How to transfer all data from Samsung to Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S: 5 proven ways

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is not only a brand change, but also a migration of all digital life: photos, correspondence, passwords and even familiar screen settings. Many users fear this process, fearing losing important data or spending hours manually restarting each file. In practice, the transfer takes from 15 minutes to an hour — if you know the key nuances of the Redmi Note 10S and use the right tools.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working migration methods, from the official Mi Mover app to little-known life hacks with ADB and LAN, and pay special attention to the typical errors that cause data to disappear when transferring (spoiler: not always the user is to blame, but often the firmware of MIUI), and learn how to save the settings of applications that are not usually portable in standard ways, such as game progress or browser history.

Important: The Redmi Note 10S (rosesmary) has a MIUI version restriction when using the Mi Mover. If your Samsung runs Android 12+ and Xiaomi’s firmware is older than 2022, you’ll have to upgrade before the perenosom or choose alternative methods.

1. Preparation of telephones before data transfer

The first rule of successful migration is to synchronize the states of both devices, so Samsung must disable all locks that might interfere with reading files, and Redmi Note 10S must free up enough space to receive data.

Delete unnecessary files from Xiaomi (minimum 5 GB of free space)

Disable screen lock (PIN/pattern lock) on Samsung

Enable developer mode on Xiaomi (7 taps by build number)

Charge both phones to a minimum of 50% (transfer drains the battery)

Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network (for wireless methods)-->

The Redmi Note 10S has a hidden setting that speeds up the transfer over Mi Mover. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap it 10 times until the notification “You’re a super user!” appears. Then go back to the basic settings, open Additional → Special Features → Accelerated Data Transfer and activate the switch. This will reduce the migration time by 30-40%.

⚠️ Warning: If your Samsung has enabled data encryption (usually activated when you set a password), some files may not be transferred through Mi Mover. In this case, use the method with Google Account or cable OTG, which bypass encryption restrictions.

2. Method 1: Official Mi Mover app (fastest way)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary migration tool, which is installed by default on all the brand’s phones, and supports the portability of contacts, messages, photos, videos, audio, documents and even some system settings.

• 📱 Only works when you first turn on the Redmi Note 10S (you will have to reset your phone after setting up)
• 🔌 Requires a USB-C → USB-C cable (or an adapter for Samsung with Micro-USB)
• ⚡ Maximum transfer speed up to 10 MB/s (depending on firmware)
• ❌ Does not transfer: apps (only their data), Samsung notes, lock screen settings

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on the new Redmi Note 10S and select the language. In the Data Transfer phase, tap "Move from Android."
2. On Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play (if not installed).
3. Connect your phones with a cable. On Samsung, select "I'm the sender," on Xiaomi, select "I'm the recipient."
4. On Samsung, allow access to files and confirm the transfer. Wait until it's finished (may take up to 30 minutes).

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If the Mi Mover is 99 percent frozen, don't turn off the cable! Wait 10 minutes, then on Samsung, click Cancel and restart the process. Usually, the second time, the data is transferred completely.

Mi Mover critical error on Redmi Note 10S: if Samsung has One UI 4.0+ (Android 12) firmware installed, the application may not see photos in the DCIM folder. The solution is to manually copy the folder to your computer and upload it to Xiaomi via cable.

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (Reliable, but not all)

Syncing with a Google Account is a universal way that works on any Android device.

• 📇 Contacts (including groups and tags)
• 📅 Calendars and events
• 📝 Notes (if you use Google Keep)
• 🎵 Music and books (if downloaded to Google Play)
• 📎 Some system settings (Wi-Fi passwords, wallpaper)

However, there are serious limitations:

⚠️ Warning: Google does not sync SMS, call history, application files (e.g., game saves) and manufacturer settings (e.g., Samsung's Always On Display mode).

Instructions for transfer:

1. On Samsung, open Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Archiving and Recovery → Data Archiving.
2. Select Archive Now and wait until it is completed (may take up to an hour with a large amount of data).
3. On Redmi Note 10S, when you first turn on, log in to the same Google Account and select Restore.
4. Confirm the recovery of data from the last archival copy.

To transfer photos and videos, use Google Photos separately:

• On Samsung, open the app, tap on the avatar → Photo archive → Backup.
• Select “High Quality” (unlimited space) or “Original Quality” (from Google Drive quota).
• On Xiaomi, photos will be automatically uploaded after logging into your account.

Mi Mover (cable)

Google Account (Cloud)

Local area network (Wi-Fi Direct)

OTG cable + flash drive

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4. Method 3: Local Wi-Fi Direct network (without cables and clouds)

If you don’t have a USB-C → USB-C cable or don’t want to upload data to the cloud, you can use direct Wi-Fi. This method works through apps like Send Anywhere or Xender, but we recommend the built-in MIUI feature – it’s more stable and doesn’t require third-party software installation.

