Xiaomi Photo App: A Complete Guide to Features and Settings

Smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO The Xiaomi Gallery (or Mi Gallery in older versions) comes pre-installed with the company’s photo application, which is not just an image viewer, but a full-fledged tool for organizing, editing and backing up media files. However, many users are not even aware of half of its capabilities, limiting themselves to basic functions.

In this article, we will take a look at what a standard photo app on Xiaomi is, how it differs from alternatives like Google Photos, and why it should be used instead of third-party solutions. We will focus on hidden features, storage optimization and integration with Mi Cloud services. If you want to learn how to sort photos by face, create collages in seconds or automatically remove duplicates, read on.

What is Xiaomi Photo App and Why You Need It

Photo-application Xiaomi (officially called Gallery or com.miui.gallery in the system) is a standard media manager that is installed on all devices running MIUI. It replaces the standard Android gallery and offers advanced functionality:

• 📂 Automatic sorting of photos by albums, dates, places and even faces (with recognition support).
• ✂️ Built-in editor with filters, color correction and retouch tools (including object removal).
• ☁️ Integration with Mi Cloud for backup and synchronization between devices.
• 🔍 Search by content (for example, you can find all photos of dogs or sunsets).
• 📊 Use Analytics: statistics on number of pictures, popular places, etc.

The main advantage over Google Photos is that there are no restrictions on free storage in high resolution (when using the Mi Cloud). AI-Features available in Google or Samsung solutions.

The app is closely integrated with other Xiaomi services, such as:

• 📱 Xiaomi camera: automatically saves photos to the gallery with support RAW-format (on supported models).
• 🎵 Music: Can extract album covers from photos.
• 📅 Calendar: Offers to create events based on shooting dates.

How to open and set up a gallery on Xiaomi

By default, the Gallery app is on the home screen or in the app menu. Its icon looks like a stylized landscape in blue and white. If you can't find it, check:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the search box, enter “Gallery”.
3. Make sure the application is not disabled (the Enable button must be inactive).

When you first start up, the system will offer you access to files and media, allow all requests, otherwise the gallery will not be able to display photos, and then you will see the main screen with tabs:

• 📷 Photos – all images sorted by date.
• 🎥 Video - a separate section for video files.
• 📁 Albums – Automatic and Custom Collections.
• ☁️ Cloud – files from Mi Cloud (if synchronization is enabled).

For basic settings, go to ⋮ (three-point) → You can set it up here:

• 🔄 Enable/disable autosynchronization with Mi Cloud.
• 🗑️ Set up a Recycle Bin (Retention Period of Removed Files).
• 📡 Change the quality of the cloud load (original or compression).
• 👤 Activate facial recognition for automatic sorting.

Provide access to files and media|

Enable synchronization with Mi Cloud (if necessary)|

Set up a storage period for files in the basket|

Activate facial and object recognition-->

Hidden Xiaomi Gallery Features You Didn't Know About

Many users have been using the Xiaomi gallery for years, unaware of its hidden features.

1. Search for the contents of the photos

The gallery can analyze the content of the images and find specific objects, for example, you can type in the search box:

• The cat will show you all the photos of the cats.
• "Sea" - will find landscapes with water.
• “Document” – filters out scans and photos of text.

The function works on the basis of AI and requires object recognition enabled in settings.

2. Creating collages and animations

To make a quick collage:

1. Select a few photos (click the first, then tap the rest).
2. Press. ⋮ → Collage.
3. Select a template (grid, mosaic, free form).

Similarly, you can create an animation (gifka) from a series of pictures or videos from a slideshow with music.

3.Smart albums

The gallery automatically groups the photos into albums by:

• 📍 Shooting location (if geotagging is enabled).
• 👶 Faces (recognizes people and suggests combining their photos).
• 🎂 Events (e.g. New Year 2026 or Trip to the Mountains»).
• 📄 File types (screenshots, documents, memes).

To manually create an album:

1. Go to the Album tab.
2. Press. + → New album.
3. Give me a name and add pictures.

4. Backup without limitation

Mi Cloud allows you to store photos in original quality without limiting the volume (unlike Google Photos, which has been subject to quotas since 2021).

1. Open Gallery settings → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on Auto Sync.
3. Choose original quality (if it is important to keep all the details).
4. Specify which folders to sync (only Camera and Screenshots are defaults).

Synchronization works only when connected to Wi-Fi (so as not to waste mobile traffic).

💡

If you often take pictures of documents, turn on the option of Document Optimization in the gallery settings, which automatically straightens scans and improves the readability of text.

How to edit photos in the Xiaomi Gallery

Xiaomi's built-in gallery editor is on par with many third-party apps.To open it:

1. Pick a picture.
2. Click Edit (pencil icon).

Tools available:

The function of removing objects is especially useful:

1. Open the photo in the editor.
2. Select the Remove Object (eraser icon) tool.
3. Circle an unnecessary item (such as garbage on the ground or an outsider).
4. Press Ready — AI fill the area with a suitable background.

