Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a situation where after another MIUI update or reset, visual indicators of new messages stop showing. This can be not just an inconvenience, but a serious problem if you expect an important call or confirmation code. The absence of a red dot or number on the app icon is misleading, making you think that there are no messages, when in fact they are waiting for their hour in the back of the system.
The reasons for the disappearance of icons can be different: from the banal activation of the “Do Not Disturb” mode to aggressive optimization of the battery, which forcibly closes the background processes of messengers. Android system in conjunction with the MIUI shell has many levels of notification control, and a failure on any of them leads to the disappearance of markers. In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios, from simple interface settings to deep configuration of system services.
Recovery doesn’t require root rights or complex code manipulation. The user interface of modern smartphones allows for flexible management of the look and feel. However, it’s important to understand that settings may vary depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14 or HyperOS) and the type of launcher used. We’ll look at universal methods that cover most cases.
Checking basic notification settings in MIUI
The first thing to do if the message icon is missing is to make sure that notifications are allowed for a particular application at all. In the MIUI shell, notification management is divided into several layers, and often default settings can be changed by the system automatically.
Go to Settings and select Notifications and Status bar, and this is the central control for all visual signals, make sure that the Allow Notifications switch is active, and if it's off, the phone won't be able to physically display any sound, vibration, or icon.
⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI Notification settings for system applications and third-party programs (for example, Viber or Telegram) are located in different menus.
Next, check whether the number or point indicator is turned on. In the notification menu, find the list of applications and select the one you want (for example, “Messages” or “WhatsApp”). Inside this menu, look for the option “App Badges” or “App Badges”, which is the parameter responsible for the appearance of the number on the icon.
- 📱 Make sure the “Display on the Lock Screen” option is enabled if you need to see preview messages without unlocking.
- 🔔 Check the Incoming Messages category inside the app settings – it should be allowed an audio signal and a visual indicator.
- 🛑 Make sure you don’t activate the Do Not Disturb mode, which hides all visual markers of new events.
It is important to note that system restrictions can block background services.If you use a third-party launcher instead of a standard MIUI Launcher, make sure it has all the necessary permissions to render icons.
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If the icon is missing from only one application, try clearing the cache of that particular application through Settings → Apps → All Apps → (Select App) → Clear the cache.
Setting up the display on the desktop and in the curtain
Often users confuse notifications in the curtain and icons on the desktop. These are two different mechanisms. The desktop (launcher) is responsible for displaying a red dot or number directly on the app icon located on the home screen. The curtain (notification center) shows the list of events, even if the application is folded.
To set up icons on your desktop, go to Settings → Desktop. Find the section associated with Notification Signs or Badges. Depending on the version of MIUI, you can choose the display style: classic red dot (without numbers) or digitally indicate the number of unread messages.
If you prefer to see messages in the curtain but it is empty or doesn't pop up, check the style settings. In Settings → Notifications and Status Bar → Notification format can be chosen between the classic list and the cards. Sometimes switching style and going back resets the visual bug.
And it's worth mentioning the Heads-up notifications feature, which are pop-ups on top of the current app. If they don't work, check the Importance option in the app-specific notification settings and set it to High, which will force the system to prioritize those messages.
- 🎨 Icon Style: Choose between a dot (just an indicator of availability) and a number (exact number).
- 📍 Positioning: In some launchers, you can configure where exactly the point appears (usually the upper right corner).
- 📉 Hiding: There is an option to hide icons for long-out-of-use apps, check if it’s enabled.
⚠️ Note: On screens with high refresh rate or Always-On Display (AOD) The icon may not burn constantly to save energy, appearing only when a new message arrives.
Solving problems with specific applications (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram)
System SMS is running and instant messengers are silent, and this is because third-party applications use Google Firebases, which can be blocked by the system to save power.
For WhatsApp and Viber, autostart permission and background permission are critical. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find the right messenger. In the Notifications section, make sure the Important Notifications slider is on, which is a parameter that users often ignore, but it is key to MIUI.
Pay special attention to the battery settings for these applications. In the application management menu, look for "Activity Control" or "Battery." Select "No Limits" mode. If you save charge, the system will "kill" the messenger process, and the icon will not appear until the application is opened.
