How to turn on and change the sound of SMS notifications on Xiaomi: all ways

Are you missing important messages because Xiaomi's smartphone doesn't make sound when you receive an SMS? Or is the standard signal tired and you want to play your tune? In this article, we'll look at all the ways to customize sound notifications for SMS, from basic parameters to hidden MIUI features that work even on budget models Redmi and POCO.

The problem with SMS on Xiaomi is caused by three reasons: disabled notifications in the Messages app settings, global system limitations (for example, Do Not Disturb mode), or MIUI failure. We will not offer “magic” solutions like flashing – instead, we will show a unique method of resetting the notification cache that recovers sound in 90% of cases without losing data.

The instructions are valid for all Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO and Black Shark devices on MIUI 12-14 (including global and Chinese firmware versions). If your model is older than 2018, check out the features of the outdated versions.

Why Xiaomi does not have sound when SMS: top-5 cause

Before you change your settings, make sure that the problem is not in one of these areas:

• 🔇 Do Not Disturb or Quiet Mode is activated. Check the notification panel - the cross-out bell icon means that all sounds are turned off.
• 📱 The Messages app is blocked in the background. MIUI aggressively optimises background processes, and sometimes this leads to missing notifications.
• 🔊 The notification sound is turned off in the chat settings (if you use the standard app). SMS).
• 📵 Notification service failure, for example, after update MIUI or reset.
• 🎵 The melody file is corrupted. If you were putting a custom sound on, it could have gone away or become inaccessible.

If none of the items fit, move to the next section - there we will analyze the step-by-step setting.

Method 1: Basic SMS sound setting via Messages

The easiest method is to change the sound directly in the Messages app (SMS/MMS), which works on all versions of MIUI, including HyperOS (the new shell for Xiaomi 14 and later).

Open the Messages app and follow the steps:

1. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner → select Settings.
2. Go to Notifications (or Sounds and Vibrations on older versions).
3. Activate the slider Notification Sound (if it is gray, the sound is turned off).
4. Click on the Notification Sound bar and select a tune from the list, where both standard MIUI signals and custom ones (if you added them) are available.

If you don't have the right tune on the list, you can upload your own.

1. Download the audio file (.mp3,.m4a or.ogg format, up to 30 seconds).
2. Place it in the Ringtones or Notifications folder on the internal storage (create the folder manually if it isn’t).
3. Restart your phone and a new sound will appear on the list.

Make sure the volume is not at a minimum.|Check if the "Vibration" mode is on"|Turn off Bluetooth headphones (they can redirect sound)|Restart your phone if the sound disappears after the update-->

Method 2: Configure with “Sounds and Vibrations” in MIUI

If there are no options in the Messages app (for example, on custom firmware), use the global MIUI settings:

1. Open the Settings. → Sounds and vibrations.
2. Tap on the default notification (or the notification sound on MIUI 13+).
3. Select a tune from the list. Here you can adjust the vibration and LED indicator (if you have one on your model).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) SMS sound can be controlled separately from other notifications. If the signal has not changed after the changes, go back to the Messages app settings and check the notification priority (Notification Channels section).

If you want to make the sound of SMS different from other notifications (such as WhatsApp or Telegram), follow the following steps:

• 🔧 B Settings → Annexes → Application management find "Messages» (SMS/MMS).
• 📲 Slip on the Notifications. → Select the category Incoming messages.
• 🎵 Here you can set a unique sound, vibration and priority (for example, “Important” to display on the lock screen).

Method 3: Reset the notification cache (if the sound is lost)

If the text sounds, it disappears, and the notification system cache is to blame, which helps even when other settings don't work:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner → select Show system processes.
3. Find the Android System (or Android System) and open it.
4. Press Warehouse. → Clear the cache.
5. Go back and find the MIUI System (or MIUI System) and clear the cache.
6. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Don't click "Clear Data" in these apps - this may reset some of the system settings!

After the reboot, check the sound of the text message. If the problem persists, try the following method.

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If cache reset didn’t work, try temporarily disabling battery optimization for the Messages app. Go to Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization, find Messages, and select Unlimited.

Method 4: Using third-party applications for SMS sound

If standard methods don't work, you can install an alternative SMS application with advanced audio settings.

To install a third-party application:

1. Download it from Google Play or APKMirror (if there are no Google services).
2. When you first start, allow access to SMS and contacts.
3. Set the application by default in Settings → Applications → By default → Application for SMS.
4. Set the sound in the notification menu of the new app.

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro on Chinese firmware) have third-party models SMS-Applications may not receive notifications due to restrictions MIUI. In this case, only manual auto-start for the application in the battery settings will help.

Method 5: Manually Adding Custom SMS Sounds

If you're tired of standard tunes, you can set your own.

1. Download the audio file in.mp3,.m4a or.ogg format (maximum duration is 30 seconds, recommended bitrate is 128-192 kbit / s).
2. Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (such as Mi File Explorer).
3. Create a Notifications folder at the root of internal memory (if it doesn't exist), and the path should look like this: /storage/emulated/0/Notifications.
4. Put your audio file in there.
5. Restart your phone and a new sound will appear on the notification list.

If the sound is not displayed:

• 🔄 Check the file extension (should be.mp3, not.mp3.mp3).
• 📁 Make sure the file is not in the subfolder (for example, Notifications/MySounds — It's not recognizable).
• 🔊 Try renaming the file to Latin (without Cyrillic and characters).

Android 12+ models (e.g. Xiaomi 12/13) may require additional permission to access files. Go to Settings → Privacy → Special Access → Manage all files and enable it for the Messages app.

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Melodies files should be short (up to 30 seconds) and light (up to 1-2 MB).

Features of SMS sound settings on old Xiaomi models

If you have a 2018 Xiaomi smartphone or older (e.g. Redmi 5/6, Mi A1/A2), some features may not be available.

• 📅 Nana MIUI 9–10 does not have a separate Notifications section in the Messages app. Instead, the sound is customized via Settings. → Sounds and vibrations → Default notifications.
• 🔄 Android One (Mi A-series models) uses pure Android, so the path to settings is different: Settings → Annexes and notifications → Notifications → Additionally. → The sound of default notifications.
• 🚫 Some older firmwares cannot be customized to text, just for calls, and a third-party application will help (see Method 4).
• 🔧 After the update MIUI the sound disappears, try resetting the Messages app settings in Settings → Annexes → Application management → SMS/MMS → Warehouse → Clear the data (⚠️ It'll delete the message history!).

For Redmi 4X, Redmi Note 4 and similar models, the problem with the notification sound sticking is when the melody is played endlessly. This is treated only by flashing it to a newer version of MIUI.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When setting up SMS sound, users often make these mistakes:

1. Ignore Do Not Disturb mode. Check the schedule in Settings → Don't disturb — it's possible that the sound turns off automatically at a certain time.
2. Do not update the Messages app. Go to Google Play (or the App Store for Chinese models) and update it — new versions fix sound bugs.
3. They set up too long tunes, and the system can crop files longer than 30 seconds, causing the sound to play incorrectly.
4. Don't check permissions. On Android 13+, apps need to separately allow notifications. Go to Settings → Apps → Permissions → Notifications and turn them on for Messages.

If you tried all the ways, but the sound never appeared, check the speaker performance:

• 🔊 Turn on music or video – if there is sound, the problem is in the notification settings.
• 📞 Call your phone from another device – if the call is heard, but there is no SMS, it is the fault of the software.
• 🛠️ If there is no sound at all, it is possible that the speaker or audio chip is damaged (requires repair).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions