How to upload photos from your phone to your Xiaomi phone: all ways + comparison

Transferring photos between smartphones is one of the most common tasks faced by Xiaomi users. Despite the apparent simplicity, the choice of the best method depends on the size of files, the availability of Internet and device models. For example, Mi Share works faster than Bluetooth, but requires the installation of a proprietary application, and cloud services like Google Photos or Mi Cloud are suitable for backup, but not always convenient for one-time transfer.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways, from the classic USB-C/OTG cable to modern wireless protocols, including the hidden “Fast Transfer” feature in MIUI 14+, which allows you to send files without installing additional applications.

If you want to flip a couple of shots or a whole archive of 500 photos, you can find a solution for any problem, and at the end of the article, you'll find a comparative table of transmission speed and FAQ with answers to typical problems.

1. Mi Share - a proprietary way from Xiaomi (up to 20 MB / s)

Mi Share (formerly Mi Drop) is an optimized file sharing solution between Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices. It uses a combination of Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot, which provides speeds of up to 20 MB/s (in theory) and works even without an Internet connection.

To take advantage of Mi Share:

• 📱 Make sure that both phones have an app installed (pre-installed by default) MIUI 12+). If not, download from Google Play or App Gallery.
• 🔗 Open Mi Share on both devices and select Send on one and Receive on the other.
• 📶 Wait for the phones to detect each other (location access permission may be required).
• 📤 Select photos and confirm transmission. The receiver will notify you of the start of downloading.

Important: If the devices do not find each other, check:

• ⚙️ Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both phones (even if the internet is off).
• 🔄 Restart the Mi Share app – sometimes cache resetting in Settings helps → Annexes → Mi Share → Warehouse.
• 📡 Make sure that the distance between the devices does not exceed 10 metres (optimum — 1-2 square).

⚠️ Attention: Xiaomi with Android 13+ and MIUI 14+ Mi Share may conflict with the system menu "Nearby Share". If the transfer is interrupted, turn off Nearby Share in the settings of Google → Devices and exchanges → Near-term exchange.

Install Mi Share on both phones |Enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth |Allow access to files and location |Put phones close (within a radius of 1-2 m) | Turn off power saving mode-->

Bluetooth|Wi-Fi Direct (Mi Share, Nearby Share)|Cloud services (Google Drive, Mi Cloud)|Cable USB/OTG|Messengers (Telegram, WhatsApp)-->

Bluetooth 2: universal but slow (up to 1MB/s)

Bluetooth is the most compatible method that works even between Xiaomi and iPhone, but only for transferring a small number of photos. The speed rarely exceeds 1 MB / s, and when transferring a pack of 50+ files, you can freeze.

Instructions for transmission:

1. Turn on Bluetooth on both phones (Settings → Connections → Bluetooth).
2. On the sender phone, select photos in the gallery, click "Share" → "Bluetooth".
3. Select the target device from the list and confirm pairing (you may need to enter 0000 or 1234).
4. On the receiver phone, confirm the receipt of files.

Challenges and solutions:

• 🐢 Slow transfer: break files into parts 10-15 Use an archiver (for example, ZArchiver).
• 🚫 Devices can’t see each other: Reboot Bluetooth (turn off/on) or reset network settings (Settings) → System system → Reset → Resetting network settings).
• ❌ Reception error: check the available space on the receiver (needs at least 10% of the volume of transmitted files).

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 13+ When you transfer photos over Bluetooth, you can save them to your Bluetooth folder in internal memory, not in a gallery. To show them in Google Photos, move them manually to your folder. DCIM/Camera.

💡

If Bluetooth is permanently breaking the connection, try turning on Visible for All mode on both devices (in Bluetooth settings) and turning off Adaptive Bluetooth in Settings → Battery → Power Saving Mode.

3. Cable USB/OTG: maximum speed (up to) 40 MB/s)

Cable transmission is the fastest and most reliable way, especially for large volumes (for example, transferring 10+ GB of photos).

