How to send a message to several people SMS on Xiaomi

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have long since ceased to be just callers, becoming powerful communication centers. However, classic text messages remain indispensable where there is no Internet or instant notification is required. Often users are faced with the need to notify colleagues about a meeting, congratulate family members on a holiday or coordinate group activities without creating chats in instant messengers.

Unlike popular messaging apps, where group chats have become standard, the standard MIUI or HyperOS messaging app has its own mailing experience. SMS group messaging involves sending an individual message to each recipient on the list, which helps to keep the correspondence confidential and avoid creating shared group dialogues that often annoy recipients. Understanding the mechanics of the standard Mi Messaging or Google Messages application (depending on the firmware version) is the key to successful mass mailing.

In this article, we will take a look at all the ways to do this, from built-in features to third-party solutions, create contact lists, customize delivery options, and avoid common errors that can lead to operator lockdowns, and we will also address the technical nuances of the SMSC protocol and text length limits that are critical when dealing with large amounts of data.

Standard capabilities of application of messages on MIUI

The first thing to start with is an analysis of the built-in functionality. Xiaomi smartphones have an application that can be called Messages or Mi Messaging installed by default. Its interface may vary depending on the region of the firmware (Global, Chinese, EEA), but the basic logic of the operation remains the same. In most cases, the application supports a group sending function, which is activated automatically when multiple recipients are added to the addressee field.

When you start typing a new message and selecting more than one contact in the Who field, the system goes into multi-addressing mode. It's important to understand that technically it's not a single message broadcast to many recipients, but a series of individual sends. The smartphone sends a copy of the text sequentially to each number on the list. To the user, this process looks like a single action, but in the operator's logs and in the communication bill, this will be reflected as N number of SMS, where N is the number of recipients.

⚠️ Note: When you send a message to 10 numbers, you will be debited 10 units of charged messages. If the text is long and broken into parts, the cost is multiplied by the number of parts for each recipient.

Particular attention should be paid to delivery settings. Some versions of the MIUI shell may default to the “Send as MMS” box if the group is large or the text is too long. This can lead to unexpected costs if you do not have unlimited Internet or special tariff. To check this, go to the application settings through the menu (three dots or gear) and find the “SMS/MMS settings” item.

To be confident with your mailings, you need to make sure you have a Delivery Notice activated, which allows you to monitor whether the message reaches all destinations, and in unstable signal conditions, this option helps you identify problematic numbers and send information in an alternative way.

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Use Wi-Fi Calling if your carrier supports this technology, which will improve the quality of SMS delivery in areas of poor cellular reception, as the message will go through the Internet channel.

Step-by-step: creating a group mailing list

The process of sending a message to a contact list on Xiaomi is quite simple, but has its own nuances that must be considered to successfully complete the operation. Below is a detailed guide that will help you avoid mistakes and send information to all the necessary people.

First, open a standard messaging app and click the new message creation button (usually a blue circle with a pencil or plus-plus in the corner of the screen). In the Who field, start typing contacts' names or numbers. The system will offer you options from the phone book, you can select them one by one by touching the screen, or use voice input to dictate names.

Once you have added the first recipient, don't rush to text. Keep adding the rest of the contacts. On the screen, you'll see chips form, small plaques with names or avatars of contacts. The maximum number of recipients per mailing may be limited to the application itself (usually up to 100-200 contacts), but carriers often set their limits.

When the list of recipients is formed, enter the text of the message. Here it is important to follow the rule of 70 characters for Cyrillic in the standard SMS format. If your text is longer, it will be divided into several parts. For each recipient, this will mean 2 or 3 messages. For example, if you send a text of 200 characters per 10 people, 30 units will be debited from your account (3 parts × 10 people).

After you type in, click the send button (arrow). The progress indicator or the message counter (e.g., "1/10", "2/10") will appear on the screen. Do not close the application or lock the screen until the process is complete, as some versions of Android may pause the background SMS sending to save energy.

• 📱 Make sure that the phone is installed SIM-card with a positive balance or a connected SMS package.
• 📶 Check the signal level of the network – a stable connection is required to send a batch mailing.
• 📝 Save drafts of important messages so you don’t re-type in case of a crash.
• 🚫 Do not add more than 50 contacts to one newsletter, so as not to overload the phone processor and not cause the application to freeze.

Working with contacts and groups in the phone book

Effective mailing is impossible without a well-organized phone book. On Xiaomi devices, either local phone memory, or a Google account, or a Mi Account can be responsible for storing contacts. For convenience, it is recommended to use synchronization with Google Contacts, as this allows you to easily edit lists from any device, including a computer.

Creating contact groups (or tags) is the best way to speed up the process of selecting the recipients. Instead of searching for 20 people manually, you can create a Work, Sport or Relatives group. To do this, open the Contacts app, go to the menu and select Create a Label or Create a Group.

Once you create a group, add the numbers you need, and now when you start creating a new text message and type the name of the group into the recipient box, the system will prompt you to send a message to all of the group members, which saves time and reduces the risk of forgetting someone on the list.

It is worth noting that when a contact is removed from the group, it does not disappear from the phone book completely, but only stops receiving mailings intended for this category of people, which allows you to manage audiences flexibly without risking losing important numbers.

Use of third-party applications for mass SMS

If standard Mi Messaging features aren’t enough, or you plan to do regular mailings (for example, for small businesses, customer notifications or employee alerts), it makes sense to turn to specialized software. Google Play store has many applications that expand the ability to work with SMS on Android.

One popular solution is Multi SMS Sender, or its counterparts, which not only allows you to select contacts from a phone book, but also download lists of numbers from files (CSV, Excel), which is critical for large databases, and also provides personalization, allowing you to insert the contact name into the text of the message automatically.

Another advantage of third-party software is that you can schedule shipments, you can prepare text and a list of recipients in the evening, and set the time to send them the next morning. The application will perform the task at the appointed time, even if the phone is locked (provided that there is an Internet for an alarm clock or work in the background).

⚠️ Note: Install SMS applications only from verified sources (Google Play). Third-party programs require access to your contacts and messages, which poses a potential risk of personal data leakage.

Some advanced apps offer a smart mailing feature that adds random delay between sending messages to different subscribers, mimics human behavior and reduces the risk that the carrier will block your message. SIM-Card for suspicious activity (spam filters).

• 🚀 Ability to send SMS on schedule and cyclic mailings.
• 📊 Statistics: how many messages were delivered, how many did not reach.
• 📂 Import numbers from different file formats.
• 🎨 Support for message templates for quick access to frequently used texts.

Technical limitations and SMSC configuration

For the successful operation of SMS-service on any device, including Xiaomi, it is critically important to properly configure the message center (SMSC). This is the address that the phone sends a message to for further routing by the operator, and it's usually automatically assigned when you install it. SIM-cards, but in some cases (especially when using Chinese versions of phones with European SIM cards or vice versa) there may be failures.

Check and change the message center number in the app settings. Go to Messages → Settings → Additional (or Advanced Settings) → SMS Center. Your operator number should be listed here. If the field is empty or the number is incorrect, messages will not leave, even if the indicator shows Sent.

Examples of SMSC numbers for Russian operators:


MTS: +79160000911




Megaphone: +79260000250




Beeline: +79030000727




Tele2: +79050000500

Also worth mentioning is the message length limits: The standard GSM protocol allows 160 characters to be transmitted in Latin or 70 characters in Cyrillic in one segment. If the text is longer, it breaks into parts. However, when using Unicode encoding (for emoji or special characters), the limit is reduced to 70 characters even for Latin.

Modern Xiaomi smartphones have RCS (Rich Communication Services) enabled by default if the operator supports this technology. In this mode, messages are sent over the Internet (like WhatsApp), allowing you to transfer high-quality photos and see the status of "prints". However, if the recipient does not have the Internet or RCS is disabled, the message will go away as a normal SMS. Make sure that the settings check "Always send as SMS" if the Internet connection is unstable.