How to Read a Remote WhatsApp Message on a Xiaomi Smartphone: All Working Methods

Have you accidentally deleted an important WhatsApp message on your Xiaomi, or did the person delete the correspondence before you could read it? Don’t despair — even after deleting, there are chances to restore the text. In this article, we will discuss 5 proven ways to read deleted WhatsApp messages on Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Mi 11 and others).

It's important to understand that success depends on how the message was deleted. If you erase the correspondence yourself through Delete For All, the chances are minimal - WhatsApp syncs the deletion on all devices. But if the message was deleted only from you (for example, through cleaning the chat) or the interlocutor used the Delete for Me function, then the data can still be stored in the memory of the phone or backup.

We’ll look at methods ranging from simple (check notifications) to complex (working with database files), and how to protect your messages from loss in advance. All instructions are adapted to Xiaomi’s MIUI-branded shell and tested on current versions of WhatsApp (2026).

1. Verification of notifications in the control panel

The fastest way to read a deleted message is to check the notification history in MIUI, which works if:

• 📱 The message was received less than 24 hours ago (in Russian). MIUI notifications shall be kept for a limited time).
• 🔔 You did not manually clean the Notification Log.
• 🔕 Notifications are not disabled in WhatsApp settings.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification log.
2. Turn on the notification log slider if it is disabled.
3. Scroll down the list and find a notification from WhatsApp with the text of the message.
4. Click on the notification and the preview of the message will open (sometimes with cropped text).

⚠️ Warning: In MIUI 14 and later, the notification log may not store the full text of the messages — only the first 2-3 words. If you need to restore a long dialogue, move on to the following methods.

If the notification is not saved, try an alternative path:

• 🔍 Use Search by Notifications (the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the log).
• 📅 Filter notifications by date of arrival of the message.

2.Restore from Google Drive backup

WhatsApp automatically backs up chats in Google Drive if this feature is enabled, and on Xiaomi it can be used to recover deleted messages, but there are nuances:

Conditions for successful recovery:

• ☁️ A backup copy was created prior to deleting the message.
• 📱 You use the same phone number and Google account as you used to create a backup.
• 🔄 There is plenty of free space on the phone (a backup can weigh up to several gigabytes).

Step-by-step:

1. Remove WhatsApp from your Xiaomi (via Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Delete).
2. Reinstall the messenger from Google Play.
3. When you first start, enter your phone number and confirm it via SMS.
4. When a recovery request appears from Google Drive, click Restore.
5. Wait for the process to be completed (it can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the backup).

⚠️ Warning: If you've already restored a backup after deleting a message, this method won't work -- WhatsApp only keeps the latest backup. Also, the backup doesn't contain messages deleted through Delete For All.

If the recovery from Google Drive didn’t work, check:

• 🔗 Wi-Fi connection (backup will not be restored via mobile internet).
• 📁 Free space on the phone (minimum 1.5-2 backup sizes).
• ⏳ The date of the last backup (see WhatsApp Settings → Chat → Backup).

Check the Wi-Fi connection

Free up 5+ GB of memory on your phone

Make sure the phone number has not changed.

Remember the date of the last backup-->

3.Look for local backup on the phone

In addition to Google Drive, WhatsApp creates local copies of chats directly on the phone, which are stored in the /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases folder and can contain deleted messages if:

• 📁 A copy was created before the correspondence was deleted.
• 🔄 You did not clear the phone's memory with the Cleaner in MIUI.
• 📱 You have a root access or file manager with superuser rights (e.g., Solid Explorer).

How to find and restore a local backup:

1. Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Manager).
2. Go to /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases (if not, check /storage/emulated/0/WhatsApp/Databases).
3. Find files called msgstore.db.crypt14 (or crypt12, crypt15 – depending on the version of WhatsApp).
4. Rename the current backup file (e.g., msgstore.db.crypt14.old).
5. Copy an older copy (with a date in the file name, such as msgstore-2026-05-15.db.crypt14) and rename it to msgstore.db.crypt14.
6. Reinstall WhatsApp and restore data from the local backup.

