Recovery of Remote SMS on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Loss of important SMS-The reasons for this are different: accidental deletion, factory reset, damage to system files, or even a virus attack. Fortunately, in most cases, it is possible to recover lost messages – if you act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to return SMS on Redmi, POCO and Mi devices, from standard MIUI features to specialized applications and service methods. It’s important to understand that the success of recovery depends on several factors: whether sync with Google Drive was enabled, how long ago the data loss occurred, and whether the phone used backup functions from Xiaomi.

If you are looking for a solution for your model, check the compatibility of the methods in the table below. Some methods work only on devices with an unlocked bootloader or root rights, others are available to all users without exception.

1. SMS recovery via MIUI backup

The most reliable way to return deleted messages is to use the built-in backup feature in MIUI. If you've previously created a backup, the odds of success are close to 100%, and the problem is that many users ignore this feature until it's too late.

To check for backup copies:

1. Open Settings → About Phone → Backup and Reset.
2. Select Local Backups (if the backup is saved on the device) or Cloud Backups (for copies in Mi Cloud).
3. Check the date of the last backup – if it is later than the date of deletion of the SMS, you can restore the data.

If a suitable copy is found:

• 📱 Click Restore and select the right backup.
• ⚙️ Check the item of the message (or SMS/MMS).
• ⚠️ Note that recovery of correspondence can overwrite current messages – make a new backup before the process.

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If there is no date on the backup list, try connecting your phone to your PC and checking the MIUI/backup/AllBackup folder on your internal drive, sometimes copies are saved there automatically.

Important: MIUI backups are encrypted, so you can't restore them on another device or through third-party programs. If the phone was reset to factory settings, you first need to log in to the same Mi Account that was used to create the backup.

2. Recovery via Google Drive (for Android 8.0+)

Starting with Android 8.0 Oreo, Google added an automatic SMS backup feature to Google Drive. If your Xiaomi has sync enabled, messages could be saved to the cloud.

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Make sure that the backup switch in Google Drive is active.
3. Check the date of the last backup – if it is fresher than the moment of deleting the SMS, you can recover the data.

For recovery:

• 🔄 Reset your phone to factory settings (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).
• 📱 When you first set up after reset, log in to the same Google account that was used for the backup.
• ☁️ At the data recovery stage, select a backup with the desired date.

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Google Drive only saves SMS if the backup function was enabled before they were deleted. If you never activated the backup, this method will not work.

Limitations of the method:

• All messages can be restored in their entirety – selective restore is not supported.
• The process requires a complete reset of the phone, which will result in the loss of current data.
• Some Xiaomi models (especially those with custom firmware) may not support this feature.

3.Use of third-party recovery applications

If you don't have backups, you have to try specialized utilities. There are several proven programs on the market that scan your phone's memory for deleted SMS. The more time has passed since you deleted it, the better the chances of success.

The best SMS recovery apps on Xiaomi:

Instructions for DroidKit (without root):

1. Install the program on your PC and connect Xiaomi via USB (enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the build number).
2. Select the Android Data Recovery mode.
3. Mark the messages and start scanning.
4. After the process is complete, select the desired SMS and click Restore.

⚠️ Note: Applications without root rights (such as DroidKit) scan only cache and temporary files. SMS more 2-3 Days, chances of recovery tend to zero – data overwritten with new information.

4.Recovery through Xiaomi Service Center

If the messages are critical (e.g., contain data for two-factor authentication or legal information), you can contact the official service center Xiaomi.

• 🔧 Service centers do not guarantee 100% recovery – it all depends on the state of memory.
• 💰 Service paid (from 1500 to 5000 rubles depending on the complexity).
• ⏳ The process can take up to 5 working days.
• 🔒 You will need proof of ownership of the device (checks, box, tied Mi Account).

How to prepare for a visit to the service:

Do not update the firmware after removing the SMS

Do not install new applications

Record the phone's IMEI (*#06#)

Take your phone ID with you.

Turn off the screen lock (if possible)-->

The addresses of official Xiaomi service centers in Russia can be found on the website mi.com/ru/service/authorize. Check by phone before visiting whether they are engaged in data recovery – not all centers provide this service.

5. Manual recovery via ADB (for advanced users)

If you have experience with ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can try extracting SMS directly from system files, which is suitable for non-root devices, but requires USB debugging and drivers installed.

Step-by-step:

1. Install Android SDK Platform-Tools on your PC.
2. Connect Xiaomi to your computer and allow debugging (Settings → Additional → Developers → USB debugging).
3. Open the command line in the folder with adb.exe and do: adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db
4. If the command is successful, the mmssms.db file will be copied to your PC, and can be opened using SQLite Browser or online tools like DB Browser for SQLite.

In the file mmsms.db messages are stored in the table sms.

• Address – sender/recipient number
• body - text of the message
• date - timestamp (in milliseconds)
• type - 1 (incoming), 2 (outgoing)

⚠️ Attention: Wrong commands ADB This can cause all data to be lost or blocked on the device, and if you are not sure about your actions, you should use other methods or consult a specialist.

6.Prevention: How to avoid future SMS loss

The best way to combat data loss is to back up regularly, and Xiaomi devices have a few built-in tools to do this:

• 🔄 Automatic backup in Mi Cloud: Go to Settings → The phone. → Backup and Reset. Enable Automatic Backup and select Mi Cloud. Make sure that the backup list shows Messages.
• ☁️ Sync with Google Drive: Open Settings → Google → Backup. Activate Backup to Google Drive. Click Configure Backup and turn it on SMS.
• 📱 Local copies: In Settings → The phone. → Backup and Reset select Local Backup. Click Create Backup and tick Messages. Save Backup file to PC or external drive.

Additional precautions:

• 🚫 Avoid using memory cleaners (such as Clean Master) – they often delete cache SMS, complicating recovery.
• 🔒 Set a password for the Messages app (in the app settings) to avoid accidental deletion.
• 📤 Export important SMS manually: open the correspondence → ⋮ → Exports (not available on all models).

If you lose data frequently, consider using specialized backup apps like SMS Backup & Restore or Super Backup, which let you save your emails to the cloud or email automatically.

FAQ: Frequent questions about SMS recovery on Xiaomi