How to change the ringtone on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: 5 ways + secrets MIUI

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 is still one of the most popular budget smartphones due to balanced performance and flexible firmware MIUI. However, even experienced users are sometimes lost in the maze of settings when it comes to such a seemingly simple task - changing the melody of a call. In this article, we will analyze not only the standard method through the menu, but also hidden firmware chips, work with custom ringtones, as well as the nuances of settings for different types of devices. SIM-maps and individual contacts.

The Redmi Note 9 (codenamed merlin) has undergone several major updates to its MIUI interface, from version 11 to 14, which means that the path to audio settings could change, and some features (like ringtones editor) popped up and disappeared. We take into account all current firmware versions and show universal methods that work regardless of the updates, and you will learn how to get around the system limitations if your favorite track refuses to install as a tune.

Method 1: Standard change of melody through settings

The most obvious and safe method is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which are suitable for most users and do not require additional applications.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the section Sound and vibration.
3. Select the item Melody of the call.
4. In the list of available ringtones, tap your favorite track. To listen, click the play button on the right.
5. Confirm the choice with the OK or Ready button (depending on the MIUI version).

In MIUI 14, the interface has changed a little: in the Sound and Vibration section, you first need to click on the Melody of the phone, and then choose between Standard and Local ringtones. If there is no Local in the list, then the system has not found the appropriate audio files in the device’s memory – they need to be added manually (more on this below).

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Make sure the volume of the call is not at a minimum.

Download your favorite tracks to your phone’s memory (if you plan to use yours)

Turn off the "Do Not Disturb" mode in the notification curtain-->

Note the nuance: in the Redmi Note 9 with two SIM-You can assign different tunes to each SIM card:

1. In the section "Melody of the call" click on "Additional" (three dots in the upper right corner).
2. Select Melody for SIM 1 or Melody for SIM 2.
3. Assign a ringtone for each card.

Method 2: Using custom tunes (their own tracks)

Standard MIUI ringtones get boring quickly, and many users want to install their favorite tracks. However, there are pitfalls: the system does not accept all audio files. Here are the custom tune requirements for the Redmi Note 9:

• 🎵 File format: only.mp3,.m4a,.ogg or.wav..flac or.aac files are not supported.
• ⏱️ Duration: optimally 30 to 60 seconds, the system can crop tracks longer than 1 minute.
• 📁 Location: The file must be in the Ringtones folder (for ringtones) or Notifications folder (for notifications) on internal memory or SD-map.
• 🔊 Bitrate: no higher than 320 kbit/s. High bitrate can cause delays when playing.

Instructions for adding your melody:

1. Connect your phone to your PC or download the track directly to your device.
2. Create a Ringtones folder at the root of internal memory (if not), and you can use any file manager, such as the embedded Files or Mi File Explorer.
3. Put the audio file in this folder. The file name should be in Latin (without Cyrillic and special characters!).
4. Restart your phone (it is imperative that the system scans new files).
5. Now your track will appear in the Locals section when you select the ringtone.

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If the file doesn't appear in the list, check its metadata. ID3-tags (track information). Use the app MP3Tag on a PC to clear tags or save a file.

For convenience, you can use special applications from Google Play, for example:

• 🎶 Zedge – a huge library of free ringtones and notifications.
• 🔧 Ringtone Maker – allows you to crop tracks and convert them to supported formats.
• 📱 MP3 Cutter and Ringtone Maker is a simple editor for creating tunes from music files.

Method 3: Set up individual tunes for contacts

If you want important contacts to have unique ringtones, MIUI provides this capability, which is convenient for quickly identifying the caller without looking at the screen.

1. Open the Contacts app (or Phone → Contacts tab).
2. Find the right contact and tap it to open the card.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Edit.
4. Scroll down to the Melody of a Call (in some versions of MIUI it may be called a Call Sound).
5. Select a standard or custom ringtone from the list.
6. Save the changes.

The important point is that if the contact is saved SIM-If you have a card, rather than a phone or Google account, the individual melody function may not work:

1. Open contact on SIM-map.
2. Click More → Export / Import → Copy on the device.
3. Now assign a melody for the copied contact.

Once a month

Six months

Only when buying a new phone

Never change.-->

MIUI 13/14 has the ability to assign different tunes for video calls (if you use Duo or Mi Video Call).

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Video calls.
2. Select the video call melody.
3. Set up a separate ringtone.

