How to transfer photos to your new Xiaomi phone

Buying a new smartphone is always accompanied by a pleasant excitement and desire to start using the device faster, but often this process overshadows the need to transfer personal data. Especially acute is the issue with the media library, because many users accumulate thousands of images that are pathetic to lose or that are inconvenient to throw manually. Owners of the Xiaomi ecosystem are in a winning position, as the manufacturer has provided several effective tools for data migration.

In this article, we will take a look at all the current ways to transfer images, from built-in utilities to cloud services, how to maintain the original quality of files, avoid duplicates and complete the process as quickly as possible, and the right preparation before starting the procedure will save you hours of time and nerves.

Whether you are switching from another Android smartphone or from an iPhone, there are proven algorithms for action. We will look at the technical details of working with the MIUI and HyperOS file system so that you can choose the best option for your situation.

Preparing devices for data migration

Before you run any port tool, you need to make sure that both devices are ready for active operation for a long time. battery charge is critical, as the process of transferring large amounts of data, especially over Wi-Fi Direct, can significantly consume energy. It is recommended to connect both smartphones to the power source or make sure that the charge level is at least 60-70%.

It’s also worth freeing up space on a new device if it’s already been tweaked or has heavy applications installed. While modern systems can manage memory dynamically, having free space ensures that the process doesn’t stop because of a lack of megabytes in the system partition.

⚠️ Warning: Before starting mass copying, be sure to check your power saving settings. On new Xiaomi phones, aggressive saving modes can be active by default, which can break the connection when the screen is quenched.

Make sure both devices have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.Even if the data is going over a direct channel, Bluetooth is often used to first shake hands and authorize devices with each other. VPN-services if they are active, as they can redirect traffic and interfere with local file transfers.

Using the Mi Mover app to transition to Android

The most effective and native way for owners of Xiaomi equipment is to use the pre-installed application Mi Mover (or "Mi Mover" in Russian localization), this tool is designed specifically for work in the MIUI and HyperOS environment, which ensures maximum speed and compatibility of file formats.

To get started, open the app on both devices. On the new phone, select Receiving Device and on the old phone, Sending Device. The system automatically creates the Wi-Fi hotspot to connect to, and when paired, you'll see the data selection interface.

• 📸 Click on the Images or Photos icon to select only the Media Library, or select All Data for full cloning.
• ⚙️ In advanced settings, you can filter files by creation date or size so as not to carry random debris.
• 🚀 Start the process and wait until it is completed without turning off the screens of smartphones.

The main advantage of this method is that Mi Mover stores folder structure and file metadata, and the shooting dates, geolocation, and even the data about which application the image was taken, will be completely stored, transfer speeds can reach 20-40 MB / s depending on the version of the Wi-Fi modules.

If there is an error in the process, try restarting both devices and repeating the procedure. Sometimes it helps to delete the cache of the Mi Mover application through the application settings. In rare cases, antivirus software on the old device can block the creation of a local tunnel.

Porting photos from iPhone to Xiaomi via Mi Mover

iOS owners also need not despair, as Xiaomi has provided the possibility of migrating from iPhones. This will require you to download the Mi Mover app from the Apple App Store on the iPhone. The interface of the program on iOS is slightly different, but the logic of the work remains the same.

It is important to understand the technical limitations of the iOS operating system. Apple strictly controls access to the file system, so the process can be slower, and access to some system albums may be limited. HEIC, The default on new iPhones may require conversion.

When connecting your iPhone to Xiaomi, follow the on-screen instructions. You will need to allow access to the photo gallery and possibly confirm trust in your computer (in this case, a Xiaomi phone) through the code on the screen. The transfer process is over Wi-Fi, so make sure that the iPhone does not go into sleep mode with the Wi-Fi turned off.

⚠️ Note: When you migrate from iOS, live photos can be saved as static images or video files separately.

Once the process is complete, it is recommended to check the integrity of the albums, and sometimes the albums created by the user on the iPhone may not be transferred as separate folders, and all the photos will be in a common pile of "All photos", in which case you will have to manually sort them on the new device.

Sync through Google Photos and Cloud Services

An alternative and very reliable method is to use cloud storage. Google Photos service is installed by default on all Xiaomi certified smartphones and offers unlimited (compression) or paid storage of originals.

The idea is simple: on an old phone, you turn on sync in the Google Photos app and wait for all the images to be uploaded to the cloud. On the new Xiaomi, just log in to the same Google account, and all the photos will appear in the gallery. This takes time, depending on the speed of your Internet.

• ☁️ The advantage of the method is that it is possible to transfer data even if the old phone has already been sold or broken.
• 🔒 Data is stored securely in the cloud, which serves as an additional copy in case of loss of the device.
• 📉 When using the “Save space” mode, the quality of the photo can be slightly reduced by Google compression algorithms.

Beyond Google, Xiaomi’s ecosystem users can tap into Xiaomi Cloud, a service that is deeply integrated into the system that allows you to synchronize not only photos, but also contacts, notes and desktop settings. However, the amount of free storage is limited, so large archives will require a subscription.

For users who value privacy, there are alternatives like Synology Photos or Nextcloud if you have your own server, and setting up these clients on Xiaomi takes a little longer, but gives you complete control over the data without sharing it with third parties.

Transfer via computer and USB-cable

A classic method that is not lost on relevance, especially when working with huge amounts of data (hundreds of gigabytes). USB-cable, preferably original, supporting high data rates.

Connect your old phone to your PC, select the USB File Transfer (MTP) mode. Copy the DCIM folder and other image directories to your computer's hard drive. Then plug in a new Xiaomi and copy the data to similar folders.

When using a computer, it is important to follow the file structure of Android. Photos are best placed in the /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera folder. If you just throw files into the root or random folder, the Xiaomi gallery may not recognize them as images or show a preview.

💡

Using a PC is only justified when transferring terabytes of data or if wireless methods are unstable due to interference.

MacOS users should remember that to work with Android files, they will need to download and install the Android File Transfer or OpenMTP utility, since the Mac does not see the Android file system in MTP mode.

Problem Solving and Data Recovery

There may be technical glitches during the transfer process, such as new Xiaomi phones running Android 12/13/14 and higher, where file system access rules are tightened. If Mi Mover can't see files, check the permissions in the privacy settings.

A common problem is broken files or photos that are displayed in a black screen, which may indicate damage to the memory sector on the old device or an error in writing, in which case try to transfer the problematic photos in small groups.

• 🔍 If the photos are not displayed in the gallery, but take up space, try clearing the cache of the Gallery app through Settings. → Annexes → All applications → gallery → Clean up.
• 📂 Check for a.nomedia file in your image folder – its presence hides the contents from the gallery.
• 🔄 When the process is suspended 99% Often the system completes the background indexing of files, which can take up to 10-15 minute.

It is also important to consider the difference in screen aspect ratio and resolution. Photos taken on a large-format flagship on a new device may crop when viewed in preview, although the original is saved in full.

⚠️ Warning: If you find that the dates in the photo are lost after transfer (for example, all became the current year), this is solved by re-indexing the media scanner, rebooting the phone or the Update Media Library app will help».

Cleaning the old device after transfer

After successfully migrating and thoroughly checking the new smartphone for all the important images, the question arises about disposing of the old device.

For complete security of personal data, you need to perform a full reset to factory settings (Factory Reset). Before you do this, make sure that you are logged out of all Google and Mi Account accounts so that you do not activate the activation lock on the new owner.

💡

Before selling an old phone, download its memory with useless files (like shooting a long video in 4K) and then delete them again.

The reset process is in the Settings menu → About Phone → Settings reset → Erase all data. The system will alert you to the irreversibility of action. Once rebooted, the device will be clean, as if from the store, ready for a new owner or storage as a backup.