Where and how to watch spam SMS on Xiaomi smartphones: hidden folders, filters and cleaning

Spamming on Xiaomi smartphones is a problem that every second user faces: promotional mailings, fraudulent messages asking for money transfer or “confirm personal data”, notifications from unknown services are not only annoying, but also pose security risks. Unlike regular messages, spam is often hidden in separate folders or automatically archived by the system, so finding it is not so easy.

In this article, we will look at all the ways to view spam SMS on Xiaomi devices (including the Redmi, POCO and Black Shark models), regardless of the version of MIUI. You will learn where hidden messages are searched, how to set up filtering, why some SMS disappear from the main chat, and how to permanently get rid of intrusive mailings.

Where to store spam SMS on Xiaomi: hidden folders and system partitions

By default, Xiaomi smartphones sort incoming SMS into three categories:

• 📥 Main chat (Messages) → Incoming messages from contacts and verified senders are displayed here.
• 🗑️ Spam (Messages) → Spam – folder for automatically filtered mailings (works imperfectly).
• 🔍 Archives/Hidden – messages that the system considered suspicious but did not refer to spam may be stored here (not available on all versions). MIUI).

The problem is that Xiaomi’s filtering algorithm is often wrong, such as SMS from banks or delivery services (like SDEC or Boxberry) can get into spam, and fraudulent messages can stay in the main chat.

1. Communications → Three points (⋮) → spamming
2. Communications → Three points (⋮) → Settings → Message Archive (if available).
3. File Manager → SMS folder (hidden) – here are stored backup copies of messages in.xml or.db format.

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If the Spam folder is empty but you are sure spam text messages are coming, check the filtering settings in Messages → Settings → Block and filter.

On some firmware (e.g. MIUI 12.5 for the global version), spam text messages can be automatically deleted after 30 days. To avoid this, turn off the Autoclean Spam option in the Messages app settings.

How to turn on built-in antispam on Xiaomi and why it doesn’t work

Xiaomi smartphones have a built-in spam filter, but by default it can be disabled or configured incorrectly.

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap three points (⋮) → Settings → Blocking and filtration.
3. Turn on the switches: 🔄 Spam filtering (main filter). 📵 Blocking Unknown Numbers (Prohibits SMS from Unsaved Contacts). 🛡️ Protection against fraud (suspicious message labeling).

But even after you turn on the filter, it can work poorly.

• 📵 Regional settings: If your smartphone is configured to another region (for example, India or China), the filter will block local mailings, but skip Russian mailings.
• 🔄 Previous articleOutdated spammer database: Xiaomi updates blacklists every 1-2 months, so new scams can slip.
• 📱 Castom firmware: on unofficial versions MIUI (Like xiaomi.eu, anti-spam can be disabled or work with errors.

If the built-in filter doesn’t work, try the side of an app like Truecaller or SMS Organizer, which uses spammer cloud databases and updates more often than Xiaomi’s system anti-spam.

Step-by-step: how to find and remove spam SMS manually

If automatic filters don't work, you'll have to manually clean the spam.

Open the Messages app | Check the Spam folder | Check the archive (if any) | Delete unnecessary messages | Add spammer numbers to the blacklist-->

1. Open the Spam folder: Go to Messages → Three points (⋮) → Spam, all the messages that the system has deemed suspicious are displayed here, so to delete them all at once, tap the Control Department. → Choose all. → Delete.
2. Check the main chat for hidden spam: Sometimes spam text messages are disguised as notifications from banks or services: 💰 Messages asking to transfer money (“Your account is blocked”, “Confirm payment»). 🎁 Newsletters with suspicious links (for example, bit.ly/xxxx or tinyurl.com). 📞 Numbers with unusual prefixes (+79xx, +375, +380).

Add spammers to the blacklist

To block the number forever:

1. Open the spam text.
2. Tap three points (⋮) → Add to the blacklist.
3. Confirm the action.

After cleaning, check if there are any hidden backups of spam SMS.

1. Open the File Manager.
2. Go to Inner Memory → MIUI → Backup → AllBackup → com.android.mms.
3. Delete files with the.db or.xml extension if they contain spam.

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Regularly cleaning the Spam folder and updating the blacklist reduces the risk of missing a fraudulent message, but it is better to combine manual verification with automatic filters.

Table: where to look for spam SMS in different versions of MIUI

Spam folder location and filtering settings may vary depending on the firmware version, and below is a comparison table for popular MIUI versions:

If your version of MIUI is not listed in the table, try the universal method:

1. Open "Messages."
2. Enter the keywords in the search bar: “winning”, “transfer”, “confirm”, “bank”.
3. The system will show all messages with these words, including those hidden in spam.

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If spam SMS comes but is not saved, check if the function “Delete SMS after reading” is enabled in the operator settings (for example, Tele2 or MTS it can be activated by default).

If the problem is not solved, try resetting the Messages app settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Messages → Storage.
2. Tap Clear Data (Warning: This Will Delete All Messages!)
3. Reboot your smartphone.

⚠️ Note: After the Messages application data is reset, all SMS (including important ones) will be deleted. → System and device → Backup.

How to permanently disable spam SMS on Xiaomi: radical methods

If spam comes too often and interferes with work, you can apply radical measures:

• 📵 Disable SMS from unknown numbers: Go to Messages → Settings → Lock down the unknown and activate the option. Now, SMS will only come from saved contacts.
• 📲 Use third-party SMS-Apps: Install Google Messages or Textra SMS — They have more flexible filtering settings, like Google Messages, which has a Spam Protection feature that works better than Xiaomi's built-in anti-spam.
• 📡 Block SMS at the operator level: Contact your operator (e.g. Beeline, MegaFon) and ask for the service to be activated, called Spam Protection.
• 🔧 Disable SMS completely (extreme case): If you do not need SMS (for example, you only use messengers), you can turn off their reception in the settings SIM-maps (Settings) → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Settings SIM → Communications centre → Shut down).

⚠️ Note: Disabling SMS may cause problems with receiving confirmation codes (e.g. from banks or social networks) before doing so, make sure you have a backup authorization method set up (email, push notifications).

If spam comes from short numbers (e.g. 1234, 5432), they can be blocked through the operator.

1. Send an SMS with the STOP text to the spammer number.
2. If it doesn’t help, contact operator support and provide screenshots of messages.

Frequent mistakes when working with spam SMS on Xiaomi

Many users make mistakes that make it harder to fight spam, and here are the most common ones:

• 🚫 Ignoring updates MIUI: Newer versions of firmware improve the anti-spam filter, and if you haven't updated in a long time, the system may miss fraudulent messages.
• 📱 Use of pirate firmware: on unofficial assemblies (like) MIUI Pro or Flyme for Xiaomi anti-spam is often disabled or not working properly.

Another common problem is that spam SMS comes in second. SIM-The slot, and the user checks only the first one. SIM The message has been sent (notice this).

FAQ: answers to frequent questions about spam SMS on Xiaomi