How to change the notification sound on Xiaomi: 5 ways to use all models

Audio notifications on Xiaomi are the first to signal new messages, calls or events in apps. Standard tunes are quickly swelled, and a poorly selected ringtone can be annoying or unnoticed in a noisy environment. Fortunately, the manufacturer provides flexible audio settings, but not all users are aware of the hidden capabilities of the MIUI system.

In this article, you’ll find 5 proven ways to change notifications, from basic settings to custom tunes through the file system. We’ll take a look at the features for different versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), show you how to assign unique signals to individual applications, and caution against typical bugs that lead to audio failures. If you want your Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5 to sound personal, read on.

Why Xiaomi’s Standard Sounds Are Not Good for Users

The manufacturer has been packing Xiaomi smartphones with a set of 10-15 standard notification tunes, but their variety is often insufficient.

• 🔊 Monotony: The same signals for SMS, Messengers and system alerts make it difficult to identify the source of the notification without looking at the screen.
• 🎵 Uncomfortable volume: Some standard sounds are too quiet (such as Bamboo) or too sharp (Ring Ring).
• 📱 Lack of personalization: On iPhone or Samsung, you can assign unique tunes for contacts, and in the future, you can use the phone. MIUI phony.
• 🎧 Vibration conflict: In some firmware, the notification sound is duplicated by vibration, draining the battery and distracting the battery.

According to a survey of Xiaomi owners, 63% of users change standard sounds in the first 3 months of using a smartphone, and 18% do so immediately after buying, while 45% face difficulties when trying to download custom tunes – the system simply does not display them in the list of available ones.

Method 1: Change the sound through the basic MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It is suitable for all models, including the Redmi 10C, POCO F4 and the flagship Xiaomi 13.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the section Sound and vibration.
3. Select Notification Sound (in some versions of MIUI it is called Notification Melody).
4. Scroll down the list, and you'll see all the system sounds you can get, and you'll tap on your favorite to listen to.
5. Click OK or Save to apply the changes.

Note that in MIUI 14 and later, the list of sounds is divided into categories: Standard, Musical and Special. If you do not have the right signal, try updating the firmware - the manufacturer periodically adds new tunes.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 9A) If you change the sound of the notifications, the alarm clock may be down. → Sound and vibration → Loudness of alarm clock.

Method 2: Assigning unique sounds to individual applications

MIUI allows you to assign individual tunes to instant messengers, social networks and other programs, which does not work for all applications, but covers the main services: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

To customize a unique sound:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the desired application (for example, Telegram) in the list and tap on it.
3. Select Notifications (or Alerts in older versions).
4. Activate the Allow notification switch if it is disabled.
5. Slip on the notification sound and select the melody from the list.

For WhatsApp and Viber, the audio setting can be located directly in the app itself: Messenger settings → Notifications → Sound. In this case, the MIUI system settings will not apply.

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If the application you want is not listed in the Application Management list, try opening it first and waiting for at least one notification, and then it will appear in the settings.

Method 3: Install custom notification sounds

System tunes get bored quickly and many users want to use their audio files. MIUI supports this feature, but with limitations:

The sound should be in.mp3,.ogg or.wav formats and should not last more than 30 seconds.

Instructions for adding custom sound:

1. Download or prepare an audio file (for example, via mp3cut.net).
2. Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Explorer).
3. Create a Notifications folder in the root directory of internal memory (near the DCIM and Download folders).
4. Put your audio file in there. The file name should contain only Latin characters (e.g., Latin characters, my_notification.mp3).
5. Go to Settings → Sound and Vibration → Notification Sound. Your file should appear in the list.

If the sound is not displayed:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📂 Check that the file is located in the /Notifications, Not in the subfolder.
• 🎵 Make sure the file format is supported (try converting to.ogg via an online converter).

Method 4: Using third-party applications for sounds

If the built-in MIUI tools don't work, you can use third-party utilities.

• 🎶 Zedge is a database of ringtones and notification sounds with pre-listening capability, downloads files directly to the Notifications folder.
• 🔔 Notification Sounds – a simple manager with categories of sounds (nature, electronic music, game signals).
• 🎵 Ringtone Maker – lets you crop songs and save them as notifications.
• 📱 MIUI Sound Mod (requires root) – expands the list of system sounds due to modified firmware.

Example of working with Zedge:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. In the search box, enter notification sounds.
3. Select the sound you like and click Set as notification.
4. Confirm the installation – the file is automatically copied to the desired folder.

⚠️ Attention: Apps like MIUI Sound Mod requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights. Using them voids warranty and can lead to a device blink if installed incorrectly.

Method 5: Change sounds through ADB (for power users)

If you want to replace system sounds (such as a lock signal or a charging sound), you will need to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is suitable for advanced users and requires connecting the phone to a computer.

Step-by-step:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Activate USB Debugging on your phone: Settings → About Phone → MIUI version (tap 7 times to become a developer), then Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command in the terminal: Adb devices Make sure the device is identified.
4. Download system sounds in.ogg format (can be extracted from firmware or found on thematic forums).
5. Replace the sound with a command (example for a notification signal): adb push your_sound.ogg /system/media/audio/notifications/ adb shell chmod 644 /system/media/audio/notifications/your_sound.ogg
6. Reboot the phone.

List of standard paths for system sounds:

• /system/media/audio/notifications/ - notifications
• /system/media/audio/ringtones/ – calls
• /system/media/audio/alarms/ - alarm clocks
• /system/media/audio/ui/ – interface sounds (e.g., screen locking).

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Changing system sounds through ADB requires superuser or modified firmware rights, and without them, files in /system will be read-only.

Solving Notification Sound Problems on Xiaomi

Sometimes, after a change in tune, notifications stop playing or sound incorrect. Consider typical malfunctions and how to fix them:

If after all the manipulations, the notification sound still does not work:

1. Check if the sound in the application itself is turned off (for example, Telegram can activate the “No Sound” mode).
2. Make sure the volume of notifications is not at a minimum (adjusted separately from the media sound!).
3. Update the firmware through Settings → About the phone → System update.
4. In extreme cases, reset settings: Settings → About phone → Reset settings → Reset all settings (data will not be deleted).

FAQ: Frequent questions about notification sounds on Xiaomi