☑️ Checking the settings of the messenger
Telegram is similar, but there is a nuance with channels: Notifications can be disabled inside the app itself for specific chats, check the audio and notification settings inside the Telegram interface, and make sure the app is not in the launcher's Sleep Mode.
- 📲 AutoRun: Mandatory setup for instant messaging on Viber and WhatsApp.
- 🔋 Battery: No Limits mode prevents sync service from stopping.
- 🔒 Lock screen: Allow the content of notifications to be displayed if you want to see text without unlocking.
Sometimes, reinstalling the application with data precleaning helps, and it resets all internal tokenization errors that can interfere with getting push signals from Google servers.
Impact of energy saving and optimization
Aggressive optimization is a scourge of modern Xiaomi smartphones. Power saving mode is designed to extend the life of the battery, but often it works too hard, turning off the background synchronization of mail and messengers. If you have a badge missing, first look at the battery icon in the status bar.
If Power Saving mode is active (usually indicated by the green battery icon), the system restricts background activity. Switch to Balance or Performance mode. To do this, go to Settings → Battery and select the appropriate profile. In Saving mode, message icons can only come after unlocking the screen and opening the application.
There's also a feature called "Memory Optimization" or "Memory Extension" that can unload rarely used applications from RAM. If an application is offloaded, it can't update the unread message counter in real time.
| Mode of work | Impact on notifications | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| No restrictions. | Instant delivery, the badge appears immediately | For important messengers |
| Saving energy | Delayed delivery, icon only when opened | Not recommended for active work |
| Sleep regimen | Complete blocking of background processes | Use only at night |
| Super-economy | Only calls and SMS work. | In critical situations |
What is "Memory Cleanup"?
It is important to set exceptions for key applications. The Security app (a standard Xiaomi app) has a Battery section → Settings → Auto-Run Apps. Make sure your messengers are included in this list, which gives them priority over the system when allocating resources.
System settings of the lock screen and Always on Display
The lock screen is a separate interface layer that has its own display settings. If the unlocked phone has icons and the locked phone doesn't, the problem lies in the lock screen section.
Go to Settings → Lock screen. You will need to find “Notification Format” or “Notification Style” here. Make sure you choose the option that displays app icons. Also check the “Show Notification Content” setting. If it is disabled, you will only see the text “New Notice” without the sender name and icon.
For devices that support Always On Display, there are separate settings. Go to Settings → Wallpaper and Personalization → Always On Display. Make sure you tick the “Show Notifications” box. Without this, the message icon will not appear on the black background of the screen that is off.
- 🔒 Lock-screen style: Choose Classic or Widget, some styles hide icons for minimalism.
- 👁️ Privacy: If Hide Content is enabled, the icon may not be displayed until unlocked.
- ⏱️ Timeout: Check if it is too short time to turn off the screen, which is why you do not have time to notice the icon.
⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models with AMOLED-The Always On Display function can be disabled by default to save the matrix life.
If you use third-party themes, they may conflict with the standard notification display. Try temporarily switching to a standard Classic or Default theme through the Themes app. If the icon appears, it means that the third-party theme code was the problem.
Additional methods: Resetting and debugging
If none of the above methods worked, there may have been a failure in the system configuration files or launcher cache, in which case a deeper intervention is required.
The first step is to clean up the launcher data. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find an app called "Luncher" or "System Launcher." Click "Clean" → "Clean all data." Importantly, this will reset the desktop icons to factory appearance, but restore the notification icons to work properly.
The second step is to check through the engineering menu (for advanced users). You can try resetting notification settings via ADB, but it is easier to use the built-in reset of network and application settings. In Settings → Advanced Settings → Recover and Reset, select Reset settings for Wi-Fi, mobile networks and Bluetooth. This will not affect personal files, but will update network configs, which sometimes helps in synchronizing push notifications.
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Full resetting of launcher settings is the most effective way to fix icon display bugs if simple settings didn't help. Be sure to take a screenshot of the icons' location before resetting.
In extreme cases, if the problem appeared after the system update, it is worth waiting for the patch or considering the possibility of rolling back the MIUI version, since some updates contain critical errors in the notification framework.