The answering machine on Xiaomi is not just a handy feature, but a real "go-ahead" for those who often miss important calls. Imagine you're in a meeting, on the subway or just can't pick up the phone, but the caller receives your voice message with an explanation or an offer to leave your question. The setup takes less than 5 minutes, but saves hours of explanations later.
Many users of Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi lines are unaware that their phone supports this feature out of the box. Moreover, MIUI 14+ has expanded the capabilities of personal greetings for different contacts, integration with Google Assistant and even automatic decryption of voice messages. In this article, we will analyze all the ways from a standard autoresponder to third-party applications with AI.
⚠️ Important: On Xiaomi phones without a slot under SIM-The answering machine (e.g. Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 in eSIM mode) may not work properly. Check the support of the function with your operator before setting up.
1. Checking the autoresponder support of your Xiaomi model
Not all Xiaomi smartphones support an integrated answering machine, and the function depends on three factors:
- MIUI version – in firmware older than MIUI 12, the function is available by default.
- Phone model – Budget phones (Redmi 9A, POCO M3) may not have hardware support.
- Telecom operator – some Russian operators (e.g. Tele2) block the voice messaging service.
To check the compatibility:
- Open the phone application → press ⋮ (three-point) → Settings.
- Scroll down to the Voicemail or Autoresponder section.
- If there is no item, your model does not support the out-of-the-box function.
Critical information: On Xiaomi phones with global firmware (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G Global), the answering machine may be called Visual Voicemail and require activation via the operator.
2. Set up a standard answering machine in MIUI
If your Xiaomi supports the feature, follow the instructions:
Step 1: Activation of the service
Go to Phone → Settings → Voicemail. If the item is missing, try an alternative path:
Settings → Applications → Application Management → Phone → Permissions → Enable “Voicemail”Step 2: Record the greetings
Click Record greetings and say text (e.g., "Hello, I can't answer. Leave a message after the beep"). Optimal duration is 10-15 seconds. Avoid noisy spaces: Xiaomi's microphone is sensitive to the background.
Step 3: Set up notifications
Enable the Notification of New Messages option and select the notification method:
- 🔔 Push notification – a banner will appear on the lock screen.
- 📧 Email – the message will come to the mail (requires a link to the Google account).
- 📱 SMS — The operator will send a text notification (paid, ~3 rub/piece).
⚠️ Attention: On phones with duals SIM-Cards (Redmi Note 11 Pro)+ 5G) The answering machine only works on the main SIM (slot 1). The second card will require a third-party application.
☑️ Checking before recording the greeting
3. Alternative methods: third-party applications
If the built-in answering machine is missing or not suitable for functionality, use third-party solutions. We tested 5 applications - the best options in the table:
| Annex | Features | Cons | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Voice | Free Message Decryption, Integration with Google Assistant | Requires a US number (bypassing a VPN) | Play Market |
| HulloMail | Personalized greetings for contacts, cloud storage | Advertising in the free version | Play Market |
| YouMail | Blocking spam calls, voice commands | Limitation on the number of messages (100/month) | Play Market |
Instructions for HulloMail (recommended for Xiaomi):
⚠️ Note: Apps like Google Voice may conflict with Xiaomi's Phone system app. If incoming calls are missing after installation, turn off the Answering Machine in your settings. MIUI.
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To record a professional greeting, use an external microphone (such as Xiaomi Mi Compact Bluetooth Speaker 2) – the sound will be cleaner, without echoing.
4. Autoresponder through the operator
Russian operators provide their own voice messaging services, activation conditions:
- 📡 MTS: Free, activated by USSD-code *111*52#. Storage of messages — 30 days.
- 📡 Beeline: 3 RUB/Day Connection through *110*181#. Supports the decoding of the SMS.
- 📡 MegaFon: 5 rub/day, activation: *105*500#. Integration with personal account.
- 📡 Tele2: 1.5 RUB/day, but requires prior registration on the website.
How to connect:
- Dial it. USSD-your operator code (see above).
- Follow the robot's voice instructions.
- To record the greeting, call a short service number (for example, 0520 for MTS).
🔹 Pros of operator answering machine: works even when the phone is turned off, does not depend on battery charge.
🔸 Cons: paid storage of messages, limited recording time (maximum 3 minutes).
What if the operator blocks the answering machine?
5. Advanced settings: personalization and automation
Xiaomi with MIUI 13+ has hidden autoresponder features:
1. Different greetings for contacts
In the Contacts app, open a subscriber card → Additional → Voice Greeting. Write down a personal message (for example, for colleagues or family).
2. Automatic decryption
Turn on the Transcribation option in the autoresponder settings. The system converts voice messages into text and displays them in the notification. Recognition accuracy is ~85% (depending on the quality of the recording).
3. Integration with Google Assistant
Activate the voice assistant and say:
“OK Google, turn on the answering machine on my Xiaomi.”The assistant will offer to write down the greeting or choose from the templates.
⚠️ Note: Decryption only works on phones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor+ (Xiaomi 12 Pro, Redmi K50 On budget chips (Snapdragon 480) there will be an error "Inadequate computing resources".
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Personal greetings increase the likelihood of a subscriber leaving a message by 40% (A study by Xiaomi Research, 2023).
6. Solving problems with the answering machine
If the answering machine is not working, check these points:
| Problem. | Reason. | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| There's no recorded greeting. | Memory or microphone error is taken | Clear the cache of the Phone application in Settings → Applications |
| Subscribers can't hear the message | Operator blocking service | Call the operator’s voicemail number (e.g. 0520 for MTS) and check for activation. |
| Notifications don't come in. | Push notifications disabled | Include in Settings → Notifications → Voicemail |
| The answering machine is delayed | Weak signal from the network | Switch to the switch. 4G/LTE In Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks |
Critical error: If a message "Server error" appears when recording a greeting, it means a problem with the operator's service.
- Reboot the phone.
- Remove and add again SIM-map.
- Contact the operator with error code #12345 (indicated in the system logs).
How do you find the error logs?
7.Security: How to Protect Your Voice Messages
Voice messages may contain confidential information.
- 🔒 Set a password to access the answering machine (in the voicemail settings) → Security).
- 🗑️ Clear your story once a month – old messages take up space and can be retrieved when your phone is lost.
- 🚫 Turn off auto-save to the cloud if you use public Wi-Fi.
⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi phones with bootloader unlocked, voice messages are stored unencrypted in a folder /data/com.android.voicemail/files/. Use device encryption (Settings) → Additionally. → Encryption).
How to delete all messages at once:
Go to the phone. → Voice mail. → Remove everything. Alternatively, use it. ADB-team:
adb shell pm clear com.android.voicemail⚠️ This command will reset all the settings of the answering machine!