Transferring all data from Samsung to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways to save money

Switching from Samsung Galaxy to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, but also migrating all your data, from contacts and messages to photos, apps and even screen settings. Many users fear this process, fearing losing important information or spending hours manually setting up. In fact, the transfer can be done in 20-40 minutes, if you know the right tools and sequence of actions.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 working ways to migrate data, from official utilities like Mi Mover and Samsung Smart Switch to manual methods for advanced users, how to save your call history, Wi-Fi passwords, app data, and even desktop settings that are usually lost when you change your smartphone, and how to avoid the common mistakes that make files not copy or duplicate.

Whether you’re switching from the flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Xiaomi 14 Pro or from the budget Galaxy A14 to the Redmi Note 13, the instructions are for all models, and the key is to prepare both devices in advance and choose the method that covers your needs, starting with the simplest and most reliable way.

1.Move over Mi Mover – the official way from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi that automatically copies data from Android devices (including Samsung) to a new smartphone.

• 📞 Contacts, call history and SMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📱 Installed Applications (without data, if there is no backup)
• 📡 Wi-Fi and mobile network settings

To use Mi Mover, follow the following steps:

1. On the new Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select Data Transfer → Mi Mover. If the smartphone is already configured, find the utility in Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover.
2. On Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play (the app is called Xiaomi Migration).
3. Run the utility on both devices and select Me sender on Samsung and I receiver on Xiaomi.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen with a Samsung camera or enter PIN-manually.
5. Select data types to transfer and wait until it is completed (can take up to 30 minutes depending on the volume).

Charging both smartphones > 50%|Connecting to a single Wi-Fi network|Shutdown VPN firewalls|Free space on Xiaomi (minimum 10 GB)|Closing of background applications-->

The Mi Mover limitations you should know about:

• ❌ Does not transfer data from certain applications (e.g. WhatsApp, Viber, banking programs).
• ❌ Does not save desktop settings (Nova Launcher, widgets).
• ❌ May not work on Samsung with a heavily outdated version of Android (below 8.0).

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If Mi Mover is stuck in the connection phase, restart Wi-Fi on both devices and try using a mobile hotspot instead of a home network.

2.Using Samsung Smart Switch (alternative method)

If Mi Mover doesn't work for some reason, you can try a reverse port, through Samsung Smart Switch, which is less obvious, but it works consistently, and the idea is to back up your Samsung and then restore it to Xiaomi via your computer.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows or macOS
• 🔌 USB- cables for both smartphones
• 💾 Free space on PC (from 5 GB)

Instructions:

1. Install Samsung Smart Switch on your computer from the official Samsung website.
2. Connect Samsung to your PC and back up by selecting all the data you need (except system files).
3. Turn off Samsung and plug in Xiaomi. In Smart Switch, select Restore and point the path to the saved backup.
4. Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 1 hour).

Official utilities (Mi Mover, Smart Switch)| Manual cloud transfer |Cable transfer without software |I don't know, haven't tried-->

Important nuances:

• ✅ Smart Switch portes application data (e.g., saves in games) that Mi Mover does not.
• ⚠️ Xiaomi needs to enable Debugging on USB (Settings → About Phone → Version MIUI – press 7 times, then Additional → For Developers).
• ⚠️ Some files (such as.apk) may not recover due to differences in the file system of Samsung and Xiaomi.

3. Manual transfer via Google Account (for contacts, calendar, mail)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendar events, notes and email, the easiest way to do this is to sync with Google Account, which works 100% and doesn’t require any additional software.

How to do this:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management.
2. Select your Google Account and enable sync for all the data you need (contacts, calendar, Gmail, Google Keep, etc.).
3. On Xiaomi, add the same Google Account to Settings → Accounts → Add an account.
4. Turn on synchronization – all data will automatically be pulled to the new smartphone.

Advantages of the method:

• ✅ Works even if Samsung is already reset or unavailable.
• ✅ Data is updated in real time (e.g. new contacts will be available on Xiaomi).
• ✅ Does not take up space on the device (stored in the cloud).

Limitations:

• ❌ Does not tolerate SMS, call history, photos and apps.
• ❌ Requires a stable Internet for first synchronization.