The result isn't always perfect, but it's good for quick edits. For complicated cases, you'd better use Adobe Photoshop Express or Snapseed.

💡

Xiaomi Gallery Editor Supports Processing RAW-File files (on models with 48 MP cameras and higher) This allows you to fine-tune white balance and restore over-lit areas.

How to Free Space with a Gallery

Photos and videos take up the lion's share of memory on a smartphone. Xiaomi's gallery offers several cleaning tools:

1. Removal of duplicates

The feature looks for identical or similar images and suggests leaving the best option.

1. Open up. ⋮ → Management → Duplicate.
2. The gallery will scan the photos and show groups of duplicates.
3. Select unnecessary copies and click Delete.

2. Cleaning the basket

Deleted files are put in the trash and stored there for 30 days (by default) to clear it early:

1. Go to the basket tab.
2. Click Clear or select individual files to delete.

⚠️ Note: Recycle bin files are permanently deleted. If you sync with Mi Cloud, check that important photos are uploaded to the cloud before clearing.

3. Storage optimization

The gallery can automatically compress old photos to make room.

1. Go to Settings. → Storage management.
2. Enable Storage Optimization.
3. Choose which files to compress (for example, photos over 1 year old).

Compressed originals will be saved in the cloud, and versions with lower resolution will remain on the device.

4. Transfer of photos to memory card

If the smartphone has a microSD slot, you can transfer media files to it:

1. Open the Settings → Storage.
2. Select Data Transfer to SD-map.
3. Check the folders with photos (for example, DCIM/Camera).

💡

Before the transfer to SD-Check the speed class for the map, Class 10 for the photos, and video for the map. 4K need UHS-I (U3).

Synchronization with Mi Cloud and other services

Mi Cloud is a cloud storage from Xiaomi that offers 5GB for free (with the option to expand to 200GB for a fee).

1. Open Gallery settings → Mi Cloud.
2. Sign in to your Xiaomi account (or create a new one).
3. Enable Auto Sync and select folders for backup.
4. Please indicate the quality of the download (Original or High).

The advantages of Mi Cloud over Google Photos:

• 📤 Unlimited storage of originals (in Google Photos from 2021, originals take place in the quota).
• 🔄 Quick sync between Xiaomi devices (e.g. from phone to tablet).
• 📱 Integration with MIUI: Photos from the cloud are displayed directly in the gallery.

Disadvantages:

• 🌍 Limited geography: Mi Cloud servers are located in China, which may slow down loading in some regions.
• 🔒 Fewer collaboration features (e.g., no ability to create shared albums like Google Photos).

If you prefer Google Photos, you can connect it as an alternative:

1. Install the Google Photos app from the Play Market.
2. In the Xiaomi Gallery settings, turn off autosynchronization with the Mi Cloud.
3. In Google Photos, enable backup.

⚠️ Note: If you use both clouds at the same time, photos will be duplicated, taking up space on the device. To avoid this, in the gallery settings, turn off the display of files from Mi Cloud (Settings). → Display cloud files).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even an app as well as a Xiaomi gallery can sometimes fail, and we'll look at the problems and how to fix them.

1.The gallery does not show photos

If the photos are not displayed:

• 🔄 Update the gallery through the Mi App Store.
• 📂 Check the permissions: Settings → Annexes → gallery → Permits (should be included Warehouse and Chamber).
• 🗑️ Clear the cache: Settings → Annexes → gallery → Clear the cache.
• 🔍 Check hidden folders: some files may be hidden (e.g., screenshots from messengers) to see them, enable the display of hidden files in any file manager.

2. photos are not synced with Mi Cloud

If the cloud does not download files:

• 🌐 Check your Internet connection (Sync only works on Wi-Fi by default).
• 🔋 Make sure autosynchronization is enabled in the gallery settings.
• 📱 Update. MIUI: Sometimes bugs are fixed in new versions of the firmware.
• 🔄 Log out and re-enter your Xiaomi account.

3 Gallery brakes or flies off

If the application is slow:

• 🧹 Clear the cache (see above).
• 🗃️ Remove unnecessary photos – large numbers of files can slow down your work.
• 🔄 Turn off animations in the settings MIUI (Settings → Additionally. → Animations of the system).
• 📱 Reinstall the gallery (remove updates to Settings) → Annexes → gallery → ⋮ → Remove updates).

4. Facial recognition is not working

If the gallery does not group photos by face:

• 👥 Enable the function manually: Gallery settings → Smart functions → Facial recognition.
• 📸 Check geotags: Sometimes the feature only works for photos with coordinates.
• 🔄 Update. AI-Models: In the same settings, there may be an Update Data button.
• 📱 Reset the gallery settings (Settings) → Annexes → gallery → Warehouse → Drop it).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions