How to find blocked or hidden SMS on Xiaomi smartphones: all the ways of 2026

Have you accidentally deleted an important message or suspect that someone has hidden an SMS on your Xiaomi? there are several hidden mechanisms in the MIUI firmware that are not known to all users. Even if the message is not displayed in the standard Message application, it could be saved in a backup, system cache or cloud storage.

In this article, we’ll look at 5 proven ways to find blocked, deleted or hidden SMS on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones, from built-in MIUI features to third-party utilities. Importantly, some methods require root rights or PC connectivity, but most solutions work without them.

1. Spam folder in the standard Messages app

The first place to look for "disappeared" SMS is the built-in Spam folder. MIUI automatically filters messages from unknown senders, bank notifications from suspicious numbers and SMS From services labeled as spam by users, users often don't even know it exists.

To check the folder:

• 📱 Open the Messages app (the envelope icon on the home screen).
• 🔍 In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and choose spam.
• 📤 If there is a message there, click on it and select Not Spam to return to the main list.
• ⚙️ To turn off automatic filtering: go to Settings → Spam filter and deactivate the option.

Important: Spam messages are only stored for 30 days, then automatically deleted. If more than a month has passed, move to the next method.

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If you often receive important SMS messages from unknown numbers (such as confirmation codes from services), add them to your contacts or mark them as “Not spam” – this will prevent automatic filtering.

2. MIUI Message Archive (Hidden Folder)

MIUI 12+ has a hidden message archiving feature that is activated when you manually delete SMS. Unlike the Spam folder, the archive is not automatically cleaned and can store messages for years.

How to open an archive:

1. Launch the Messages app.
2. Press three points (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Settings.
3. Scroll down and find the Message Archive item (on some models it is hidden behind the Additional item).
4. The archive will display all the messages you have manually deleted. To restore, click on SMS and select Restore.

If the item Archive messages is not in the settings, it means:

• 📵 Your version. MIUI Does not support archiving (relevant for older models until 2020).
• 🔧 The function is disabled in regional firmware (for example, for the European version). MIUI EU).
• 🛠️ The archive was manually cleaned through Settings → Warehouse → Cleanup.

3. Recovery via Mi Cloud (Xiaomi Cloud Storage)

If your Xiaomi has Mi Cloud sync enabled, chances are that the remote SMS is saved to the cloud, and this method works even if you reset your phone to factory settings, as long as you have backup enabled earlier.

Instructions for remediation:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Make sure you are logged in with the same account you used before deleting the SMS.
3. Select Backup and find the last copy with the date preceding the removal of messages.
4. Click Restore and select only Message (so as not to erase other data).

Limitations of the method:

• 🔄 Recovery of correspondence is possible only in its entirety - you can not choose individual SMS.
• ⏳ The process can take up to 30 minutes depending on the size of the backup.
• 📱 If more than 6 months have passed since the backup, the copy may have been deleted from Xiaomi servers.

Check the Wi-Fi connection|Make sure the phone has enough charge (minimum 50%)|Close all background applications|Save important data (restore may overwrite current data) SMS)-->

4. Search through Google Drive (if sync is enabled)

Many users are unaware that Google automatically backs up SMS when sync is enabled, a method that works on all Xiaomi smartphones running Google Play services, regardless of the MIUI version.

How to restore SMS via Google:

1. Open Settings → Google → Backup.
2. Check if the option is enabled to back up application data and when was the last save.
3. If you have a backup, reset your phone to factory settings (Settings → About Phone → Reset settings).
4. When you first set up after reset, select Restore from Google backup and log in under the same account.

⚠️ Warning: This method erases all current data on the phone! before reset save photos, contacts and files to an external drive or PC.

Alternative method (without resetting):

• 🖥️ Connect your phone to your PC and use Android Data Recovery (like Dr.Fone or Tenorshare).
• 🔍 The program will scan Google backups and show available for recovery SMS.

5. Use of third-party applications (without root)

If the built-in methods did not help, you can use specialized utilities, we recommend only proven applications that do not require root rights and do not violate the MIUI privacy policy.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install recovery apps SMS Some of the utilities (for example, from unknown sources, SMS Recovery Pros may contain malicious code masquerading as legitimate features. Only use Google Play programs with a rating above 4.5.

Instructions for SMS Backup & Restore:

1. Install the application and provide access to SMS.
2. Choose Restore and specify the path to backup (if any).
3. If there is no backup, click Create a backup – this will help in the future.

6. Advanced methods (for experienced users)

If none of these methods work, radical measures remain, requiring technical skills and can lead to data loss if used incorrectly.

Method 1: Retrieving SMS via ADB (without root)

With Android Debug Bridge (ADB), you can access the SMS database even if it doesn’t appear in the interface.

1. Turn on USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times on MIUI Version, then go back to Additional Settings → For Developers).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command:

adb pull /data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/mmssms.db

The mmssms.db file contains all SMS, including the deleted ones. Use SQLite Browser to view it.

Method 2: Physically Extracting a Memory Chip

In extreme cases (such as a phone breakage), you can extract an eMMC or UFS chip and connect it to a programmer.

• 🔧 Special equipment (e.g. EasyJTAG or Medusa Pro).
• 💻 Knowledge of rations and working with NAND-memory.
• 📄 Legal right to access data (if your phone is not yours).

⚠️ WARNING: Self-extracting a memory chip without experience could damage it! SMS are critical (e.g. for a court), contact a digital forensics lab.

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Most remote SMS on Xiaomi are restored via Mi Cloud or Google Drive. Advanced methods (ADB, chip-off) are justified only if the messages are of legal significance or contain unique information.

FAQ: Frequent questions about SMS recovery on Xiaomi