How to transfer all data from Samsung phone to Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just a brand change, but a shift to a different ecosystem with unique chips and interfaces, a move many users fear for the risk of losing important data — photos, contacts, messages, or even saving in games — in fact, the transfer process can be made as smooth as possible if you know all the tools and nuances available.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 working migrations, from official utilities (Mi Mover and Samsung Smart Switch) to manual transfers over the cloud or cable, and focus on common errors that can lead to data loss, and give a checklist to prepare both devices, if you switch from the Galaxy S23 Ultra to the Xiaomi 14 Pro or from the Samsung A52 to the Redmi Note 13, the instruction will be suitable for any model.

Spoiler: The most reliable method is a combination of Google Account for contacts and Mi Mover for the rest of your data, but if you have a lot of media, maybe you should consider alternatives. Let's get this straight!

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before migrating, there are several critical steps that need to be taken, and neglecting them can lead to incomplete data transfers or even malfunctions in the new phone.

First, check the space on Xiaomi. If you're carrying 50GB of photos and the new smartphone has only 30GB left, the process will stop in the middle, delete unnecessary files or expand the memory with a microSD card (if the model supports).

Second, update the firmware on both devices. Outdated software can cause compatibility conflicts, especially when using Mi Mover or Smart Switch. Check the relevance of the version in the Settings menu → About phone → Software update.

• 🔋 Charge both phones to at least 50% – transferring data can take up to 1-2 hours.
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (if you use cloud services). Mobile Internet is not suitable!
• 🔐 Make sure Samsung has disabled the OEM Unlock lock (in Settings → Developer) to make the Mi Mover work properly.
• 📁 Back up your important data on your computer or external drive in case of a crash.

⚠️ Warning: If Samsung has data encryption enabled, some files (such as Samsung Notes notes) may not be moved. Decrypt the device before migrating to Settings → Security → Encryption.

2. Method 1: Mi Mover – official solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi, designed specifically for transferring data from Android devices (including Samsung).

• 📞 Contacts, call logs and SMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and audio files
• 📁 Documents (.pdf,.docx,.xlsx)
• 🎮 Some application data (e.g. WhatsApp or Viber)

However, there are limitations: Wi-Fi passwords, screen settings, data from some banking applications (due to security policies) and game saving (unless they are synced to the cloud) are not portable.

Step-by-step:

1. Download Mi Mover on Samsung from Google Play.
2. On Xiaomi, the utility is preinstalled - find it through a search on the system or in the Tools folder.
3. Run the app on both phones and select Me sender on Samsung and I receiver on Xiaomi.
4. Scan it. QR-code from the screen Xiaomi camera Samsung.
5. Select the data types to transfer and wait for the process to be completed.

⚠️ Warning: If the Mi Mover is stuck in the Preparation phase, try disabling the MIUI Bat version on Xiaomi (if installed) or restart both devices.

Install Mi Mover on Samsung| Disable VPN on both phones | Connect to the same Wi-Fi network | Close all background applications | Turn off power saving mode-->

Method 2: Samsung Smart Switch (reverse portability)

Many people don’t know, but Samsung Smart Switch can not only receive data, but also send it to other devices, this method is suitable if the Mi Mover for some reason does not work or you want to migrate data from Samsung applications (for example, Samsung Health or Samsung Notes).

The Smart Switch does not support direct transmission to Xiaomi via cable, you will have to use an intermediate computer (Windows or Mac) or Samsung Cloud storage.

Instructions via PC:

1. Install Smart Switch on your computer.
2. Connect Samsung over the cable and back up (select all the data you need).
3. Disable Samsung, plug in Xiaomi and recover data from the backup.

The downside of the method is that not all data is MIUI compatible. For example, Samsung widgets won’t migrate, and notes will open in.snb format, which is not supported by standard Xiaomi apps.

4. Method 3: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendar, mail)

If you only need to migrate contacts, calendar events, email and some settings, the easiest way is to sync through Google Account, which works 100% and requires no additional programs.

How to do this:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management.
2. Select your Google account and enable synchronization for Contacts, Calendar, Gmail and other services.
3. On Xiaomi, add the same Google account to Settings → Accounts and wait for the sync to complete.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Instant transfer (data appears on Xiaomi within 1-2 minutes).
• 🔄 Automatic Update – If you add a new contact to Xiaomi, it syncs with Samsung (and vice versa).
• 🌐 Works even if one of the phones is off or far away.

