Xiaomi smartphone owners often face intrusive system notifications immediately after installing a memory card. Android-based MIUI has implemented strict security mechanisms that require manual authorizations for each application.This may seem redundant, but this is how the system protects your personal data from unauthorized reading.
For the Redmi 7, this procedure has its own visual features, since the device runs on an older version of Android, where the dialog boxes look different from modern firmware. The user can observe a pop-up demanding permission to access files, which disappears after a few seconds without giving the opportunity to press a button. In this article, we will discuss not only the standard algorithm of actions, but also ways to solve problems when the system “forgets” the permissions issued or blocks the gallery.
Ignoring this step will make your photos and videos saved on an external drive invisible to standard applications. The gallery will simply not be able to scan directories and display content, creating the illusion of data loss. Understanding how the media scanner works in MIUI will help avoid unnecessary panic and time loss.
Android Security Principles on Redmi 7
Since Android 10, Google has implemented Scoped Storage, which has dramatically changed the way apps interact with files. Previously, programs could read the entire drive, creating vulnerabilities for malware. Now every application, whether it is a messenger or a gallery, must receive explicit permission from the user to work with specific folders or file types.
In the case of Redmi 7, the situation is complicated by the brand shell. MIUI. A system often requires double confirmation: first, a system permission to access the storage, and then an additional permission for a specific application that tries to read the data from the data. SD-This is done so that no software can covertly copy your personal photos to the cloud or transfer them to third parties.
If you see a message saying "Allow access to memory" or "Required access to files," it means that the system file manager or Media Storage has blocked the application from trying to read the disk sector. Without your intervention, this process will not continue. It is important to distinguish system requests and requests from third-party applications, although the mechanism for processing them in Xiaomi is unified.
⚠️ Warning: Never grant full file rights to unknown applications from questionable sources, only allow access to trusted system components like Gallery, Files or Explorer».
It is worth noting that on older versions of MIUI, which are relevant to Redmi 7, the rights request mechanism may not work smoothly. Sometimes the dialog box simply does not appear, and the application continues to silently refuse to display content, in which case you need to manually check the permission settings in the corresponding part of the system.
Preparation of memory card for work with MIUI
Before you set up access rights, you need to make sure that the memory card itself is correctly defined by the system. Redmi 7 supports microSDHC and microSDXC cards up to 256 GB (officially), although in practice, larger cards often work. If the card is not formatted or has a file system that is not supported by Android by default (for example, NTFS), the system can request permissions but will not be able to mount the partition.
It is recommended to use a file system FAT32 exFAT. FAT32 It is the most compatible, but has a 4GB file size limit. exFAT is devoid of this drawback, but on very old versions Android may require additional drivers, which are usually built into Redmi 7.
To check card status, go to the settings and find the About Phone or Storage section. SD-If the system offers to format the card, make sure that it does not have important data, as formatting will destroy all information.
☑️ Verification SD-map
It is also important to check the physical status of the cards’ contacts. If the memory card is old or used in extreme conditions, contact oxidation can lead to periodic shutdowns, at the time of such a “blink”, the Android system perceives this as retrieval of the drive and can reset previously issued permissions for applications.
Step-by-step: issuing permits through settings
The most reliable way to give the Gallery access to files is to do so by force through the system settings menu, which eliminates the possibility of missing a pop-up. First, open the main settings menu of your Redmi 7 and find the "Applications" item, which stores a list of all installed programs and system services.
In the app list, look for Gallery. If you use a third-party gallery (like Google Photos or Simple Gallery), look for its name. In the app system settings, we're interested in Permissions. Here's a full list of the rights that the app can request from the system.
Find Memory, Files and Media, or Storage. The name may differ from MIUI to the switch to Allowed or select Allow All Files to be Managed. The changes will take effect immediately and no reboot is required.
⚠️ Note: If after enabling the permission Gallery still does not see the files, try clearing the cache of the Gallery application in the same settings menu, and then restart the device.
Sometimes it's also useful to check the permissions for the Media Storage system application, which is the service that scans the memory and creates a database of all photos and videos, if it doesn't have the right to read. SD-The gallery will not be able to show anything, even if it has its own rights.
What if the “memory” item is not in the permit?
Solving the problem through the Permit Manager
In the MIUI shell, there is a dedicated tool for global rights management that is often more effective than the individual settings of each application. To get into it, open the Security app (green icon with lightning), which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi smartphones. At the bottom of the screen or in the three-dot menu, select Permissions.
Here, the rights are grouped into categories: Contacts, SMS, Memory, and others. Select Memory (or Files and Media) and you will see a list of all the apps that have ever requested storage access.
If you have a question mark or a red cross next to the app name, you can either block access or not be confirmed. Click on the app name and select "Always Allow" or "Allow" and force the rules to be written into the access rights registry.
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Check this section periodically after major system updates. MIUI has a habit of resetting some user permissions to "default" values for "enhanced security."
Using Permission Manager also allows you to see which other apps have access to your photos, a great way to conduct a security audit and shut down suspicious programs that don’t need to see your personal archives.
Setting up the display of hidden albums
Even after obtaining all the necessary permissions, some folders on the SD-In Android, there is a convention that states that folders that start with a dot (like.thumbnails or.sys) are considered hidden. The gallery ignores them by default so as not to clog the interface with system debris.
But sometimes users hide their photos or download content to hidden directories and then forget about it. To get Redmi 7 to show them, you need to change the display settings. Open the Gallery, go to the Albums section, and click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
In the drop-down menu, select Settings or Hide/Show Albums. Here you will see a list of all the image folders you have found. SD-card (they are often marked with a memory card icon), and activate the switch next to them. this will cause the application to scan and display the contents of these directories.
| Type of folder | Default status | User action | The result |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCIM / Camera | Vidima. | No. | Camera photos are visible. |
| WhatsApp / Media | Vidima. | No. | Photos from messengers visible |
| .thumbnails | Hidden. | Enable in settings | There will be miniatures. |
| Download | Depends on the version. | Check the permits | Downloaded files |
It is also worth checking the presence of the.nomedia file in the root of the folder with photos on the SD-This blank file is a command for Android: "Do not scan this folder for media files." If you accidentally created such a file or it appeared after a program was running, the Gallery will not see the photo, even if you have full permissions to access it. Delete this file through any file manager.
Diagnosis and frequent access errors
If you've done all the steps, but the Gallery on Redmi 7 still writes "No access" or shows a blank screen, the problem can go deeper. A common cause is a Media Scanner malfunction, which could be a background process that would freeze when you plug in a card or issue permissions.
To fix this, try restarting your smartphone. This trivial action is often the only way to restart the system's media indexing services. After turning on your phone, wait 5-10 minutes without loading your device so that the system can scan the new file structure.
Another cause could be damage to the memory card file system. Android can allow access to the root directory, but block reading of specific sectors if errors occur. Check the card on your computer using the chkdsk utility or analogues.
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90% of problems with access to SD-Redmi 7 card solved by combination: check the physical contact of the card + Issuance of rights in the “Security” menu» + restart.
In rare cases, the MIUI version itself is the culprit. If you recently upgraded and the problem only appeared after that, there may be a bug in the firmware, in which case cleaning the cache of the entire phone through Recovery Mode helps, but this is an extreme measure.
Can I recover the deleted photos from SD-post-retirement?
Optimization of work with external storage
For the Gallery and other applications to work smoothly on Xiaomi Redmi 7, it is important not only to grant permissions, but also to organize files correctly. Try not to store thousands of photos in one folder. This slows down the indexer and can lead to lags when opening the Gallery.
It is recommended to conduct an audit every few months. SD-Delete bad images, duplicates and screenshots; the less junk on the map, the faster the system permits and indexes content; also keep an eye on free space: a memory card that is more than 90% full is slower and can cause access errors.
Using quality memory cards from trusted brands (SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston) reduces the risk of software failures. Cheap cards often have a low write speed and may not have time to respond to system requests at the time of issuing permissions, leading to timeouts and access errors.