How to Transfer All Data from Samsung to Xiaomi Without Loss: From Contacts to Apps

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just a brand change, but also a migration of decades of digital life: photos, correspondence, notes and even app customizations, which many users fear for fear of losing important data or spending hours manually restarting, but in practice, the transfer takes anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour if you know proven methods and avoid typical mistakes.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 working ways to transfer data, from official utilities like Samsung Smart Switch and Mi Mover to universal solutions like cloud services and direct cable, and focus on the hidden nuances of why some files don’t copy, how to circumvent MIUI limitations, and what to do if a Samsung phone doesn’t recognize Xiaomi when connecting, and you’ll find a comparison table of methods on speed, reliability, and supported data types.

Important: If you are moving from an older Samsung model (such as the Galaxy S7 or Note 8), note that some methods may not support older versions of Android, in which case we recommend combining methods – for example, transfer contacts through Google Account, and copy photos and videos to your computer.

1. Official method: Samsung Smart Switch + Mi Mover

The most reliable method is to use proprietary utilities from both brands: Samsung Smart Switch exports data to a universal format, and Mi Mover imports it to Xiaomi, which covers up to 90% of data types, including:

• 📞 Contacts (including groups and tags)
• 📷 Photos and videos (folder structure is maintained)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📅 Calendar and events
• 📝 Notes (only from the standard Samsung Notes app)
• 📱 Wi-Fi settings and wallpaper

⚠️ Attention: Apps and their data (e.g., save in games or chats in Telegram) cannot be migrated, this requires separate backups within each application, nor does Mi Mover support porting SMS from Samsung to Xiaomi (more on this in the cloud services section below).

Step-by-step:

1. On Samsung, install Samsung Smart Switch from Google Play.
2. Launch the application, select Send Data → Cable.
3. On Xiaomi, go to Settings → About Phone → Data Transfer (Mi Mover).
4. Connect your phones with a USB-C → USB-C cable (or use an adapter if the ports are different).
5. On Samsung, select data types for export, on Xiaomi, confirm acceptance.
6. Wait until it is completed (it can take up to 30 minutes with a large amount of data).

Charge of both phones > 50% | Cable supports data transfer (not only charging)| Xiaomi has enough free space | VPNs and firewalls are disabled

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🔹 Challenges and solutions:

• 🔌 Phones can't see each other? Try another cable or turn on Samsung's File Transfer Mode (MTP) in the settings USB.
• ⏳ The transfer is frozen? Don't turn off the cable! Wait 10 to 15 minutes -- sometimes it resumes.
• 🚫 Mi Mover doesn't start? Update Xiaomi's firmware to the latest version or use an alternative method (see section 3).

2. Direct transfer over OTG cable (without PC)

If proprietary utilities don’t work or you want to migrate only specific files (like vacation photos), you can use an OTG cable and standard Android tools. This method is universal and works even on older Samsung models (like the Galaxy J5 2016).

What you need:

• 🔌 Cable USB OTG (with a connector for your Xiaomi)
• 📱 Adapter USB-C → MicroUSB (if Samsung has an old port)
• 🔋 Charge of both phones > 30%

Instructions:

1. Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via OTG-cable.
2. On Xiaomi, select File Transfer (USB) in the notification panel.
3. Open Explorer on Xiaomi – in the USB- section, the device will appear Samsung memory.
4. Copy the folders you want (DCIM for photos, Download for downloads, etc.) into internal memory or to a Xiaomi memory card.

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If Xiaomi doesn’t see Samsung through OTG, try connecting the phone to your computer and select PTP mode – sometimes this works.

⚠️ Attention: This method does not tolerate:

• 📞 Contacts and SMS (should be exported separately through Settings → Contact Management → Export).
• 🔑 Wi-Fi passwords (they will have to be entered manually).
• 🎮 Application data (e.g., game progress).

🔹 Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Speed: Copying 10GB takes ~10-15 minutes.
• 🛠️ There is no firmware or model dependency.
• 📂 Only the necessary files can be selectively transferred.

3. Cloud services: Google Drive, Mi Cloud and Samsung Cloud

Cloud porting is convenient if you have a slow cable or want to keep a backup, but there are limitations to every service:

How to transfer data via Google Drive:

1. On Samsung, open Google Drive, click ➕ → Download and select files.
2. After downloading, log in to the same account on Xiaomi.
3. In Google Drive on Xiaomi, click on the file → Download.

🔹 Lifehack for SMS: To move messages, use the SMS Backup & Restore app, which backs up Google Drive, which can then be restored to Xiaomi.

4. Transfer over computer (Windows/Mac)

If you have more than 20GB of data or want to make a full backup before selling Samsung, the best option is to use a computer, which guarantees 100% control over the process and allows you to:

• 🔍 View files before copying.
• 🗃️ Archive data in ZIP to save space.
• 🔄 Transfer files between different file systems (FAT32, exFAT, NTFS).

Step-by-step instructions for Windows:

1. Connect Samsung to your PC via USB, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Open this computer, the phone will appear as a removable disk.
3. Copy the DCIM (photo/video), Download (download), Pictures folders to your PC hard drive.
4. Disable Samsung, connect Xiaomi and transfer files back.

🔹 For Mac: Install Android File Transfer as macOS does not support MTP by default.

OTG | Cloud services | Through computer | Smart Switch, Mi Mover | Another way

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⚠️ Warning: If Xiaomi is running out of space, before copying:

• 🗑️ Clear the cache in Settings → Warehouse → Clear the cache.
• 📁 Move files to the memory card (if there is a slot).
• 🔍 Check the MIUI → Camera folder, and there may be duplicates of the photos.

5. Transfer of applications and their data

The hardest part of migration is to save data inside apps, and unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are workarounds for popular services:

🔹 For games and rare applications: Use Titanium Backup (requires root) or RAR to archive the /data/data folder (power users only!).

Critical information: When you migrate WhatsApp from Samsung to Xiaomi, the backup from Google Drive may not recover if Xiaomi has custom firmware or no Google services. In this case, use the local backup via Settings → Chat → Backup and transfer the msgstore.db.crypt14 file manually.

6. Transfer system settings and accounts

To avoid setting up Xiaomi from scratch, transfer the key parameters:

• 🔑 Accounts Google/Mi: Enter the same data to synchronize contacts, mail and calendar.
• 🌐 Wi-Fi settings: Take a picture of QR- network codes on Samsung (in Wi-Fi Settings → Share) and scan them on Xiaomi.
• 🔔 Notifications: In Settings → Applications → Notification management, enable options for important applications.
• 🎨 Themes and Wallpaper: In the Mi Theme Store, download similar themes or transfer wallpapers to OTG.

⚠️ Warning: Xiaomi defaults to MIUI “optimizations” that can:

• 🚫 Block the background of applications (disable Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization).
• 📴 Limit notifications (check Settings → Notifications).
• 🔄 Automatically close applications (in Settings → Applications → Autorun).

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After transferring the data, be sure to check the Settings → Google → Backup on Xiaomi and enable automatic synchronization to avoid future losses.

7. Post-transfer problems and their solutions

Even after a successful transfer, problems can occur, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

🔹 If missing SMS:

1. Check if sync is enabled in Google Messages (Settings → Backup).
2. Use SMS Backup & Restore to recover from the backup.
3. If SMS is critical, contact the salon – some operators store a message history for up to 30 days.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions