Previous articleMissing messages on Xiaomi: how to restore SMS and chats in 10 minutes

You opened Messages on your Xiaomi app, and instead of important SMS or Telegram/WhatsApp messages, a blank screen? The situation is familiar to many: messages can disappear after a setting reset, a MIUI update, a firmware failure, or even a banal bug in the app. The good news is that 80 percent of the time, they can be returned if you act quickly and correctly.

In this article, we've got 5 proven recovery methods, from standard MIUI features to professional tools, and we'll look at how to return SMS via MI Cloud, Google backups, third-party utilities like Dr.Fone, and what to do if messages are lost after a hard-reset or system update. Importantly, some methods only work when the Internet is off, which is discussed below.

If you manually delete messages and after that it took more than 30 days, the chances of recovery are minimal - the data could be overwritten with new files, but even then it is worth trying the methods in the section on deep memory scanning.

Recovery via MI Cloud: The Official Way From Xiaomi

MI Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that automatically stores copies of SMS, contacts, and even some chats (if sync is enabled).The method works only if you are logged in to one Mi Account and have previously activated backup.

To recover messages:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Mi Account → MI Cloud.
• 🔄 Scroll to Recovery and Backup section.
• 📄 Select the latest backup (note the date of creation!).
• ✅ Tick Messages and click Restore.

⚠️ Note: If no messages have appeared after recovery, check if there is any conflict. MI Cloud with other cloud services (such as Google Drive), sometimes it helps to log out of your Mi Account and then re-sign in.

If MI Cloud doesn't have a current copy, move on to the next method, but first check if syncing with Google is enabled, which is discussed in the next section.

2. SMS recovery via Google Drive (if sync is enabled)

Many Xiaomi users don’t know that Google automatically saves SMS to the cloud if Android Backup is activated.This works on all smartphones with MIUI, as long as you’re logged in to a Google account and haven’t manually disabled the option.

How to check and restore:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Make sure that the backup switch in Google Drive is active.
3. Click Backup Management and select your Xiaomi.
4. If you have a copy, reset your phone settings (see section 5) and select Restore from Google Drive when you first set up.

⚠️ Note: This method will not restore messages from messengers (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram), they need separate backups inside the applications themselves. /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases.

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If you don't remember if Google sync was enabled, check the Backup folder in Google Drive through your browser on your PC. Sometimes copies are saved there even without explicit confirmation.

3. programs for deep memory scanning (if there are no backups)

If neither MI Cloud nor Google helped, the last chance is data recovery software, which scans the internal memory of a smartphone at the file system level and can even find deleted messages if they are not overwritten by new data.

The best tools for Xiaomi:

• 🛠️ Dr. Fone (Wondershare) - Supports MIUI 12-14, restore SMS, Contacts and media files. There's a free trial.
• 🔍 Tenorshare UltData – specializes in Android, works with phones after root access.
• 📱 EaseUS MobiSaver is a simple interface, but requires a connection over the Internet. USB debugging USB.

Instructions for Dr.Fone (on the example of Redmi Note 10 Pro):

1. Install the program on your PC and connect Xiaomi via USB.
2. Turn on USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times click on the version, then go back to Additional → For Developers).
3. In the program, select Data Recovery Android → Messages.
4. Confirm the scan (root may be required).
5. After scanning, mark the desired SMS and click Restore.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery software on your smartphone, it can overwrite deleted data. Use only a PC or Mac.

4. Recovery of messages from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber)

SMS and chats from instant messengers are recovered differently, and if messages on WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber are missing, use the built-in features of these applications.

For WhatsApp:

• 📁 Check if there is a backup copy in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases (file-extension.crypt14).
• 🔄 Reinstall WhatsApp and select Restore when you first start.
• ☁️ If there is no local copy, check Google Drive (linked to your WhatsApp account).

For Telegram:

• ☁️ All chats are stored in the Telegram cloud. Just reinstall the app and log in to your account.
• 📂 Local secret chats cannot be restored – they are tied to the device.

For Viber:

• 🔄 Turn on the settings. → Account. → Backup (if not previously included).
• 📱 Reinstall Viber and log in to your account – chat history will automatically pull up (if you had synchronization).

⚠️ Note: If you deleted your messenger account (for example, in WhatsApp), it is impossible to restore correspondence - the data is erased from the servers forever.

5 What to do if messages are missing after resetting or updating MIUI

One of the most frustrating situations is the loss of messages after a hard reset (Settings → Additional → Recovery and Reset) or the MIUI update. In this case, only a pre-backup or recovery program helps.

If the discharge was accidental:

1. Turn off the internet (Wi-Fi and mobile data) immediately, which will prevent new files from overwriting data.
2. Connect your phone to your PC and use Dr.Fone or Tenorshare UltData (see Section 3).
3. If you have a backup in MI Cloud or Google Drive, restore your system (see sections 1 and 2).

If the messages are missing after the MIUI update:

• 🔄 Try to roll back to the previous version via Fastboot (instructions for advanced users).
• 📱 Check the folder. /MIUI/backup/AllBackup — Sometimes temporary copies are kept there.
• 🛠️ Use it. ADB Data extraction (command line skills required).

⚠️ Note: After resetting or updating, do not create new messages – this reduces the chances of recovering old data.

Do not connect to the Internet | Do not install new applications | Do not create new files | Use only proven programs-->

6. How to prevent future loss of messages

To avoid having to deal with missing SMS and chats, set up automatic backups on your Xiaomi:

💡 Tip: Check the backups once a month, for example, try to restore a test message from the backup. MI Cloud or Google Drive to make sure the system is working.

Also useful:

• 📌 Use two-factor authentication for Mi and Google accounts (so no one can delete your copies).
• 🔐 Store important messages in encrypted archives (e.g., through 7-Zip password-wise).
• 📱 Regularly export chats from messengers in.txt or.html format.

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The most reliable way to avoid losing messages is to combine cloud copies (MI Cloud + Google) with a local backup on your PC or external drive.

FAQ: Frequent questions about post recovery on Xiaomi