How to set up SMS on Xiaomi Redmi 8

Modern smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi 8 have become powerful communication centers, where text messages sometimes fade into the background, giving way to instant messengers. However, standard SMS remains critical for obtaining confirmation codes, bank notifications and communicating with subscribers who do not use the Internet. Owners of devices based on the MIUI shell often face the need to fine-tune this service to ensure stable operation.

In this article, we will detail how to properly configure SMS on Redmi 8 so that no important notification gets lost in the data stream. You will learn about the hidden features of the standard application, methods for blocking spam and ways to solve common delivery problems.

Basic configuration of the Messages application

The first thing to start with is to check the basic parameters of the application, and in the MIUI shell, the text communication is provided by a standard application that is often integrated with Google services. To access the settings, you need to open the message interface and click on the three dots in the upper right corner, then select Settings, and here are the key switches that affect the display and sorting of incoming data.

Particular attention should be paid to the Chat (or RCS) section, which allows you to send messages over the Internet, similar to instant messengers, but from a phone number. If your SIM card and operator support this feature, it can be activated by default. However, in some regions or when using two SIM cards, this can cause delays in the delivery of conventional SMS. It is recommended to test the work in both modes.

Notification management is an important aspect. In the settings menu, you can select Sounds and vibrations, where the tone is set for new messages. Many users ignore the possibility of separate sound for important contacts, which is an omission. The setting of notification categories allows you to separate private messages and system mailings, making interaction with the phone more comfortable.

• 📱 Turn on the option to show preview to see the text of the message on the locked screen without unlocking the device.
• 🔒 Activate spam filtering in the Antispam section to screen out advertising mailings automatically.
• 💬 Set up quick responses for instant response to inboxes without having to open the app.

⚠️ Note: When you enable the “Chat” function» (RCS) Make sure you have a stable mobile internet connection, otherwise messages may not be sent or come with a long delay.

Working with two SIM-maps on Redmi 8

The Redmi 8 model features a two-sim card slot, which creates additional specifics in working with messages.Android system and shell MIUI It allows you to flexibly manage sending and receiving data from different numbers. By default, the system can request a SIM card selection for each new message, which sometimes annoys users. → Messages and find the Settings item SIM-map.

You can set the default card here to send new messages, which is especially useful if one SIM card is used for the Internet and messengers, and the second one is used exclusively for calls and SMS. Also available is the “Always Ask” feature, which is useful if you evenly distribute traffic between two operators.

When you receive messages, the system automatically determines which SIM card you have responded to if you are already in a dialogue, but when you create a new contact or start a correspondence, the choice may be confused, in which case resetting preferences in the SIM management menu helps. Remember that some banks and services are tied to a specific number, so it is important that the response comes from the SIM card that the account is registered to.

• 📲 Use a long tap on the number input field to quickly switch the SIM card for current correspondence.
• 🔄 Check the status of SIM cards in the dispatcher regularly, as if a bad signal is bad, one of them may temporarily shut down.
• 📝 Sign SIM cards (e.g., “Work”, “Personal”) in the settings for easy identification when sending.

⚠️ Note: If you retrieved one of the SIM cards, messages sent to its number will not be received until the card is returned to the device or transferred to another phone.

Blocking Spam and Blacklisting

One of the most useful features in Xiaomi Redmi 8 is built-in protection against unwanted calls and messages. MIUI has a powerful filtering engine that is updated through cloud databases. To set up, go to the Security app (green icon with lightning) and select the Antispam section. Here you can turn on the blocking of hidden numbers and messages containing keywords.

The effectiveness of the fight against advertising depends on a correctly composed list of keywords. You can add terms that are often found in spam, such as "credit", "winning", "promotion" or the names of questionable stores. The system will automatically hide messages containing these phrases and put them in a separate folder without disturbing you with a beep.

The blacklist works not only for incoming users, but also for outgoings if you want to limit phone use by children or employees. Adding a number to a blacklist completely blocks any attempts to contact that subscriber. It is important to periodically check the Spam folder to make sure that important notifications from delivery services or banks that may have been mistakenly classified by the system as unwanted have not been hit.

• 🚫 Add the region code or the short number from which the mass mailing is sent to the blacklist for full blocking.
• 🔍 Regularly update your antivirus and antispam databases through the Security for Up-to-date Protection app.
• ⏳ Set up a Do Not Disturb schedule so that messages don’t come at night.

Solving problems with delivery and shipment

When messages are not sent or not coming, it is one of the most common complaints of Redmi 8 users. Before carrying the phone to the service, you need to perform a number of diagnostic actions. Often the problem lies in the overcrowded memory of the phone or a failure in the network module. First of all, try to restart the device - this simple action solves about 80% of the software glitches.

If the reboot didn't work, check the SMS Center settings, which is automatically assigned by the operator, but when you change your SIM card or crash your firmware, it can get lost. You can find it in the advanced messaging app settings. The message center number should match your carrier; you can find out the correct code on the operator's official website or by calling in support. The wrong center number makes sending SMS technically impossible.

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If messages are not sent, try to temporarily turn off Wi-Fi and send a test message over the mobile network – this will help determine the source of the problem.

Another reason may be the limitations of application background activity. MIUI is known for its aggressive energy savings, which can kill the process of sending a message if the screen is turned off. Go to Settings → Applications → Messages → Battery and select No Limits mode. This ensures that the system will not interrupt the application to save power.

Backup and recovery of correspondence

Saving important conversations is a task that is often remembered too late. There are several ways to chat on the Xiaomi Redmi 8, the most reliable is using the Mi Cloud or Google Drive cloud service. You can enable SMS sync in your Google account settings, which will allow you to automatically restore your entire history when you switch to a new phone.

For local storage, you can use the built-in backup function MIUI. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Backup and recovery. You can create a backup of internal memory messages here. SD-Message backup files have the extension.bak and are stored in a folder MIUI/backup/AllBackup/sms. This is critical information for those who plan to reflash or reset settings to factory.

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Regularly backing up important dialogs on an external medium or in the cloud is the only way to guarantee your correspondence history when your device breaks down.

Recovery from the backup is done through the same interface where the backup was created. It takes a few minutes and requires a phone to restart. There are also third-party applications, but they require advanced access rights and may be less secure.

• ☁️ Use Google One to automatically reserve messages in the background every day.
• 💾 Periodically copy backup files from phone to computer, so as not to lose them when the gadget breaks down.
• 🔐 Set a password for backup archives if they contain sensitive information.

⚠️ Note: When you restore messages from the backup of the old version of Android to the new version, you may have encoding problems, and instead of text, you will see a set of incomprehensible characters.

Additional features and hidden functions

The standard message app on Redmi 8 hides a number of features that can make life much easier for users, such as the ability to pin important conversations at the top of the list, and this is done by long clicking on correspondence and selecting the appropriate pin icon, so you never lose an important conversation with your job or loved ones amid the flood of advertising notifications.

Another useful option is to schedule your messaging, and although this feature may be limited in the standard MIUI app, many versions support delayed messaging via an attachment menu or voice input, and you can also use voice input, which works with high accuracy and supports many languages in Google Gboard, which speeds up long text typing at times.

Also, the visual aspect of the message design can vary depending on the theme in the Topic app, making the interface more pleasing to the eye or contrasting for visually impaired people, and experimenting with fonts and text sizes in the general settings of the system to make it easier to read in all lighting conditions.

• 📌 Hold it to the top. 3-5 important dialogues so that they are always on hand at the top of the list.
• 🎨 Change chat wallpapers for individual contacts to visually highlight important correspondence.
• 🗑️ Use the Clean Everything feature to quickly remove old dialogues and make room.