How to Remove SMS on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Saving Important Data

Deleting SMS on Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphones seems like a simple task — until you encounter nuances. Some messages are deleted easily, others are stuck in memory, and some disappear completely without recovery. In this article, we will discuss all the ways to clean SMS — from standard functions to hidden MIUI capabilities, and also explain how to avoid losing important data and why sometimes messages are “returned” after deleting.

Feature of firmware MIUI It is integrated with Xiaomi cloud services and can synchronize SMS So, this means that a deleted message can stay in a backup or on a company's servers, and we analyzed 5 methods of deleting it, from manual cleaning to use. ADB-teams - and collected them in one guide with explanations for beginners and experienced users.

Why SMS is taking up memory on Xiaomi and when to delete them

Messages in MIUI are stored in the mmsms.db database, which grows over time. Even if you don't save media from MMS, the structure of messages (time stamps, contacts, delivery statuses) takes up space, and according to our tests, 10,000 SMS can weigh up to 50-70 MB, which is comparable to a small application.

Signs that it is time to clean up the SMS:

• 📉 The smartphone began to “slow down” when opening the application Messages.
• 🔄 When searching for contacts or text messages there are delays.
• 📱 In the Settings section → Memory shows growth of occupied space in category "Others».
• 🚨 A “memory is full” notification appears when you try to save a new contact or file.

It is important to note that MIUI stores all incoming and outgoing SMS, including system (from banks, operators, services), which are often duplicated and accumulated over the years, for example, notifications from Sberbank or Tele2 can take up to 30% of the total volume of SMS.

Method 1: Standard removal through the Messages app

The most obvious method is to use the built-in Messages app (an envelope icon), which is suitable for selectively deleting or cleaning all correspondence with a particular contact.

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Press and hold your finger on the message you want (or several if you want to delete the group).
3. In the upper panel will appear the icon of the basket – tap it.
4. Confirm the action in the dialog window.

For complete cleaning of correspondence with the contact:

1. Open a dialogue with the right subscriber.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner → Delete the chat.
3. Choose Remove for me (if sync with Mi Cloud is disabled) or Remove everywhere (if enabled).

⚠️ Note: If you have Mi Account sync enabled, deleted messages will disappear from all devices associated with that account. To avoid this, pre-disable sync in Settings → Xiaomi account → Mi Cloud → Synchronization → Communications.

Method 2: Mass removal through application settings

If you want to delete all SMS at once or filter them by type (e.g., MMS only or system notifications), use the built-in MIUI tools:

1. Open Messages → triple dot in the upper right corner → Settings.
2. Select Message Clearing.
3. Specify criteria: 📅 Over 30 days / Over 6 months / All. 📎 Only MMS (If you need to free up space from media files). 🏷️ Spam or System (notifications from banks, services).

Clean up

This method does not remove messages from backups created through Mi Cloud or third-party applications (e.g. SMS Backup & Restore).If you have previously done a backup, deleted SMS can be “returned” when you restore.

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Before mass deletion, export important SMS to a.xml file via the SMS Backup & Restore app (available on Google Play).

Method 3: Delete via File Manager (for power users)

If standard methods do not work (e.g. messages are “hung” and are not deleted via the interface), you can manually clean the database mmssms.db. This method requires root rights or the use of ADB.

📌 Instructions for users with root rights:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Solid Explorer).
2. Go to: /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
3. Delete the mmssms.db file (or its backup, mmssms.db-journal).
4. Reset the device.

⚠️ Note: Deleting this file will result in the total loss of all SMS, It will be impossible to restore them without a backup, and after the reboot, the system will create a new empty database, but there may be errors in the Message application (solved by resetting its settings).

🔧 Alternative without root: Use it ADB to clean the application cache Messages:

adb shell pm clear com.android.mms

This command will reset the app settings and delete all SMS, but will not affect other data on the device.

Method 4: Automatic cleaning with MIUI Optimization

MIUI has a built-in optimization tool that can automatically remove old SMS. This feature is available on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with the MIUI firmware version 12 and above.

How to set up automatic cleaning:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Cleaning.
2. Choose Deep Cleanup.
3. Slip on Messages in the list of applications.
4. Activate the AutoClean option and specify the period (e.g., Delete Messages older than 6 months).
5. Press Confirm.
6. Using third-party applications: Install Backup & Restore or DroidKit SMS (requires root for deep scanning) Run a scan of internal memory, select the desired messages and restore them.

Through ADB (for advanced users):

adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db

Copy the file on your PC and open it with SQLite Browser to retrieve messages.

⚠️ Note: When recovering via Mi Cloud, all current SMS The device will be replaced by the ones stored in the cloud, which means that messages received after the last backup may disappear.

How to prevent unnecessary SMS in the future

To avoid having to clean your messages regularly, set up MIUI to automatically manage your SMS:

• 📌 Turn off the save. MMS: Go to Messages. → Settings → Additional and deactivate the option Automatic Save MMS. This will prevent unnecessary media files from being downloaded.
• 🚫 Block Spam: In the same section, turn on the Spam Filter and blacklist the mailing numbers (e.g. 900 for Sberbank if you don’t use their notifications).
• 🔄 Set up automatic backup: Use SMS Backup & Restore for monthly export of important messages to Google Drive.This will allow you to clear memory without the risk of data loss.
• 📂 Archive old messages: Manually transfer important dialogues to text files or PDF (For example, through the export function SMS Backup & Restore).

💡 Useful tip: If you often receive similar notifications (for example, from banks or services), set up filters in the Messages app:

1. Open the message → triple point → details.
2. Select Notifications → Disable notifications for this contact.
3. Activate the option to Automatically delete after 30 days.

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Regularly cleaning SMS not only frees up memory, but also speeds up the system, the optimal frequency is once every 3-6 months, or when you reach 5,000+ messages.

FAQ: Frequent questions about removing SMS on Xiaomi