⚠️ Note: When transmitting via Xender or similar applications, disable mobile data on both devices. Otherwise, traffic will be spent on downloading ads, not transferring files.

4. Transfer via instant messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)

If you need to transfer a small number of photos (up to 50-100 pieces), you can use messengers, which is suitable for urgent transmission, but has serious limitations.

Comparison of messengers for the transfer of photos:

• 📱 Telegram: maximum file size is 2 GB, retains original quality, there is cloud storage.
• 📱 WhatsApp: compresses photos up to 16 MP, limit - 100 MB per file.
• 📱 WeChat: popular in China but compresses images.

How to transfer via Telegram:

1. Create a personal chat (Saved Messages) or a dialogue with yourself.
2. On the iPhone, send the necessary photos to this chat (you can in packs of 10 pieces).
3. On Xiaomi, open the same Telegram account, find the files you sent and save them to the gallery.

Limitations:

• 🚫 Metadata (date, geotags) is lost.
• 🚫 WhatsApp photos are compressed to 2-3 MB, which worsens the quality.
• 🚫 When transferring a large number of files, chat can be.

5. Memory card usage (for Xiaomi models with microSD slot)

If your Xiaomi supports memory cards (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ or POCO M5), you can use microSD as an intermediate storage method.

What you need:

• 📷 MicroSD Memory Card (Recommended Class — UHS-I U3 speed).
• 🔌 Lightning adapter → USB-A (for iPhone and card reader.
• 📱 Xiaomi should have Settings option enabled → Warehouse → Map. SD → Format as internal memory (if you want to save the photo directly to the card).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the card reader with a microSD to the iPhone via the adapter.
2. In the Files app on iPhone, find the photo folder (DCIM) and copy them to the map.
3. Remove the card, paste it into Xiaomi and move the photo to internal memory or leave it on SD.

Advantages: no internet, card can be used to store backups. disadvantages: not all Xiaomi models support microSD (for example, Xiaomi 13T Pro – no slot), and adapters for iPhone are often lost.

6. Transmission via AirDrop and Mi Drop (with restrictions)

Apple’s AirDrop and Xiaomi’s Mi Drop (formerly Xiaomi Share) are designed to quickly transfer files between devices in their ecosystem. Unfortunately, they’re not compatible with each other, but there are workarounds.

Options for a solution:

• 🖥️ Use Mac as an intermediary: take photos via AirDrop to your computer, and then send them to Xiaomi via email or Mi Drop (if you have Xiaomi software installed on the Mac). PC Suite).
• 📱 Install the LocalSend or Snapdrop app on the iPhone – they emulate the work of AirDrop, but cross-platform.

Important: Mi Drop only works between Xiaomi devices (or smartphones on MIUI). Trying to send a file from an iPhone through this application will lead to an error The device is not supported.

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If you often have to transfer files between iOS and Android, install one of the cross-platform applications (Send Anywhere, LocalSend) on both smartphones, which will eliminate the need to use a computer or cloud.

7. Transfer via email or file hosting

This method is suitable for transferring a small number of photos (up to 20-30 pieces) and only as a temporary solution, for example, if you need to send several pictures urgently, and there is nothing at hand but the Internet.

How it works:

1. On iPhone, select a photo in the Photos app, click Share → Mail.
2. Enter your email in the Who field and send the letter.
3. On Xiaomi, open this email via your browser or Gmail/MI Mail app and download the attachments.

Alternative services for downloading files:

• 🌐 WeTransfer allows you to send up to 2 GB for free without registration.
• 🌐 Cloud – gives 8 GB for free, but compresses the photo during preview.
• 🌐 Dropmefiles is a Russian service with no size restrictions (but files are only stored for 14 days).

Limitations:

• 🚫 Almost all services compress photos when downloading.
• 🚫 Risk of data leakage (especially on lesser-known hosting sites).
• 🚫 Low speed with a large number of files.

Comparison of all methods: which one to choose?

To determine the best method, evaluate your priorities:

Recommendations:

• 📷 For archival transfer (thousands of photos) – use a computer or memory card.
• ☁️ For regular sync, set up Google Photos or iCloud (if you’re willing to pay for space).
• 📶 For fast wireless transmission, Send Anywhere or LocalSend.
• 💬 For several photos – Telegram or email.

FAQ: Frequent Questions and Problems