How to change music to SMS in Xiaomi: 5 ways to all models

The standard melody of notifications for new SMS on Xiaomi can get boring quickly - especially if you use your phone to work and get dozens of messages a day, MIUI It offers several ways to change the sound to any other: from built-in ringtones to your own.mp3-But there's a nuance here: the settings may vary depending on the shell version (MIUI 14 vs MIUI 15), smartphone models (Redmi Note 12 or POCO X6 Pro) and even regional firmware.

Many users find that after updating the system, the previous settings are reset, and in some versions of MIUI, the menu item for changing the melody of SMS is generally “hidden.” In this article, we will discuss all the current ways to change the sound of notifications for messages, from the basic method through settings to using third-party applications and even manually editing system files for advanced users.

If you want to not just change the sound, but make it unique to a particular contact, that's also possible! read about this in the section on personal notifications. And for those who like experimentation, we have a bonus: how to set custom notification sounds longer than 5 seconds (this is the default MIUI limit).

1. Standard method: through MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use built-in shell tools, which works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with MIUI version at least 12.5.

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen) and go to the Sounds and Vibrations section, where you can find the Notifications item, which can be hidden under the Additional submenu or Notification Style depending on the firmware version.

From the list of applications, select Messages (or SMS if you have another default messenger installed). Click on Notification Sound, a library of embedded tunes will open, and you can listen to any sound by clicking on it, and confirm the choice with the OK button.

• 🔍 Where to look: Settings → Sounds and vibrations → Notifications → Communications
• 🎵 Formats: Supported only by.ogg and.mp3 (length up to 5 seconds in standard mode)
• ⚙️ Nuance: On some firmware, the Message item may be called SMS/MMS or messenger

If you don't have a suitable tune, you can add your own. To do this, click Add audio (or Local Sounds) and select a file from your phone's memory. Note that MIUI only shows files in the Ringtones folder by default. To see all audio files, you will need a file manager (about this in the next section).

2. How to add your music to SMS (via file manager)

If you want to use any of them.mp3-file as a notification sound for SMS, it must be correctly placed in the phone memory. MIUI Searches for custom ringtones only in certain folders:

Create on the inside (or on the inside) SD-A folder called Ringtones (if it's not there) and copy your audio file. Importantly, the file name should be in Latin, without spaces or special characters (for example, the file name should be in the file name, my_sms_tone.mp3). After that, restart your phone – a new tune will appear in the list of available sounds.

If the Ringtones folder already exists but your file is not displayed, check:

1. The file format is.mp3 or.ogg.
2. It lasts no more than 30 seconds (although MIUI can cut the sound to 5 seconds when playing).
3. The file size is no more than 5 MB (otherwise the system will ignore it).

Rename the file to Latin (for example, sms_tone.mp3)

Place the file in the /Ringtones folder on internal memory

Reboot the phone to update the sound list

Check format (mp3/ogg only) and duration (up to 30 seconds)

-->

Some firmware (especially POCO with global MIUI) may require you to use Files by Google or Mi File Manager to create a folder. If after all the manipulations, the sound does not appear in the settings, try an alternative method through the Sound app (about it below).

3. Alternative method: application "Sound Picker" (MIUI Sound Picker)

The latest versions of MIUI (starting with 14.0.5) introduced a separate sound management app, Sound Picker, which allows you to more flexibly configure notifications, including SMS.

Open the Sounds app (if it's not on the home screen, search the system). Go to the Notifications tab and select Messages. Here you'll see an extended list of sounds, including those added manually to the Ringtones folder, and you can set vibration and light indications (if your model supports Always-on Display).

The advantage of this method is:

• 🎛️ A more convenient interface for listening to melodies.
• 🔄 Possibility of pre-listening without application.
• 📁 Support for sound from cloud services (e.g. Mi Cloud).

If the Sound app is missing, you can install it through the Mi App Store (search for "Sound Picker"). On some firmware, it's called MIUI Sound Recorder - don't confuse it with a recorder!

💡

If you want to use a snippet of a song as a text message sound, cut it to 5-10 seconds in any audio editor (e.g. MP3 Cutter from Google Play). Long MIUI files can be cropped automatically, which will distort the melody.

4.Personal Notifications: Different Sounds for Different Contacts

MIUI allows you to assign unique notification tunes to individual contacts, which is convenient if you want to immediately understand who the SMS came from, for example, to highlight important customers or loved ones.

Open the Contacts app and select the contact you want. Click Edit (pencil icon), then scroll down to Notification Sound (or Message Rington), where you can select any tune from the standard list or add your own (similar to the method from Section 2).

Limitations of this method:

⚠️ Note: Personal sounds only work for SMS sent through the standard Messages app. If you use WhatsApp, Telegram or other messenger, contact settings will not apply.

Also note that some firmware (e.g. MIUI for the European region) may not have a contact audio option, in which case a third-party app like Contact Ringtones & Messages (available on Google Play) will help.

5 Problems and Solutions: Why the SMS Sound Has Not Changed

Sometimes users find that after changing the tune in the settings, the sound of the SMS remains the same, and here are the most common reasons and ways to eliminate them:

Problem 1: No new sound is used after selection.

• 🔄 Solution: Reboot your phone – often helps resetting the system cache.
• 📱 Solution: Check if the Messages app is worth the battery optimization mode (in the battery settings, turn off the restrictions for it).

Problem 2: There are no hand-added tunes on the list.

• 📁 Solution: Make sure that the files are in the folder /Ringtones internal memory (not on the internal memory) SD-map).
• 🔍 Solution: Check access rights: Open the file manager, find the Ringtones folder, click on it and select Make visible to the media scanner (or similar).

Problem 3: The sound is cut off or played with distortion.

⚠️ Attention: MIUI It automatically normalizes the volume of custom sounds.mp3 Too quiet or too loud, the system can distort it. Use an audio editor to level the volume to the level. -16 LUFS (mobile-standard).

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the sound settings to the standard:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset sound and vibration settings.
3. After resetting, repeat the tune-up again.

6. Advanced method: manual editing of system files (for experienced)

If you want to install SMS sound longer than 5 seconds or use custom formats, you will need manual intervention in system files, a method only suitable for users with unlocked bootloader and root rights (or through ADB).

First, copy your audio file to /system/media/audio/notifications (root rights required). Then edit /system/csc/others.xml with the following line:

<CscFeature_Sms_NotificationSound> your file.mp3</CscFeature_Sms_NotificationSound>

Then restart your phone. Be aware that such changes can cause the system to run in an unstable way, so back up before experimenting.

Alternative way without root:

• 🖥️ Use it. ADB To install sound as a system: adb shell su cp /sdcard/file.mp3 /system/media/audio/notifications/ chmod 644 /system/media/audio/notifications/file.mp3
• 🔧 Restart your phone and select a new sound in the settings.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to a device blink (unloadability).If you are not sure about your actions, use the standard methods from the previous sections.

💡

For most users, standard methods (sections 1-3) are sufficient. Manual editing of system files is only justified if you want to circumvent the limitations of MIUI (for example, set sound length of 20 seconds).

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing music to SMS in Xiaomi