How to transfer contacts to Samsung Xiaomi: all working ways

Moving from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just about changing the interface, it’s also about transferring important data. Contacts are the most valuable information you can’t lose when you change your smartphone. Fortunately, there are at least 5 proven ways to safely transfer a phone book from your Galaxy S23, Note 20 or any other Samsung model to your Redmi, POCO or Mi 13.

In this article, we’ll go through each method in detail, from the simplest (via Google account) to alternative options for those who don’t use Google services, how to avoid typical portability errors, what settings to check in advance, and what to do if contacts are not displayed on the new Xiaomi, and a comparison table of all methods for speed and reliability.

Important: If you use a Samsung Knox or corporate account, some methods may be limited, and in this case, look for the Smart Switch section, which is an official solution from Samsung that bypasses most locks.

1. Transfer contacts through a Google account (the most reliable way)

Google Contact Sync is a universal method that works on 99% of Android devices, and its main advantage is that data is stored in the cloud and automatically pulled up to any new smartphone when it is first turned on, but there are nuances that many people forget about.

To make the transfer without errors:

• 🔄 Make sure that Samsung has your contacts synchronized. → Accounts and archiving → Managing a Google Account → Account sync. The slider in front of Contact must be active.
• 📱 On Xiaomi, when you first start, select Restore from Backup and log in to the same Google account. If your phone is already set up, add your account to Settings. → Accounts. → Add an account.
• ⏳ Wait. 5-10 Minutes – sometimes synchronization is not instantaneous, especially if more contacts are made 1000.

Critical detail: if on Samsung contacts are stored not in Google, but in the memory of the phone or SIM-In this case, first export them to Google Contacts manually (instruction in the next section).

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Before transferring, check if there are any duplicates in the contacts. On Samsung, open the Contacts app, click ⋮ → "Contact management" → "Connect contacts. This will save time on a new phone.

2.Export/import via VCF file (for avanzato users)

The VCF (or vCard) format is a standard contact storage file that all smartphones understand, which is suitable if you don't want to use Google or you only need to move some contacts, for example, when the phone book has work numbers that should not be accessed by your personal account.

Instructions for Samsung:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Press. ⋮ → Contact management → Import/export of contacts.
3. Choose Exports → specify where to export (e.g., "Device" or "Device "SIM-map").
4. Save the file to internal memory or SD-The file name is like, contacts_20260515.vcf.

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Copy the.vcf file to your new phone (via cable, Bluetooth, or cloud).
2. Open the Contacts app → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/exports.
3. Select a file and confirm the import. Contacts will appear under Device (not Google!).

Remove duplicate contacts

Check the encoding (should be UTF-8)

Save the file in an accessible location (not in the Download folder)

Check the number of contacts in the file-->

⚠️ Note: If you import a Krakozyabr instead of Cyrillic, the file is stored in the wrong encoding. VCF-PC file in Notepad++, select encoding UTF-8 and save again.

3. Transfer through SIM-card if there are few contacts)

The “old-fashioned” way is to copy the contacts to SIM-A map, then from it to Xiaomi, only suitable for a small number of numbers (usually a small number of numbers). SIM It can hold up to 250 contacts, and the main advantage is that you don't need the Internet or the computer, and the disadvantage is that you lose photos, emails and extra fields.

How to move:

• 📱 On Samsung: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Imports/exports → Exports to SIM-Select the right contacts.
• 🔄 Replace it. SIM-map.
• 📲 On Xiaomi: Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Import with SIM-map.

Limitations of the method:

• ❌ Not tolerated avatars and notes.
• ❌ Names longer than 20 characters can be cut off.
• ❌ Numbers with extensions (e.g, +7(999)123-45-67 dob.123) will remain without additional information.

Through a Google account

VCF file

SIM-map

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Direct

Another way.-->

4.Using Smart Switch (official decision from Samsung)

Samsung Smart Switch is a proprietary utility for transferring data between Samsung devices and other Android smartphones. It can transfer not only contacts, but also messages, photos, calendars. However, with Xiaomi, nuances can arise due to different shells (One UI vs MIUI).

