How to return the Message icon to Xiaomi’s home screen: all working methods

Icon of the “Messages” app** (or SMS/MMS) — One of the key elements on the smartphone’s home screen, but sometimes it disappears after an update MIUI, Unlike other shortcuts, a standard SMS application on Xiaomi can't always be returned by simply dragging and dropping from the app menu. MIUI, where system applications can be hidden or deactivated.

In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to return the SMS icon to the home screen, from basic (for beginners) to advanced (using ADB and hidden settings). All methods are tested on Xiaomi 13 Pro, Redmi Note 12 and POCO F5 devices running MIUI 14 and Android 13/14, but will also work for older models. If you encounter a shortcut that disappeared after an update or reset, start with the first section - most likely, the problem is solved in 2 minutes.

1. App Menu Check: Where to Look for Hidden Shortcut

Before you start complex manipulations, make sure that the SMS icon is not hidden in the depths of the application menu. In MIUI, system applications sometimes “hide” in the folder “Google Services” or “Tools” – this is the standard shell behavior after major updates.

How to check:

• 🔍 Scroll through all the application menu pages (swipe up from the bottom of the screen). The icon may be on the last page.
• 📁 Open the Tools or Google folder – often there are system utilities, including Messages.
• 🔎 Enter the “Messages” request in the search bar (swipe down the main screen) or «SMS». If the application is active, it will appear in the results.

If the label is found but not added to the main screen:

1. Press the Message icon in the app menu.
2. Drag it to a vacant seat on the home screen or to the dock bar.
3. If the message “Can’t be added” appears, then the application is disabled – go to the next section.

2. Enabling the system application "Messages" in the settings

If the icon doesn't even appear in the app menu, it's likely that the app itself is disabled in the settings.

• 📱 Updates MIUI (Especially when switching to a new version of Android).
• 🔄 Resetting settings to factory.
• 🚫 Manual shutdown by the user (for example, to save battery life).

To return the app:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select “Show all apps”**.
3. In the search bar, type “Messages” (or “Messages” for global firmware).
4. If the application is disabled, click "Enable"**.
5. After activation, go back to the app menu and add a shortcut to the home screen.

Important: On some models (like the Xiaomi Mi A1/A2 with pure Android), the standard SMS app may be called “Android Messages” or “Google Messages” – look for it in the app list.

3.Resetting launcher settings (without data loss)

The MIUI launcher (the program responsible for displaying the main screen) sometimes resets the location of the icons after updates or crashes. You can restore the SMS shortcut without completely resetting the phone - just reset the launcher settings:

1. Click on the empty space on the home screen and select Screen Settings (or Launcher Settings).
2. Scroll down and find the option “Reset settings” or “Restore by default”.
3. Confirm action. After the launcher restarts, check the app menu, and the Message icon should appear.

If there is no reset option:

• 📱 Delete the launcher data: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher MIUI → Warehouse → Clear the data.
• ⚠️ Note: This will remove all your widgets and icon locations, but will not affect personal data (photos, contacts, etc.).

Take a screenshot of the current location of the icons

Remember the widgets used

Close all open applications

Connect your phone to charge (recommended)-->

4. Installation of an alternative application for SMS

If the standard application does not recover or does not work correctly, you can use third-party messengers for SMS. They will not only solve the problem with the icon, but also add useful features (backup, spam blocking, etc.).

The best alternatives for Xiaomi:

How to set and make the main:

1. Download the app from the Play Market.
2. Open it and follow the setup instructions (allow access to SMS).
3. Go to Settings → Applications → By default → Application for SMS and select the installed messenger.

⚠️ Note: When you change your SMS application, old messages may not be automatically transferred. To save your history, use the export/import function in the settings of both applications (if supported).

5 Advanced Methods: ADB and Manual Activation

If none of these things work, we'll have to use a tool for developers, which is a good way for power users to connect a smartphone to a PC.

Step 1: Preparation

• 💻 Install. ADB Tools on the computer.
• 📱 Put the debugging on. USB on the phone: Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Press 7 times to unlock Developer Mode**, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB.
• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.

Step 2: Recovery teams

Open the command prompt (or Terminal on Mac/Linux) and type:

adb shell pm list packages | grep -i sms

This command will show the name of the SMS application packet (usually com.android.mms or com.miui.mms).

adb shell pm enable com.android.mms


adb shell pm clear com.android.mms

If the package is different, replace com.android.mms with the name you find.

Step 3: Reboot

Restart your phone. Check the app menu after you turn on, the icon should appear. If not, try adding it manually through the launcher settings (see Section 3).

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If the adb command is not recognized, make sure that the path to the platform-tools is added to the Windows environment variables or use the full path to the adb.exe file in the command.

Additional reasons for the disappearance of the icon

Sometimes the problem is not the settings, but the specific scenarios of using a smartphone.

• 📴 Double. SIM-Map: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9T) The SMS application can be duplicated for each SIM-Check if one of the labels is hidden.
• 🔒 Parental controls: If restrictions are set up on the phone (e.g., through Digital Well-Being**), the app may have been blocked.
• 🛠️ Custom firmware: On devices with LineageOS, Pixel Experience or other firmware, the standard app MIUI SMS may not be available at all, and an alternative will need to be installed (see Section 4).
• 📲 Second Space Mode**: In MIUI There's a function to create a second desktop with separate applications. Make sure you're not in it (swipe down the home screen). → user icon in the upper right corner).

If you use Second Space, switch to the main profile, which should have an SMS icon, to move it to the second space:

1. Open the Settings. → Second space.
2. Select “Clone Apps”** and add Messages to the list.
3. The tag will now be available in both profiles.

FAQ: Frequent questions about SMS recovery on Xiaomi

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If none of the methods worked, the problem is likely to be caused by the system files being corrupted, in which case the most reliable solution would be to flash the device through the official Mi Flash Tool with the option “Clean All”** (delete all the data!).