Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have powerful cameras that automatically store a lot of technical data about each shot. However, for many users, it is critical that the date and time are displayed directly on the image itself in the form of a visible stamp, this is especially true for photo reporting, recording workflows or simply creating an archive of memories where the shooting time is visible at first glance without having to open the file properties.
In Android, including the proprietary MIUI and HyperOS shells, the date watermark feature is often hidden in additional settings or depends on the regional version of the firmware. Users may find that the standard camera interface does not offer an obvious button to activate this option, in which case you need to understand where to look for the right switches and what alternative methods are available to solve this problem.
This guide will take a look at all the ways to install a temporary stamp on a photo. We will look at the standard system tools, features of operation in different versions of the shell, as well as proven third-party solutions that will help you automate the process of marking images.
Built-in MIUI and HyperOS camera capabilities
The solution should be started with the native Camera app, as Xiaomi developers have built watermark functionality directly into the basic software. However, the location of this setting can vary depending on the version of the operating system and the specific region for which the smartphone is released. In most current builds of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and the new HyperOS, the path to activating the stamp is standardized, but requires careful navigation through the menu.
To activate the function, you need to open the camera app and go to the additional settings menu, usually three horizontal bars in the upper right corner of the screen or the gear icon, and that's where all the quality parameters, framing grids and, most importantly for us, watermarks are concentrated. If you don't see the right item right away, it may be hidden inside the submenu of Watermarks or Watermark Settings.
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In some versions of the firmware for CIS countries, the function of the date stamp may be hidden. Try temporarily changing the region in the system settings to India or Singapore to unlock additional camera options.
It is worth noting that the standard Xiaomi stamp often includes not only the date, but also the model of the device, for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro or Xiaomi 13T. If your goal is to get only the date and time without the model name, this will not always work out with regular means, since brand policy often requires branding images.
- 📸 Open the Camera app on the home screen.
- ⚙️ Click on the three-bar menu in the top corner.
- 🔍 Find the section "Water signs" or "Settings».
- 📅 Activate the "Time Mark" switch».
Step-by-step instruction for activating the time stamp
Consider a detailed action algorithm that will work for the vast majority of Xiaomi smartphone users: It is important to follow the steps sequentially, as the interface may contain many similar options. If you have previously set up the camera, some points may have been changed, so it is better to check all the switch states again.
After you enter the camera settings menu, look at a set of settings related to the frame design. There may be a separate switch to turn on the stamp. In new versions of HyperOS, the logic may have changed, and the option moved to the Professional Effects or Filters section, although this is rare. The main location is the general shooting settings.
☑️ Activation of the date in the photo
Once you turn on the function, take a test shot. Pay attention to the lower left or right corner of the frame (location depends on the orientation of the smartphone and the version of the interface). There should be text with the current date and time. If the stamp appears, but covers an important object in the frame, unfortunately, you can not move it with standard means, it is fixed in the corner of the matrix programmatically.
⚠️ Note: In Portrait mode or when using some beauty filters, the date stamp can automatically turn off or overlay over the blur, making it unreadable. For a clear date, use Photo or Pro mode».
Setting up the date and time format
One of the common questions is whether you can change the format of the date you display. Users often want to see the time in a 24-hour format or change the order of the day, month and year. Unfortunately, the Xiaomi camera app doesn't usually have its own independent date format customizer. It's completely tied to your smartphone's system settings.
To change the type of stamp, you need to exit the camera and go to the general Android settings. Find the "Additional settings" or "Date and time" section. Here you can choose the 12- or 24-hour format, and change the order of the display of date elements. Once you make changes to the system, the camera will automatically pick up the new format on the next launch.
Why isn't the date updated?
Also worth mentioning is the stamp language. The language in which the month will be displayed (e.g., "January" or "Jan.") depends on the language of the smartphone interface. If you have Russian on the system, the date in the photo will be in Russian. Changing the system language is the only way to change the watermark language in the staff camera.
- 🌍 Go to the "Phone Settings.
- 🕒 Select "Additional settings» → «Date and time».
- 🔢 Change the format to 24-hour if necessary.
- 📸 Restart the camera to apply changes.
Use of third-party stamping applications
If you don’t like the standard Xiaomi camera functionality — for example, you don’t like the font, location or presence of the model logo — third-party apps from the Google Play Store come to the rescue. There are many specialized utilities that allow you to flexibly customize the appearance of the stamp, add geolocation, address and even weather.
One of the most popular and functional applications is the Timestamp Camera Free app, which allows you to not just set a date, but also choose from dozens of templates, change the color of the text, its size and position on the screen, and these applications are often able to add GPS coordinates, which is indispensable for couriers, builders and realtors who make photo reports.
| Annex | Flexibility of setting | Advertising | Metadata preservation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timestamp Camera Free | Tall. | There is. | Yes. |
| Photo Stamp Camera | Medium | There is. | Yes. |
| GPS Map Camera | Very high. | Is/No | Yes. |
| Open Camera | Tall. | No. | Yes. |
Another powerful tool is the Open Camera app, which is a completely free, open-source solution that doesn't contain ads, and you can find an option in its settings called "On screen GUI" or "Stamp" where you can activate the date display, and the main advantage of these apps is that they don't depend on the regional restrictions of Xiaomi's firmware.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party cameras, make sure you give the app all the necessary permissions, especially access to geolocation and storage, otherwise the stamp may not work or be empty.
Problems with EXIF metadata and their solution
It is important to distinguish between the visible stamp in the picture and the hidden metadata of EXIF. Even if you did not turn on the date display on the photo itself, information about the time and location of the shooting is always stored in the digital “passport” of the file. Problems can arise when sending photos through messengers, which often compress images and delete this data to save traffic.
If you sent a photo via WhatsApp or Telegram (without compressing as a file), the metadata may be saved, but the recipient's gallery may display the date incorrectly due to time zone differences. To check the true date of the shooting, open the photo in the gallery, click "Details" or "Properties" and it will indicate the exact moment of creation of the file.
For EXIF data recovery or editing on Android, there are special editors, such as Photo Exif Editor, which allow you to manually enter any date and time if the system clock was shot down at the time of shooting.
Frequent errors and ways to fix them
Despite the ease of setting, users often face a situation where the date in the photo does not appear or is displayed incorrectly. The most common mistake is to turn on the function in a mode that does not support watermarks. For example, in Video or Panorama mode, the stamp settings can be ignored.
The problem can also be a lack of space on the screen: If you use a smartphone with a cut-out droplet or a dynamic island, the system stamp can be overlapped by interface elements or the screen notch itself, in which case it helps to turn the smartphone into a horizontal position, where the stamp becomes more space.
- ❌ Stamp not visible: check if the Full Screen mode is turned on in the gallery.
- 📅 Wrong date: check the time synchronization in the system settings.
- 🚫 Feature is missing: Update the Camera app via GetApps or Play Market.
- 📱 Interface Failure: Clear the Camera App Cache in App Settings.
In rare cases, resetting the camera to factory settings helps, by finding the Reset settings menu (usually at the bottom of the list) to return all shooting parameters to their original state, which often resolves software glitches that interfere with the stamp.
Preservation and export of photos with date
Once you have set up your camera and taken the pictures, it is important to save and transmit them correctly. If you plan to print photos or send them to official authorities, make sure that the stamp is well readable. For documents, it is better to use contrasting templates or take photos against a uniform background so that the date does not merge with the object.
When you transfer a photo to a computer or to a cloud storage (Google Photos, Yandex.Disk), the shooting date is stored in two forms: as part of the image (stamp) and as a file attribute. Cloud services usually sort the photo by the time attribute, so even if you do not stamp, the chronological order in the gallery will not be broken.
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The stamp of the date on the photo is a visual guarantee of the authenticity of the picture, but for sorting in the gallery, the correct ones are more important. EXIF-data that is always stored.
If you have to massively date pre-made photos where they were missing, there are processing apps like Batch Add Watermark that allow you to download an album and automatically overlay the current date or date from EXIF on each image, saving you a lot of time when processing archives.