WhatsApp notifications on the lock screen or in the status bar of Xiaomi can be a source of embarrassing situations — especially when colleagues, relatives or just strangers are nearby. Showing the content of messages is not always convenient: this applies to both personal correspondence and work chats with confidential information. Fortunately, MIUI offers several ways to hide the text of notifications, leaving only the sender’s name or completely replacing the message with a neutral signature.
In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven methods, including the MIUI settings, WhatsApp settings, and workarounds for older firmware versions. It’s important to consider that the algorithm of actions may vary slightly depending on the smartphone model (Redmi Note 12, Poco X5 Pro, Xiaomi 13T, etc.) and the MIUI version (12-14). If you use Android 14 with the latest security updates, some menu items may be moved, we’ll indicate alternative paths.
Before you start settings, make sure that your device has an up-to-date version of WhatsApp installed (at least 2.23.17.76 for stable privacy features). Also check whether the power saving mode blocks the background work of the messenger - this can affect the display of notifications.
1. Hiding text through MIUI settings (main method)
The most reliable and versatile method is to use the built-in MIUI tools to manage notifications, which works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices with the firmware versions from MIUI 12 and later.
- Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar.
- Tap on the item “Manage notifications” (in some versions – “Settings notifications”).
- In the list of apps, find WhatsApp and select it.
- Activate the Display Notifications switch (if it is turned off).
- Below, find the option Notification Content on the lock screen (or Privacy in newer versions) and select: 🔒 Do not show content – hides the text, leaving only the sender name and icon. 🔐 Show only when unlocked – text is visible only after unlocking the screen.
After you have set up your settings, check the result by sending a test message to your number, and note that if you have Do Not Disturb mode or priority notifications enabled, they may override standard privacy settings.
Is Notification Settings Open for WhatsApp?|Selected mode "Do not show content"?|Checked whether the display on the locked screen?|Is the energy saving regime taken into account?-->
2.Setting up privacy in WhatsApp itself
If MIUI system settings don’t work well (e.g., on older versions of firmware), you can limit the text to the instant messenger itself, a method that is less flexible but is reliable for Android 11 and lower.
Instructions:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on the three dots in the upper right corner → Settings.
- Go to Notifications → Notification Tone (or Notification Settings in newer versions).
- Select Show Notifications and check the box opposite No Text (or Hide Content).
- For additional privacy, turn off the Preview in the Pop-up Notifications section.
Important: After updating WhatsApp to version 2.24.xx, these settings may reset – check them after each update of the messenger.
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If WhatsApp does not have a “No Text” option, update the app via Google Play or install an APK from the official website.
3. Use of Incognito mode for notifications
Starting with MIUI 13, Xiaomi added Incognito for notifications, which automatically hides the content of messages from prying eyes, a mode that works not only for WhatsApp, but also for other messengers (Telegram, Viber, etc.).
How to turn on:
- Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Incognito.
- Activate the button to hide the contents of notifications.
- In the list of applications, mark WhatsApp (and other messengers if necessary).
- Set up exceptions: For example, you can allow notifications from specific contacts to be displayed even in incognito mode.
This method leaves a notification of a new message, but removes its content from the notification panel and lock screen, and the full text will be visible only after unlocking the device and opening WhatsApp.
What if the “Preview” option is not available?
5. Reset notification settings (if nothing works)
If the notification text is still displayed after all the manipulations, there may have been a failure in the system settings, in which case resetting the notification settings for WhatsApp will help:
Instructions:
- Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → WhatsApp.
- Slip on the vault and cache → Clear the cache.
- Go back and select Notifications → Reset (or Restore by default).
- Confirm the action and restart the device.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting notification settings will return all settings to factory settings, including sounds, vibrations and priorities. After the procedure, reconfigure WhatsApp using instructions from previous sections.
If the problem persists, check if third-party software (such as launchers like Nova Launcher or ad-blocking apps) conflicts with the notification settings.
Comparison of methods: which way to choose?
To make the choice easier, we have collected the key features of each method in the table:
| Method | Difficulty | It's working on MIUI 12-14. | Hiding the text completely? | Does it affect other applications? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI settings | ⭐ | Yes. | Yes. | No. |
| WhatsApp settings | ⭐⭐ | Yes (except MIUI 14.1+) | Partially. | No. |
| Incognito mode. | ⭐ | Yes (starting with MIUI 13) | Yes. | Yes. |
| Disabling previewing | ⭐⭐ | Yes. | No (only previews are hidden) | No. |
| Resetting settings | ⭐⭐⭐ | Yes. | Requires reconfiguration | No. |
For most users, the best solution is to combine MIUI settings with Incognito mode. If you use MIUI 14 with the latest security patches, prioritize system tools, which are more stable and less prone to failures after WhatsApp updates.
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On Android 13/14 and MIUI 14, the most reliable way is to use the built-in Incognito mode, which is guaranteed to hide the text of notifications without any further manipulation.
Frequent problems and solutions
Even after setting up correctly, Xiaomi users may experience problems, and consider typical scenarios and ways to fix them:
Problem 1: The text of the notifications is displayed despite the “Do Not Show Content” mode enabled.
- 🔹 Check if you have set administrator rights for third-party applications (such as Clean Master or antivirus) that can override system settings.
- 🔹 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version: in old firmware (for example, MIUI 12.5) were bugs showing notifications.
Problem 2: After the WhatsApp update, the settings reset.
- 🔹 This is a well-known feature of the messenger, and the solution is to roll back the version through the messenger. APK or re-apply the settings.
- 🔹 Enable auto-update only over Wi-Fi in Google Play to control installation of new versions.
Problem 3: Notifications don’t come at all.
- 🔹 Make sure WhatsApp is not optimized by the system: go to Settings → Battery and productivity → Manage application power consumption and disable restrictions for messenger.
- 🔹 Check if WhatsApp has been added to the notification blacklist (some firmwares call it Do Not Disturb for Apps).
⚠️ Note: If you are using Xiaomi EU ROM or custom firmware (e.g. Pixel Experience), some privacy features may not work properly, in which case it is recommended to reflash the device to the official global version. MIUI.