• 🔌 USB-cable OTG (for example, USB-C → USB-C or USB-C → Micro-USB, depending on the ports).
• 📱 The receiver phone should support OTG (Almost all of Xiaomi after 2018).
• 🖥️ On the sender phone, you may need to turn on the "File Transfer" mode" (MTP).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phones with a cable. On the screen of the sender phone, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. On the receiver phone, open Explorer (for example, Mi File Manager) - a second phone will appear in the Devices section.
3. Go to the DCIM/Camera folder (or another one where photos are stored) and copy the files to your device.

Advantages of the method:

• ⚡ Speed up to 40 MB/s (depending on version) USB — 2.0 gives up to 5 MB/s, 3.0+ — up to 40 MB/s).
• 🔒 There is no loss of quality (unlike messengers that compress images).
• 📁 You can transfer entire folders without archiving.

⚠️ Warning: If the cable is not defined as a drive, check: Cable for damage (try another) Connection mode in the notification curtain (should be MTP, It's not "Charge Only." Developer settings: turn on Debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — 7 times press → For developers → Debugging by USB).

4. Cloud services: for backup and remote transfer

If the phones are in different places or you don’t have physical access to them, cloud services will be a lifeline.

• 🌥️ Mi Cloud (5GB free) – integrated into MIUI, photo-synchronization.
• 📁 Google Photos (15GB free) – easy to search for photos and automatic backup.
• ☁️ Yandex Disk or Mail.ru Cloud – if you need a transfer to a Russian account.

How to send photos via Google Photos:

1. On the sender phone, open Google Photos, select photos and click Share → Link.
2. Copy the link and send it via messenger or email.
3. On the receiver phone, open the link in the browser and download the files.

Nuances:

• 🔄 When uploading to Google Photos in High Quality mode, photos are compressed to 16 MP (not critical for smartphones, but important for professional shots).
• 🕒 Speed depends on the Internet connection: at 100 Mbps download 1 GB will take ~2 minutes.
• 🔒 For privacy, use the password to the archive or limit access to the link (in Google Drive you can set the validity of the link).

5. Wi-Fi Direct and FTP-server: for advanced users

If Mi Share doesn’t work or you need to transfer between Xiaomi and a device of another brand, you can use Wi-Fi Direct or run it. FTP-This is a little bit more effort, but it's a lot faster. 10-15 MB/s) and work without the Internet.

Method 1: Wi-Fi Direct

1. Enable Wi-Fi Direct on both phones (Settings → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct).
2. Connect devices to each other (a password may be required).
3. Use any file manager (such as Solid Explorer) to transmit over a local network.

Method 2: FTP-server (for Android 10)+)

1. Install an FTP Server application (such as WiFi FTP Server from Google Play).
2. Start the server on the sender phone and write down the address (ftp://192.168.x.x:2221).
3. On the receiver phone, connect to this address via a file manager or browser.

Advantages:

• 🚀 Speed is faster than Bluetooth, but lower than cable.
• 🔧 Flexibility: File transfer between any Wi-Fi enabled devices.
• 📂 Ability to transfer entire folders without archiving.

⚠️ Attention: When in use FTP-Disable public access to the Wi-Fi network, otherwise the device will be able to connect to your server. SFTP or HTTPS, if the application supports).

6.Messaging and social networks: fast, but with a loss of quality

If you need to throw 1-2 photos and there are no other ways at hand, you can use instant messengers.

• 📸 WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger compress images to 1-2 MPP.
• 📎 Telegram retains original quality if you send the file as "Document".
• 🌐 VK And Instagram compresses the photo to 1080px long-sided.

How to send without loss of quality in Telegram:

1. Open a chat with yourself (Saved Messages) or with the recipient.
2. Click "Clip" → "File" and select photos.
3. Send it as a document (not as an image!).
4. Download files on the receiver phone and save them to the gallery.

Limitations:

• 📥 The maximum file size in Telegram is 2 GB (enough for photos, but not for videos).
• ⏳ When sending a pack of 50+ Photos are delayed.
• 🔒 Risk of data leakage if account is hacked.

💡

To transfer without loss of quality, use Telegram (sending as "Document") or cloud services like Google Photos (original quality). Messengers like WhatsApp and Viber compress images very hard!

Comparative table of methods of transfer

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions