How to restore SMS on the phone Xiaomi: proven ways

Losing important messages on a smartphone is a very unpleasant situation, especially when it comes to confirmation codes from banks or correspondence with loved ones. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often wonder whether it is possible to return deleted content if the backup was not created manually. Unfortunately, the Android operating system does not have a universal “basket” for SMS, as implemented in the photo gallery, which requires the use of specific recovery algorithms.

The chances of success depend on how quickly you caught up and what synchronization settings were active before the incident. Modern shells MIUI and HyperOS offer built-in backup tools that could work automatically in the background. In this article, we will discuss in detail all possible scenarios, from the standard system tools to the use of specialized software on the computer.

Don't panic and take your phone to the service center, and in most cases, you can solve the problem yourself in 10-15 minutes, and the main thing is to understand the workings of the file system and not write new data on top of remote memory sectors, which can make the recovery process impossible.

Checking the cloud storage Mi Cloud

The first place a Xiaomi smartphone owner should look is at the company’s proprietary cloud, and if you had a Mi Account activated, the system could automatically sync your messages without your knowledge, which is the fastest and most secure way to do so without installing third-party software.

To check, log into your phone's settings and select Mi Account. Go to Mi Cloud and find the Messages app in the list. If the slider is active, click on Restore or Sync Now. The system will try to download data from the server to the device.

It is important to consider that free storage is limited to 5GB, and if the space ran out, new SMS could no longer be saved, and it is also worth checking the sync status through the web version of the i.mi.com cloud from your computer to make sure that the archive is available.

Keys to successful recovery through Mi Cloud include a stable Wi-Fi connection and enough free space in the cloud storage, and if there is data there, it will appear in the messaging app immediately after the procedure is completed.

Restore from Google backup

The second most likely source of stored data is a Google account. Android operating system by default offers to back up applications and their data, including SMS, if this feature has not been disabled by the user.

To check for backup, go to Settings → Google → Backup. Under Google One Backup or Device Data, you will see the date of the last saved copy. If the date is current, recovery is possible when you reset your settings or initially set up your phone.

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Restore from Google Backup often requires a complete reset of the device to factory settings, as the system only loads the archive during the initial setup (Setup Wizard) process.

There is a caveat: when you restore from Google Drive, often only the text of the messages themselves are returned, but not their link to contacts, unless the address book was synced separately. SIM-card.

• 📱 Open the Google settings on your device.
• ☁️ Select the section "Reserve copying".
• 📅 Check the date of the last backup and the file size.
• 🔄 If necessary, perform a data reset to start the recovery.

Google services are preferable because the data is stored on secure servers and does not take up space in the phone’s memory, but if the phone is lost or broken, access to this data can only be obtained by logging into the account from a new device.

Local Recovery through the Security App

The MIUI and HyperOS shells have a powerful system application called Security, which has a built-in tool for creating local copies, which many users ignore, preferring third-party solutions, although it is native and most stable.

Go to the Security app. → Memory (or swipe down) → Backup and recovery. Here you can see a list of previously created archives, if you've ever done a backup manually or set up an auto-reserve to do a backup. SD-The map, the files will be in the folder MIUI/backup/AllBackup.

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Set up automatic local copy creation every week in the Security app, which will take up minimal space, but save you at a critical time when the Internet is not available for the cloud.

To recover, select the desired archive file, enter the password (if it was set) and tick the item "Messages". The process can take several minutes, during which the phone can restart.

⚠️ Attention: Local backups take up space in internal memory.If you format your phone without first copying the folder MIUI on a computer or memory card, this method will not work.

Using third-party software for deep scanning

If built-in methods fail, there are still PC programs that try to read deleted data directly from the device’s memory, and utilities like Dr.Fone, Tenorshare UltData, or FonePaw use debugging vulnerabilities to find “traces” of deleted information.

To work with such software, you need to activate debugging mode over USB. Go to Settings → About your phone and quickly click on the build number seven times to unlock the developer menu. Then, in advanced settings, turn on debugging over USB.

adb devices

This command in the console will help to check if the computer sees your device. Once you connect the cable, run the selected program on your PC and follow the scan instructions. The effectiveness of the method depends on the model of the processor and the version of Android: on new versions of the OS (Android 11-14), access to memory is severely limited, which reduces the chances of success.

It's worth remembering that most effective software is paid. Free versions usually only show what can be restored, but require payment to save files. Root rights greatly increase the odds, but getting them can void the warranty.

Specifics of working with SIM-card

Do not forget about the classic method of storage - the most SIM-Although modern smartphones default to retain SMS in internal memory, some users manually transfer important messages to the SIM, which is true for older models or when switching to a new phone.

Check for reports on SIM You can use the standard Messages app. Click on three dots in the corner of the screen, select Settings. → Additionally. → Management SIM-map (the path may differ depending on the version) MIUI). If there are messages, you can import them back to your phone’s memory.

⚠️ Attention: SIM-The card has very little memory and often does not support the storage of long messages or chains of media files.

If you change your phone, just insert the old one. SIM-In some cases, carriers can store the history of incoming SMS (especially from banks) in a personal account on the site, but this does not work for all providers and depends on the tariff.

Prevention of data loss and setting up auto-backup

To avoid future data loss, you need to set up automatic backups, and the best strategy is a combination of using the cloud for mission-critical data and local copies for a complete correspondence history.

It is recommended to install the SMS Backup & Restore app, which allows you to create full copies of your XML correspondence and automatically send them to Google Drive, Dropbox or email, which gives you independence from the phone manufacturer ecosystem.

Also, check regularly to see if your account is full, and if you don't have enough space, no new backups are created, and you run the risk of being left without up-to-date data at the right time, and setting up a nightly copy schedule with Wi-Fi on is the best solution.

Regular copy creation is a key to security. Don't rely on "maybe," as recovering remote memory sectors without backup on modern encrypted drives is becoming increasingly difficult, and often impossible.