A critical nuance for Xiaomi: in MIUI, the WhatsApp folder can be hidden by the system. To see it, turn on the display of hidden files in the file manager settings or use the command in ADB:

adb shell "setprop persist.sys.sdcardfs 1"

⚠️ Warning: Local backups do not contain media files (photos, videos, voice files) and can only be restored from Google Drive or through specialized programs (see Section 5).

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If you regularly clean your phone’s memory with the built-in Cleaner in MIUI, turn off the automatic cleaner of the WhatsApp folder in the app settings.

4. Use of utilities for data extraction (without root)

If standard methods don't work, you can try the side of a utility that scans your phone's memory for deleted data.

• 🔧 Dr.Fone – WhatsApp Recovery (works without root, but requires a PC connection).
• 📱 GT Recovery (mobile application, partially running on MIUI).
• 💻 EaseUS MobiSaver (scans internal memory and card SD).

The following is a step-by-step guide for Dr.Fone:

1. Download and install Dr.Fone on your computer (official website).
2. Connect Xiaomi to your PC via the USB- cable (enable File Transfer Mode).
3. In the program, select Data Recovery WhatsApp.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions (you may need to enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (7 times click to activate Developer mode)).
5. After scanning, select deleted messages and save them in.html or.txt format.

Limitations of methods without root:

• 🚫 Not all utilities work properly with MIUI due to the file system.
• 🔍 Scanning can take several hours if there is a lot of data on the phone.
• 📵 Recovered messages are sometimes displayed without contact names (phone numbers only).

5.Working with the WhatsApp database (for advanced users)

If you have root access on Xiaomi, you can try extracting messages directly from WhatsApp’s database, which is the most complex, but also the most effective method, allowing you to recover even those messages that did not get into the backup.

What you need:

• 📱 Xiaomi with unlocked bootloader and installed Magisk (or other root solution).
• 💻 A computer with SQLite Browser or DB Browser for SQLite installed.
• 🔧 ADB and basic command line knowledge.

Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and open ADB Shell:
2. Copy the WhatsApp database to your computer:
3. Open the msgstore.db file in SQLite Browser.
4. Go to the Data Overview tab and select the messages table.
5. Filter entries by date or keyword to find deleted posts.
6. Export the data to CSV or HTML.

Important observations:

• 🔐 WhatsApp's database is encrypted. You'll need a key to decrypt it, which is stored in /data/data/com.whatsapp/files/key.
• 🛠️ Mistakes can damage the database and cause all messages to be lost.
• 📅 Messages deleted more than 7 days ago are likely to have already been overwritten by the new data.

⚠️ Warning: Working with the database through root violates WhatsApp's terms of use.Accounts may be temporarily blocked if the system detects suspicious activity.Use this method at your own risk.

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Root access on Xiaomi offers the maximum possibilities for data recovery, but requires technical skills and risks the security of your account.

6. How to protect messages from future loss

To avoid losing important WhatsApp messages, set up automatic backups and use additional tools. On Xiaomi, you can do this:

Methods of protection:

• ☁️ Daily backup on Google Drive: Open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → Chat → Backup. Press Create a copy and select Daily. Make sure you select the correct Google account.
• 📁 Local Copy to Memory Card: Insert SD- card in Xiaomi (if supported). In WhatsApp settings, specify the path for backup to the card: /storage/XXXX-XXXX/WhatsApp/Databases.
• 📧 Export important chats: Open the desired chat → ⋮ → Export chat. Select Media Free (to make the file smaller) and send it to the mail.

Use alternative messengers:

Some apps (such as Telegram) allow you to cancel the deletion of messages within 48 hours.

Additional settings for MIUI:

• 🔄 Turn off the automatic cleaning of the WhatsApp cache in Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Cleanup.
• 📵 Prevent MIUI from optimizing WhatsApp in the background: Settings → Battery and Performance → App Power Management.

FAQ: Frequent questions about WhatsApp messaging recovery