How to Set Up the Importance of Notifications on Xiaomi Smartphones: From Basic Rules to Hidden Features

Notifications on Xiaomi smartphones can be a real challenge: some alerts are critical (messages from banks or messengers), others are just annoying noise (gaming notifications or advertising). MIUI offers flexible tools to manage priorities, but many users are not even aware of half the possibilities. For example, did you know that you can customize different sounds for different types of notifications in one application? Or that Xiaomi hides a separate menu for “quiet” alerts that will not wake you at night but will remain in the curtain?

In this article, we will discuss not only basic settings like turning off sound, but also advanced features: how to force a notification to be “important” to bypass the “Do Not Disturb” mode, why some alerts disappear from the curtain after 5 seconds, and how to return the old notification system (spoiler: this is possible even on MIUI 15).

Why Xiaomi’s notifications work “how they want”

The problem of chaotic notifications on Xiaomi lies in three layers of the system:

• 📱 MIUI Optimized Services: A background service that “optimizes” apps by often blocking notifications from underutilized programs. For example, if you haven’t opened Telegram for 3 days, the system may decide that its alerts aren’t important.
• 🔔 Notification Categories: Each app itself defines the types of alerts (e.g., “Messages”, “Groups”, “Channels” in Telegram), and Xiaomi allows you to configure them individually.
• 🔄 Firmware conflicts: after major updates (e.g., with MIUI 13 on MIUI 14) the system resets the notification settings to default, but does not inform the user.

Xiaomi also uses AI to rank notifications, which analyzes which alerts you respond to more frequently (like opening WhatsApp immediately but ignoring game alerts), and automatically lowers the priority of “unnecessary” messages, which is convenient, but sometimes leads to an important email from work being at the bottom of the list, and advertising the game in the first place.

⚠️ Note: If you use Xiaomi with global firmware (e.g, MIUI Global, some notification settings may not be available, such as in the Chinese version (MIUI China) has a separate section for “smart filtering” spam, which is not available in international builds.

Basic setting: How to change notification priority for a particular application

So, to start with, how do you make sure that Viber messages always show up on top, and AliExpress alerts don't twitch you with a sound? MIUI 12–15:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification management.
2. In the list, find the desired application (for example, Telegram) and tap it.
3. Activate the "Allow Notifications" switch (if it is turned off).
4. Select "Importance" (or "Priority" in older versions) below:

For critical applications (banks, instant messengers), choose High. Note that even if you have a high priority but do not disturb mode is enabled, notifications can still be blocked. To avoid this, add the application to exceptions (for this, see the next section).

Make sure the app has permission to show notifications|Check the level of importance (not "low")|Turn off "Adaptive Notifications" in the application settings|Add the app to the "Do Not Disturb" mode exceptions"-->

Do Not Disturb and Exceptions: How to Skip Important Notifications

Xiaomi's Do Not Disturb (DND) mode blocks all default notifications, but allows you to configure exceptions. This is useful if you want to sleep without interference, but don't miss a call from loved ones or an SMS from a bank.

1. Go to Settings → Sound and vibration → Do not disturb.
2. Turn on the mode and press "Settings".
3. In the "Exceptions" section, select:

• 📞 Calls: Allow calls from everyone, only contacts or repeat calls (if someone calls twice within 3 minutes).
• 💬 Messages: Select specific contacts or apps (e.g, SMS WhatsApp).
• ⚠️ Alerts: here you can add applications, notifications of which will be shown even in mode DND. For example, Google Calendar for Meetup Reminders.
• 🔔 Other sounds: alarm clocks, reminders of low battery charge, etc.

An important nuance: if you added an app to exceptions, but notifications still don't come, check your battery optimization settings. Xiaomi can block the background activity of applications, even if they are in the exceptions of DND.

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the application you want (such as Telegram).
3. Click on "Battery Limitation" and select "No Limits".
4. Turn on "Autostart" and "Background Activity."

Every night | Only in meetings |Rare |Never-->

Advanced settings: notification categories and hidden settings

Many apps (especially instant messengers and social networks) divide notifications into categories, such as Telegram, which has separate alerts for private messages, groups, channels and calls, and you can configure each category separately on Xiaomi:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications → Notifications Management.
2. Select an application (such as VK).
3. Tap on Notification Categories (or Notification Types in older versions).
4. For each category (e.g., “Messages”, “Messages”, “Likes”), configure:

• 🔔 Sound (on/off, select melody)
• 📳 Vibration (type and duration)
• 💡 Screen lighting (flash or flashing of the indicator)
• 📌 Fixing on the lock screen

MIUI 14/15 has a hidden Smart Grouping feature that automatically combines notifications from one application to enable:

Settings → Notifications and Status String → Additional → Smart Notification Grouping

If this option is not available, your firmware does not support it, so you can manually disable the grouping for specific applications in their notification settings.

Problems and Solutions: Why Notifications Are Losing or Not Coming

If notifications from apps suddenly stop coming, the reasons may be as follows:

Especially often, problems arise after Google Play Services updates or the firmware itself. If notifications stopped working after the update, try:

1. Clear the cache of Google Play Services (Settings → Apps → All Apps → Google Play Services → Clear the cache).
2. Reboot the phone.
3. If it does not help – reset the notification settings for the problem application (in its card in Notification Management, click Reset).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5) When you reset the notification settings, you can't change the sound for the individual categories. MIUI 14, amended only in MIUI 15.If you encounter such a problem, update the firmware or use it. ADB-commands to force the inclusion of options.

How to set up notifications for system applications (calls, SMS, alarm)

System notifications (calls, SMS, low battery charge) are set up separately from regular applications, for example, you can make sure that:

• 📞 Calls from unknown numbers didn't wake you up at night, but they showed up in the curtain.
• 💰 SMS The bank (900, 911) always played a unique sound.
• ⚡ Notifications of low battery charge (<15%) flashing the lamp, even if the phone is down.

Instructions for MIUI 14/15:

1. For calls:

Settings → Sound and vibration → Sound and vibration of phone calls

• Choose a tune for incoming calls.
• Turn on "Vibration on the call" and adjust its intensity.
• Activate the screen light if you want the display to light up when you call.

1. For SMS:

Settings → Notifications and Status Bar → Notification Management → Messages

• Turn on "Allow notifications."
• In the Sound section, select a unique tune for SMS (e.g. Beep Once for bank messages).
• Turn on "Show on the lock screen."

Secret Chip: If you want missed calls or SMS notifications to stay in the curtain even after cleaning, turn on the “Accumulate Notifications” option in the Phone or Messages app settings.

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If you miss important calls often because your phone is in your bag, turn on the "volume up" option in your call settings, and then the volume will gradually increase when you call in, even if it was silent initially.

ADB-commands for experienced users: forced notification setting

If the standard settings don’t help (e.g. Xiaomi stubbornly blocks notifications from the user’s home). VK), can be used ADB-It requires you to connect the phone to the computer and enable debugging. USB.

Major teams:

• 🔓 Allow all notifications for the application (replace com.example.app with an application package, for example com.vkontakte.android):

adb shell cmd notification allow_listener com.example.app

• 🔔 Set high priority for notifications:

adb shell cmd notification set_priority com.example.app 2

Where 2 is the priority level (from 0 to 2, where 2 is the maximum).

• 📵 Disable battery optimization for the app (helps if notifications don't come due to background restrictions):

adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.example.app

Warning: improper use of ADB can cause system failures. Before experimenting, back up your data.

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ADB-Teams are the last chance if the standard settings don't work, but remember, after you reset your phone or update your firmware, all changes are made through the phone. ADB They are reset and the procedure will have to be repeated.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions