AOD Xiaomi: What it is, how it works and how to set up

If you own a Xiaomi smartphone, you’ve probably noticed that even when the screen is off, it can show time, notifications, or animations (AOD) — «It has become the standard for flagship and many mid-budget models of the brand, but not all users understand its purpose and capabilities.

In this article, we will explain in detail what is AOD Xiaomi, how it works at the hardware and software level, and why it is often confused with similar features like Ambient Display or Lock Screen. AOD, What settings are available in MIUI, And we can also help you minimize battery consumption without losing functionality. AOD screen-and-battery.

What is it? AOD And why do you need it?

Always-On Display (AOD) — It's a technology where part of the screen stays active even when the smartphone is locked, as opposed to fully turning on the display, AOD Uses minimal backlight and shows only basic information: time, date, charge level, notifications or custom widgets.

Main purpose of the function:

• 🕒 Quick access to time – no need to press buttons or pick up the phone to see the clock.
• 📱 Saving energy compared to fully turning on the screen every time you wake up.
• 🔔 Display notifications – missed calls, messages, or reminders are visible immediately.
• 🎨 Personalization – the ability to choose the display style (dials, animations, color schemes).

It is important to understand that AOD It doesn't work on all Xiaomi models. To support it, the smartphone needs to be equipped with AMOLED- or OLED-It's the only technology that allows you to highlight individual pixels without the energy of the entire array. IPS-displays (e.g., Redmi Note 10 or POCO M3) The function is not available – instead, a simplified Ambient Display can be used, which is turned on only when notifications are received.

How it works AOD iron-level

Always-On Display is based on two key components: hardware support for the screen and optimized software.

The hardware part: as already mentioned, AOD only AMOLED/OLED-These arrays are not backlit, each pixel is self-luminated, so you can activate only a small part of the display (for example, the area with the clock) without using energy on the remaining pixels: IPS-The screens are fully illuminated, so constant work AOD This would result in a huge battery consumption.

Programme part: in MIUI work AOD The system application com.miui.aod answers:

• 🔄 Update cycles – how often information on the screen will be updated (e.g., every minute or when a notification is received).
• 🎨 Display styles – preset or custom themes for watches and widgets.
• ⚡ Energy consumption – Optimizing brightness and active pixels to save charge.

Interesting fact: some models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Mix Fold 3) AOD It supports adaptive brightness, and it analyzes the light around it (via the light sensor) and automatically adjusts the backlight of the screen so that the information remains readable, but does not blind in the dark.

How to turn on and off AOD Xiaomi

You can activate or deactivate Always-On Display in a few steps. MIUI 12-14 (including) POCO and Redmi with AMOLED-screen).

Steps to incorporation:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Screen section.
3. Select Always-On Display (some firmware may refer to a Constantly Active Screen).
4. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.
5. (Optional) Set up display style, brightness and schedule.

Steps to Shut Down: Follow the same steps, but deactivate the switch in step 4.

If the Always-On Display partition is missing from the settings, it could mean:

• ❌ Your model doesn't support you. AOD (Like Redmi. 9A s IPS-screen).
• ❌ Installed custom firmware, in which the function is disabled.
• ❌ Active mode Ultraeconomy or High performance, blocking AOD.

💡

After inclusion AOD screen does not show time, try to reboot your smartphone or reset the screen settings in Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Reset the screen settings.

Settings AOD: personalization and optimization

One of the key benefits of Always-On Display on Xiaomi is its flexible look and feel settings, even basic models like the Redmi Note 12 Pro.+ They offer several design options, and flagships (for example, Xiaomi 14 Ultra) support animations and dynamic wallpapers.

Available customization options:

On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T or POCO F5 Pro) dynamic wallpapers are available for AOD. They change color or animation depending on the time of day, weather or activity of the user, but these effects increase battery consumption by 5-15% compared to a static watch.

Important: on devices with MIUI 14 and newer in settings AOD The option “Adaptive” appeared AOD». When activated, the system automatically disables the function if the smartphone is lying down screen or in your pocket (determined by the proximity sensor and accelerometer), which helps to save up to 20% charge without losing convenience.

Impact AOD Battery: Myths and Reality

One of the most common questions is: How much AOD Does it drain the battery? "" The answer depends on the smartphone model, screen settings, and usage intensity.

Real consumption:

• 🔋 Nana AMOLED-screen AOD consumes 0.5-1.5% of charge per hour (depending on brightness and active pixels).
• 🌙 At night, the consumption is reduced to 0.3-0.8% per hour due to adaptive illumination.
• ⚡ With active use of notifications and animations, consumption can grow to 2-3% per hour.

Myths about AOD:

⚠️ Note: Many users believe that AOD «In fact, even with a constant function, the smartphone will not discharge faster than 1.5-2 days (with a battery capacity of 4000-5000 mAh.

How to reduce the charge consumption:

• 🌓 Use dark themes and minimalist watch styles.
• ⏰ Set the schedule - turn it off AOD sleep-time.
• 🔔 Turn off unnecessary notifications (e.g. from games or news apps).
• 🔄 Reduce the refresh rate (if you have such an option in the settings).

💡

With the right settings AOD It adds 5 to 10 percent to your total battery consumption per day, which is comparable to the background work of messengers or email clients.

Problems with AOD and their decisions

Despite the well-functioning work, Xiaomi users sometimes encounter bugs or incorrect Always-On Display. Let’s consider the typical problems and ways to fix them.

Frequent malfunctions:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the screen settings:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset screen settings.
3. Confirm the action and restart the smartphone.

⚠️ Note: on some models (e.g, POCO X5 Pro after update MIUI reset AOD. If the function stopped working after the update, try to turn it on again and adjust the style of the watch from scratch.

Alternatives AOD Xiaomi

If your smartphone does not support Always-On Display (for example, because of the IPS-If you want to see the screen, or you want to have more features, you can use alternative solutions.

1. Ambient Display

This feature is available on most Xiaomi models, including devices with the IPS-It's not like the displays. AOD, Ambient Display is only enabled when:

• 🔔 Receipt of notification.
• 🤳 Phone lifts (by motion sensor).
• 🔄 Double tape on the screen.

Battery consumption is minimal, as the screen is only active for a few seconds.

Third-party annexes

Google Play has apps that mimic the game. AOD Even on incompatible devices:

• 📱 Always On AMOLED — Supports custom watches and notifications.
• 🌙 Glance Plus - works on the IPS-screens, but consumes more energy.
• 🎨 AOD Mirror – allows you to create your own themes for the lock screen.

⚠️ Attention: third-party applications for AOD They may conflict with system functions. MIUI Check reviews and ratings on Google Play before installing.

3. Widgets on lock screen

If you only need basic information (time, weather, calendar), you can configure widgets on the standard lock screen:

1. Open Settings → Screen → Lock screen.
2. Select Widgets and add the desired items (such as clocks or weather).
3. Set up the display when the screen wakes up.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions