How to return and save slow-motion video on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T after a firmware update

After updating the firmware on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T, many users face a nasty problem: slow-motion shooting either disappears from the camera menu or saved files are played with errors. The reason lies in changes in the video encoding algorithms in new versions of MIUI, as well as in the optimization of the Snapdragon 665 processor, which is responsible for processing high-speed frames. In this article, we will discuss all the working ways to return functionality, save footage and avoid loss of quality during export.

It’s important to understand that the problem isn’t always hardware-related. Software conflicts are more often to blame — for example, resetting the camera settings after an update or disabling 720p@960fps support in new MIUI builds. We’ve tested the solutions on firmware versions from MIUI 12.5 to MIUI 14 (including HyperOS), so the instructions are relevant for most users. If you’ve already tried standard methods and they didn’t work, there are alternatives in the article using third-party apps and manual settings.

Why is slow-motion video missing after update?

The main reason is the change in Xiaomi’s policy to support high-speed shooting on budget devices.Beginning with MIUI 13, the company began to gradually abandon the 960 FPS mode on smartphones with mid-level processors (including the Snapdragon 665 in the Redmi Note 8T).

• 🔋 Power consumption: Shooting at 960 FPS puts a lot of stress on the battery and processor, which reduces battery life.
• 📱 Software Optimization: Newer versions of MIUI focus on stability, not the "chips" that less than 10% of users use.
• 📁 Data storage: Slow-motion videos take up 3-5 times more space than normal video, which puts a strain on the device’s memory.
• 🔄 Camera Updates: In some builds MIUI, the Camera app gets "cut-off" settings by default.

Also, after the update, video codecs can be knocked down — instead of H.264 or H.265, the system tries to use MPEG-4, which does not support high frame rates. This leads to the video either not being saved or played with artifacts. The problem is compounded if you use third-party launchers or modified firmware — they can conflict with the camera's native app.

Checking the current camera settings

Before you start taking drastic measures, make sure that the problem is not in the wrong parameters.

1. Open the Video mode (swipe left/right or tap on the icon at the bottom of the screen).
2. Touch the badge. ⚙️ Settings in the upper right corner.
3. Check for Slow Motion or Slow Motion, and if you don't have one, go to the next section.
4. If you have a point, but in gray, try changing the video resolution to 720p (high resolutions often block slow-motion).

If you don't have time-lapse in your settings, it's turned off at the firmware level, which will either help you roll back to the older version of MIUI or use alternative methods (about them below), and check if you have updates for the Camera app via Google Play, which sometimes conflict with system settings.

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If the camera settings don't have Slow Video, try resetting the app settings: Settings → Apps → Camera → Storage → Clear the data. This will return factory settings, but it won't delete the captured files.

Recover slow-motion video through developer settings

In some cases, slow-motion can be returned by activating hidden settings through the developer menu, which works on MIUI 12.5-14, but requires caution – incorrect settings can lead to camera crashes.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version and tap it 7 times.
2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional → for developers.
3. Find the Debugging by USB and turn it on.
4. Scroll down to the Hardware Acceleration Visualization block and turn on Disable Hardware Overlays.
5. Restart your phone and check for Slow Motion in the camera.

If this method didn’t work, try another option in the developer menu:

• Find the Background Process Limitation and set the value without limitations.
• Enable GPU- acceleration (if there is such a point).
• Disable MIUI Optimization (could be called Performance Improvement).

These manipulations cause the system to allocate more resources to the camera, which sometimes returns support for high-speed photography, but keep in mind that the constant use of these settings can increase battery consumption and cause the device to overheat.

Using third-party applications to capture slow-motion

If the system methods don't work, third-party programs will come to the rescue. MIUI And they often offer more customization than the native camera. 8T:

The best results show Slow Motion Camera – it is specially optimized for devices with Snapdragon 665 and supports 960 FPS at 720p. However, note that when shooting in maximum mode, the video will take up to 500 MB in 10 seconds, so free up space on the device in advance.

How to shoot in third-party applications:

1. Install the selected application from Google Play.
2. Open it and provide all the requested permissions (camera, microphone, storage).
3. Select Slow Motion or High FPS.
4. Set up your resolution and frame rate (recommended 720p@240fps for a balance of file quality and size).
5. Record the test video and check its playback.

Note that third-party applications may not use hardware acceleration of the Snapdragon 665 processor, so video will last longer and the battery will drain faster. Also, some programs (for example, Camera FV-5) require manual focusing in high-FPS mode, otherwise the video will be blurred.

Manually Save Slow-Slow-Speed Videos via ADB

For advanced users, there is a way to return slow-motion via the ADB- command (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to manually enable support for high frame rates even if they are disabled in the firmware. Importantly, improper use of the ADB can lead to a system failure.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB and Fastboot Tools on your computer.
2. Enable USB debugging on your phone (see the developer settings section).
3. Connect the Redmi Note 8T to your PC and confirm your trust in your computer.
4. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the adb folder.
5. Enter the command to check the connection: adb devices Wait for the serial number of the device to appear.
6. Execute the command to enable slow-motion: adb shell settings put global camera_hal3_enabled 1
7. Reboot the phone.

If the slow-motion mode does not appear after the reboot, try an alternative command:

adb shell setprop persist.camera.hal3.enable 1

These commands force the system to use HAL3 (Hardware Abstraction Layer 3), which supports high-speed shooting, but on some versions of MIUI this method may not work due to locking at the kernel level, in which case you either roll back to the old firmware or use third-party applications.

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ADB- commands temporarily unlock the slow-motion function, but after the next update MIUI settings may reset.

Export and Convert Save Slow Videos

Even if you managed to shoot a video in slow-motion mode, it can play with errors due to codec incompatibility. To fix this, use specialized conversion programs.

• 🎬 Adobe Premiere Rush – allows you to slow down video manually and export to any format.
• 📱 CapCut is a free high-end FPS editor (available on Android).
• 💻 HandBrake – Converts video without loss of quality (for PCs).
• 🌐 Online-Convert is a web service for fast conversion (suitable for small files).

Instructions for converting to CapCut:

1. Import the video to the app.
2. Select the clip on the timeline and tap the speed.
3. Select Normal (if the video is already slowed down) or set the odds manually (e.g. 0.25x for 4x slowdown).
4. Export the project in MP4 (H.264) format with a resolution of 720p or 1080p.

If the video is played in jerky fashion, try changing the bitrate when exporting.Optimum values for the Redmi Note 8T:

• 720p@240fps: 20-30 Mbps
• 1080p@120fps: 40–50 Mbps

Removing firmware as a last resort

If none of the methods worked, the only thing left to do is to return the old version of MIUI, which had a stable slow-motion function, which is only suitable for power users, as it requires unlocking the bootloader and can lead to data loss.

Step-by-step:

1. Download the archive with the desired version of MIUI for Redmi Note 8T (for example, MIUI 12.0.3) from the official Xiaomi website.
2. Unlock the bootloader via Mi Unlock Tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7 days).
3. Install TWRP Recovery for your model (instructions are available on XDA Developers).
4. Go to Fastboot mode (clip Power + Volume down when turned on).
5. Fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot reboot recovery (in TWRP select "Install" and specify the path to the ZIP- firmware file)

After rollback, check the camera. If slow-motion is working, turn off automatic updates in settings to avoid re-losing the feature. note that unlocking the bootloader resets all data on the device, so back up beforehand via Mi Cloud or Google Drive.

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If your phone is warranty-free, contact the service center first - they may return the feature officially.

Frequent mistakes and their solutions

When working with slow-motion video on the Redmi Note 8T, users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:

If, after the MIUI update, not only slow-motion videos but other camera features (e.g. Night Mode or Portrait) are lost, the problem may be the lost configuration files, in which case resetting the camera settings to factory settings will help:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Camera → Storage.
2. Click Clear Data and Clear Cache.
3. Reboot the phone.

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If the slow-motion feature doesn’t return after the camera is reset, check to see if you have modified MIUI themes installed. Some themes overwrite system icons, including the shooting mode icons.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions