How to remove the watermark in the photo Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are famous for their advanced cameras that allow you to take studio-quality shots. However, many users are annoyed by the automatic signature added to the lower right corner of each image. This watermark contains the name of the device model and technical parameters of the shooting, which often spoils the aesthetics of the shot.

You don't have to be an expert in photography or use sophisticated graphics editors to get rid of this element. The built-in settings of MIUI and the new HyperOS shell allow you to turn this feature off in a couple of taps. We'll take a look at all the ways to remove inscriptions, including standard methods and alternative solutions for older versions of firmware.

In this article, you will find current instructions for current models such as Xiaomi 13, Redmi Note 12 and earlier.We will also look at why this feature is enabled by default and whether it should be left activated in certain situations.Read on to make your photos look professional and clean.

Why Xiaomi is adding a watermark to the photo

Automatic signature addition is a brand marketing ploy by a manufacturer, which is designed to promote a brand. Every time you share a picture on social media or send it to friends, the recipient sees a model of your smartphone, which creates additional traffic and awareness for the company.

Technically, a watermark is a layer of metadata visualized on top of an image. It can contain not only the model name, but also information about the parameters of the shooting: shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focal length. For professional photographers using a smartphone as the main tool, this information can be useful for analyzing images.

⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may call this feature "Timestamp" or "Watermark", but the principle of operation remains identical in all regions.

But for most users, having a logo on each photo is a visual noise, especially in portrait or macro photography, where any extraneous element distracts attention from the main subject, and fortunately, the developers have made it possible to completely disable this option.

Disabling the watermark in the standard Camera app

The main and easiest way to remove the label is to use the settings of the camera app itself, which works on the vast majority of devices running MIUI 12, MIUI 13, MIUI 14 and HyperOS. You don't need to install third-party software.

To start, run the Camera app on your smartphone. Make sure you're in Photo or Video mode, as the settings may vary for different shooting modes. In the camera interface, look at the top right corner of the screen where the menu button is located.

Click on the icon with three horizontal bars to reveal the additional menu. In the list that appears, select Settings (usually indicated by a gear), which is where all the basic parameters of the camera module hide.

In the settings menu, scroll down to the "Additional Settings" section or immediately look for "Watermark." The name may vary depending on the location, but the essence remains the same. Inside, you will see a switch that needs to be put into an inactive state.

Once you turn off the function, take a test shot. Check the gallery, the caption should disappear. If that doesn't happen, maybe your model has specific limitations or uses a custom shooting mode that ignores the general settings.

Managing watermark and time stamp parameters

It is important to distinguish between two types of labels that a camera can generate: the first is a branded watermark with a model phone; the second is a date and time stamp, which is often confused with the main logo, and is managed in adjacent menu sections.

If your goal is to remove the date of the shoot, you need to find the "Time Stamp" or "Date and Time" option, which is often turned on by default on some regional versions of firmware, and it is disabled in a similar way to the brand logo.

The AI Watermark feature is particularly noteworthy, and it adds a logo with the name of a scene that the AI has recognized, for example, if you're taking a meal, it might say "Food." If you're shooting at night, "Night." This option is also on the watermark menu and is often included separately from the model's main signature.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the watermark does not delete technical data (EXIF) They stay inside the photo and are visible when you look at the file's properties on the computer.

Some users prefer to leave a date stamp to systematize archives, but remove the brand logo. Flexible customization allows you to combine these settings at your discretion, creating a personalized profile of the shoot.

Specifics of settings in different versions of MIUI and HyperOS

The camera interface can vary significantly depending on the version of the operating system. Owners of devices based on MIUI 10 or MIUI 11 may encounter a slightly different arrangement of controls.

In older versions of the shell, the signature control was often directly in the top menu of the camera, represented by an icon with the letter "W" or model name, and you just clicked on it to activate or deactivate the mode. In newer versions, this function was hidden deeper into the settings to clean the interface.

With the release of HyperOS, Xiaomi began to unify the interface. The menu logic has become more consistent, but in beta versions there may be bugs when settings are reset after rebooting, in which case it is recommended to check for updates for the Camera application in the application system store.

If you have a device that is exclusively for the Chinese market but with global firmware, the menu structure may be hybrid, and in such cases, finding the right switch may take longer, as the terminology can be partially translated.

Alternative methods: third-party applications and editors

If you can't get the word out of the box, or you want more control over the way you sign, you can use third-party software. There are many Google Play apps that allow you to not only remove, but also customize watermarks.

One popular solution is to use open source cameras like Open Camera.This app is completely free, contains no ads and allows you to customize all image output options in detail, including the complete absence of any logos.

• Open Camera is a powerful tool for enthusiasts, allowing you to manage bitrate, save format and disable all system inscriptions.
• Camera MX is an application with its own processing engine that ignores the system settings of Xiaomi watermarks.
• Google Camera (GCam) – Google’s stock camera ports often don’t have Xiaomi branding, but require the configuration file to be configured correctly.

There are also specialized applications to remove watermarks from pre-made photos if you forgot to turn off the feature before taking a picture, and they use pixel cloning algorithms to smear the logotip.

However, using third-party cameras can lead to the loss of some of Xiaomi’s branded features, such as improved HDR or specific nighttime modes optimized for a specific sensor.

Removing signatures from already taken photos

When you have a watermark in the photo, it's harder to solve than a preventive shutdown, and you can't just take a layer out of a standard gallery, because if you keep JPG, you have all the layers of merge. But there are effective retouching methods.

The built-in editor in the Xiaomi gallery has a "Lastik" or "Rettush" function. You can gently paint over the area with the text, and the algorithm will try to restore the background. This method works well on homogeneous surfaces, but can yield artifacts on complex textures.

For better removal, it is better to use specialized services or applications, such as Snapseed (tool "Dot") or Photoshop Express, which allow you to select the signature area and automatically fill it with surrounding pixels.

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Use the "Pinpoint" tool in the Snapseed app to quickly remove watermarks. Just tap the logo with your finger and the app will automatically replace it with the texture of the background.

There are also online services that use neural networks to upload photos to a server, analyze image structure, and remove objects that are not available, which is convenient if you don't have a powerful editor at hand, but you need the Internet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Turning off the watermark is a matter of personal preference. It's better to remove it for a clean shot, but it can be useful to demonstrate the camera's capabilities when publishing reviews.