How to change the melody of SMS on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Personalizing Xiaomi’s smartphone is not just a way to stand out from other devices, but also an important aspect of ergonomics: Audible notification of the arrival of a message should be audible, but not annoying. Owners of Redmi and Poco devices often face the need to replace the standard, often cutting sound with something more pleasant or just their own music composition.

The procedure for replacing the ringtone on the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS can seem confusing due to the abundance of settings. The system offers several levels of sound management, from global settings to individual selection for each contact. It is important to know that the system sounds of SMS are stored in a hidden folder miui/sound/sms, which is easy to miss when choosing a file. In this material, we will discuss all possible ways of settings so that you can fully control the acoustics of your smartphone.

Before making any changes, you need to make sure you have a file you want to use, which can be a short record downloaded from the internet, or a snippet of a favorite song, the file format must be Android compatible, usually MP3 or WAV. If the file is too long, the system can crop it automatically or play it incorrectly, so it is recommended to use passages up to 30 seconds long.

Basic sound setting for all messages

The easiest way to change a tune is to use the standard system settings menu, which will apply the selected sound to all incoming messages unless you have a specific ringtone for a particular contact. Open the Settings app and find the Sounds and Vibrations section, and that's where the main controls for the audio experience of the device are concentrated.

Inside the sound menu, you're interested in Additional Sounds or Notification Sound, depending on your MIUI version of the shell. Clicking on this item will get you into the list of available tunes. This is the default system options that users often find too loud or unpleasant. To put your track, you need to scroll down the list and press the + button or select a tune on the device.

You'll see a file manager where you want to find a folder with your audio files. If you downloaded a tune from the Internet, it's probably in the Download or Music folder. If you select the right file, you'll hear a preview. Once you confirm the selection, the system will apply the changes instantly. Now all the incoming SMS will be accompanied by a new sound.

It's worth noting that some versions of the firmware may have slightly different paths, for example, in HyperOS, the menu logic has become more linear, but the principle has remained the same. If you can't find the right item, search by settings by typing the phrase "notification." This is the fastest way to get to the desired menu without manually wandering through sections.

Individual sounds for selected contacts

Xiaomi's shell feature allows you to assign unique tunes to specific people, and it's a very useful tool to tell who's texting you without taking your phone out of your pocket, so to set that up, go to the Contacts app or open your phone and find the entry you want in your phone book.

In the contact card, look for the Change button (usually a pencil in the corner of the screen) or a three-dot menu. In the settings list that opens, look for Melody or Notification Sound. By default, it has the default value. Click on it and you will see the same selection of tracks as in the general settings.

Choose a unique composition for this person. Now, when he textes you, you'll hear that particular sound, even if the rest of us have a quiet, standard squeak, which is especially convenient for work when it's important to keep a message from your boss, or for personal contacts.

If you change the global sound of SMS, it doesn't change for contacts with personalized settings. This is something that you need to consider when you change ringtones on a mass scale.

Adjustment of sounds in the application Messages

Often users try to change the sound through system settings, but forget that the Messages app may have its own priorities. Depending on which application you use for correspondence (standard MIUI Messaging or Google Messages), the path to settings will be different.

If you are using a standard application from Xiaomi:

• 📱 Open the Messages app.
• ⚙️ Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings.
• 🔔 Find the Notifications or Sounds section.
• 🎵 Select the Notification Sound and specify the desired track.

In case you use Google Messages (which is common on global versions):

• 📱 Launch the Messages app.
• ⚙️ Click on the profile avatar in the corner and select Message Settings.
• 🔔 Go to the Notifications section.
• 🔊 Click on Additional Settings and then Sound.

This is where the confusion is common: system settings can be one, and the application has its own sound, which overrides the system. So if the change in the general settings did not work, be sure to check the internal menu of the messenger itself.

Working with files and creating cropped ringtones

Using long music tracks as a SMS signal is impractical: a message may come in the middle of a verse and you won’t understand anything. The optimal notification sound length is 3 to 10 seconds. You can use built-in tools or third-party apps to create such files on Xiaomi.

The built-in audio editor is often available right in the ringtone selection menu, and when you click "Select Melody on Device," some versions of MIUI have the ability to edit the track: crop the beginning and end, add the fading effect, and that eliminates the need to install additional software.

If there is no built-in editor or not enough functionality, you can use proven applications from Google Play, such as Ringdroid or MP3 Cutter. The process is simple: open the file, sliders highlight the desired fragment and save it as a ringtone, the system automatically prompts you to use this file for calls or notifications.

When you save a cropped file, it's important to give it a clear name, and the system sorts the ringtones alphabetically, and the file with the name. aaa_sms.mp3 It will be at the top of the list, which will speed up your search in the future.

Use of themes and theme store

Xiaomi's ecosystem offers another way to change sounds, through the Themes app, which is an official store where you can find not only wallpaper and icons, but also whole packages of sounds, and often theme sets already contain high-quality, professionally made notification sounds.

To search, open the Themes app, go to the Sounds section or search for "SMS sounds." You can listen to the preview before downloading. Once the theme is installed, the sounds will apply automatically. The advantage of this method is that the sounds are guaranteed to be compatible with the system and will not be cropped incorrectly.

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Use a search on the Minimal tag in the store to find quiet and unobtrusive notification sounds that will not annoy in the office.

Be careful, though: some themes can change not only sounds, but also system fonts or icons. When installing, read the package description carefully. If you only want sounds, look for packages marked "Sound Pack" or "Audio Only."

The solution to the problem: why does not work the sound of SMS

There are times when all settings are checked, the file is selected, but the phone is silent. One of the most common reasons is activated mode "Do not disturb" or "No sound." Check the notification curtain and make sure that the month is crossed out. Also, the sound can be turned off in the profile if you have multiple audio profiles set up.

The second common problem is the notification service failure, in which case it helps to clean the Messages app cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Messages → Memory and click Clear cache. This will not delete your correspondence, but will reset temporary errors of the program.

⚠️ Note: If you have updated your firmware and the sound is gone, check the permissions for the Messages app. MIUI The permission must be "Allow access to all files" or similar.

It's also worth checking if you have duplicates in your contacts. If the same number is assigned two contacts with different audio settings, the system can behave unpredictably, and removing takes often solves the problem.

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In 90% of cases, the problem with the lack of sound is solved by checking the side button to switch modes or resetting the notification settings in a particular application.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)