Advantages of the method:

• 🚀 Up to 20MB/s (faster than Mi Mover)
• 🔒 There are no restrictions on file types (even APK applications are portable)
• 📶 Does not require Internet (opts via a local area network)

Instructions:

1. On Redmi Note 10S, open Tools → File Transfer → Send.
2. On Samsung, download Mi File Manager from Google Play and select Get.
3. Scan the QR- code from the Xiaomi screen or connect manually via Wi-Fi Direct.
4. Select files on Samsung and confirm the transfer.

To speed up the process, you can archive folders before sending:

• 📁 Open My files on Samsung, select a folder (e.g. DCIM or Downloads).
• 🔙 Tap "More" → "Squeeze" → select the.zip format.
• 📤 Send the archive via Wi-Fi Direct (less time than piece-by-piece transmission).

5. Method 4: OTG + USB drive cable (for large data volumes)

If you need to move tens of gigabytes (for example, a movie collection or RAW-photo), the most reliable way is to use the USB- drive and adapter OTG. This method does not depend on Internet speed or firmware, but requires additional accessories:

• 🔌 Adapter USB-C OTG (for Redmi Note 10S)
• 💾 A 32 GB flash drive (formatted in exFAT or NTFS)
• ⚡ Charger (copying discharges battery)

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the USB drive to Samsung via the OTG- adapter (if your Micro-USB model has one, use an adapter).
2. In My files, select the folders for transfer (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures, etc.) and copy them to the flash drive.
3. ⚠️ Warning: Don’t copy the entire Android folder, it contains an app cache that isn’t needed on the new phone and will take up extra space.
4. Disable the USB drive from Samsung, connect to the Redmi Note 10S and copy the files to internal memory.

To transfer applications (APK- files) use APK Extractor:

• 📱 Install the app on Samsung from Google Play.
• 📦 Select the programs you want, export them to the flash drive.
• 🔄 On Xiaomi, install APK through any file manager (allow installation from unknown sources in Settings → Applications → Special Access).

Important: Not all apps will work after manual installation. For example, Samsung Health or Bixby require Samsung-branded services that are not on MIUI. In such cases, look for analogues in the Mi App Store.

6. Method 5: ADB Pull (for power users)

If standard methods fail (for example, because of corrupted files or outdated firmware), you can use ADB commands to directly copy data from Samsung to a computer and then to Xiaomi, which requires a PC with drivers installed and basic command line knowledge.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔧 Works even on locked or damaged phones
• 📂 Transfers hidden files and system settings
• ⚡ Speed limited to USB- port only (up to 40MB/s)

Instructions:

1. Download Platform Tools from the official Android website and unpack the archive.
2. On Samsung, enable USB Debugging (Settings → Phone → Software Information → Assembly Number → 7 taps → Go back to Settings → System → Developers).
3. Connect Samsung to your PC and type in the command line: adb devices (should appear serial number of the device).
4. Copy the data you want (example for the folder DCIM): adb pull /sdcard/DCIM C:\Samsung_Backup\DCIM
5. Disable Samsung, connect Redmi Note 10S and transfer files back: adb push C:\Samsung_Backup\DCIM /sdcard/DCIM

⚠️ Warning: Do not copy system folders (/data, /system—this may cause MIUI to crash. Also avoid transferring files with the.db or.xml extension from the Android folder—they may contain incompatible settings.

Comparison of data transfer methods

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For most users, the best choice is Mi Mover (for basic data) + Google Photos (for media files). If you need to transfer more than 100 GB or have firmware problems, use the OTG- flash drive or ADB.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when following the instructions, users face typical problems: Here are the top -5 errors and how to fix them:

• 🚫 Mi Mover doesn't see Samsung: Check that Samsung has File Transfer (not Charging) on when you connect the cable. Also update the Mi Mover to the latest version.
• 🔄 Data moved but not displayed: On Redmi Note 10S open Files → Categories → Images and wait for indexing (may take up to 10 minutes).
• 📱 Applications are not installed after porting: In Settings → Applications → Application Management, enable Install Unknown Applications for the file manager.
• 🔌 Wi-Fi Direct is permanently terminated: Turn off Adaptive Wi-Fi in the network settings on both phones.
• 🔒 Not portable SMS: Use the SMS Backup & Restore third-party app to back up on Samsung and restore on Xiaomi.

If artifacts appeared in photos (blurring, stripes) after the transfer to the Redmi Note 10S, the problem is incompatibility of color profiles.

1. Open the photo in Google Photos.
2. Tap "Edit" → "Tools" → "Color balance".
3. Select the “Natural” profile instead of “Live”.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions