How to hide text in Telegram on Xiaomi smartphones: from formatting to secret chats

Hidden text in Telegram on Xiaomi devices is not only a way to surprise friends with invisible messages, but also a useful tool for confidential data exchange. Owners of Redmi, POCO or Black Shark smartphones can encounter the nuances of the messenger because of the features of MIUI, so standard instructions do not always work. In this guide, we will analyze 5 proven methods, including hidden formatting, bots, secret chats and even technical tricks with Unicode.

It is important to understand that Telegram has two types of hidden text: the first is visually invisible (like white font on a white background) that can be highlighted and read; the second is completely deleted from history (like in secret chat rooms or using self-destruct timers), and we will look at both options, focusing on security and compatibility with MIUI 14/15.

1. Hidden Text through Formatting: Unicode Characters and HTML

The easiest way to make text invisible is to use special characters or HTML- markup, which works consistently on Xiaomi, but requires precise code entry. Here's how to do it:

Open a chat in Telegram, enter any character (such as a dot), then click and hold it. In the menu that appears, select Format → Monowidth (or manually wrap the text into three apostrophes ```text ```).

• 🔹 Spaces and tabs: enter a few spaces or \t characters. The message will be empty, but it will go.
• 🔹 Unicode stealth: copy the U+200B (zero width) or U+200C (zero separator) character and paste it instead of text. On Xiaomi with MIUI 14+, these characters may appear as a blank string, but they are visible as a "Message" in the notifications.
• 🔹 Color text: Use the bot @ManyBot or @Gamee to make the font white on a white background (the /color command #FFFFFF).

Warning: these messages don't disappear forever, you can see them when you highlight text or in your chat history, and for real privacy, use the methods in the following sections.

2.Shidden Message Bots: @InvisibleTextBot and Analogues

If manual formatting seems complicated, automate the process with bots. On Xiaomi, they work without restrictions, but some features can be blocked by MIUI protection (for example, access to the clipboard).

Instructions for Xiaomi:

1. Open Telegram and find a bot by nick (e.g. @InvisibleTextBot).
2. Send the /start command and follow the prompts.
3. Copy the generated “invisible” text and paste it into the desired chat.

⚠️ Warning: Bots may store your messages on their servers. Use secret chats to transmit sensitive data (passwords, documents) (Section 4).

Update Telegram to the latest version

Check permissions for Telegram in MIUI Settings

Disable Battery Optimization for Telegram

Download the bot in advance (in case of blocking)-->

3.Technical trick: Hiding text through Markdown and spoilers

Telegram has a built-in spoiler feature that allows you to hide text under a black bar, which works correctly on Xiaomi, but there are nuances with display in notifications.

Wrap the text in double vertical lines:

||Your hidden text |||

In chat, it will look like a gray block that you have to click to read. For complete invisibility, combine with Unicode characters:

||​||

(Here, between || is inserted the zero-width symbol U+200B.)

You can also use Markdown to create “empty” links:

[Text](https://t.me "Invisible hint"]

When getting stuck (on PC) or long-pressing (on Xiaomi), a hint will be visible, but the text itself will remain hidden.

4 Secret Chats: True Privacy

If you don't just want to hide the text, but you can guarantee to delete it after reading it, use secret chats. On Xiaomi, they work just like they do on other devices, with one exception: MIUI can block screenshots in some versions. Here's how to set up:

1. Open a chat with a contact in Telegram.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner → Launch a secret chat.
3. Set a self-destruct timer (from 1 second to 1 week).
4. Send a message, it will disappear after reading it.

Advantages of secret chats on Xiaomi:

• 🔒 Encryption is end-to-end (even Telegram can't read messages).
• 🚫 No forwarding (messages cannot be saved or forwarded).
• ⏱️ The self-destruct timer works even when the phone is turned off.

⚠️ Warning: The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10/11 and POCO X3/X4 with MIUI 13 had bugs that might have prevented secret chats from opening after the update. Before using, check the Telegram version (must be at least 9.8.4).

1. Clear the Telegram cache in Settings → Apps → Telegram → Storage.

2. disable "Background Minimization" in MIUI Settings → Special features → System settings.

3.Reboot the phone and try again.-->

5. Alternative methods: from “ink” to encryption

If the standard methods don’t work, try these advanced tricks:

• 🖋️ Invisible ink: The @InvisibleInkBot bot allows you to send messages that only show up after you click. Works for all Xiaomis, but requires you to install Segoe UI Emoji font.
• 🔐 Manual encryption: use Base64 or ROT13 to encode text. For example, the word "hello" in Base64 becomes 0J/RgNC40LLQtdGC. You can decrypt it on sites like base64decode.org.
• 📎 Hiding in media: Send a silent audio message or a transparent text image (you can do it in Photoshop or Canva).

For Base64 encryption on Xiaomi:

1. Download the Termux app from F-Droid (not from the Play Market, as the version is outdated there).
2. Enter the command: echo "your text" | base64
3. Copy the encrypted text and send it to Telegram.

💡

For maximum privacy, combine methods: send encrypted text in a secret chat with a self-destruct timer.

6 Problems with Xiaomi and How to Solve Them

Xiaomi users often encounter bugs when working with hidden text on Telegram, and here are the most common problems and solutions:

• 🔄 Invisible text appears as an empty message: update Telegram to the latest version or clear the app cache. On MIUI 15, it's about optimizing memory.
• 📵 Bots Are Not Working: Check if MIUI is blocking Telegram background activity. Go to Settings → Apps → Telegram → Battery → No restrictions.
• 🔒 Secret Chat does not open: turn off Background Minimization in MIUI settings (see spoiler in Section 4).
• 📲 Messages are not deleted by timer: restart the phone – on Xiaomi with MIUI 14, background processes are sometimes confused.

If nothing helps, try alternative Telegram clients:

• Telegram X is a faster version with better Unicode support.
• Plus Messenger is a fork with advanced privacy settings.

On Xiaomi Black Shark and some POCO models, you may need to turn off the game mode, as it blocks notifications from messengers.

7.Security: What to Know Before Using Hidden Text

Hidden messages on Telegram are not a panacea, but here are 5 key risks that few people talk about:

1. Screenshots: Even in secret chats, the interlocutor can take a screenshot (on Xiaomi this is accompanied by a notification, but it can be bypassed through ADB).
2. Telegram Logs: Messenger administrators can theoretically recover deleted messages from metadata (e.g., sending time).
3. MIUI Cloud: If you are logged in to a Xiaomi account, chat backups can be saved to the cloud (disables in Settings → Xiaomi Account → Cloud → Backup).
4. App cache: On Xiaomi, Telegram cache can store snippets of "invisible" messages. Clean it regularly.

⚠️ Warning: Xiaomi with MIUI Global (not the Chinese version) has an antivirus built-in that can block encrypted messages from being sent as “suspicious activity.” If you see a Security Risk Detected notification, add Telegram to the exceptions in Settings → Security → Scan.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions