How to put a melody on Xiaomi SMS: the complete guide

Smartphone personalization is not just a matter of aesthetics, it’s also an important element of ergonomics. When you hear a unique sound, your brain instantly identifies the source of the sound without requiring visual confirmation. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face the need to change the standard squeaky signal to something more pleasant or informative, this is especially true in noisy places or in meetings where it is important to distinguish important messages from advertising spam.

MIUI and its modern version of HyperOS offer a wide range of options for customizing audio notifications. However, the logic of the menu in the Xiaomi shell is different from pure Android, which often confuses beginners. Standard settings can be hidden in non-obvious sections, and installing your own files from the phone’s memory requires knowledge of certain algorithms. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to change the tone of messages.

We'll look at both built-in tools and third-party apps that extend functionality. You'll learn how to assign a customized tune to a specific contact or app, like Viber or Telegram. Understanding these settings will allow you to create a truly personalized sound space where each signal carries a specific meaning.

Use of built-in MIUI themes and sounds

The easiest and safest way to change the tone of a message is to use Xiaomi's built-in directory. The company offers a huge library of free tunes that are optimized for their device speakers. You don't have to download files from the Internet or connect your computer to them. You just have to open the standard Settings app and go to the Sound and Vibration section.

You'll find the Notification Sound on this menu, and you'll be taken to the Sound Gallery by clicking on it, and you'll hear all kinds of things from the classic droplets to the modern electronic bits, and you can sort sounds into categories, which makes it easier to search, and if you like a particular theme, you can download the entire sound package with it through the Theme app.

Importantly, the built-in sounds are guaranteed to work correctly and will not cause conflicts with the system. They do not require additional permissions and do not consume battery power in the background, like some heavy audio files. For most users, this set is quite enough to make the smartphone recognizable.

⚠️ WARNING: When using an online themes directory, make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi, as listening to and downloading high-quality audio can quickly consume mobile traffic.

Install your melody from your phone memory

If the standard set seems boring to you, you can easily use any audio file stored on the device. It can be a snippet of a favorite song, a voice recording or a funny sound from the Internet. MP3, WAV and OGG formats are supported by the system by default. First, make sure that the file is already uploaded to the memory of the smartphone.

The process of installing your own ringtone is a little different than choosing a standard one. → Sound and vibration → Notification sound. There's often a plus icon at the top of the screen. + Or select from files, and if you click on it, you open a file manager, where you can navigate to a folder of your music.

Once the file is selected, the system will automatically add it to the list of available notifications, and now this track will be available for selection not only for SMS, but also for other applications that support system sounds. If the select button is not active, it may be corrupted or has an unsupported codec.

Customization of individual sounds for contacts

One of the most useful features in Xiaomi’s arsenal is the ability to assign unique tunes to messages from specific people, which allows you to know who wrote it without taking your phone out of your pocket, for example, the sound of “family” can be loud and persistent, and the sound of “work” can be more restrained.

To implement this feature, open the standard Contacts or Phone app. Find the right subscriber in the list and click on their name. In the profile that opens, find Message Sound (or Special Sound) where you can select any tune from the list or download a new one, as described in the previous section.

And you have to remember that this setting is tied to the contact in the phone book, and if someone texted you from another number that wasn't saved in that contact, the standard SMS sound would go off, so it's important that the numbers are properly recorded and combined into one contact card.

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To quickly adjust the sound for a loved one, use voice control: say “OK, Google, call [Name],” open the card and immediately adjust the sound without losing context.

Change of tone for different SIM-map

Many Xiaomi users use two SIM cards, one for personal calls, one for work or the Internet, and the system allows you to flexibly configure notifications for each of them separately, which helps you instantly determine which number a message has arrived at, which is especially convenient if you use different rates or messengers tied to different numbers.

To separate the sounds, go to Settings → Sound and Vibration. Scroll down to the section where your SIM cards are displayed. You will see separate items for SIM 1 and SIM 2. By clicking on each, you can select a unique melody. The logic of choosing is the same as for the main sound: either from the library or from the files.

Separating sounds is not only good for texting, but also for incoming calls, so you can set up your system to make your work calls sound strict and your personal calls fun, and it helps maintain a work-rest balance, even when both phones are on the same device.

⚠️ Warning: Make sure the correct default service for each SIM card is selected in the message settings, otherwise the sound may not play or play for the wrong SIM.

Reproduction problems and their solution

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the melody is set, but the sound is not played or only the vibration is played. Often the reason lies in the aggressive MIUI energy saving system, which can “sleep” the processes responsible for the sound, and the problem may be in the volume settings themselves, which at Xiaomi are divided into many categories.

First, check the volume sliders. Press any volume button, then press the gear or three dots to expand the menu. Make sure the Notice slider is raised up. Separately check if no sound or no disturb mode is on, which blocks all audio signals.

If the problem persists, try clearing the Messages cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Messages → Memory and click Clear Cache. This won’t delete your correspondence, but will reset temporary errors that may have occurred when working with the sound engine.

Table: Comparison of installation methods

To make it easier to understand, we have systematized the basic methods of tuning sounds in a comparative table, which will help you quickly choose the right option depending on your goals and the availability of files.

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Using files from the phone’s memory gives you maximum freedom, but requires pre-preparation of audio files with the correct tags and duration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)