How to transfer data from Samsung to Xiaomi Redmi: a complete guide with photos and videos

Why migrating data from Samsung to Xiaomi Redmi requires a special approach

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi Redmi is not just a brand change, but a transition between two fundamentally different ecosystems. While Samsung has One UI, which is a proprietary shell with deep integration of Google and Samsung Cloud, Redmi uses MIUI with a focus on Xiaomi Account and Chinese cloud solutions, which creates unique challenges when migrating data.

The main problem is backup incompatibility. A backup file created through Samsung Smart Switch won’t open on Xiaomi without additional manipulation. Even standard Google tools (like Google Drive Backup) don’t always correctly restore application and SMS settings due to vendor limitations. In this article, we’ll take a look at all the working methods, from simple to advanced, so you can choose the best option depending on the amount of data and technical capabilities.

We will focus on the transfer of multimedia (photo in HEIF, video in 4K HDR), contacts with duplicates and messages (including WhatsApp and Telegram). Also consider the nuances for users who have Android 12+ on Samsung, and MIUI 14/15 on Redmi with cropped features for the European market.

Method 1: Using Mi Mover as Xiaomi’s Official Tool

Mi Mover is a Xiaomi-branded app designed to migrate data from other Android devices, and it supports transferring contacts, SMS, photos, videos, music, calendars, and even some apps (but not their data!), the main advantage is that you don’t need a computer or cloud, everything happens over a direct Wi-Fi connection.

However, there are limitations:

• 📱 It only works on Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco s MIUI 9+ (Older versions need to be updated).
• 🔌 Does not tolerate application settings (such as saves in games or WhatsApp data).
• ⚡ Speed depends on Wi-Fi: with a weak signal, a 50 GB transmission can take several hours.

Step-by-step:

1. On Xiaomi Redmi, go to Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover (or download the app from Google Play if it’s not in the firmware).
2. On Samsung, install Mi Mover from the Play Market and open it.
3. On Redmi, select “I am a new user” and on Samsung, “I am an old user.”
4. Scan it. QR-Code from Redmi screen with Samsung camera.
5. Select data types to transfer and confirm the start of the process.

⚠️ Note: If storage encryption is enabled on Samsung (Settings) → Security → Encryption, Mi Mover may not see some of the files, in which case decrypt the device first or use alternative methods.

Charge both phones at least 50 times%|Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network|Free at least 10% of memory from the amount of data transferred on Redmi|Shut down. VPN Firewalls on both phones-->

Method 2: Transfer through Google Account (for contacts, calendars, and portions of apps)

Syncing through Google Account is the most universal method for basic data, but it has critical limitations, such as photos and videos are only transferred if they were previously uploaded to Google Photos in their original quality (rather than in the compressed High Quality format).

• 📁 Local files (downloads, documents).
• 💬 Communications SMS/MMS (Only if you have Google Messages backed up).
• 🎮 Game and application data (e.g., progress in Genshin Impact or Clash of Clans).

How to transfer data:

1. On Samsung, go to Settings → Accounts & Archiving → Account Management and select your Google account.
2. Activate sync for Contacts, Calendar, Google Drive and Google Photos (if necessary).
3. On Redmi, add the same Google account to Settings → Accounts → Add an account.
4. Wait until sync is complete (it can take up to 24 hours for large photo libraries).

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has Power Saving Mode enabled, sync with Google may have been suspended. → Maintenance of the device → Battery.

💡

If no contacts appear on Redmi after syncing, check Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync, if the Contacts switch is on. Sometimes it resets after changing the device.

Method 3: Direct transmission over cable (for large amounts of data)

Use of the USB-cable (preferably the original Type-C – Type-C) is the fastest way to transfer tens of gigabytes of photos, videos and documents. Transfer speeds can reach 400-500 MB / s (versus 5-10 MB / s on Wi-Fi:

• 🔌 On Samsung with Android 11+ may need to be unlocked USB-debugging.
• 📂 The default Redmi file system may not display hidden folders (e.g.,.thumbnails or.thumbnails). Android/data).
• 🔄 When copying through Windows Explorer, errors with Cyrillic file names are possible.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Connect Samsung to your PC via cable, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the folders you need (DCIM, Downloads, Pictures) to your computer.
3. Disable Samsung, connect Redmi and paste files into the appropriate directories.

For Mac/Linux You'll need to install Android File Transfer (official software from Google). pull/push terminal:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/ ~/Downloads/Samsung_Photos


adb push ~/Downloads/Samsung_Photos /sdcard/DCIM/

⚠️ Note: If you copy photos to Redmi, they are displayed inverted, the problem is metadata. EXIF. Fix this with the app. EXIF Editor or via the command: exiftool -n -Orientation=1 -r -ext jpg -ext png /path/k/folder

Less than 5GB|5-20 GB|20–50 GB|More than 50GB-->

Method 4: Transfer through a memory card (for microSD-enabled devices)

If both phones support microSD cards (such as the Samsung Galaxy A52 and Redmi Note 11 Pro+), this method becomes the most reliable.

• 🔄 No dependence on the Internet or PC.
• 📦 Folder structure and file metadata are preserved.
• ⚡ Speed is limited to the class of the card (for example, the card is only limited, UHS-I It's up to 90MB/s).

Step-by-step action:

1. Insert the card in Samsung, format it in exFAT (if the volume is >32 GB) through Settings → Device Maintenance → Storage → Memory Map.
2. Transfer data from internal memory to the card (use My Files → Three dots → Copy / Move).
3. Remove the card, paste it into Redmi, and copy the files back to internal memory.

Important nuances:

• 📛 If the card was encrypted on Samsung, Redmi won't read it. First decrypt it in Settings. → Security → Encryption of the map SD.
• 🔍 folder Android/data It may not appear on Redmi without root rights. FX File Explorer with Root Access Mode enabled.

Method 5: Wireless transmission over a local area network (Wi-Fi Direct, FTP)

If you don’t have a cable or memory card, you can use Wi-Fi Direct or FTP-This method is suitable for transferring 10 to 30 GB of data without loss of quality:

• 📶 Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n): up to 50MB/s.
• 📶 Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac): up to 150 MB/s.
• 📶 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax): up to 250 MB/s.

Instructions through FTP-server FX File Explorer):

1. On Samsung, install it. FX File Explorer and Enable it FTP-side-menu.
2. Write it down. IP-address and port (e.g, ftp://192.168.1.100:2221).
3. On Redmi, in any file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager), connect to this address.
4. Copy the files you want.

For Wi-Fi Direct:

1. On Samsung, enable Wi-Fi Direct in Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi → Wi-Fi Direct.
2. On Redmi, activate Wi-Fi Direct in Settings → Wi-Fi → More.
3. Connect devices to each other and use Mi File Manager to transfer.

⚠️ Note: When transmitted over Wi-Fi, Direct Redmi can automatically compress video to 1080p, If the option Adaptive transmission is enabled in Settings → Special facilities → File transfer. Turn it off to preserve original quality.

💡

For top speed, use 5GHz Wi-Fi (if both phones support it) and place devices no more than 1 meter apart.

Method 6: Transfer WhatsApp and other messengers (History saving)

Moving WhatsApp from Samsung to Redmi is one of the most difficult tasks because of the encryption features.The official method from Meta (via Google Drive) only works if:

• 🔑 Both phones use the same number.
• 📱 Samsung has enabled a backup in Google Drive (check WhatsApp Settings) → chat → Backup copy).
• 📦 Redmi has enough recovery space (backup size can exceed 10 GB).

If you don’t have a backup in Google Drive, use the local backup:

1. On Samsung, back up manually: WhatsApp Settings → Chat → Backup → Create a copy.
2. The backup file (msgstore.db.crypt14) is located in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases. Copy it on your PC.
3. Install WhatsApp on Redmi, confirm the number and wait for the offer to restore chats.
4. If recovery does not begin, rename the file to msgstore.db.crypt14 and place it in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases on Redmi.

For Telegram and Viber, the process is simpler:

• 📌 Telegram: chat history syncs automatically when you log in to your account (unless Secret Chat is used).
• 📞 Viber: Backup is created in Settings → Account. → Backup and recovers on first launch on new phone.

💡

If you have a "Can't Restore Media" error when you restore WhatsApp, check if Redmi has enough space to upload all photos and videos, sometimes requiring up to 20GB of free space.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

Even when following instructions, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If none of the methods worked, try alternative applications:

• 🔄 Send Anywhere – transfer files via direct link (up to 10 GB at a time).
• 📦 Clonit – cloning data between Android devices (including: SMS call).
• 🌐 Snapdrop – a web service for transferring files without registration (works through a browser).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions