Data Protection: How to Password Apps on Xiaomi 9C

The modern smartphone has become a digital store of our personal lives, containing correspondence, banking applications, photos and access to work accounts. For owners of budget but functional devices such as the Xiaomi Redmi 9C, the issue of privacy is no less acute than for flagship models. The built-in shell of MIUI offers powerful tools to restrict access that do not require the installation of third-party software.

Owners often face a situation where children, colleagues or casual acquaintances who have received an unlocked gadget in their hands can use the phone. Standard screen locking in such cases is not enough, since anyone who knows your pin code or has access to a fingerprint scanner can open messengers or a gallery.

In this article, we will discuss in detail the process of setting passwords for specific programs, consider the nuances of working with biometrics and touch on the topic of hidden space. You will learn not only to install protection, but also to competently manage it so that the balance between security and usability of the Xiaomi 9C remains optimal.

Preparing the security system before setting up

Before you start setting restrictions on running specific programs, you need to make sure that the fundamental security settings of your Xiaomi account and the device itself are correctly executed. MIUI system binds many security features to the Mi Account, which allows you to restore access in the event of a password loss or change of device.

Make sure your Redmi 9C has an up-to-date screen unlock password, which can be a pattern lock, a digital code, or a complex alphanumeric password. Without a screen password, the application protection function is often unavailable or works in a truncated mode, because the system is a basic level of user authorization.

⚠️ Note: If you forget the password from application protection and do not link Mi-account, restoring access to data inside protected programs will be almost impossible without completely resetting the settings.

Also worth checking for system updates. The manufacturer regularly releases security patches that may affect the App Lock module. Go to settings, select About Phone, and click on MIUI to check for new firmware versions.

Activation of App Lock in Settings

The main tool for protecting data in the shell from Xiaomi is called Application Protection, which can be found in two ways: through a global search in the settings or through the security menu. The second option is often more reliable, since direct access to system security utilities in MIUI is always a priority.

To activate the function, open the Security app (green icon with shield), which is system-based and pre-installed on all devices of the brand. In the menu that opens, look for Application Protection or App Lock. When you first start, the system will ask you to come up with a unique password or use fingerprint unlock if it is already configured.

• 🔒 Create a password other than the screen unlock password to improve security.
• 👆 Activate the use of fingerprints for quick access to protected areas.
• 📧 Link an email address or Mi Account to reset your password.
• 👀 Enable the option to “Hide the contents of notifications” so that the text of messages is not visible on the locked screen.

Once you set your password, you'll be asked to select a list of apps that require protection, and unlike some other shells, you can choose multiple programs at once, just switch the sliders opposite WhatsApp, Gallery, Contacts, or any other application you want to restrict access to.

Using biometrics for quick access

Constantly entering a password every time you open a messenger or bank can be annoying and time-consuming. Xiaomi Redmi 9C features a fingerprint scanner located on the back that is perfectly integrated with application protection. Using biometrics makes the authorization process instant and secure.

To set up biometric access, go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Unlock by fingerprint. Here you need to register fingerprints. It is recommended to add fingerprints of both thumbs, since you can hold the phone with both hands. After registration, go back to the Application Protection menu and make sure that the Use fingerprint switch is activated.

⚠️ Note: Fingerprint scanner on Redmi 9C Make sure the finger and scanner surface are dry and clean, or the system may not recognize the owner and request a password.

It's important to understand the difference between unlocking a device and unlocking apps, so you can set up a system that requires a password to log in to your phone, and only a fingerprint to log in to your apps, and that creates a two-tiered access that's convenient, where you don't get a stranger to log in to your phone without a code, and you quickly get into the program through biometrics.

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To improve reading accuracy, add the same finger to the system twice at different angles, which is especially useful if you often keep your phone in a case.

Configure the hidden space (Second Space)

App Protection hides the content, but it doesn't hide the fact that it's there. If you want to get certain apps out of sight completely, MIUI has a Second Space feature, which is actually creating a second user profile inside a single Xiaomi 9C smartphone.

The second space works as a separate phone with its desktop, its apps, and its gallery, and switching between the main and second spaces is either through a special shortcut or, more conveniently, with different fingerprints, and you put one finger in normal mode, the other finger opens hidden mode.

To activate, go to Settings → Second Space → Create Second Space. The system will create a virtual copy of the Android environment, you can transfer sensitive files or install separate versions of applications, and the data in these spaces are isolated from each other.

Using Second Space is the only way to completely hide the presence of certain applications on the desktop, and even when you connect your phone to your computer, files from the second space will not be displayed without additional authorization within the system.

Notification and confidentiality management

Even if the application is password protected, notifications from it can come to the lock screen, revealing the essence of the correspondence or reminding about the meeting. To avoid leakage, you need to properly configure the display of notifications for protected programs in MIUI.

There's a separate settings section on the App Protection menu, often marked by a gear, and there's a "Hide Notification Content" item, which when you activate this feature, instead of the message text, you'll see "New Message" or "Notification," and you'll need to unlock the app to see the details.

• 🔕 Turn off message previews for secure applications in notification settings.
• 👁️ Use Do Not Disturb Mode to Completely Hide Pop-ups.
• 🛡️ Check the floating window settings so that content doesn’t appear on top of other programs.

Also, you should pay attention to the “Find Device” feature: If someone tries to repeatedly enter the wrong password to log into a secure application, the system can take a picture to the front camera and send it to you by mail, if this feature is supported by the current version of MIUI and the region.

⚠️ Note: Some global versions of the firmware MIUI Notification concealment functions may work differently than in Chinese. Always check the relevance of the settings after you update the system.

Solving Common Access Issues

Xiaomi 9C users sometimes face a situation where application protection stops working, resets or, conversely, blocks access to the owner, most often due to a system update or memory cleanup.

If the system stopped asking for a password when you logged in, check if the security itself has been reset. Go to the application settings, find Security, select Memory and click Clear. This won't delete your passwords, but will restart the service. Also make sure that the battery settings for the Security app don't have background activity restrictions.

If you have forgotten your password from App Lock, use the "Forgot Password" button on the input screen. The system will send the recovery code to the associated Mi Account or email. If the mail is not tied, the only way out is to completely reset your phone settings, which will result in the deletion of all data.

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Regularly checking the efficiency of your password and the relevance of backup email addresses is a guarantee that you will not lose access to your data forever.

Sometimes users complain that passwords are requested too often, and in the security settings, you can select the period after which you need to re-authorize: immediately after leaving the application, after 1 minute, 10 minutes or 1 hour, and the optimal option is to select the "After logging out" option for the maximum level of security.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)