Samsung to Xiaomi Data Transfer: A Complete Guide to Comparing All Ways

Why Samsung and Xiaomi need a special approach

The transition from Samsung Galaxy to Xiaomi is not just a smartphone change, but a migration between two ecosystems with unique chips. If you are used to Samsung Knox and Smart Switch, MIUI will meet you with a very different set of tools. The main problem is that manufacturers deliberately limit the compatibility of their branded utilities. For example, Xiaomi Mi Mover does not recognize Smart Switch backups, and Samsung back-port is blocked at the connection stage.

The second is the difference in file system structure: Samsung uses its own formats for notes (.snb), calendars, and even some multimedia files that MIUI doesn't always interpret correctly. And if you've used Samsung Pay or Bixby, you can't transfer that data at all -- Xiaomi has no analogues with import support. In this article, we'll look at the only reliable way to transfer data without loss, a combination of cloud backup and manual copying of critical files via PC, and compare all available methods in terms of speed and reliability.

Method 1: Mi Mover – official Xiaomi tool (with limitations)

Mi Mover is Xiaomi’s proprietary data migration utility, pre-installed on all MIUI 9+ smartphones. It can port contacts, SMS, photos, videos, audio, and even some system settings. But there’s a critical limitation: the app doesn’t work with the Samsung Galaxy on Android 12 and is newer due to changes in the data exchange protocol. If your Galaxy is on Android 11 or older, the method will work.

How to use:

• 📱 Install Mi Mover on both devices (on Samsung download) APK APKCombo is not available on Google Play).
• 🔗 Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network (required! Mobile internet won't work).
• 📤 On Samsung, select the role "Sender" (Sender), on Xiaomi - "Receiver" (Receiver).
• 🔍 Scan it. QR-code from the Xiaomi screen with Samsung camera and confirm the connection.
• ✅ Select data types to transfer and wait until completion (may take up to 30 minutes).

Charge both phones at least 50% | Disable VPN and firewalls | Make sure Xiaomi has enough memory |Save Wi-Fi passwords (reconnect required) |Block auto-disconnect screen on both devices-->

⚠️ Note: If the transfer is stuck during the Preparation phase, restart both phones and repeat the procedure. MIUI One UI. Mi Mover also doesn't tolerate it:

• 📁 File folders (only individual media files)
• 🎮 Game data (conservation, progress)
• 📅 Tasks and reminders from Samsung Reminder
• 🔐 Wi-Fi passwords (you will have to re-enter them)

Samsung’s Smart Switch 2: Why it doesn’t always work for Xiaomi

Samsung Smart Switch is marketed as a universal solution for data portability, but in practice with Xiaomi it works in a time.The problem is that the utility is optimized for Galaxy devices and uses proprietary protocols. However, if you have Xiaomi on Android 10 or older, you can try reverse porting:

Instructions:

1. Download Smart Switch on Xiaomi from Google Play.
2. Connect both phones with a USB-C → USB-C cable (the adapter won’t work!).
3. On Samsung, select Send Data, and on Xiaomi, Get Data.
4. Wait for the device recognition (it can take up to 5 minutes).
5. Select files for transfer and confirm the operation.

🔍 What usually goes wrong:

• 🚫 At the connection stage, the error “Device is not supported” appears – this means that your Xiaomi model is not included in the official list of compatible devices.
• ⚠️ Transfer interrupted by 80% —Problems with large video files (solution: break data into parts by 2-3 GB).
• 🔄 After transfer, contacts are duplicated – this is a sync bug with Google Account.

💡

If Smart Switch refuses to work, try to turn on the developer mode on Xiaomi (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – tap 7 times) and activate the debugging option over USB. Sometimes this helps to bypass the connection lock.

Method 3: Cloud-based transfer via Google Account (most universal)

The most reliable method that works on any device is sync through Google Account, which is suitable for transferring contacts, calendar, notes (if you used Google Keep), mail and parts of applications, the main advantage is that you do not need to connect phones to each other or use cables. Disadvantages: not all data is automatically synchronized (e.g, SMS call).

Step-by-step:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts & Archiving → Account Management and make sure sync is enabled for Google.
2. Open Settings → Google → Backup and start backup creation (enable all available options).
3. On Xiaomi, when you first turn on, select “Recover Data” and log in to the same Google Account.
4. Select the last backup and wait for the recovery to be completed.

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has enabled data encryption, before backup in Google you need to temporarily disable it in Settings → Biometrics and safety → Encryption. Otherwise, some files may not be copied.

Method 4: Transfer over a computer (for full control)

If you need to migrate all your data without exception (including system files, game saves, and hidden folders), the only reliable way to do this is to manually copy it over a PC, which takes longer, but guarantees 100% control over the process.

• 💻 Computer with Windows/macOS Linux
• 🔌 Cable USB-C → USB-A (adapter)
• 📁 Enough hard disk space (at least 20% of Samsung’s data)

Algorithm of action:

1. Connect Samsung to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode (select the appropriate mode in the notification curtain).
2. Copy all critical folders: Internal Storage/DCIM/# Photos and Videos Internal Storage/Downloads/# Downloads Internal Storage/WhatsApp/# Backups WhatsApp Internal Storage/Android/data/# Data from some apps
3. To transfer SMS and calls, use SMS Backup & Restore (save the backup in.xml format on PC).
4. Connect Xiaomi and transfer the copied files to the same folders.
5. Install the missing apps via Google Play or manually install APK.

⚠️ Warning: Do not copy the folder Android/obb/ It can cause app failures on Xiaomi. OBB-Selective files, only for games that are really needed.

Method 5: Wireless Transfer through Third Party Applications

If you don't want to mess around with cables or clouds, you can use third-party applications like SHAREit, Xender or Send Anywhere, which are P2P (peer-to-peer), which means that you can transfer data directly between devices without intermediaries, and the speed depends on the protocols you support.

• 📶 SHAREit – up to 20 MB/s (Uses Wi-Fi Direct)
• 🔄 Xender – up to 10 MB/s (works through hotspot)
• 🌐 Send Anywhere – up to 5MB/s (via cloud server)

How to transfer data to Send Anywhere:

1. Install the app on both phones.
2. On Samsung, select files to send and click "Send".
3. 6-digit code is generated or QR-code.
4. On Xiaomi, enter this code in the “Get” field.
5. Confirm the transmission and wait for completion.

🔍 Comparison of applications:

💡

The application side is convenient for one-time transfer of small amounts of data (up to 10 GB), for a full migration, it is better to combine them with a cloud backup or transfer via a PC.

What to do if the data is not moved or damaged

Even if you do the right things, sometimes you have problems, and here are the typical scenarios and solutions.

1. Contacts are not displayed on Xiaomi

• 🔍 Check if contact synchronization is enabled in Settings → Accounts. → Google.
• 📥 Try importing contacts manually via a.vcf file (export it to Samsung via Contacts). → Settings → Imports/Exports).
• 🔄 Remove the cache of the application Contacts on Xiaomi (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Contacts → Clear the cache).

2.Photos and videos are not opened

• 🖼️ Check File Formats: Samsung sometimes saves video to the video.mp4 It's not standard codecs. VLC reproduce.
• 📁 Move the files to the folder DCIM/Camera Xiaomi will force the gallery to re-index media.
• 🔧 Install Google Photos and wait for sync – the application automatically converts incompatible formats.

3.Apps fly out after transfer

• 📦 Remove and reinstall them via Google Play – it will reset cache and data.
• 🔐 Check the permissions in Settings → Annexes → Permits (especially for access to storage and contacts).
• 🛠️ If you have a problem with games, copy them. OBB-file Android/obb/[game pack]/ and restart the device.

💡

If you lose space after you migrate to Xiaomi, check the MIUI/Extra folder, which sometimes duplicates files due to Mi Mover errors.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions