How to turn off date on photo in Xiaomi: the full guide

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones feature powerful cameras capable of capturing professional shots, but standard settings often include automatically adding a stamp with the current date and time directly to the image.This feature, useful for documenting or recording events, often annoys users who prefer a clean frame without unnecessary captions spoiling the composition. Fortunately, in the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS, this option is easily controlled, but its location can vary depending on the version of the software.

In this detailed guide, we’ll take a look at all the nuances of watermark settings, including hidden menus and specific shooting modes where the logic of the stamps may differ, and learn not just to erase the date, but also to manage other kinds of tags, such as device model or geolocation, giving you full control over the visual design of your photos. Let’s start with the basic settings that are available to every user immediately after you turn on your smartphone.

Basic setting of the time stamp in the Camera application

To turn off the date in the images, the first thing you need to do is to run the standard Camera app, which is pre-installed on all the devices of the brand. After opening the shoot interface, look at the top of the screen, where the three horizontal bars are located, which is the menu of additional settings that hides most important parameters. By clicking on this icon, you will be taken to the section where you can manage the quality of the photo, the framing grid and, of course, watermarks.

In the menu that opens, find a item that may be called “Watermarks”, “Presses” or “Time settings”, depending on the translation of your version of MIUI. This is where the switch is responsible for displaying the current date and time on each frame taken. It is important to note that in some regions of the firmware this item can be combined with the settings of the phone model, so carefully study all available options in this subsection.

If you're using a relatively new version of the shell, the process may look a little different: sometimes you need to go to Pro or Video mode to see the full list of available tags. In classic Photo mode, the date switch is often located at the bottom of the settings list, next to the geodata saving options. Once you turn off the slider, the changes take effect instantly, and the next pictures will be saved without any extra text.

⚠️ Note: After the system update, the camera settings may reset to factory values, so if the date appears again, check this item in the menu again.

Differences in MIUI and HyperOS Interface

Xiaomi smartphone users are well aware that the company regularly updates software, moving from MIUI to the new HyperOS ecosystem, which makes adjustments to the layout of controls. In older versions of MIUI, for example, in the range of versions 11 or 12, the time stamp setting was often directly in the main menu of camera settings, indicated by the icon of the clock or calendar. In more modern interfaces, such as MIUI 14 and HyperOS, developers tend to minimize the functions of the deeper submenus or combining them with other parameters.

On HyperOS devices, the logic of the work has become more intelligent: the system can automatically suggest turning on a date when shooting documents or turning it off in portrait mode. AI algorithms analyze a scene, and if you shoot a text or a receipt, a time stamp can be added automatically for ease of archiving. However, the user always takes priority over automation, and manually disabling this feature in the settings will forcibly prohibit the system from adding tags in any mode.

You also need to consider the difference between global firmware and Chinese builds. In Chinese versions of MIUI, the menu can be entirely in Chinese, and you'll have to search for the right switch by trial and error or by using an image translator. Usually, the setting icon looks like a gear or three dots, and the date switch itself is often accompanied by a calendar symbol, which helps you navigate even without knowing the language.

Managing watermarks of the device model

In addition to the date and time, many users are faced with the desire to remove or, conversely, add a stamp with the model of the device, for example, “Shot on Xiaomi 13 Ultra”. This feature is in the same settings menu as the date, but often highlighted in a separate block “Device watermarks”.

For creative people who edit photos in post-processing, having a watermark model can be useful for the portfolio, but in everyday life it is often an extra element. The flexibility of settings allows you to include this stamp only for certain modes of shooting, for example, leaving it for night mode or zoom, but disabling for macro and portraits. This detail is available in the advanced camera settings, which can be accessed through the “Advanced” menu.

If you want to completely clear the frame of any brand ads and time stamps, make sure you turn off all items in the watermark section. Sometimes the system remembers settings for different lenses separately, so check the switches for the wide-angle camera and telephoto lens, if available in your interface. This ensures that which lens you use, the photos will remain clean.

• 📸 Open the camera settings menu through three stripes in the corner.
• ⚙️ Find the section "Watermarks" or "Stamps».
• 🚫 Turn off the "Device Model" and "Date and Time" switches».
• ✅ Take a test shot to check the result.

Specificity of modes: Portrait, Night and Video

Special shooting modes that can have their own independent tag settings deserve special attention. For example, in Portrait mode, the date stamp is often turned off by default, since it can overlap the face or blur the background, but in Night or Pro mode, the system can consider the shooting time to be critical information and turn it on automatically. Understanding this logic will help avoid confusion when one mode has a date and another does not.

When shooting video, the situation is different: most Xiaomi smartphones do not allow you to put a date and time stamp directly on the live video stream through a standard application, this feature is more common in specialized surveillance cameras or in the “Hidden Camera” mode, designed to capture evidence. If you need time on video, you may have to use third-party applications or hidden modes, where this option is forcibly active.

In Manual mode, the user gets full control of the exposure settings, but the settings for displaying information on the screen and on the final file can differ. Here it is important not to confuse the display of parameters on the viewfinder screen (ISO, shutter speed, white balance) and the final stamp on the saved file. The parameters on the screen disappear after shooting, but the watermark remains in the photo forever if it was not disabled in advance.

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Use the Pro mode to shoot in difficult conditions, but remember to check the settings of watermarks before a series of important shots, so as not to spoil the composition.

Comparison of settings in different versions of firmware

The variety of software models and versions means that the path to the same setup can be significantly different, and the following table will help you navigate the approximate layout of functions depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS installed on your device.

As you can see from the table, with the release of new versions of the shells, Xiaomi seeks to group related functions so as not to clutter the main interface. If you can not find the right item, try searching inside the settings of the smartphone itself by typing a “stamp” or “date” request, although this does not work in all versions of the firmware. In some cases, cleaning the cache of the camera application if the settings are no longer saved correctly.

⚠️ Note: It is not recommended to install third-party modified versions of the camera (GCam) just to disable the date, as this can lead to unstable operation of the main shooting module.

Checklist for checking settings

To be absolutely sure that the date will no longer appear in your photos, follow the following checklist: These simple steps will take less than a minute, but ensure that all possible sources of tagging are neutralized.

After these steps, take some test shots in different lights, and if there are no inscriptions in the photos, then the task is completed successfully, and then, even when you switch shooting modes, the system should remember your choice and not add extra elements.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The main conclusion: Disabling the date stamp is a one-time setting in the camera menu that frees your photos from unnecessary visual noise and gives freedom for creative framing.