How to change incoming phone call Xiaomi: 5 ways and solving errors

The standard incoming ringtone melody on Xiaomi smartphones is boring quickly — especially if you use your phone to work or communicate with a large number of people. Fortunately, the manufacturer provides several ways to personalize the soundtrack, from choosing from built-in ringtone to installing their own audio files. But not all users know where these settings are hidden, especially after upgrading MIUI to new versions.

In this article, we will explore not only basic methods of changing the tune through the settings menu, but also alternative options – for example, how to assign a unique ringtone for a specific contact or use music from Spotify as a call signal. Separately, we will focus on the typical problems: why the phone vibrates but does not play the sound, or why the selected melody is reset after a reboot. All instructions are relevant for the Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13 and other devices on MIUI 14/15.

Method 1: Standard Rington Change through Settings

The most obvious and quickest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which is a good way to choose a tune from pre-loaded sounds.

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the section Sound and vibration.
3. Slap on the call melody item.
4. In the list that opens, select your favorite ringtone. To listen, click on the track.
5. Confirm the choice with the OK or Ready button.

In MIUI 14+, you can also set the vibration when you call – turn on the Vibration switch when you call and select a pattern (for example, Standard or Heartbeat). Note that some tunes may not be on the list if they were removed after updating the firmware.

Make sure the phone is not in silent mode (check the slider on the sidebar)

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

Check the volume level of the call (volume buttons → bell icon)

Make sure the ringtone is not empty (some system sounds may be 0 seconds long)

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If there are no suitable options on the list, you can download additional ringtones through Xiaomi Themes.

1. Open the themes (the brush icon on the desktop).
2. Go to the Sound tab.
3. Select your favorite pack of tunes and click Apply.

Method 2: Install custom ringtone from phone files

System tunes get boring quickly, but a favorite song or a recorded voice of a loved one as a call signal is a whole other level of personalization.

1. Place a file in.mp3,.m4a or.wav format in your phone’s memory (e.g., in a Ringtones folder that you can create manually).
2. Open Settings → Sounds and vibration → Call melody.
3. At the top of the screen, tap the tab Local or My Melodies (the name depends on the version of MIUI).
4. Select your file from the list. If it's not available, click Add and manually specify the path to the file.

Important nuances:

• 🎵 The file should not be longer than 30 seconds, otherwise the system will cut it automatically.
• 📁 The file must be in the root folder or in the Download/Music — Otherwise, it might not show up.
• 🔊 Check the volume of the file: if it is written too quietly, in the settings of the call it will be hard to hear.

MIUI 15 has an automatic melody cropping feature: if you choose a track longer than 30 seconds, the system will suggest cropping it right in the settings menu, which is handy if you like only part of the song.

Method 3: Assigning a unique ringtone to contact

If you want important people to have their own tunes (e.g., the boss has a strong signal, and the spouse has romantic music), you can set it up in the phone book.

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Find the right contact and tap it.
3. Click Edit (pencil icon).
4. Scroll down to the Melody of the Call and select the sound.
5. Save the changes.

In MIUI 14+, you can also set the vibration for a specific contact here, and the useful thing is that if you assign unique ringtones to the 3-5 most important people, you can tell who's calling without even looking at the screen.

Once a month

Six months

Only when buying a new phone

Never changed.

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If you use Google Contacts instead of the standard app, the path to setup will be different: Open Contact → Change → Additional → Call Melody.

Method 4: Using third-party ringtone apps

Google Play offers dozens of customization apps, such as Zedge, Ringtone Maker or MP3 Cutter, which are useful if:

• 🎶 You need ready-made ringtone packages on topics (movies, games, natural sounds).
• ✂️ You want to cut the song right on your phone without a computer.
• 🔄 You change tunes often and want to switch between them quickly.

Let’s look at the example of Zedge:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Run it and select the Ringtona section.
3. Find the sound you like and click Download.
4. After downloading, tap Set and select the Call Melody.

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If the ringtone is not used after installing it through a third-party app, restart the phone. Sometimes MIUI does not update the list of tunes in real time.

Warning: Some apps (especially little-known ones) may request redundant permissions, such as contact access or SMS. Check reviews and rankings on Google Play before installing.

Method 5: Change the ringtone through Developer Mode (for experienced)

This method is suitable for those who like to dig into the hidden settings of MIUI. Through the developer mode, you can, for example, turn off the system limits on the length of the ringtone or force reset the sound settings.

To enable the Developer Mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the MIUI version (you will receive a notification "You became a developer").
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.

To reset the sound settings:

1. In the section For developers, find Reset Media settings.
2. Confirm the action. It'll bring all the melodies back to the factory values.

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Developer mode allows you to bypass the restriction MIUI It's the length of the ringtone. media_profiles.xml (path: /system/etc/) You can change the parameter. ringtone_max_duration_ms. However, this requires root rights and can disrupt the stability of the system.

⚠️ Warning: changing system files without root rights can lead to a bootloop (a looped phone reboot).If you are not sure about your actions, use the standard methods of changing the ringtone.

Problem Solving: Why the Ringtone Doesn't Change or Play

Sometimes users find that the chosen melody is not played or reset to a standard one. Let's consider the typical reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the sound settings to the factory:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Resetting Sound Settings.
3. Confirm the action.

⚠️ Warning: When you reset your audio settings, your alarm and notification settings will also reset, and write down or remember current tunes in advance if they are important to you.

Additional chips: dynamic ringtones and automation

Modern Xiaomi smartphones support not only static tunes, but also dynamic effects.

• 🎚️ Gradual volume increase: the call starts quietly and builds up. → Sounds and vibrations → Gradual increase in volume.
• 🔄 Random ringtones: The phone will pick a tune from a given list every time you call.
• 🤖 Automatic ringtone timing: loud signal during the day, vibration at night, configured via MacroDroid or Tasker.

For automation enthusiasts, you can create a routine with Google Assistant that changes the ringtone depending on your location or time of day.

1. Open Google Assistant and go to the Roots.
2. Create a new routine with the condition that I am at work.
3. Add the action Change device settings → Call melody.
4. Choose a silent signal or vibration.

These features aren’t available on all Xiaomi models, but if your phone supports MIUI 14+, chances are they’ll work.

FAQ: Frequent questions about changing the ringtone to Xiaomi