Step-by-step:

1. Download Smart Switch on both phones: Samsung: preinstalled or available in the Galaxy Store. Xiaomi: download APK from the official website (Google Play may not have a version for MIUI).

Samsung

Send data

Wireless.

Xiaomi

Get the data.

Android

Confirm the transfer of contacts (you can also select other data).

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12), the Smart Switch may not see the device via Wi-Fi Direct:

• 🔌 Use the cable. USB-C → USB-C supportive OTG.
• 📶 Switch to mobile hotspot: on Samsung, turn on the access point, and on Xiaomi, connect to it.

5. Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct Transfer

If you don't have a cable on hand and don't want to use the cloud, you can transfer contacts directly over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Direct, a slow process (especially for 500+ contacts), but reliable for small phone books.

Instructions for Bluetooth:

1. On both phones, turn on Bluetooth and make them visible.
2. On Samsung, open your contacts. → Select the right ones (or press them). ⋮ → Highlight everything).
3. Click Share → Select Bluetooth → Select Xiaomi from the list.
4. On Xiaomi, confirm the file acceptance (usually.vcf).
5. After transfer, open the received file - contacts will be added automatically.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

• 📶 Activate Wi-Fi Direct on both phones (Settings) → Connections → Wi-Fi Direct on Samsung; settings → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Wi-Fi Direct on Xiaomi).
• 🔗 Connect devices to each other (may require input) PIN-code).
• 📲 On Samsung, send contacts as a file via the Share menu".

Transmission speed:

• 🐢 Bluetooth: ~5-10 contact per second (for example, for 500 contact ~1-2 minute).
• 🚀 Wi-Fi Direct: ~50-100 Contacts per second (same as the same) 500 contact 5-10 seconds).

6. Mi Mover – a proprietary solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is the Smart Switch, but it's from Xiaomi. It's pre-installed on all the new Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO. It can port contacts, messages, photos and even some system settings. The main advantage is optimized for MIUI, so it works more stable than third-party utilities.

How to use:

1. On Xiaomi, open Mi Mover (if not, download from the App Store or APKMirror).
2. Select I am a new user → Android.
3. Download Mi Mover on Samsung (available on Google Play).
4. Launch the app on both phones and follow the instructions: 📱 On Samsung, select the role "Sender". 📲 On Xiaomi - "Recipient". 🔗 Connect through QR-code or manually over Wi-Fi.

Select Contacts and wait until it is completed (usually 30-60 seconds).

⚠️ Note: Mi Mover may not correctly port contacts with Samsung Knox (corporate phones:

• 🔒 Try temporarily disabling Knox in security settings.
• 📎 Export contacts to.vcf and import manually (method) №2).

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Mi Mover is the best choice for porting contacts along with call history and SMS. But if Samsung has enterprise firmware installed, use alternative methods.

Comparative table of all methods

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even if you transfer it properly, you can have problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

Problem 1: Contacts have been moved but are not displayed in the Xiaomi phone book.

• 🔍 Check which account you have contacts with. Go to Contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Select the “All Contacts” display (not just Google).
• 🔄 Restart your phone - sometimes MIUI Does not update the list immediately.

Problem 2: Duplicate contacts after transfer.

• 🧹 In Xiaomi, open contacts → ⋮ → Contact management → Combine the takes.
• 📊 Use the Contacts Optimizer app from Google Play to automatically clean.

Problem 3: Contact photos are not tolerated.

• 🖼️ If you've used VCF, Photos are not saved in this format. Move through Google Contacts or Smart Switch.
• 📷 On Samsung, export photos separately through the Gallery → highlight avatars → "Share".

Problem 4: Some numbers are missing when you move over Bluetooth.

• 📡 Bluetooth has a limit on the size of the file you transfer. 100-150 piece.
• 🔗 Use Wi-Fi Direct instead of Bluetooth for larger volumes.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions