How to Turn Off the Phone Name in Xiaomi Photos: The Complete Guide

You took a great shot on your Xiaomi, but it has the model name on it — Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO X5 or Mi 11 Ultra? — This watermark feature is enabled by default in MIUI firmware on many of the brand’s devices. Although the manufacturer positions it as a way to “protect copyrights,” most users consider such labels unnecessary.

In this article, you will find 5 proven ways to remove the name of the phone from the photo – from the standard camera settings to editing. EXIF-We tested all the methods on the current versions. MIUI 12.5–14 (including global and Chinese builds) and have compiled step-by-step instructions with the nuances of different models, and you will learn why the watermark can automatically return after a firmware update and how to avoid this.

Why does Xiaomi add the name of the model to the photo?

The watermark function appeared in MIUI back in 2018 and was originally positioned as:

• 🔹 Protection of authorship – according to Xiaomi, the inscription should prevent theft of photos in social networks.
• 🔹 Advertising move – the brand thus “promots” its devices (especially relevant for flagship models).
• 🔹 Authentication – In the Chinese market, watermarks help distinguish original from fake images (e.g. for service centers).

However, in practice, most users face problems:

• 📛 The inscription spoils the composition of the frame, especially in landscape or macro-photos.
• 🔄 Watermark can be activated on its own after updating MIUI or reset.
• 📱 On some models (for example, Redmi Note 10 Series) the option is hidden in the depth of the menu.

Fun fact: on European (EEA) devices, the watermark is often disabled by default, while on Chinese and global versions it is activated, due to differences in the privacy policies of the regions.

Method 1: Disabling the watermark in the camera settings

The easiest method is to deactivate the feature directly in the Camera app, which works on most devices with MIUI 12-14, but the path to setup may vary depending on the model.

Instructions for most Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO smartphones:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Touch the badge. ⚙️ Settings (usually in the upper right corner).
3. Go to the Watermark section (or Watermark in English firmware).
4. Move the slider to the off position (or uncheck the tick).
5. Confirm the changes by pressing OK.

Take a test shot.|Open the photo in the gallery|Enlarge the image in the place where the inscription was|Check it out. EXIF-data (if necessary)-->

On some models (e.g. Mi 11 Lite or POCO F3), the path may look different:

Camera settings → Additional → Watermark of the camera

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for Russia (e.g. Redmi) 10C) The option is sometimes called "Device Label." If you don't find an item on the menu, try updating the Camera app through Google Play.

Method 2: Editing EXIF-Data (for already taken photos)

If a watermark is already added to existing images, it can be removed by editing. EXIF-Labels are service information that is stored in an image file.

The best tools for Android:

Step-by-step instructions for EXIF Eraser:

1. Install the application and open it.
2. Select photos from which you need to remove the watermark (multi-selection is supported).
3. Press Erase EXIF (Erase EXIF).
4. Wait for processing and save the files to a new folder (the originals will remain intact).

💡

Before mass deleting EXIF, back up your photo – some tags (such as the date of the shoot) can be useful for sorting.

Alternative way for PC:

• 🖥️ Use ExifTool (free, cross-platform).
• 📌 Team to remove all EXIF-tagged: exiftool -all= input.jpg

Method 3: Using Pro mode in the camera

On some Xiaomi devices (such as the Mi 10T Pro or Redmi K40), no watermark is added if the photo is taken in Pro Mode, because the camera saves files with minimal processing in this mode.

How to take a photo without a watermark:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Swipe your finger on the screen to the left or press More → Pro.
3. Set up your shooting options (if necessary) and take a picture.
4. Check the result – there should be no label with the model name.

⚠️ Note: In Pro mode, photos are saved in format DNG (RAW), which takes up much more space (20-50 MB vs. 3-8 MB in JPEG). If you care about the size of the file, after shooting, convert the pictures to JPEG Using Google Photos or Lightroom.

Advantages of this method:

• 🔘 Does not require disabling functions in settings.
• 🔘 It works even if the watermark is turned on at the firmware level.
• 🔘 Maintains maximum image quality.

💡

Pro mode bypasses standard image processing in MIUI, so no watermark is added, but this method is only suitable for new photos, not for editing old ones.

Method 4: Update or roll back firmware

If the watermark appears on its own after the MIUI update, the problem may lie in the policies of a particular firmware version. For example, MIUI 13.0.4 for the Redmi Note 11 was an error that caused the camera settings to be reset to factory.

Options for a solution:

• 📲 Update your firmware to the latest stable version via Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔙 Reverse to the previous version if the problem occurred after the update:

1. Download the desired version of MIUI from the official website (for example, https://new.c.mi.com/global/miuidownload/index).


2. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap 10 times on the logo to unlock Additional Settings.




3. Select the Update through the file and specify the downloaded package.

List of versions of MIUI that often have watermark issues:

Method 5: Manual photo editing

If previous methods have failed or you want to remove the watermark from the already finished images, you can resort to manual editing, which is suitable for single photos where it is important to maintain quality.

Best tools:

• 📱 For mobile devices: 🎨 Snapseed (tool "Corretion") 🖌️ Adobe Lightroom (brush or spot detector) 🧽 TouchRetouch (specialized object removal)
• 💻 For PCs: 🖼️ Photoshop (tool "patch" or "restoring brush") 🆓 GIMP (free-to-play Photoshop)

Step-by-step instructions for Snapseed:

1. Open the photo in the application and select the correction tool.
2. Enlarge the area with a watermark (two fingers).
3. Snapse your finger over the inscription – Snapseed will automatically select the texture to replace.
4. Adjust the brush size parameter for precise processing.
5. Save the result to a new copy (Export → Save a copy).

For difficult cases (for example, if the label is on a contrasting background), use Adobe Lightroom:

1. Open the photo and go to editing mode.


2. Select the "Spot-Out" tool (Apatch icon).




3. Set the size of the brush slightly larger than the inscription.




4. Click on the watermark - Lightroom will pick up a replacement from the neighboring pixels.




5. Adjust the parameters "Opacity" and "Size" if necessary.

⚠️ Note: When editing manually, avoid magnifying heavily JPEG-If quality is critical, convert the photo to PNG (For example, through XnConvert).

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to remove a watermark, users often face typical problems, and we've collected the most common ones and the ways to solve them.

Problem 1: The watermark returns after the phone is rebooted.

• 🔧 Solution: This is due to an error in MIUI. Try: Turn off the watermark in safe mode (press the power button) → "Safe Mode. Install a third-party camera (e.g. Google Camera or Open Camera).

Problem 2: The camera settings are not saved.

• 🔧 Solution: Clear the Camera app cache: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Camera. → Warehouse → Clear the cache

Problem 3: Watermark is there, but it is not visible in the gallery.

• 🔧 Solution: Some versions MIUI They add a translucent label that's only visible when you zoom in. EXIF-data-driven EXIF Viewer or edit your photo in Lightroom with a 200-300 magnification%.

Problem 4: The new photos have the watermark gone, but the old ones have remained.

• 🔧 Solution: For old photos, use Method 2 (editing) EXIF) Or Method 5 (manual editing) Disabling camera settings only works on new photos.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions