How to take a screenshot on Xiaomi Mi A2: all working ways

Xiaomi Mi A2 — One of the few smartphones of the brand, running on pure Android One instead of the brand shell MIUI. This means that the standard screenshot methods here may be different from those used by owners of other Xiaomi devices. POCO on Mi A2 You can’t find familiar features – this is the guide for you.

In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to take a screenshot on Xiaomi Mi A2, from the classic button combination to hidden Android 8/9 Oreo/Pie chips. We will pay special attention to the nuances associated with the lack of MIUI - for example, where to look for screenshots taken and how to edit them quickly.

Whether you want to save your messaging, capture an error in your app, or take a mapshot on your navigator, here's the best method. At the end of this article, we'll answer some of the common questions: can you take screenshots in games, how to change the format of the save (PNG/JPEG), and why sometimes the pictures are black.

1. Classic method: power and volume buttons

The most versatile method that works on any Android smartphone, including the Xiaomi Mi A2. You do not need to activate additional settings or install applications – just remember the combination:

⚠️ Attention: On Mi A2 (unlike the devices with MIUI) There's no three-finger swipe screenshot, and if you're used to this gesture on other Xiaomi smartphones, you'll have to relearn.

How to take a screenshot:

1. Open the screen you want to capture (such as a page in your browser or a WhatsApp chat).
2. At the same time, press the Power button (right) and the Volume Down button (left).
3. Hold them for 1-2 seconds until you hear the camera shutter sound and see the save animation.

Where to look for a screenshot? By default, the pictures are saved to the Pictures → Screenshots folder (or DCIM → Screenshots in some versions of Android). To quickly open the last screenshot, pull down the notification bar and click on the preview of the shot.

Heard the shutter sound.|There's a conservation animation.|There's a preview in the notification panel.|The file appeared in the Screenshots folder-->

2. Screenshot via Quick Settings Panel (Android 9 Pie)

If your Xiaomi Mi A2 has upgraded to Android 9 Pie, a handy screenshot button has appeared in the notification curtain, which is useful when the physical buttons of the smartphone are damaged or you prefer to control everything with one hand.

Instructions:

1. Open the notification panel by swiping your finger twice from top to bottom.
2. Find the Screenshot icon (usually hidden under the Edit button – click on the pencil to add it to the visible area).
3. Slip the icon - the screenshot will be taken instantly.

If the screenshot button is not in the curtain:

• 🔧 Click on the Edit icon (pencil) in the upper right corner of the panel.
• 📱 Scroll down the list of available tiles and find a screenshot.
• 🖱️ Drag it to the top (active tiles).

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If the Quick Settings panel doesn’t unfold completely, try swiping your finger from the top right corner of the screen – so the curtain will open completely the first time.

3. Screenshot with Google Assistant (voice or text)

The Mi A2 with Android One comes pre-installed with Google Assistant, which can take voice-command screenshots, a method that comes in handy if your hands are busy or your physical buttons are not working.

How to activate:

1. Say OK, Google or hold the Home button (if you have one on your firmware).
2. Say the command: Take a screenshot or take a picture of the screen.
3. Wait for confirmation - the assistant will inform you that the picture is saved.

Alternative method (if voice input does not work):

• 📝 Open Google Assistant and enter a text query: take a screenshot.
• 🤖 Click on the proposed action option.

⚠️ Note: Some versions of Android One in Google Assistant have the default screenshots disabled. If the command doesn't work, check the assistant settings in the Settings section. → The device → Special facilities.

4. Script with scrolling (long pages)

Standard methods only capture the visible part of the screen, but what if you want to save an entire web page, instant messenger correspondence or contact list? On the Xiaomi Mi A2 without MIUI, there is no built-in “scrollable screenshot” feature, but there are workarounds.

Method 1: LongShot Application (or analogues):

• 📱 Install LongShot from Google Play.
• 📲 Open the screen you want to capture and launch the application.
• 🖼️ Click Start Capture and scroll manually to the end.
• ✂️ Save the final image in format PNG or PDF.

Method 2: Built-in browser tools (for web pages):

• 🌐 In Google Chrome, open the right page.
• 🔧 Click on three dots in the upper right corner → Share. → Seal.
• 🖨️ In the print menu, select Save How PDF — You will get a document with the entire page.

Once a day.|Several times a week|Only if necessary.|Never.-->

5 Screenshot in games and secure applications

Many games (such as PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact) and banking apps (SberBank Online, Tinkoff) block the ability to take a screenshot. On the Xiaomi Mi A2, this manifests as:

• 🚫 Black screen instead of a picture.
• 📵 Message “You can’t take screenshots in this app».
• 🔒 Automatic blurring of confidential data.

How to get around the restrictions:

For games:

• 🎮 Use the built-in screen recording feature (if any), and then extract the footage from the video.
• 📹 Connect your smartphone to your PC and take a screenshot through ADB (technical skills required).

For banking applications:

• 🏦 Take a picture of the screen with another phone (not safe!).
• 📄 Save data to a text file via the Export function (if any).

⚠️ Warning: Attempts to circumvent screenshot protection in banking applications can result in account locking on suspicion of fraud.Always use official ways to export data.

6.Editing and managing screenshots

Once a screenshot is created, it often needs to be cropped, added text or shared. On the Xiaomi Mi A2 (without MIUI), there is no built-in editor like on Xiaomi shell devices, but there are alternatives:

Quick editing:

• 🖼️ Immediately after creating a screenshot, tap on the preview in the notification panel - the Share / Delete / Edit menu will open.
• ✂️ Choose Edit – the standard Android tool will open with cropping, drawing and text addition features.

Package processing:

• 📁 Use Google Photos to automatically create collages from multiple screenshots.
• 🎨 Install Adobe Photoshop Express for advanced editing (background removal, color correction).

Redesign of conservation:

By default, screenshots are saved to PNG (no loss of quality, but a large file size) to change format to JPEG:

1. Install the Screenshot Easy app.
2. In the settings, select the Format → JPEG Quality (recommended by 90-100%).

💡

The Xiaomi Mi A2 doesn’t have a built-in screenshot format change feature – it always requires third-party apps.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even on a reliable device like the Xiaomi Mi A2, there can be errors in screenshots.

Problem 1: Screenshots are not saved

• 🔍 Check the available space on the device (needs a minimum of 100 MB).
• 📁 Make sure the folder is Pictures/Screenshots not deleted or renamed.
• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone – sometimes resetting temporary files helps.

Problem 2: The pictures are black.

• 🎮 This is normal for games and secure applications (see Section 5).
• 🔋 Check if the power saving mode is on – it can block screenshots.

Problem 3: No shutter sound

• 🔈 Make sure the media sound is not turned off (check the volume slider).
• 📵 In some regions, the screenshot sound is turned off by default (for example, in Japan).

Problem 4: The button combination is not working

• 🛠️ Check the physical condition of the buttons – they may be contaminated or damaged.
• 🔧 Update the firmware: in older versions of Android on Mi A2 There were bugs with simultaneous pressing.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions