Accidentally deleting important correspondence or resetting your smartphone settings without a copy is a stressful situation that many owners of Android devices face. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco often wonder whether lost data can be returned, because they are not able to return lost data. SMS-Messages can contain confirmation codes, passwords, or important business information. MIUI And standard Android provides several backup mechanisms that are worth using.
The effectiveness of recovery depends on whether the synchronization was enabled before the data loss. If you regularly used cloud services or made on-premises backups, the probability of success is close to one hundred percent, otherwise you will have to resort to more sophisticated methods of scanning the memory of the device, which also have a right to exist.
In this article, we will take a look at all the available methods for returning text messages, from the Xiaomi ecosystem’s regular tools to specialized software. It is important to act quickly and consistently to avoid overwriting memory sectors with new data, which would make recovery impossible.
Checking the basket in the annex Messages
The easiest and often ignored way is to check the built-in Recycle Bin in a standard application. In modern versions of the MIUI and HyperOS shell, developers have implemented a security mechanism that saves deleted SMS for a certain period, usually 30 days, which gives the user time to realize the error and the ability to cancel the action.
To access this section, you need to open the Messages app, click on the three dots in the top right corner, and select the Recycle Bin. If you haven't manually cleaned this section before, there may be hundreds of remote dialogs there, select the desired chats and press the restore button.
⚠️ Attention: Recycle bin messages are limited in life, and after 30 days, the system automatically and irrevocably deletes them to free up space.
It is worth noting that the functionality of the shopping cart may vary depending on the firmware version and the regional setting of the smartphone, in some cases this option may be hidden or require activation in the privacy settings.
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If the standard application does not have a shopping cart, try installing the official Google Messages app from the Play Market – there the archive and cart function is implemented more stably.
Recovery through Mi Cloud and Synchronization
Xiaomi's ecosystem offers a powerful tool for storing data, the Mi Cloud. If your device has activated a Mi Account and SMS synchronization enabled, all your messages are automatically copied to the company's servers, which is the most reliable way to do this without having to connect to a computer.
To check for backup, go to Settings -> Mi Account -> Cloud. Here you will see a list of applications that are synced. Make sure the switch opposite Message was active at the time of deletion. To restore data on a new device or after a reset, just log in to your account and enable sync.
There is also a web version of the cloud available at i.mi.com. You can view the contents of the cloud through the browser, but direct SMS recovery to the phone is most often initiated from a mobile device when you first log in.
- 📱 Automation: Backup takes place in the background when connected to Wi-Fi.
- ☁️ Storage capacity: 5GB is free, which is enough for thousands of text messages.
- 🔄 Cross-platform: Data access is possible from any device authorized in Mi Account.
Using Google Drive to Return SMS
The Android operating system has a built-in backup mechanism tied to a Google account. Unlike the Mi Cloud, which is Xiaomi's proprietary solution, Google services run at the OS level and are often more versatile. If you've been using your smartphone for a long time, it's likely that backups were created automatically.
Check for backups from Settings -> Google -> Backup. This shows the date of the last copy and the devices it's intended for. It's important to understand that recovering from Google Drive usually requires a full reset of your smartphone's Wipe Data/Factory Reset or initial setup of a new device.
⚠️ Attention: The recovery process from Google Drive can take considerable time and requires a stable high-speed internet connection.
When you restore from Google Drive, not only SMS returns, but also the list of installed applications, call history and device settings. This is a comprehensive solution that is recommended to keep on all the time.
Where are Google backups physically stored?
Local backup on Xiaomi
In the shell. MIUI There's a hidden, but extremely useful tool for making complete copies of the system and data, and the local backup stores information in the internal memory of the phone or on the phone. SD-If you make these copies periodically, you can recover the messages in a few minutes without access to the Internet.
To create and restore copies, go to Settings -> About Phone -> Click on the MIUI Version several times (to activate the developer menu, if hidden) or look for Advanced Settings -> Restore and Reset -> Local Backup. Here you can create a new copy or restore an existing one.
Backup files are usually located on the MIUI/backup/AllBackup path. You can copy this folder to your computer for greater reliability. When you restore, the system will prompt you to choose the date of the copy creation and the type of data to be recovered - select only Messages so you do not lose new contacts or photos.
| Method | We need the Internet. | Phone reset required | Recovery speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mi Cloud | Yes. | No. | Tall. |
| Google Drive | Yes. | Yeah (usually) | Medium |
| Local backup | No. | No. | Very high. |
| Third-party software | Depends on the software. | No. | Low. |
Specialized software for data recovery
If neither clouds nor local copies help, there is a possibility of using specialized software for deep memory scanning, programs like Dr.Fone, Tenorshare UltData or DiskDigger try to find the remnants of deleted files in overwritten memory sectors.
The effectiveness of such methods depends heavily on the processor model and the type of memory (eMMC or UFS). On modern Xiaomi smartphones with default data encryption, the chances of success are reduced, since without a decryption key, the read data can be a useless set of bytes.
Most software requires you to enable USB debugging in the developer menu, which allows the computer to gain extended access to the smartphone file system, and the scanning process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.
- 💻 Computer required: All programs work in conjunction with a PC or laptop.
- 🔓 Root rights: Some deep scanning features require superuser rights.
- 💰 Payment: Full recovery is usually only available in paid versions of software.
☑️ Preparing for recovery via PC
Preventing Data Loss in the Future
The best way to combat loss of information is to back up regularly, set up automatic sync for Mi Cloud or Google Photos and Google Drive so you don't have to worry about data security, and it's also helpful to make a local copy of important data to your computer once a month.
Use messaging apps with their own history, such as Telegram or Viber, which store messages on their servers. Unlike SMS, which is stored only on the device or in basic synchronization, cloud messaging allows you to recover the history of correspondence for any period on any device.
Remember to check your backups periodically, and sometimes the sync was shut down a month ago because of a bug or a lack of space, and you didn't even know it.
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Automation of processes (backup) is the only guarantee that you will not lose important data in case of failure or breakage of the smartphone.