How to Enable Date and Time on Photos on Android Xiaomi: Full Instruction

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones are equipped with powerful cameras that can take professional-grade pictures, but for many users it is critical to be able to automatically put time stamps directly on the image. This is especially true for those who conduct photo reporting at a construction site, record the progress of repairs, document workflows or simply like the retro stylistics of film cameras with a visible date. In the standard camera application, the situation with this feature is ambiguous: in some versions of the MIUI or HyperOS shell it is hidden in the depth of the menu, in others it is completely absent, requiring the installation of additional software.

In this article, we will explore in detail all the possible ways to activate time and date display in photos, from built-in system tools to install specialized utilities. You will learn why the desired option was lost in the new interface and how to return it without obtaining superuser rights. Automatic time printing is not just decoration, but an important tool for organizing the archive, allowing you to instantly navigate thousands of images without having to open the properties of each file.

It's worth noting that the camera's algorithms can vary from one model to the next. If you have a budget Redmi or a flagship Mi, the paths to settings can vary. We'll look at universal methods that cover 95 percent of the Chinese brand's devices. The key is the version of the camera module installed, because that's what the standard stamp switch depends on. Let's start setting up your device.

Search for stamp settings in the standard Camera app

The first thing you need to do is check for the built-in feature in your smartphone's underlying software. Manufacturers often hide it in non-obvious menu locations to keep the interface cluttered for regular users. Open the Camera app and go to photo mode. In the upper right corner of the screen, you'll see an icon with three horizontal bars or a gear, which is the input to the settings menu.

After you go to the menu, scroll down the list of options. You're interested in a section that might be called Settings, Additional, or have a three-point icon. Look for an item called Date and Time, Time Mark, or Date Print. If there's a switch, just activate it by moving the slider to On. Now all the new pictures in the bottom corner will show the current date.

⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may call the feature "Watermark" but only include the phone model logo. Make sure the watermark settings tick exactly opposite the date, not just the device name.

In the newer versions of the HyperOS shell, the interface logic has been reworked, and now the stamp management is put into a separate subsection. Click on the filter or sticker icon in the top panel, then find the Settings button inside this menu, and you can flexibly adjust the display format here: only date, date and time, or add geolocation.

Use Camera 2.0 for advanced features

If the stock camera doesn’t have the right option, the most effective solution is to install the official Camera 2.0 plugin (also known as MIUI Camera), a system application that is often pre-installed on Chinese versions of smartphones but not on global ones, and provides flagship features on budget devices, including professional mode and advanced die settings.

For installation you will need to download APK-The file is from a verified source, because Google Play doesn't have this app. After you install it, run Camera 2.0. The interface is more informative. Go to the settings (three bars in the corner), select Settings (cogs) and find the "Time Mark" section. Here is available not only the date, but also the ability to add signatures, geotags and even the frame counter.

• 📸 Option to choose the date format: GG/MM/DD or DD.MM.GYYY.
• 🌍 Adding the coordinates of the survey with time.
• 🎨 Set up transparency and font size stamp.
• 📹 Possibility to include a tag when recording video.

Using Camera 2.0 offers another important advantage: the lack of software interpolation on some models, which improves the detail of images. However, it is worth remembering that this application can work unstable on very old devices with less than 3 GB of RAM.

Alternative applications for printing date and time

When regular tools and system plugins don't work, Google Play apps come to the rescue, designed specifically for those who need auto-stamping, and often offer more flexible design settings to change color, font, and position of text on the screen.

One of the popular solutions is the Timestamp Camera app, which works as a standalone camera, replacing the standard one. Once you start, you immediately see the date and time on the screen, you can choose the format of 12 or 24 hours, you can add a stopwatch or even the exact GPS coordinates with the address, and it's an indispensable tool for couriers, realtors and journalists.

Another option is to use batch-processing applications like Photo Exif Editor or specialized tools like Add Date on Photo. They don't take photos, but they let you quickly set a date on the already-made images from the gallery. This is convenient if you forgot to turn on the stamp while you were shooting, but remembered it later. The process takes a few seconds: select a photo, customize a template, and save a copy.

Setting up watermarks and logos in MIUI

Special attention should be paid to the function of watermarks, which is often confused by users with the date. In Xiaomi smartphones there is a separate switch “Watermark”, which adds a model of the phone at the bottom of the picture (for example, “Shot on Xiaomi 13”). In some regions and software versions, the same unit settings allows you to turn on and display the date next to the model of the device.

To check this option, open the camera, click the settings menu and find the option "Watermark". If after it is turned on, only the model name appears in the photo and there is no date, then your firmware version does not support a combined stamp through this option. In this case, modification of system files without root rights is impossible, and you will have to resort to the methods described above.

⚠️ Warning: Including a watermark with a phone model may look unaesthetic on photos intended for print or portfolio publication. Use this feature only for work documentation.

Interestingly, some devices with Chinese firmware MIUI CN have a hidden menu called through engineering code, where you can customize a string of watermarks by typing in random text, including a date in the desired format, but on global versions this entry is often blocked by developers for security reasons.

Solving problems with incorrect time in photos

A common problem is when the stamp is on, but the date or time is not displayed correctly. This is not because of a camera failure, but because of the wrong settings of the Android system time. The camera just reads data from the system, so if the phone is in the wrong time zone or time is knocked down, this is exactly the error in the photo.

To fix, go to Settings → Additional → Date and time. Make sure the Use Network Time switch is activated. If it's already on, try turning it off, setting the correct values manually, and then turning on sync again, which will cause the system to re-query the current data from the carrier.

• 🕒 Check the correctness of the selected time zone.
• 📡 Make sure you have a stable network signal for synchronization.
• 🔄 Restart the device after changing the time settings.

It is also worth considering that when traveling to other countries, automatic time zone change can be delayed. In such cases, the stamp on the photo will show the time of your home region, not the local one.

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Save originals: When using third-party applications to overlay the date, always save the source without a label. In the future, this will allow you to use the photo for other purposes where the stamp will be unnecessary.

Comparison of methods: what to choose the user

If you just need to take some snapshots with a date, a third-party app from the Play Market will do just fine. If you take thousands of photos every day for work, you’d better spend time installing Camera 2.0 or finding hidden settings in your version of MIUI. The processing quality in third-party apps can be inferior to the stock camera, especially in complex lighting conditions.

It is important to understand the difference between EXIF metadata and visible stamp. EXIF always has a date (unless disabled in the save settings) and can be seen in the file properties. The visible stamp on a photo is editing the pixels of an image. The legal significance of a photo often requires a visible stamp that cannot be changed without leaving traces of editing.

The table below shows the main pros and cons of the methods reviewed, which will help you make a final decision.

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The best solution for permanent use is to install the Camera 2.0 plugin, which combines the quality of the drain and the functionality of professional date printing.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)