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

Switching from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about changing your brand, it's also about migrating all your data, from contacts and photos to your phone history and app settings. Many users fear this process as complex or risky, but in fact, modern tools make data transfer almost automatic, and the main thing is to choose the right method and follow proven instructions.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to transfer data between Galaxy and Redmi/POCO/Xiaomi devices, including official utilities (Mi Mover, Samsung Smart Switch), cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud) and manual methods for power users. Special attention will be paid to transferring data without loss when changing the operating system (One UI → MIUI), as this is the most common source of problems. If you just bought a new Xiaomi 14 or Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and want to migrate everything from the Galaxy S23 or Galaxy A54, this is the guide for you.

1. Preparation of devices before data transfer

Before migrating, there are several critical steps to follow on both smartphones, and neglecting preparation can lead to data loss, incomplete portability, or even disruption to the new device.

On Samsung:

• 🔋 Charge your phone to at least 50% – transferring data can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on the volume.
• 📶 Connect to a stable Wi-Fi network (mobile internet is not recommended due to traffic restrictions).
• 🔒 Make sure the phone has a screen lock disabled (PIN, pattern lock – some utilities require an unlocked screen during the process.
• 📂 Free up space: If you use Smart Switch or Mi Mover, Samsung should have at least 1GB of free space for temporary files.

On Xiaomi:

• 📱 If the phone is new, don’t set it up (don’t go through the initial setup). MIUI). Most transfer utilities only work at the first inclusion stage.
• 🔄 Update your firmware to the latest version: go to Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📡 Enable the Developer Mode (if you plan to use it) ADB): Tap 7 times on the version MIUI phone-setting.

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has enabled data encryption (e.g., via Secure Folder), some files may not be transferred. Move them to an unencrypted folder in advance or disable encryption in Settings → Biometrics and safety → Other security parameters → Encryption.

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

Mi Mover is a built-in utility in MIUI designed specifically for transferring data from Android devices (including Samsung) to Xiaomi.

• 📞 Contacts, call history and SMS
• 📷 Photos and videos (including Google Photos albums)
• 🎵 Music and documents
• 📱 Some system settings (wallpaper, brightness, sound profiles)
• 📌 Annexes (only) APK-files, no data)

How to use Mi Mover:

1. Enable the new Xiaomi and at the initial setup stage, select Data Transfer → Mi Mover.
2. Download Mi Mover from Google Play on Samsung.
3. Open the app on Samsung and select I am the sender.
4. On Xiaomi, select I am the recipient and scan. QR-Samsung screencode.
5. Confirm the connection and select the data to transfer, and the transmission will start over Wi-Fi Direct.

⚠️ Warning: If the Mi Mover is hanging out during the “Data Preparation” stage, try turning off battery optimization for the Samsung app: → Caring for the device → Battery → Optimizing the operation of applications.

Charge both phones up to 50%+

Connect to one Wi-Fi network

Disable VPN on both devices

Free up 1 GB of space on Samsung

Install Mi Mover on Samsung from Google Play-->

Method 2: Samsung Smart Switch (reverse portability)

Many people don’t know, but Samsung Smart Switch can not only transfer data to and from Galaxy devices, which is suitable if you already have Xiaomi set up and do not want to reset it to factory settings.

Instructions:

1. Download Smart Switch on Xiaomi.
2. On Samsung, open the Smart Switch (preinstalled) and select Send Data.
3. Connect the phones with a cable. USB-C → USB-C (need OTG-Adapter if the ports are different).
4. On Xiaomi in Smart Switch, select Get Data → With Galaxy/Android.
5. Select the data to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

Advantages of the method:

• 🔌 It works on a wired connection (faster than Wi-Fi).
• 📂 It carries more data types than Mi Mover (such as Samsung Notes).
• 🔄 You can use it on already configured Xiaomi.

Disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Original Samsung cable required (cheap cables may not work).
• ❌ Can't stand some settings. MIUI (e.g., design topics).

💡

If Xiaomi doesn’t see Smart Switch, try enabling USB debugging mode in the developer settings. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (7 times), then Settings → Additional → For Developers → USB Debugging.

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

If you only need to transfer basic data (contacts, calendar, Google Keep notes, Gmail mail), the easiest way is to sync through Google Account, which works even if you don’t have physical access to Samsung (like a phone loss or a broken one).

Step-by-step:

1. On Samsung, open Settings → Accounts and Archiving → Account Management.
2. Select your Google Account and enable sync to: 📞 Contacts 📅 calendar 📝 Google Keep Notes ✉️ Gmail

Settings → Accounts → Google → Synchronize

Xiaomi

same Google Account

Settings → Accounts → Add an account

Enable synchronization for the same services.

What's transferable:

• ✅ Contacts (including groups and tags)
• ✅ Calendar events (including recurring calendar events)
• ✅ Gmail emails (all folders)
• ✅ Google Keep Notes (with attachments)

What's not tolerable:

• ❌ SMS call history
• ❌ Photo/Video (you need to use Google Photos separately)
• ❌ Annexes and their data

5. Method 4: Porting Photos and Videos to Google Photos

Photos and videos usually take up the lion’s share of smartphone memory, so their transfer requires special attention. Google Photos is the most reliable solution for this task, as it:

• 🔒 Maintains original quality (if the "Original Quality" is selected in the settings).
• 📅 Automatically sorts by dates and albums.
• 🌐 Available on any device via browser.

How to transfer media files:

1. On Samsung, install Google Photos (if not installed).
2. Open the app and log in to your Google Account.
3. Go to Settings → Backup and Synchronization and turn on the function.
4. Select quality: Original quality - no compression (takes up space in Google Drive). High quality - unlimited storage, but compression to 16 MP for photos.

Wait for the download to be completed (may take several hours with a large volume).

Xiaomi

Google Photo

⚠️ Note: If you have more than 15 GB of photo / video, please note that free storage Google Drive is limited to 15 GB. To transfer large volumes, either use Mi Mover, or temporarily buy an additional space (from 100 GB for 139). ₽/month).

Alternative ways of transferring media:

• 📁 Through cable. OTG: Connect the USB drive to Samsung, copy files, then connect the USB drive to Xiaomi.
• 🖥️ Through PC: Copy files from Samsung to your computer, then transfer to Xiaomi.
• 🌐 Through Mi Cloud: Upload files to Mi Cloud from Samsung (via browser), then download to Xiaomi.

Method 5: Manual transfer via ADB (for power users)

If you need to migrate application data (e.g., save in games, messaging settings) or specific system files that are not portable in standard ways, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge). This method requires command line skills and is only suitable for advanced users.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB and Fastboot.
• 📱 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Included debugging by USB both phones.

Instructions:

1. Connect Samsung to your PC and execute the command to check the connection: Adb devices must display the serial number of the device.
2. Back up the data of the desired application (such as WhatsApp): adb backup -f whatsapp.ab -apk com.whatsapp A confirmation request will appear on the phone - allow backup.
3. Disable Samsung and plug in Xiaomi. Install the same app (like WhatsApp) from Google Play.
4. Restore data from backup: adb restore whatsapp.ab

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not all applications support backup through ADB (Samsung Health or banking applications).
• ⚠️ Some data (e.g., some data, SMS) It may not be restored due to differences in the database structure of the One. UI and MIUI.
• 🔐 To work with system files, root access is required, which cancels the warranty.

💡

ADB is a powerful tool, but it requires caution. Wrong commands can lead to data loss or system failure. Use this method only if other methods have not worked.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even when using official utilities, users are faced with errors, and let's look at the most common problems and ways to solve them.

If none of the methods worked:

• 📞 Contact Xiaomi Service Center – they can transfer data using professional software.
• 🛠️ Use a side utility like Clone Phone or Shareit (but be careful with security).
• 📦 Transfer data selectively (e.g. only contacts via export to the VCF).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions