How to transfer photos from Xiaomi to Xiaomi

Buying a new Xiaomi smartphone is always accompanied by a desire to start its full operation faster, but this process is often overshadowed by the need to transfer accumulated over the years files. Especially for the media library, which can take up tens of gigabytes of memory and contain thousands of images. Fortunately, the ecosystem of MIUI and HyperOS offers several effective tools to solve this problem without loss of quality.

In this article, we will discuss how to transfer photos from shaomi to shaomi using both built-in system functions and third-party cloud services. You will learn about the nuances of working with Mi Share, the features of synchronization through Google Photos and methods of direct connection of devices. The right way to choose will save time and avoid typical errors during data migration.

Use the Mi Share function for fast transfer

The fastest and most convenient way to transfer files between devices of the same brand is Mi Share technology.This feature is similar to Apple’s AirDrop, but adapted for the Android platform and the MIUI shell. It allows you to create a direct Wi-Fi connection between two smartphones, providing high data transfer speeds without using Internet traffic.

To get started, you need to make sure that both devices are enabled with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Unlike classic Bluetooth transmission, Mi Share uses a Wi-Fi radio module to send files, which allows you to achieve speeds of up to 20-30 MB / s and above, this is critical when working with large volumes of photos or high-resolution video.

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Make sure that the screens of both smartphones are unlocked while searching for the device, otherwise the receiver may not appear in the list of available gadgets.

The transfer process is as follows:

• 📱 Open the gallery on your old phone and select the photos or albums you want.
• 📡 Click the “Send” button and select the Mi Share icon in the menu that appears.
• 🔍 The system will start searching for available devices nearby; the new phone should have a file-accepting window open at this point.
• ✅ Accept the request for transmission on the target device and wait for the process to be completed.

It is important to note that Mi Share retains original image quality and metadata, such as shooting date and geolocation. However, when transferring very large numbers of files (more than 500 pieces at a time), the connection can become unstable, in such cases, it is recommended to break the total volume into smaller packets of 50-100 photos.

Migration of data through the Mi Mover app

If your goal is not just to flip a few photos, but to completely clone the contents of an old phone to a new one, the best solution is Mi Mover, a system application designed specifically for users to migrate in the Xiaomi ecosystem, and it can transfer not only media files, but also contacts, messages, system settings and installed applications.

You can run the program through the settings menu or by finding it in the application list, and when you first start it will ask you to specify which device is the sender and which is the receiver. QR-The user has only to select the category "Images" or "Gallery" in the data list for transfer.

The main advantages of using Mi Mover:

• 🔄 Ability to interrupt the process and resume it later without losing progress.
• 📂 Preserving the structure of folders and albums created by the user.
• ⚡ High stability of the connection even in the presence of many background processes.
• 🔒 Encryption of data transmitted during the migration session.

Consider that using this method, both phones can get noticeably hot, as the processors are in high load mode. It is recommended not to use the phones actively during the migration and keep them charged more than 50%. Once the operation is completed, all photos will be in the standard Gallery folder on the new device.

Synchronization through the cloud service Mi Cloud

Mi Account holders have access to Mi Cloud, which automatically syncs photos from a device, an ideal method for anyone who wants to back up and access their photos from any gadget, including computers and tablets.

The sync menu should activate the Gallery switch, and then all new images will automatically upload to the cloud with a Wi-Fi connection, and on the new phone, just log in to the same account, and photos will start appearing in the gallery as they are uploaded, and 5 GB of space is available to the user for free, which may not be enough for a full media library.

Table of comparison of data transmission methods:

If there's not enough space in the cloud, the system will offer to expand the plan, a paid service that allows you to store hundreds of gigabytes of data every month, and the advantage is that even if you lose or break your phone, your photos will remain safe on the company's servers.

Transferring through Google Photos and other clouds

The alternative to Xiaomi’s proprietary cloud is Google Photos, which is pre-installed on all certified Android smartphones. The way it works is the same: you upload images to Google servers, then download them to a new device or simply log in to it. The quality can be slightly compressed in the “Savings of space” mode, but for most users the difference is not noticeable.

To set up sync, open the Google Photos app, click on your profile avatar and select “Photo Shooting Settings.” Make sure that Autoupload is active. On your new phone, log in to the same Google account and your library will instantly appear in the app. To save the photo to the device memory, you will need to manually select the pictures and click “Save to the device.”

In addition to ecosystem solutions, you can use third-party cloud drives such as Yandex.Disk, Dropbox or OneDrive, which often offer automatic uploads of photos from certain folders, but free rates are usually limited in scope, and download speeds without a premium subscription can be artificially underestimated by the service developers.

Wired connection and work with PC

A classic method that is not lost on relevance, especially in the absence of stable Wi-Fi or the need to transfer terabytes of data. USB-Connect your old phone to your PC in File Transfer mode» (MTP) and copy the folder. DCIM/Camera computer-hard drive.

Then, plug in a new Xiaomi smartphone and move the saved files to the appropriate directory, which is good because it allows you to audit the archive: remove duplicates, sort photos by year, and compress old videos before recording to a new device, and it does not consume the battery of smartphones as intensively as wireless methods.

When using the cable, it is important to use original or certified wires. Cheap charging cables may not support data transfer mode, which will lead to a connection error. Also make sure that the necessary drivers are installed on the computer, although in modern versions of Windows 10/11 they are usually loaded automatically.

Solving and optimizing the gallery

After successfully transferring photos, users often find that the gallery has a long time updating thumbnails or not seeing some files. This is normal behavior of the system: the background takes time to index new media content.

If some photos are not displayed correctly or have broken thumbnails, you can try to clean the data of the Gallery app. This will not delete the pictures themselves, but will force the system to re-scan the memory and recreate the preview cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Applications → Gallery → Storage and select cleaning.

⚠️ Note: When transferring files through third-party file managers, make sure you copy not only image files but also hidden thumbnail system folders (if possible) to speed up the display of the album on the new device.

To optimize the performance of the new phone after the migration, it is recommended to check the settings of the photo saving format. In new Xiaomi models, the default format may be HEIF, which saves space, but is less compatible with older devices. If you plan to transfer photos to other gadgets often, it is better to switch to standard JPG in the camera settings.

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The most reliable way to migrate is Mi Mover, and for regular backups, Mi Cloud + Google Photos is the best.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)