How to watch the latest actions on the Xiaomi phone: the full guide to MIUI

Have you ever wondered who used your Xiaomi smartphone when? or wanted to check which apps were running while you were away? MIUI has some built-in tools for tracking activity, but they are scattered across different menus and not always obvious. In this article, we will collect everything from basic (call and message log) to advanced (system logs and hidden features).

It's important to understand that not all activities are fixed by default. For example, browsing a photo gallery or web pages in a browser is not recorded in system logs unless special settings are included. But even with standard tools, you can recover most of the activity in the last 24-72 hours. We will show how to do this with the examples of Redmi Note 12, POCO X5 and Xiaomi 13T - instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15.

If you're looking for a way to track a child's activities or check your phone for unauthorized access, check out the hidden security feature section, where we'll tell you how to enable advanced logging and what to do if you suspect a hack.

1. Call and Message Log: Basic Methods

The most obvious source of information is the standard Phone and Message apps, which store the history of the last 30 to 90 days (depending on your settings) to see the latest actions:

• 📞 Open the phone app" → This is a tab called Log. It shows all incoming, outgoing and missed calls, with time and duration. 12/13 You can filter records by type (for example, only outgoing ones).
• 💬 In the Messages app, swipe left on the home screen, and you'll see a list of all the chats sorted by the time of the last message. Click on the contact to see the full correspondence.
• 🔍 To search for keywords in SMS Use the magnifying glass icon in the upper right corner to help you find messages with specific phrases (e.g., "confirmation code" or "payment").

Limitation: This data is easy to delete — just clear the log manually or reset the application settings. If you suspect someone is deliberately erasing tracks, move on to the next section about system logs.

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 15 has a feature called Smart Grouping in the Call Log, which automatically hides spam numbers. To see all records, turn it off in the settings of the Phone app" → Spam and blocking → Grouping of calls.

2. Application launch history: what has been discovered recently

MIUI keeps a log of recently opened applications, but access to it depends on the firmware version. On new devices (Xiaomi 13/14, Redmi Note 12 Pro+), this functionality is transferred to Security, and on old ones (POCO X3, Redmi 9) it can be in Settings → All applications.

To see the latest launches:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Latest Launches (or Recently Opened on some models).
3. You'll see the list of apps with the time of the last opening, and on MIUI 14+, you can see how much time you spent in each app per day.

On devices with Google Mobile Services (GMS), Google Activity provides additional information (if sync is enabled).

• 🌐 Search queries in Google and Chrome.
• 📍 Location (if geolocation is enabled).
• 🎵 Listened to tracks on YouTube Music or Google Play Music.

To check:

1. Open myactivity.google.com in your browser.
2. Sign in with the same account as on your phone.
3. Use filters by date and type of activity.

⚠️ Note: If the phone has a second space (function) MIUI For splitting profiles, the history of the applications in the main space will not show activity from the second.

Open Settings → Applications → Application Management

Find the item "Last Launches" or "Recently Opened"

Check the time of the last opening of key applications (Messages, Gallery, Browser)

Verify your data with Google Activity (if used)

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3. System Logs: In-depth Analysis of Activity

For advanced users, MIUI provides access to system logs, where almost all actions are recorded – from launching applications to connecting to Wi-Fi. However, this method requires the inclusion of Developer Mode and working with ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

Instructions for viewing logs:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) After that, Settings → Additional Developers Item will appear.
2. Enable USB debugging: Settings → Additional → Developers → Debugging over USB (enable)
3. Connect your phone to your PC and use the command to unload logs: adb logcat -d > xiaomi_logs.txt File. xiaomi_logs.txt It's easy to use software like Logcat Reader to analyze it.

What you can find in the logs:

• 🔄 Device restarts and causes (e.g. shutdown cause: user request or thermal shutdown).
• 📱 Start and close applications (look for lines from the am_start_activity).
• 🔌 Connecting / disabling charging, headphones, USB-device.
• 📶 Switching between mobile networks and Wi-Fi.

Logs are stored in a buffer and overwritten when overflowing (usually 2-3 days) to save them for a long time, regularly unload to the PC.

4. Hidden MIUI features for tracking activity

MIUI has some little-known tools that help track the actions on the device, which are not advertised, but they work on most models (Redmi, POCO, Xiaomi).

Notification log

Even if the notification has been deleted, it can be restored:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification log.
2. Turn on the function if it is disabled.
3. All notifications from the last 7 days will be displayed here, including those swiped to the left.

4.2 History of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections

To see which devices the phone is connected to:

• 🔵 Bluetooth: Settings → Connections and sharing → Bluetooth → History of connections.
• 📶 Wi-Fi: Settings → Wi-Fi → Saved networks (shows all networks you have ever connected to, even if they are now disabled).

Battery use log

In Settings → Battery and performance → Battery use can be seen:

• 📊 Screen activity schedule (when the phone is unlocked).
• ⚡ Applications that consumed battery in the background (may indicate hidden activity).

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If you see a high-consumption com.miui.analytics app in the battery log, it means that the phone has enabled anonymous statistics to be sent to Xiaomi. It can be turned off in Settings → Memory → Autostart → MIUI Analytics.

5.Security: How to protect yourself from unauthorized access

If you find suspicious activity, check first:

• 🔐 Unknown devices in your Mi Account: go to account.xiaomi.com → Device management. Remove all unfamiliar gadgets.
• 🔑 Device administrators: Settings → Passwords and security → Device administrators: No suspicious applications (e.g. Test) DPC or Device Policy).
• 🛡️ Application permissions: Some programs (e.g. TeamViewer or AnyDesk) may provide remote access. → Annexes → Permits → Special access.

To prevent unauthorized access in the future:

1. Enable application locking (Settings → Passwords & Security → Application Blocking) This will protect instant messengers and the gallery with a password.
2. Activate Mi Account login notifications: When you try to sign in from a new device, you will receive an SMS.
3. Install third-party antiviruses (such as Malwarebytes or Bitdefender) that monitor suspicious activity.

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (Xiaomi.EU, customized) ROM) There's a vulnerability that allows you to bypass the locking of the screen through fastboot. OEM Unlock in the developer settings and set the password for fastboot (fastboot oem lock command).

6. Third-party applications for activity monitoring

If the built-in MIUI tools aren't enough, you can use third-party utilities, which offer advanced features, such as:

• 📹 Screen recording in the background (applications like Mobizen or AZ Screen Recorder).
• 🕵️ Tracking keystrokes (keyloggers, but using them may violate the law!).
• 📡 Traffic monitoring (e.g. GlassWire shows which apps are transmitting data).

Examples of reliable applications:

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The side of the monitoring app may conflict with MIUI and cause lags. Before installing, check the reviews on 4PDA or XDA Developers for your phone model.

Frequent questions