Limitations:

• 📱 Untolerated. SMSPhotos, music and applications.
• 🔒 If your contacts are saved on Samsung (not Google) you must export them first.

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Before syncing, check if contacts are duplicated. Open Contacts on Samsung → Contact Management → Combine duplicates.

5. Method 4: Manual transfer via OTG cable or computer

If you need to transfer a large amount of media files (photos, videos, music) or specific folders (for example, downloads from Telegram), the most reliable way is direct copying via cable, this eliminates the risk of loss of quality (as with compression in the cloud) and works even without the Internet.

Option 1: Through the OTG adapter

1. Buy a OTG- adapter (e.g. USB-C to USB-C or USB-C to Micro-USB, depending on your phone ports).
2. Connect Samsung to Xiaomi via an adapter.
3. On Xiaomi, open Explorer (Files) and select the USB- device.
4. Copy the files you need to remember Xiaomi.

Option 2: Computer-assisted

1. Connect Samsung to your PC and copy the files to a separate folder.
2. Disable Samsung, plug in Xiaomi and transfer the data back.

If you're moving photos, check if they have geolocation tags and dates. Some file managers (like Windows Explorer) can reset that data when you copy. Use Google Photos or specialized programs like ExifTool to check.

6. Method 5: Transfer applications and their data

It's easy to migrate the apps from Samsung to Xiaomi -- just download them from Google Play again, but what about the data inside them, like saves in games, chat stories, or settings?

There are several solutions:

• 🎮 Games: Most modern games (e.g. Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile) are tied to a Google Play Games account, Facebook, or your own gaming account. Sign in to Xiaomi, progress will be automatically matched.
• 💬 Messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber sync chats through the cloud. On WhatsApp, back up to Settings → Chat → Backup before transferring.
• 📊 Social networks: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook store data on the server – just log in to the account.
• 🏦 Banking applications: No portability for security reasons, so you're going to have to reinstall the app and re-link the cards.

For WhatsApp, there is a separate instruction:

1. On Samsung, back up your chats in Google Drive (Settings → Chat → Backup).
2. Install WhatsApp on Xiaomi and sign in to the same account.
3. When you offer to restore chats, confirm and wait for the download to be completed.

⚠️ Warning: If you used Samsung Secure Folder to store files, you must first transfer them to regular memory. Data from Secure Folder is not exported directly.

7.Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even when following instructions, users often encounter problems. TOP-5 mistakes and their solutions:

1. Mi Mover doesn't see Samsung: Check if Samsung's File Transfer Mode (MTP) is enabled. Turn off USB- debugging in the Developer Settings, which can block the connection.
2. SMS is not portable: Make sure that messages are stored in the phone's memory, not on the SIM- card. Try exporting the SMS to the.xml file through the SMS Backup & Restore app.
3. Photos moved but not displayed in the gallery: Check the DCIM or Pictures folder through Explorer.Reboot Xiaomi - sometimes the media scanner doesn't update the database right away.
4. Smart Switch gives you an error called "Incompatible device": Use the PC version of Smart Switch, not the mobile version. Update your firmware on Xiaomi to the latest version.
5. Apps are not installed on Xiaomi: Enable installation from unknown sources in Settings → Apps → Special Rights. Check the CPU architecture: some APKs for Samsung Exynos don't work on Xiaomi Snapdragon.

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If neither method worked, try resetting Xiaomi to factory settings and repeating the transfer from clean state.

8. What to do after the data transfer?

To make Xiaomi work as comfortably as Samsung, take a few additional steps:

• 🔄 Set up sync: Enable autosynchronization for Google Photos, Contacts, and Calendar in Settings → Accounts.
• 🛠 Optimize performance: Turn off auto-run unnecessary applications in Settings → Apps → Auto-run.
• 🔒 Set up security: Activate Find My Device and set a pattern lock or fingerprint.
• 🎨 Personalize the interface: Set theme MIUI to taste in Settings → Screen → Themes.

If you’re used to Samsung chips, here’s what you can replace them with Xiaomi:

Remember that MIUI has its own unique features that Samsung doesn’t have:

• 🔄 Dual apps: You can clone messengers (e.g., two WhatsApps on the same phone).
• 🎮 Game mode: Automatically blocks notifications and optimizes performance.
• 📡 Wide network settings: For example, prioritizing Wi-Fi over mobile data for individual applications.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Samsung’s move to Xiaomi