How to change the sound of SMS on Xiaomi: all the ways to MIUI 14 and 15

The standard sound of notifications for new SMS on Xiaomi can get boring quickly — especially if you get a lot of messages. Fortunately, MIUI offers flexible settings to personalize the audio. But where exactly is this option hiding? And why is it difficult to find it on some Redmi or POCO models?

Many users find that the path to SMS audio settings changes after a firmware update. Others complain that the system resets the selected tune to the standard. In this article, we will examine all the current ways to change the notification sound, from basic settings to hidden MIUI 14/15 functions.

If you're using the Xiaomi 13T Pro, Redmi Note 12 or POCO F5, don't worry: the manual will work for all modern models. The main thing is to consider the shell version. Let's start with the simplest method.

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings

The most obvious way is through the notification settings menu, which works on most devices with MIUI 12 and later, but may vary depending on the firmware version.

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop) and go to the section:

Settings → Sounds and vibrations → Sounds of notifications

Here you'll see a few categories. We're interested in the message item (SMS) or Communications Notices – the name may vary.

After selecting the available tunes, note: if you do not see the option for SMS separately here, then your firmware combines the sounds of all notifications into one item (we will discuss this in the next section).

• 🔊 Pre-Earsay: Click on any tune to listen to it before choosing.
• 📱 Vibration: Next to sound, you can turn on/off the vibration response.
• 🔄 Reset: If you want to return standard sound, select Default.

Some models (for example, Xiaomi 12 Lite) also have a volume slider – it can be adjusted separately for SMS.

Method 2: If there is no separate option for SMS

On devices with MIUI 13/14 (e.g. Redmi 10C or POCO X5 Pro), developers sometimes simplify the menu by removing individual settings for SMS.

To change it:

1. Go to Settings → Sounds and vibrations → Notification sounds.
2. Select the default Notice or General Notifications option.
3. Scroll down the list – additional sounds may be hidden here, including those used for SMS.

If this is not the case, try another way:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Messages → Notifications

In the Notification Sound section, you can select a melody specifically for the Message application.

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On some firmware, the SMS sound changes only through the Messages app settings, not through the general notification menu. If you don't find an option, check both options.

Method 3: Adding Your Melodies

Standard MIUI sounds are limited, but you can use any audio file in.mp3,.wav or.ogg formats. The main thing is that it does not exceed 5-10 seconds, otherwise the system can crop the melody.

Instructions for adding custom sound:

1. Download or prepare an audio file (for example, through the Ringtone Maker app).
2. Place the file in the Ringtones or Notifications folder on the phone's internal memory. Path: /storage/emulated/0/Ringtones/ /storage/emulated/0/Notifications/ If there are no folders, create them manually.
3. Restart your phone (sometimes new sounds won’t be displayed without it).
4. Return to the SMS sound settings – your file should appear in the list.

Important: MIUI caches sounds, so it can take up to 5 minutes after adding a file to show up in the settings. If the melody does not appear, check the file extension and the placement folder.

• 🎵 Where to get sounds: Zedge sites, Mobile9 Free libraries like Freesound.
• 📱 Format: better to use.mp3 128-192 kbps bitrate for better quality.
• ⚙️ Limitations: MIUI Does not support files larger than 1 MB for notifications.

Download or create an audio file|Cut to 5-10 seconds|Convert to.mp3/.ogg|Put it in the Notifications folder|Reboot the phone-->

Method 4: Through the "Messages" app

On some firmware (especially the POCO M5 or Redmi A2), the SMS audio settings are hidden inside the messaging app itself.

Open the Messages app (the envelope icon), then:

⋮ (three dots at the top) → Settings → Notification → Notification sound

You can choose a tune for SMS and MMS.

If you have a third-party messaging app installed (like Google Messages), the path will be different:

Open Google Messages → Profile (icon at the top) → Settings → Notifications → Sound

Note: Some versions of Google Messages do not allow you to change the sound of SMS on Xiaomi devices due to conflict with MIUI. In this case, you will have to return to the standard application or use workarounds (about them below).

Problem Solving: The sound is not changing or resetting

A common complaint of users is that the selected tune is reset to a standard one after rebooting or updating.

If the problem persists, try resetting the Messages app settings:

Settings → Applications → Application Management → Messages → Storage → Clear data

⚠️ Attention: This will remove all yours SMS! Make a backup through Google Drive or specialized apps like SMS Backup & Restore.

Advanced Method: Change Sound Through ADB

For power users who can't change the sound in standard ways, there's a radical solution -- ADB commands -- that works even if MIUI blocks the change.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB and Fastboot Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Press 7 times, then return to Additional → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔗 Cable USB (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm debugging.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (Mac/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Set your sound to SMS (substitute /sdcard/Notifications/my_sound.mp3 Towards your file: adb shell settings put system notification_sound /sdcard/Notifications/my_sound.mp3
5. Reboot the phone.

If the sound is reset anyway, try blocking system changes via the command:

adb shell cmd notification allow_sound_customization true

Best SMS Sounds: Recommendations

The choice of melody depends on your preferences, but there are a few proven options:

• 🎶 Classic: Standard sounds MIUI (Bamboo, Mi Drop – neutral and not annoying.
• 🔔 Minimalism: Short signals like Beep Once or Drip are not distracting.
• 🎵 Musical: cropped excerpts from songs (like the beginning of Nokia Tune for nostalgia).
• 🤖 Voice: Voice notifications (“You have a new message”) – suitable for people with visual impairment.

Advice: If you often get SMS At work, choose a sound that's not too loud, but it's not too loud, and for private messages, you can put something more fun.

Popular sources of sound:

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The best formats for custom SMS sounds are.mp3 (128-192 kbit / s) or.ogg. Length is no more than 10 seconds, otherwise MIUI can crop the melody.

FAQ: Frequent questions about SMS sounds on Xiaomi