How to delete messages in Xiaomi phone: the complete guide

Today’s Xiaomi smartphones, which run MIUI or HyperOS shells, process massive amounts of textual information every day, receive confirmation codes, promotional mailings and private messages that accumulate over time in the device’s database, not only creating visual noise, but can also slow down the contact search system if the archive is too large.

The cleaning process can vary depending on whether you use a standard SMS application or third-party messengers preinstalled by the manufacturer. Owners of Redmi and POCO devices often face the need to massively remove old dialogues to make room or hide sensitive information from prying eyes.

In this article, we will discuss in detail all methods of deleting correspondence, from the banal cleaning of one SMS to a complete reset of the message database through an engineering menu or a file manager.

Quick cleaning of junk files and text logs is an important part of maintenance of any Android device. Regular maintenance helps to maintain the speed of the interface and reduces the load on flash memory, prolonging the life of the drive.

Delete standard SMS and MMS messages

The basic functionality of any Xiaomi phone includes the Messages app, which is the default communication tool. Deleting individual SMS or entire dialogs does not require root rights or special knowledge.

If you need to delete one particular message inside a message, the process will take a few seconds. Click on the dialog to open it, then find the SMS you want. On modern versions of MIUI, it is enough to just hold your finger on the text of the message, after which it will be highlighted.

Once highlighted, you'll see a top menu with tools, and you can select multiple messages in a row by ticking the box, or click the delete button (basket icon), and the system will request confirmation of action to prevent accidental data loss.

⚠️ Note: Remote standard SMS-Messages do not fall into the cart and cannot be restored by standard Android tools without prior backup.

To massively delete entire dialogs, a slightly different algorithm is used: In the main window of the Messages app, you press and hold your finger on the contact avatar or conversation name, which activates the selection mode.

In the menu that opens, you can tick all the dialogs that are to be cleared. After selecting all the unnecessary chats, click the "Delete" button at the bottom of the screen or at the top menu, which will completely erase the history of correspondence with selected subscribers.

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Periodically check the Spam folder in the messaging app, as there may be thousands of advertising SMS that take up space in the database.

Importantly, deleting the dialogue erases the entire story, including the media files sent and received, unless they were saved separately in the gallery.Be careful when clearing important conversations with support services or banks.

Clearing History in the Mi Messages app

Many global versions of Xiaomi smartphones preinstalled the application Mi Messages from Google, which supports the RCS protocol. the interface of this program is slightly different from the classic, but the logic of removal remains similar. Open the application and go to the section “Chats”.

To delete a specific message inside a chat RCS or SMS, click on the text for a long time. In the context menu that appears, select “Delete.” If you want to delete the message for all participants in the conversation (the function only works in chat mode), select the appropriate option.

• 🗑️ Single Deletion: Click the message and select one basket.
• 📤 Removal for all: Available only in mode RCS-chatroom.
• 📂 Cleaning up the dialogue: erasing the history of contact correspondence.

To delete all the dialogue in Mi Messages, go back to the conversation list. Swipe left at the right contact (some versions have a long press), a red button with a garbage can will appear. Click on it to confirm.

Mi Messages also allows you to archive chats, hiding them from the general list, but not permanently deleting them, a useful option for those who want to save a story but not see it in the main window.

If the app is not working properly or freezes when you try to delete it, try clearing its cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Messages and click Clear Cache. This will not delete your texts, but can fix interface errors.

Message management in messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber)

In addition to standard SMS, Xiaomi users actively use third-party messengers, the principles of deleting messages in them have their own features related to the privacy policy of each service. WhatsApp removes on the principle of “local” or “for everyone”.

Telegram is similar, but with more flexible self-destruct timer settings. Selective removal options are also available to clean chat in Viber. Consider the basic actions for these platforms on Redmi and Xiaomi devices.

On WhatsApp, pinch the message, select the basket icon. You will be offered two options: “Delete from me” (the message will disappear only from your phone) or “Delete from everyone” (the message will disappear from the interlocutor if less than 2 days have passed). To completely clear the dialogue, go to the chat list, pinch the contact and select “Clear chat” or “Delete chat”.