Method 4: Change the melody through the file manager (for experienced ones)

This method is suitable for those who like to dig through system files, it allows you to replace standard MIUI ringtones with your own without using additional applications. Attention: careless actions can lead to malfunctions in the phone, so follow the instructions carefully.

⚠️ Note: Before changing system files, back up your data. Use Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset or third-party utilities like Titanium Backup (root rights required).

Instructions:

1. Download to your PC or phone the audio file you want to use. It must meet the requirements of Method 2.
2. Connect the Redmi Note 9 to your PC via USB in file transfer mode (MTP).
3. Go to /system/media/audio/ringtones (you need a file manager with access to system partitions, such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer with root rights).
4. Copy your file into this folder. The file name should be in Latin, for example, my_ringtone.mp3.
5. Change the file access permissions to 644 (read for all, write for owner only).
6. Reboot the phone.

After the reboot, your ringtone will appear on the list of standard tunes, which allows you to "embed" your tracks into the system, but has disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Root rights are required, which cancels the warranty and increases security risk.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI System files can be reset to standard.
• 🛠️ An error in access rights will result in the melody not being played.

Method 5: Automatically change tunes on schedule

Few people know, but MIUI has a hidden feature that automatically changes ringtones by time of day or day of week, which is useful if you want quiet tunes at night and loud during the day, or different sounds on weekdays and weekends.

1. Install the Automate or MacroDroid app from Google Play.
2. Create a new automation with a Time or Day of the Week trigger.
3. Add the action Change the ringtone (in MacroDroid, this action is called Ringtone).
4. Select the right ringtone from the list.
5. Save the macro and activate it.

Example of settings in MacroDroid:

For more flexible settings, you can combine conditions, such as as assigning a loud melody only for calls from work on weekdays from 9 to 18 hours, the main advantage of this approach is automation without manual intervention.

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Automation apps like MacroDroid or Tasker not only allow you to change your tunes on a schedule, but also adjust vibration, volume, or even turn on silent mode depending on your location (for example, at work).

Problem Solving: Why the Call Melody Doesn't Change

Sometimes Redmi Note 9 users are faced with the fact that the new melody is not applied or calls are left without sound.

• 🔇 Do Not Disturb: Check if it is activated in the notification curtain or on schedule (Settings) → Sound and vibration → Don't disturb).
• 📵 Sound Profile: Make sure that Sound mode is selected, not Vibration or No Sound (long pressing of the volume button).
• 🔊 Call volume: sometimes users confuse media volume and call volume. Check slider in Settings → Sound and vibration → Loudness.
• 📱 Cache Error: Clear the Settings and Phone app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management.
• 🔄 Application conflict: some battery-saving software (e.g., Xiaomi's Security) can block the change of tunes.

If the problem persists, try resetting the sound settings:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset sound settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI Redmi Note 9 has a bug where user tunes are reset after a system update. To avoid this, save a backup of the Ringtones folder before the update and restore it after the restart.

Additional chips: vibration, LED-indicator and gestures

The ringtone is only part of the sound experience, and in Redmi Note 9 you can adjust other settings to avoid missing an important call:

• 📳 Vibration when calling: in Settings → Sound and vibration → Vibration when calling you can choose a vibration pattern or create your own.
• 💡 LED-indicator: if your model supports light indication (e.g. Redmi Note 9 Pro), include it in Settings → Screen. → Blinking notification indicator.
• 👆 "Rise to answer" gesture: in Settings → Display. → "Lift to answer" gesture can be enabled to automatically answer a call when you bring the phone to your ear.
• 🔕 Quiet muffling: Turn the phone downwards to quickly turn off the sound of the incoming call (configured in Settings) → Sound and vibration → Quiet muting).

For maximum customization, you can use applications like Light Flow (for setting up LEDs) or Vibration Patterns (for creating unique vibrations), which allow you to assign different colors and patterns to different contacts or applications.

If you miss calls often because of a quiet tune, try turning up the volume through the engineering menu:

1. Open the Phone app and dial ##4636##.
2. Select Phone Information.
3. Scroll down to Volume setting and increase the value for Ring (calling).

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If the sound becomes distorted after increasing the volume through the engineering menu, return the standard settings or use uniform (EQ) in the Wavelet app to correct the sound.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the ringing tunes on the Redmi Note 9