How to Put Your Melody on a Call on Xiaomi: 5 Proven Ways

Why Xiaomi’s standard tunes don’t suit users

Xiaomi’s MIUI-enclosed smartphones offer dozens of built-in ringtones, but not all of them appeal to owners: someone wants to hear their favorite song on an incoming call, someone needs a unique tune for different contacts, and some are just tired of the standard sound. Fortunately, MIUI makes it easy to replace the ringtony with any audio file – the main thing is to know where to look for settings and how to circumvent the system’s limitations.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to install custom tunes on Xiaomi, from standard tools to bypassing restrictions through the file manager. We’ll focus on the nuances for different versions of MIUI (including MIUI 14 and HyperOS), and how to avoid typical audio file mistakes. If you want your Redmi, POCO or Xiaomi smartphone to sound special, read on.

Before proceeding to the instructions, check if your audio file meets the system requirements:

• 🎵 Format:.mp3,.m4a,.wav (preferably) MP3 bitrate 128-320 kbit/s)
• ⏱️ Duration: up to 30 seconds (long tracks will be cut automatically)
• 📱 File size: no more than 5MB (otherwise the system may not recognize it)
• 🔊 Volume: Normalize the sound in the audio editor so that the melody is heard when the call is made

Method 1: Installation of the melody through standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in MIUI tools. It is suitable for most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models on the shell versions from MIUI 12 to HyperOS. Important: before you start, make sure that the desired audio file is already loaded into the phone’s memory (internal or microSD card).

Step instructions:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the section Sound and vibration.
3. Select the Melody of the Call (or Rington in some firmware).
4. In the upper right corner, click on the + (or Add) icon.
5. In the menu that opens, select Local Music or File Manager.
6. Find a folder with your audio file (like Downloads or Music) and select it.
7. Confirm the choice – the melody will be set as the default ringtone.

If no Add, your version of MIUI restricts the addition of custom tunes, in which case you move on to Method 2.

Download the file in MP3 or M4A| format

Check the duration (optimum 10–30 seconds) |

Transfer the file to the Music or Ringtones| folder

Make sure the file is not protected by DRM

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⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13 Pro with HyperOS) may reset your way to custom ringtones after the update. To avoid this, move the audio file to the folder. MIUI/ringtone via file manager.

Method 2: Using the Ringtones folder to automatically recognize

If the standard method didn't work, you can trick the system by putting the audio file in a special folder. MIUI automatically scans the Ringtones directory for new tunes and adds them to the list of available ones. This method works on 90% of Xiaomi devices, including old models on MIUI 10-11.

How to do this:

1. Connect your phone to your PC or use a file manager (like Google Files).
2. Create a folder named Ringtones (with a capital letter!) at the root of internal memory or on a microSD card.
3. Copy the prepared audio file (for example, my_ringtone.mp3).
4. Reset the device (required!).
5. After the reboot, go to Settings → Sound and Vibration → Call Melody – your file should appear in the list.

If the Ringtones folder already exists but the melody doesn’t show up, check:

• 🔍 The correctness of the folder name (registrar is important!)
• 🎼 File format (only) MP3/M4A)
• 📂 Location (folder should be at the root of memory, not inside Download or Music)

💡

If the Ringtones folder doesn’t appear in the tolodies list, try clearing the Settings app cache (Settings → Apps → App Management → Settings → Clear the cache).

Method 3: Applications for customizing ringtones

If the built-in techniques don't work, third-party apps will come to the rescue, and not only do they allow custom tunes to be set, but they also offer additional features: cropping tracks, normalizing sound, assigning unique ringtones to contacts.-3 Xiaomi apps and selected the best ones.

Top.-3 ring-tone:

• 🎛️ Zedge is the largest database of ringtones and wallpapers, which allows you to download ready-made tunes or download your own. MIUI It's a system-level, and it's a system-level, and it's a system-level, and it's a system-level, and it's a system-level, it's a system-level.
• 🔊 Ringtone Maker is a tool for cropping and adjusting the volume of audio files. Supports formats MP3, WAV, FLAC. Plus: you can set the beginning and end of the track.
• 📱 MP3 Cutter and Ringtone Maker is a simple application to create ringtones from any audio file. Plus: no premium ads.

How to set a tune through Zedge:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Start Zedge and allow access to files.
3. Go to the Ringtones tab.
4. Find your favorite tune or click My Files to upload your file.
5. Click on the track and select Set as ringtone.
6. Confirm the choice – the melody will be set automatically.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (such as Ringtone Maker) require permission to change system settings. If the melody is not applied after installation, check if the permission to Change System Settings is included in Settings. → Annexes → Special access.

Method 4: Assigning unique tunes to contacts

One of the benefits of MIUI is that you can assign individual ringtones to individual contacts, which is useful if you want to know who is calling without looking at the screen, for example, you can set one tune for family, another for work, and a third for friends.

How to set up:

1. Open the Contacts app.
2. Select the contact you want and click Edit (pencil icon).
3. Scroll down to the Melody of the Call (or Rington) item.
4. Click on the current tune and select Add or Local Music.
5. Enter the audio file from the phone's memory.
6. Save the changes.

If the Call Melody item is not in contact editing, then your version of MIUI does not support this feature, in which case use the Zedge or Truecaller app, which allows you to assign custom ringtones to contacts without the system restrictions.

💡

Individual contact tunes only work when you save a number in the phone book, and if the call comes from an unknown number, the default ringtone will be used.

Method 5: Manual editing of system files (for advanced ones)

This method is suitable for users who are not afraid to work with system files. It allows you to add a custom tune directly to the list of standard MIUI ringtones so that it appears as built-in. Attention: this will require root rights or access through ADB.

Instructions:

1. Download the audio file in format MP3 and rename it in Latin (for example, custom_ringtone.mp3).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → 7 times press to activate Developer Mode, then Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB).
3. Open the command line on the PC and type:

adb shell


su




mount -o rw,remount /system




cp /sdcard/Download/custom_ringtone.mp3 /system/media/audio/ringtones/




chmod 644 /system/media/audio/ringtones/custom_ringtone.mp3




mount -o ro,remount /system




exit

After the device is rebooted, your tune will appear in the list of standard ringtones.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect editing of system files can lead to malfunctions MIUI. Before executing commands, make a backup of the data through Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after setting the melody correctly, Xiaomi users sometimes encounter problems, and we have collected the most common errors and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: The melody is not on the list.

• 🔄 Solution: Reboot the phone — MIUI Scans media files at launch.
• 📁 Solution: Check that the file is in the Ringtones folder (not in Music or Downloads).
• 🔊 Solution: Make sure the file format is — MP3 or M4A (not WMA or FLAC).

Problem 2: The melody is playing, but very quietly.

• 🎛️ Solution: Increase the volume in the call settings (Settings) → Sound and vibration → Loudness).
• 🔊 Solution: Normalize the volume of the file in the audio editor (for example, in Audacity).
• 📱 Solution: Check if Do Not Disturb or Quiet mode is on.

Problem 3: After the MIUI update, the melody dropped

• 🔄 Solution: Reset the melody through the settings.
• 📁 Solution: Move the file to the folder MIUI/ringtone — It's less likely to be reset by updates.
• 🔧 Solution: Use the Zedge app that restores ringtones after updates.

💡

If the phone vibrates but does not play sound after setting the melody, check the sound profile settings (Settings → Sound & Vibration → Sound Profile).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions