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

Transferring Data Between Ecosystems: Why It’s Not Easy

The transition from Samsung to Xiaomi is not just a change of gadget, but a complete migration between two closed ecosystems with their own storage standards. S22 Galaxy S23) The transfer takes minutes thanks to Samsung Smart Switch, then when switching to Redmi, POCO The main problem is the lack of a universal tool that would automatically convert backups of.sbu (Samsung format) into readable for the user. MIUI look.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods for data transfer, from official utilities (Mi Mover, Google Drive) to manual methods for advanced users, and focus on porting applications with data storage (for example, progress in games or chats in Telegram), since this is the most problematic stage, you will learn which types of files can not be copied directly and how to circumvent restrictions.

Method 1: Mi Mover – official solution from Xiaomi

Mi Mover is a proprietary utility from Xiaomi designed to migrate data from devices on Android or iOS. It is pre-installed on all smartphones with MIUI 9+ and supports the transfer of contacts, messages, photos, videos, music and even some settings.

• 🚫 Does not work with Samsung Smart Switch backups (requires a live donor device).
• 📱 Supports only Android 5.0+ on the source device (no problem if your Samsung is newer than the Galaxy) S6).
• 🔄 Application portability is possible, but without saving user data (for example, saving in games).
• 📶 Requires both devices to connect to the same Wi-Fi network (not working over mobile Internet).

To take advantage of the Mi Mover:

1. On Xiaomi go to Settings → About Phone → Mi Mover.
2. On Samsung, download Mi Mover from Google Play (the app is called “Switch to Xiaomi”).
3. On both phones, select “I am a new user” (Xiaomi) and “I am an old user” (Samsung).
4. Scan it. QR-Code from Xiaomi screen on Samsung and follow the instructions.

Charging both phones > 50%|Shut down. VPN firewalls|Connect to 5GHz Wi-Fi (for speed)|Release. ≥ 2 GB of memory on Xiaomi|Delete unnecessary files on Samsung-->

⚠️ Note: If Samsung has enabled data encryption (e.g., through Settings) → Biometrics and safety → Encryption, Mi Mover won't be able to read some files. Before transferring, temporarily disable encryption (reset to factory settings will be required!).

Method 2: Samsung Smart Switch + Google Drive (Two-Step Transfer)

If Mi Mover refuses to work or you need to transfer data from Samsung, which is already reset, use a combination of Smart Switch and Google Drive.

• 📞 Contacts, calendars and notes (synchronization with Google Account).
• 📷 Photos and videos (via Google Photos with original quality).
• 🎵 Music and documents (download to Google Drive).
• 📱 Some settings (language, wallpaper, Wi-Fi networks).

Instructions:

1. On Samsung, back up your Smart Switch (select "External Drive" or "Google Drive").
2. If the copy is saved to a memory card, connect it to Xiaomi via the OTG adapter.
3. For data in Google Drive: On Xiaomi: Settings → Accounts → Google → Synchronization → Enable all options
4. Upload photos and videos to Google Photos (on Samsung), then on Xiaomi enable autosynchronization in the app.

💡

If Smart Switch doesn’t see Google Drive, upgrade to the latest version of the app or use the browser version of Google Drive to manually upload files.

Method 3: Manual transfer via computer (for advanced)

This is a way that takes longer, but gives you complete control of the process.

• 🖥️ You have access to the PC with Windows/macOS.
• 📁 You need to transfer specific files (for example, save games from the game). /Android/data/).
• 🔧 You want to avoid cloud services for privacy reasons.

Procedure:

1. Connect Samsung to your PC in File Transfer (MTP) mode.
2. Copy the folders you need: DCIM (photo/video), Download (download), Pictures (images), Music (audio) Android/data (application data)
3. To transfer SMS and calls, use SMS Backup & Restore (save the.xml file to your PC).
4. Connect Xiaomi and paste the copied files into the corresponding folders.
5. To recover SMS, install Backup & Restore SMS on Xiaomi and import the file.

⚠️ Note: When manually copying a folder Android/data Some apps (like WhatsApp or banking software) may require re-authorization, which is due to data binding to Android. ID, changeable.

Mi Mover|Smart Switch + Google Drive| Manual portability via PC|Cloud services (Dropbox, Yandex Drive)|I don't know, haven't tried-->

Method 4: Cloud services (Google Drive, Yandex Drive, Dropbox)

If the data volume is less than 15-20 GB, the easiest way to use cloud storage is to use it.

• ☁️ No specific brand binding (works on any Android device).
• 🔄 You can transfer data gradually (for example, first photo, then music).
• 📲 Access from any device (even if Samsung is already sold).

The following steps are provided for Google Drive:

1. On Samsung, install Google Drive and log in.
2. Go to the menu → Backup and select the files to download.
3. On Xiaomi, open Google Drive, find uploaded files and download them.
4. To automatically sync photos, use Google Photos (set up autoload on both devices).

Alternative services:

• 📁 Yandex Disk – 10 GB free, high download speed in Russia.
• 🗄️ Dropbox – 2GB free, but user-friendly interface for selecting files.
• 🌐 Cloud – 8 GB free, integration with mail.

💡

To transfer large amounts of data (for example, movie collections), use Yandex Drive with the option "Download folder." This is faster than copying over Wi-Fi via Mi Mover.

Method 5: Data-saving application portability (Root method)

If you need to migrate not only the apps themselves (.apk) but also their data (e.g. save in games, VLC or Kodi settings), standard methods won't help. The only reliable way is to use Titanium Backup or Swift Backup, but it requires root rights on both devices.

Instructions:

1. Get root on Samsung and Xiaomi (for example, through Magisk).
2. Install Titanium Backup on both phones.
3. On Samsung, back up your apps (select Freeze + Data).
4. Transfer the backup file (.tar.gz) to Xiaomi.
5. On Xiaomi, restore apps through Titanium Backup.

⚠️ Note: Root access voids warranty on Xiaomi and may cause problems with Google Pay, Netflix and banking apps (due to SafetyNet triggering.

Alternative without root:

• 🎮 For games: Use built-in sync via Google Play Games or Facebook.
• 📱 For instant messengers: export chats manually (in Telegram - "Export of History", in WhatsApp - backup in Google Drive).
• 🔧 For application settings: check if the program supports cloud sync (e.g, VLC Save playlists in Google Account).

What can not be transferred with 100% guarantee

Despite all efforts, some data remains tied to the Samsung ecosystem and is not fully portable:

It is also worth considering that:

• 🔐 Biometric data (fingerprints, facial scans) are not transferred for security reasons.
• 📡 Wi-Fi settings are portable but may not work due to different chips (e.g. Samsung uses Broadcom and Xiaomi uses Qualcomm).
• 🎵 Equalizer and sound profiles will have to be reconfigured (sound processing algorithms for brands are different).

FAQ: Frequent questions when migrating from Samsung to Xiaomi