Shifting from Xiaomi to Samsung is always exciting, but moving contacts can be a real headache if you don’t know the proven ways. Many users lose precious hours trying to manually rewrite hundreds of numbers or deal with incomprehensible synchronization settings.
In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods of transferring contacts - from classical export through SIM-Map to modern cloud solutions with Google Account and Samsung Smart Switch. each method tested on Redmi Note models 12, POCO X5, Galaxy S23 Galaxy A54 (2023-2026 The instructions are universal for all smartphone brands, and choose the best option depending on your technical skills and available tools.
1. Transfer contacts through Google Account (the most reliable way)
Google sync is the only method that ensures that your contacts are safe even if you lose your phone, and if you've already used Google services on Xiaomi, your contacts are probably already in the cloud, and you can check this in 30 seconds.
How to move:
- 📱 Open the Contacts app on Xiaomi and tap on three dots (menu) → Contact management → Imports/Exports.
- ☁️ Select Export to Google (if contacts are not synced) or check sync status in Settings → Accounts. → Google → Synchronization of contacts.
- 🔄 On the new Samsung, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts and Archiving and Enable Contact Synchronization.
- ✅ Through 1-2 All numbers will appear in the Samsung Contacts app.
⚠️ Note: If the Xiaomi contacts are saved only on the SIM-In the map or in the local memory, you first need to transfer them to Google Account (SIM Device and purpose: Google.
Check Wi-Fi connection | Battery charge >30%| Update Contacts | Make sure there's enough space on Google (1 contact ≈ 3 KB)
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2.Using Samsung Smart Switch (official decision from Samsung)
Samsung Smart Switch is a proprietary data migration tool that supports not only the transfer of contacts, but also messages, photos, applications. The program works both over cable and wireless network, the main advantage is that the structure of contact groups and attached photo profiles is preserved.
Step-by-step:
- Download Smart Switch on both phones: 🤖 For Xiaomi: Google Play 🍎 For Samsung: preinstalled or downloaded in the Galaxy Store
Samsung
Get data → Wireless transfer
Xiaomi
Smart Switch
Send data → Contacts
Confirm the transfer on both devices and wait until the end (usually 2-5 minutes).
| Connection method | Speed. | Required. | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi Direct | ~50 Mb/s | Both phones on the same network | It can be interrupted by a weak signal. |
| USB-cable (OTG) | ~100 Mb/s | USB-C adapter → USB-C | You need to confirm access to Xiaomi |
| QR-code | ~30 Mb/s | Camera and Internet | Only for Android 10+ |
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If Smart Switch doesn’t see Xiaomi, check if the developer mode and USB debugging are enabled (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 times) → Additional → For Developers → USB debugging).
3. Export of contacts through SIM-map (for older models)
This method is suitable if you have Xiaomi older than 2018 or Samsung with limited memory. SIM-The card can store up to 250 contacts (depending on the operator), but does not save photos, email and additional fields.
How to move:
- 📲 On Xiaomi, open contacts → Menus. → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Exports to SIM.
- 🔢 Select contacts (or click Allow) and confirm export.
- 🔄 Replace it. SIM-map.
- 📱 On Samsung, go to Contacts → Menus. → Settings → Imports/Exports → Import with SIM.
⚠️ Attention: SIM-Nano-SIM and eSIM cards do not support the storage of contacts. SIM too small, use a micro-SIM adapter or choose another transfer method.
What if your contacts are not imported with SIM?
4. Bluetooth Transfer (without internet)
Bluetooth is a universal protocol that works even without a network connection, and the downside is that contacts are transmitted in one or a small bundle (depending on the model), and the process can take up to 30 minutes for 500+ numbers, but you don't need to download or register anything.
Instructions:
- Turn on Bluetooth on both phones and pair them (on Samsung, you may need to confirm the code).
- On Xiaomi, open Contacts, select the numbers you need (or click Allow).
- Slip on Share (arrow icon) and select Bluetooth.
- Select Samsung from the list of devices and confirm acceptance on it.
- Repeat steps 2-4 until all contacts are moved.
Through Google Account|SIM-map|Bluetooth|Smart Switch|Another way.|Never put up with it.
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To speed up the process, you can use third-party applications like SuperBeam or Send Anywhere, which send contacts in packets over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, and create a temporary local area network between phones, which is 5-10 times faster than standard exchange.
5. Transfer via VCF file (universal format)
The.vcf (vCard) file is the standard contact storage format that all modern smartphones support, and its advantage is that you can edit contacts on your computer before transferring them, or save a backup to the cloud, which is ideal if you want to filter numbers before migrating.
How to Create and Transfer VCF-file:
- 📄 On Xiaomi, export contacts to file: Contacts → Menus. → Contact management → Imports/Exports → Export to file. Select the.vcf format and save the file to Downloads or to SD-map.
- 📤 Transfer the file to Samsung in any convenient way: 📧 By email (Gmail, Mail.ru) ☁️ Google Drive (Yandex.Disk) 🔌 By cable (in file transfer mode)
- 📥 On Samsung, open the.vcf file – the system will automatically prompt you to import contacts into your phone memory or Google Account.
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A VCF file can be opened on a computer in Excel or Notepad++ for mass editing (e.g., delete duplicates or add prefixes).
6. Alternative methods: third-party applications and services
If standard methods don’t work (for example, because of a damaged system on Xiaomi), you can use third-party tools. We tested 3 reliable solutions that do not require root rights and run on Android 8.0+.
| Annex | Speed. | Features | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Contacts Backup | ⚡ Instantly. | Creates a backup copy in the form of VCF or XML, sends to email | Google Play |
| Copy My Data | ~10 Mb/s | Transfer contacts, calendars and photos over Wi-Fi | Google Play |
| CLONEit | ~50 Mb/s | Cloning all data (including SMS and apps) without rooting | Google Play |
Warning: Avoid applications with suspicious permissions (such as SMS or geolocation access for no reason) and check reviews and ratings before installing them, as reliable programs have a rating of 4.5 stars at 100K+ installations.
Frequent mistakes and how to fix them
Even with the detailed instructions, users have trouble moving contacts. TOP-5 mistakes and their solutions:
- Contacts are duplicated on Samsung Reason: sync with multiple accounts (Google + Samsung). Solution: go to Contacts → Menu → Settings → Accounts and disable unnecessary sources.
- Not all contacts are transferred Reason: limit on the number of contacts in the SIM Or export failure. Solution: use VCF-file.
- Names are displayed in hieroglyphics Reason: wrong encoding when exported. Solution: open up VCF-notepad++ and save it in code. UTF-8.
- Smart Switch does not see Xiaomi The reason: an outdated version of the application or Bluetooth/Wi-Fi disabled. Solution: Update Smart Switch and restart both phones.
- Contacts are not synced with Google Reason: no internet or not enough space in your account Solution: check your network connection and clear Google Contacts of old records.
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If your contacts disappear after the transfer, check your sync settings in Google Photos, which are sometimes linked to your account rather than the contact itself.