Changing the standard ringtone is one of the first steps to personalize the Xiaomi Mi 9. Standard sounds preset by the manufacturer often seem boring or too quiet in noisy places. Users are eager to find a unique track that will not only highlight their device, but also allow you to instantly know about the incoming call.
The process of replacing an audio file on the MIUI shell may seem unobvious to those who have switched from other Android smartphones. The system has its own features of navigation and media management. In this article, we will discuss all the current methods that allow you to quickly and easily download your favorite song.
To get started, you’ll need the music file itself, which must already be stored in the device’s memory or memory card, and popular formats such as MP3, WAV, or M4A are supported. If the file is in cloud storage or messenger, you must first download it to a local folder.
Preparation of a music file and search in the system
The first step is to locate the track in the smartphone file system, and users often download music from the browser or receive it via Bluetooth, forgetting where it has been stored. The standard download path is usually located at Internal Memory → Download or Internal Memory → MIUI → Download.
If you use third-party music listening apps like Yandex Music or VK Music, files can be hidden in secure cache folders, so the easiest way to use the built-in Explorer is to open the Explorer app and go to Music or Audio to see all available tracks.
- 🎵 Make sure the file is not protected. DRM-copying, otherwise the system will not allow it to be used.
- 📂 For convenience, create a separate Ringtones folder at the root of internal memory.
- 🔊 Check the volume of the track in advance so that the call is not too quiet.
⚠️ Note: Do not use files with very low bitrate (less than 128 kbps), as on the Xiaomi Mi 9 speaker they will sound hoarse and unpleasant.
☑️ File readiness check
Installation through the standard settings menu
The most classic and reliable way to change a tune is to use the system menu, which ensures that the sound is correctly processed by the system and does not disappear after rebooting.
In the list that opens, look for the Sound and Vibration section, and this is where all the parameters associated with audio notifications are concentrated, and click on the Call Melody (or Rington) to open the list of available system compositions.
Scroll down the list. You'll see a plus button or a "Select Music on your device" button. The system will suggest you select an application to open files. If you have multiple players or explorers installed, select the one where your file is, such as standard Music or Explorer.
Once you select a track, it will automatically stand up for playback to check, and if you're satisfied with the quality, just click OK or the box in the corner of the screen, and now when you call in, the track you select will be played.
What if the track you want isn’t on the list?
Using the "Themes" app to download ringtones
In the Xiaomi ecosystem, there's a powerful built-in Themes app that allows you not only to change wallpaper and icons, but also to download pre-made sound packages, which is convenient if you want to install not just one track, but a whole set of consistent sounds for different events.
Launch the app and go to the bottom menu by selecting the Sounds (or Ringtones) tab. Here's a huge catalog of free and paid tunes. You can sort them by popularity or novelty. If you find the right one, click the download button.
After downloading, click the Apply button, and the system will tell you to choose where to assign the sound to: a general call, an alarm clock, or notifications, and this method is especially good because it does not require searching for files on the Internet, everything is already optimized for MIUI.
- 🎨 In the application "Themes" you can download sounds for the whole system at once.
- 🌐 A stable internet connection is required for work.
- 🔄 Themes app updates often add new categories of sounds.
⚠️ Note: When using the "Themes" application, the device region in the settings must be set to "India", "Indonesia" or "Global", otherwise the directory may be empty or inaccessible.
Customization of individual melodies for contacts
The Xiaomi Mi 9 allows you to make unique calls to specific people in your phone book, and it's a very useful feature that lets you know who's calling you without taking your phone out of your pocket, and you can do that in two ways.
The first way is through the Contacts app. Open the right subscriber, click on the edit button (usually a pencil or three dots). In the editing menu, find the Call Melody field (the default is "Default"). Click on it and select any track from the device's memory.
The second way is through call history. If someone has called you recently, find their number on the call list, click on the information icon (i) or the arrow on the right. The menu that opens will also have a audio setting. After selecting the track, remember to save the changes.
But the audio files themselves are locally linked to the device, and if you change your phone, you'll have to re-set.
| Parameter | Common ringtone | For contact |
|---|---|---|
| Priority | Low. | Tall (interrupts general) |
| Source | Sound settings | Contact card |
| Action in changing the subject | Could change. | Usually, it's still there. |
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Use short and sharp sounds for important contacts to instantly respond to their calls, even in noisy environments.
Solving problems with reproduction
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the installed melody does not play, or plays a standard melody instead of the chosen one. Most often, the problem lies in the access rights or file format. Android system can block access to files in certain folders for security reasons.
Check if Do Not Disturb mode is enabled, in which the sounds can be turned off completely or for all contacts except a select few, and make sure the file is not corrupted. Try playing it through any music player before installing it.
If you upgraded MIUI to a new version, the sound settings might have gone wrong, so you'd have to retrace the Settings path → Sound and Vibration → Call melody and re-indicate the path to the file. The old file paths might have been lost as data migrated.
- 🔇 Check Volume Sliders: Mediarington and Call Volume Are Different Settings.
- 📁 Move the file to the root of internal memory if it is in the folder Android/data.
- 🔄 Reboot your smartphone after installing a new ringtone to apply the changes.
⚠️ Note: Files in the folder Android/media On newer versions of Android, may not be available as a call due to file system access restrictions.
💡
The most common cause of failure is that the file is in a secure system folder or has an unsupported codec (for example, FLAC without conversion).
Advanced settings: cropping and creating ringtones
Often, your favorite song is too long and you only need a lively snippet to call. On the Xiaomi Mi 9, you can use built-in or third-party cropping tools. The standard editor in the Music or Gallery app sometimes allows you to save a snippet.
However, more flexible features are provided by specialized applications from Google Play, such as Ringtone Maker or Google Play. MP3 They allow you to visually highlight the desired area, add attenuation effects (fade-in/fade-out) And immediately save the result as a ready ringtone.
Once you have created a cropped file, the cutter application often suggests you set it up for a call. If not, just remember the save path and use the instructions in the first section of the article. The optimal call duration is 15 to 30 seconds so that the cycle repeats on time.
Recommended duration: 15-30 seconds
Format: MP3 (128 kbps and higher)
Folder: /Ringtones/ (for automatic determination)Using quality, properly cropped tracks makes using a smartphone more enjoyable: files specially prepared for calls take up less space and are loaded faster by the system when a call is in, saving the processor resources at the time the signal arrives.