How to find deleted messages on Xiaomi phone: all ways to recover

Deleting an important message on a Xiaomi smartphone is a familiar situation. Whether it’s a confirmation code SMS, WhatsApp correspondence with important data or private messages on Telegram, losing such data can be a serious problem. Fortunately, the manufacturer has provided several protection mechanisms, and third-party tools allow you to recover information even without special skills.

In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to return deleted messages on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices, from standard MIUI features to professional utilities for the PC. It is important to understand that the success of recovery depends on the time since deletion and the availability of backups. The faster you start to act, the better the chances of returning data.

MIUI has built-in backup tools, but not all users use them. If you've never set up automatic data storage, don't despair: there are recovery methods even without backups. However, the first rule when working with remote data is not to write new information to the device. Every new file, photo or message can overwrite the memory sectors where the deleted data was stored.

1. Checking the basket in standard MIUI applications

Many users don't know that Xiaomi has a built-in messaging basket, similar to a file manager, available in Messages (SMS) and Security (for some types of data) apps. Here's how to find it:

Open the Messages app (an envelope icon). In the upper right corner, click three dots (⋮) and select the Recycle Bin. This is where the remote ones are stored. SMS and MMS within 30 days of removal. for restoration:

1. Check the necessary messages.
2. Click Restore in the bottom panel.
3. Confirm the action – the messages will return to the main list.

If your Messages app does not have a Recycle Bin, it is disabled, and you can check if it is available in the Settings → Settings → Additional → Recycle Bin. Turn on the slider and set a shelf life (maximum 30 days).

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The Security app also has a Cleanup section where you can find temporarily deleted files, including attachments from messages.

2.Recovery through MIUI backups

MIUI automatically backs up data when the function is activated to check for backups and recover messages:

Go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset → Local Backup. This shows all saved copies with date and volume. Choose the most recent copy before deleting messages and click Restore.

Important: When you recover from the backup, all current data in selected categories (including messages) will be replaced with those in the copy, so manually save important information beforehand.

• 📱 What's recovering: SMS, MMS, call logs, notes, system settings.
• ⚠️ Restriction: Apps like WhatsApp or Viber are not saved in backups MIUI — They need separate backup copies.
• 🔄 Automatic copies: Check in Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Backup, possibly synchronized with the cloud.

3.Use Mi Cloud for Recovery

If your Xiaomi is synced to Mi Cloud, the chances of returning messages are much higher.The cloud stores not only contacts and photos, but also SMS, as well as data from some third-party messengers (provided they are linked to a Xiaomi account).

Instructions for remediation:

1. Open your Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure that the Message Sync slider is on.
3. Click Restore from the cloud and select the backup date.
4. Confirm the recovery – messages will appear in the Messages app.

If sync is disabled, try logging in to i.mi.com from the same account. Devices → Backups can store archives of data. Please note: cloud copies are stored for a limited time (usually 30-90 days), after which they are automatically deleted.

Yes, automatically via Mi Cloud|Yes, manually on PC.|Sometimes when I remember.|No, I'm not.|I don't know how to do that.-->

4 Third-party recovery applications (without root)

If standard methods do not help, you can use specialized utilities. For Xiaomi devices, the following programs are suitable (they work without superuser rights, but require a connection to a PC):

The algorithm for most programs is the same:

1. Install the program on your PC and connect your phone via USB (enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version – press 7 times, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Select the type of data to scan (e.g., Messages).
3. Wait for the analysis to be completed (it may take 10–30 minutes).
4. Look at the messages found and restore the ones you need.

⚠️ Warning: Free versions of programs often have limits on the number of files to be recovered. Before buying, check if the utility finds your messages in demo mode.

Enable debugging on USB|Install Xiaomi drivers (if the PC does not recognize the device)|Charge your phone at least 50 times%|Don't plug others in. USB-device during the process|Use the original USB-cable-->

5. recovery of messages from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber)

Messages in popular messengers are stored separately from SMS and restored according to different rules.

WhatsApp:

• 📁 Local backups are created daily in the /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases. Files look like msgstore.db.crypt14.
• ☁️ Google Drive is restored when you reinstall the app if you use the same Google account.
• ⚙️ To recover from local backup: delete WhatsApp, rename the backup file to msgstore.db.crypt14 (If it is different, then install the app again.

Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats and media files are synced to the Telegram cloud. Just reinstall the app and log in to your account.
• 🔒 Secret chats are not reserved and are deleted irrevocably when leaving the account.

Viber:

• 📱 Local backups are created in /sdcard/Viber/backup (Only if the function is enabled in the settings).
• 🖥️ On PC, you can restore history through Settings → Account → Backup.

⚠️ Note: WhatsApp and Viber will delete the current correspondence when you recover from the backup. If there is not a lot of time after deleting, try first to find the messages through a search in the messenger itself - sometimes they remain in the cache.

6 Radical methods: root access and ADB

If messages are critical and standard methods fail, two difficult options remain: root rights or work through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which require technical knowledge and can lead to loss of warranty or data in case of error.

Recovery through ADB:

1. Install Platform Tools on your PC.
2. Connect the phone with the debugging enabled via USB.
3. Run the command to search for remote SMS: adb shell "su -c'cd /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/ && sqlite3 mmssms.db \"SELECT * FROM sms WHERE deleted=1;\"
4. If the team returned the results, export them to the file: adb shell "su" -c 'cd /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/ && sqlite3 mmssms.db \".output /sdcard/recovered_sms.txt\" \"SELECT * FROM sms WHERE deleted=1;\"'"

Through root access:

• Install Root Explorer or DiskDigger from Google Play.
• Give the application root rights.
• Scan the /data section for deleted messages.

⚠️ Note: Getting root rights on Xiaomi requires unlocking the bootloader, which resets the device to factory settings. On models with a MediaTek processor (such as the Redmi Note 11), unlocking may not be possible without official permission from Xiaomi.

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Before using ADB or root methods, be sure to back up your current data completely. Errors in commands can lead to irreversible loss of information or system failure.

7 Prevention: How to avoid future message loss

To avoid the problem of deleted messages again, follow these guidelines:

• 🔄 Automatic backups: Set up weekly backups in Mi Cloud (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Backup).
• 📥 Export of important messages: In the Messages app, select correspondence → More. → Export (save to.txt or.xml file).
• ☁️ Cloud messaging: Use Telegram or WhatsApp with sync enabled.
• 🛡️ Accidental Deletion Protection: Enable Deletion Confirmation in Messages App Settings.

For added security, you can use third-party backup services such as SMS Backup & Restore (saves SMS to Google Drive) or Swift Backup (requires root).

FAQ: Frequent questions about post recovery on Xiaomi