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Syncing with a Google Account is the only way to move your contacts from Samsung to Xiaomi if your old smartphone is broken or lost.

4. Transfer of photos, videos and documents through cloud services

For the transfer of media files (photos, videos, music) and documents, the most convenient use of cloud storage. We recommend Google Drive or Mi Cloud, but any service (Yandex Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) is suitable.

Step-by-step instructions for Google Drive:

1. On Samsung, install Google Drive from the Play Market.
2. Download files: Open the application → click + → Download. Select the DCIM (photo), Downloads (downloads), Documents, etc. folders.

Xiaomi

Google

Google Drive

Comparison of cloud services for transfer:

Tips for speeding up the load:

• 🚀 Use Wi-Fi 5 GHz or connect to the network via cable (if downloading from a PC).
• 📦 Archive photo folders to.zip before downloading (reduce the number of files).
• ⏳ Upload files at night when internet traffic is minimal.

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If you only need to transfer photos, use Google Photos with Free up space on Samsung after download, which will delete local copies, but save them in the cloud.

5. porting applications and their data (including WhatsApp, games, banks)

Porting installed applications is one of the most difficult tasks, since Android does not support direct transfer of.apk files with data.

Method 1: Backup via Titanium Backup (requires root)

• 🔧 Install Titanium Backup on Samsung (root access required).
• 📦 Create a backup of all applications and their data.
• 📲 Move the backup to Xiaomi and restore through the same Titanium Backup.

Method 2: Transfer via APK Extractor + Data (without root)

1. On Samsung, install APK Extractor and save the.apk of the desired applications.
2. Copy data files from the folders: /data/data/[name packet application] /sdcard/Android/data/[name application package app]
3. Move.apk and data to Xiaomi, install the app, and replace the data folders (you need a root or ADB file manager).

Method 3: Recovery through the Application Cloud

Some apps support their own backup:

• 💬 WhatsApp: Settings → chat → Backup (saves history in Google Drive).
• 🎮 Games: Use the Google Play Games or Facebook binding.
• 🏦 Banking applications: usually require re-authorization (data transfer is not allowed for security reasons).

Important! Some apps (especially banking apps) can block an account if a data transfer is detected, and then you have to call for support.

6. Transfer Wi-Fi passwords, screen settings and other system data

System settings (wi-fi passwords, wallpaper, screen brightness, sound profiles) are not usually carried over in standard ways. Here's how to save them:

Wi-Fi passwords:

• 📡 On Samsung, install the WiFi Password Viewer (requires root) or use ADB: the adb pull /data/misc/wifi/WifiConfigStore.xml file contains all the saved networks and passwords.
• 🔑 On Xiaomi, enter passwords manually or use Mi Mover (sometimes portable networks).

Screen settings (wallpaper, widgets, icons):

• 🖼️ Wallpaper: Copy the image from the /Pictures/Wallpapers folder.
• 📱 Widgets and icons: export settings through the launcher (for example, Nova Launcher has a backup function).

Sound profiles and notifications:

• 🔔 Use apps like MacroDroid to create notification rules and port them over the backup.
• 🎵 The sound settings (loudness, uniform sound) will have to be adjusted manually.

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Wi-Fi passwords can be transferred without root if Samsung has Smart Switch Mobile enabled, which saves networks in the backup.

7.Verification and cleaning after transfer

After the transfer is completed, be sure to follow the following steps:

1. Check data integrity: Open the Gallery and make sure all photos and videos are in place. Call another number to check your call history. Launch key apps (WhatsApp, banks, games).
2. Clean Samsung before selling: Make a factory reset: Settings → General Management → Reset → Data Reset. Delete Google and Samsung accounts. Format the memory card if you had one.

Xiaomi

• Update all apps on Google Play.
• Set up auto sync for Google Photos and Contacts.
• Disable unnecessary system applications (Settings → Applications → Application Management).

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If Xiaomi started to slow down after the transfer, check Settings → Memory → Cleanup – often temporary files from Mi Mover or Smart Switch remain.

Typical post-transfer problems and their solution:

FAQ: Frequent questions about Samsung’s move to Xiaomi

Note: Messages from Samsung Messages may not show correctly in the standard Messages app on Xiaomi.We recommend using Google Messages for versatility.