Personalization of a smartphone starts with little things, and one of the most important is the sound design of incoming calls. The standard set of tunes in the shell of HyperOS or MIUI can seem boring or too quiet, especially in a noisy place. Fortunately, Xiaomi's system provides ample opportunities to replace the sound with any track from your music collection.
Changing the ringtone does not require superuser rights or installing complex third-party applications. It is enough to know the correct paths in the settings menu, which may vary slightly depending on the version of Android and the specific device model. In this article, we will discuss in detail all ways to install audio files, including creating profiles for different contacts.
Before you start setting up, make sure that the audio file you want is already stored in your gadget’s memory, which can be a track downloaded from the Internet or a record you created yourself, and the system recognizes most popular formats, such as MP3, WAV or OGG, eliminating the need to convert files.
Preparation of an audio file for installation
The first step is to find and save the desired melody on the device. If you download a track from your browser, it usually falls into the Download or Download folder. However, for easier navigation in the system call selection menu, the file is better moved to a special directory.
Open the standard Explorer or Files app on your Xiaomi. Find the downloaded audio file, click on it and hold your finger to highlight. In the menu that appears, select the option to Move or Copy. Navigating the folders can take time, but this will ensure that the ringtone works smoothly.
The target folder for ringtones is most often the Ringtones root directory, and if it is not, you can create it manually or simply leave a file in the Music folder, although the system player of calls can search for tracks in a specialized directory.
- 🎵 Download the melody in high quality for a clean speaker sound.
- 📂 Use the built-in Explorer to manage the file system.
- ✂️ Cut the track to 30-40 Seconds so that the call is not too long.
⚠️ Note: Do not choose as ringtone files with DRM-protection (for example, tracks from streaming services in offline mode), as the system caller will not be able to reproduce them due to copyright restrictions.
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Use online services or editorial apps to crop the song exactly from the start of the chorus – this will make the call recognizable from the first seconds.
Standard installation through sound settings
The most common and reliable way to change the tune is to use the built-in system settings menu, which works on all current models, whether it is a budget Redmi Note or a flagship Xiaomi 15. The interface may be visually different, but the logic remains the same.
Go to the main settings menu and find the Sound and Vibration section. In newer versions of HyperOS, this item may simply be called Sound. Here you need to choose the call type: for SIM card 1, SIM card 2 or video calls. Click on the appropriate item to open the list of available songs.
In the list that opens, you'll see standard tunes and maybe previously installed tracks. To add your file, scroll down to the bottom and click on "Select a Melody from Files" or a plus icon. The system will prompt you to select an audio file from the device's memory.
Once you select a file, it will automatically become the primary ringtone for incoming calls, and you can immediately check the result by asking someone to call you or using the pre-hearing feature if it is available in the selection interface.
- 🔊 Adjust the volume of the call with a slider in the same settings menu.
- 📱 For two. SIM-You can set completely different melodies.
- 🎼 System themes can overlap standard sounds, check the theme settings.
Setup through the “Themes” app
A unique feature of Xiaomi and POCO smartphones is the deep system application “Themes”, which allows you to change not only wallpaper and icons, but also system sounds, including ringtones, notifications and even lock-screen sounds.
Start the Themes app on your desktop. In the bottom navigation bar, go to the Profile tab (human icon). In the menu that opens, find the Call Melody section. Here is a catalog of tracks divided into categories: popular, new and local.
The Local tab (or On-Device) allows you to select any audio file stored in your phone’s memory, just like you would in your standard settings, and the advantage of this method is that it often has a built-in editor that allows you to select the desired track fragment without leaving the application.
The path in the application: Topics → Profile → Call melody → LocalSelect a track, click OK or Apply.The system may suggest setting that tune for all calls or only for certain contacts if you use integration with the Mi Cloud phone book.
Why does the melody drop after the theme changes?
Individual contact ringtones
One of the most useful features is the ability to assign a unique tune to a particular caller, which allows you to know who is calling without taking your phone out of your pocket, and is especially relevant for important calls from work or close relatives.
Open the Contacts or Phone app and go to the contact list. Find the right person and click on their name to open the card. At the top of the screen or in the menu (three dots in the corner), find the item "Sound" or "Call melody".
Click on this. The standard audio file selection menu will open. Select a track from the list or download a new one from the device's memory. Once the selection is confirmed, a small note icon may appear next to the contact name in the phone book indicating that there is a customized setting.
| Type of setup | Where to change | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Common ringtone | Settings → Sound | Low (baseline) |
| Contact ringtone | Contact card | Tall (interrupts general) |
| Silent mode | Control panel | Maximum (blocks sound) |
This creates a flexible hierarchy of sound notifications.
⚠️ Note: When synchronizing contacts with a Google account, customized tunes can only be stored in the phone’s memory, but not displayed on other devices unless they sync local files.
☑️ Checking the sound settings
Use of third-party applications for calls
Xiaomi’s standard “calling” is functional, but third-party apps from Google Play, such as Truecaller or Simple Dialer, offer advanced audio management capabilities. They can have their own ringtone databases and more flexible schedule settings.
When you install a third-party call app, it will ask for permission to manage calls and access contacts. Once installed, go to the settings of the app itself. Usually, there's a section called "Sounds" or "Ringtones" where you can select the audio source.
Some apps allow you to set different tunes for unknown numbers, contacts from the phone book or blocked callers, which creates an additional layer of personalization that is not available in the basic firmware.
- 📞 Third-party calls can have their own track selection interface.
- 🛑 Spam blockers often use their beeps for tagged numbers.
- ⚙️ Check the permissions of the application so that it can play sound when the screen is locked.
Solving the sound of the call
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the installed melody does not play, silence is played or a standard horn sounds, most often the problem lies in the file format or the permissions of the Phone application to access memory.
Make sure the file is intact. Try opening it in any music player. If the track plays fine, check the format. Although Android is omnivorous, some system callers may ignore files with high bitrates or non-standard tags.
You should also check Do Not Disturb mode, if it's activated, the phone will vibrate or shut down, ignoring the tune settings, and you can add exceptions to your favorite contacts to make sure their calls still ring.
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If the melody is not put, try renaming the file by removing special characters from the title and moving it to the root of the Ringtones folder.
In rare cases, cleaning the cache of the Themes or Sound app helps. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find the system sound app and click Clear Cache. This won't delete your files, but will reset temporary indexing errors.