Telegram allows you to delete messages without time limits. Once you have a message, you can select the option "Delete also for [Interviewer's Name]" which completely erases the traces of correspondence. Telegram also has a "Clear History" feature that deletes all messages at once.

Messengers store media files separately from text. Even if you delete text messages, photos and videos can remain in the folders of internal memory. To completely clear the space, use built-in memory cleaning tools in the settings of each application.

⚠️ Note: Some corporate versions of instant messengers (such as WhatsApp Business) may have data retention policies that prohibit the complete deletion of your correspondence history for audit.

For Viber, the procedure is similar: a long click on a message causes an action menu. Select "Delete", then confirm the action for yourself or for all participants. Delete the entire dialogue is done through a swipe or long click in the chat list, followed by the choice "Delete".

Use of the Antispam function and blocking

One of the main reasons for overloading with messages is spam, and the MIUI and HyperOS shells have a powerful security module built in that includes an SMS filter, which automatically detects the emails and places them in a separate folder.

To set up anti-spam, open the Security app (green zipper icon) and go to the Anti-Spam section and then to the SMS filter settings, where you can enable blocking messages from unknown numbers or containing certain keywords.

Spam messages are not displayed in the general list or audible notifications, but they continue to take up space. Periodically go to the Spam folder in the message app and clean it completely using the Clear Everything button.

• 🛡️ Blacklist: Add intrusive numbers to blacklist straight from call log.
• 🔑 Keywords: Add the words “credit”, “winning”, “share” to the filter to make such SMS squat out.
• 📵 Hidden Number Blocking: Enable the option to block messages without a sender number.

Setting up filters for keywords is an effective way to combat specific types of ads. You can add up to 10 keywords that will trigger automatic inbound blocking.

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Including keyword filtering in MIUI allows you to automatically get rid of 90% of advertising junk before it gets into the main inbox.

Remember that blocking a number does not always mean deleting messages that have already been sent from it. Old SMS from a blocked contact must be manually deleted through the mass delete function described in the first section.

Radical Methods: Reset via Settings and ADB

In cases where the Messages app is not working properly, freezes or prevents you from deleting messages due to a software error, you can resort to deeper cleaning methods, the first of which is cleaning the application data through system settings.

Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps. Find Messages (or Mi Messages) in the list. Click on Storage. Here you will see two buttons: Clear Cache and Clear All (or Reset) clicking on Clear All will delete the SMS database, returning the app to post-purchase state.

Settings → Applications → All Applications → Messages → Storage → Clean all

This method is guaranteed to delete all text messages, but also erases the settings of the application and blacklists configured inside it. Use this method only if other methods do not work or if your goal is complete destruction of data.

For advanced users with access to a computer, there is an ADB (Android Debug Bridge) method that allows you to delete messages directly from the system database without going through the interface, and you need to enable USB debugging in the Developer menu.

By connecting the phone to a PC, you can execute a command to clean the SMS table. This requires caution, since an error in the command can lead to unstable operation of the system.

adb shell content delete --uri content://sms/

⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Incorrect syntax commands can damage other parts of the Android database.

After executing the command via ADB, all SMS, including system notifications, will be permanently deleted.Rebooting the device after this procedure is mandatory for correct restatement of database indexes.

Recovery of deleted messages and backup

Before starting a mass cleanup, many users wonder: can I return messages back? Xiaomi's standard shell does not have the "Basket" feature for SMS, as in some other Android launchers.

MIUI and HyperOS have a built-in Mi Cloud tool or local backup. To create a backup message, go to Settings → About Phone → Backup and Restore. Select Mobile Device and make sure (check) is opposite to Messages.

If you accidentally deleted important SMS and didn’t back up, the chances of recovery are minimal. There are specialized PC programs (like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare) that can scan a phone’s memory, but their effectiveness on modern versions of Android with data encryption is extremely low.

To ensure the safety of data before any “general cleaning”, it is recommended to copy important codes and correspondence into notes or send yourself to the messenger as a file. This will create an independent copy that will not suffer when cleaning the SMS database.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)