Why the screen goes off on Xiaomi and how to fix it: the full guide

Xiaomi’s smartphone screen that suddenly goes out while reading, watching videos or playing games is a common problem among users of Redmi, POCO and other brands. The reasons can lie in both standard MIUI energy saving settings and hardware limitations. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to turn off the screen auto-turning, from basic parameters to hidden functions and third-party utilities.

It's important to understand that the manufacturer deliberately limits the display's activity time to save battery life. However, in some scenarios (such as using the phone as a navigator or during long-term video chat), this behavior becomes uncomfortable. We tested all methods on current versions of MIUI 14/15 and identified those that work stably without risk to the system.

1. Standard screen waiting time settings

The first thing to check is the basic sleep settings in the settings menu, and in most cases, the problem is solved in 30 seconds:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to the Screen section (or Display in older versions of MIUI).
3. Click on the screen's sleep (may be called screen timeout).
4. Choose the maximum value of 10 minutes or 30 minutes (not available on all models).

⚠️ Note: On budget Redmi models (e.g. Redmi) 9A The maximum value is often limited to 5 minutes, this is a hardware limitation that cannot be circumvented without additional manipulation (see Section 3).

If after changing the settings, the screen still goes out ahead of time, the reason may be:

• 🔋 Energy saving regime — MIUI aggressively shuts down the display at low charge.
• 📱 Adaptive brightness – the light sensor sometimes works falsely.
• 🛠️ Firmware error - especially relevant after updates "over the air" (OTA).

Disconnection of energy saving modes

MIUI has several levels of battery optimization that directly affect screen life. Even if you set a maximum timeout, these modes can force it to reset.

To deactivate them:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and performance.
2. Select Power Saving Mode.
3. Set the switch to off position for all options: Super energy saving (disables background processes and reduces screen timeout to 15 seconds); Energy saving (limits performance and backlight time); Adaptive mode (automatically reduces brightness and shortens timeout).

💡 Useful advice: On models POCO F3, Xiaomi 11T And now there's a hidden option called High Performance in the same menu, which removes all screen restrictions, but reduces battery life by 15-20%.

* Depends on the model and version of MIUI.

3. Hidden settings for developers

If standard methods don't work, you'll have to activate the developer mode, which will allow you to turn off the forced screen shutdown during charging or active use.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row. You will be notified of becoming a developer!
3. Return to the main settings menu and select a new section for developers (may be in Additional).
4. Scroll down and find: The screen is always on (Only for AOD models) – includes constant lighting on supported devices (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro). Do not turn off the screen while charging – useful for using the phone as an alarm clock or media center. Debugging by USB – you will need for methods in section 5.

⚠️ Attention: On models with AMOLED-screens (Xiaomi 12, Redmi) K50) Constant backlighting can cause pixels to burn out when static elements (such as navigation bars) are displayed for a long time!

Developer mode activated|Adaptive screen sleep is disabled|The option "Do not turn off when charging" is enabled"|Restrictions for specific applications tested-->

4. Set up exceptions for applications

MIUI allows you to set individual energy saving rules for each application, and if the screen goes out only in certain programs (for example, YouTube or Google Maps), the problem lies in their settings.

How to add an appendix to the exceptions:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Consumption Management by Apps.
2. Select an app from the list (or find it through search).
3. Set a setting for it without restrictions.
4. Activate Auto Start and Background Activity.

5.Use of ADB-team-up

For advanced users, there is a way to completely disable screen timeout via Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that works on all Xiaomi models but requires a computer connection.

Step-by-step:

1. Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
2. Activate USB Debugging in the developer settings (see Section 3).
3. Connect the phone to your computer and confirm the debugging permission.
4. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.
5. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
6. Use the command to turn off the screen: adb shell settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 3 Meaning 3 It turns off the timeout when charging and from the battery. 1.

⚠️ Note: After restarting the phone or updating MIUI setting ADB They're resetting. To make change permanent, you need to do it:

• Install the Tasker application and create a task to re-execute the command after download.
• Or get root access and edit system files (not recommended for beginners).

💡

ADB-Teams are the most reliable way to get around restrictions MIUI, It requires technical skills. For ordinary users, the applications in section 6 are better suited.

Third-party applications for continuous illumination

If you don't want to go through the settings, you can use specialized utilities from Google Play, we tested 5 popular apps and selected the best ones:

💡 Useful tip: For models with infrared proximity sensor (Redmi Note 11, POCO X4 Pro) applications may fail if the phone is facing down. Check the device's position before using.

How to set up Keep Screen On:

• 📥 Install and open the application.
• 🔘 Press the button. START main-menu.
• 📌 Add a widget to the main screen for quick control.
• ⚙️ In the settings, tick the tick Start when charging (if necessary).

Hardware causes and solutions

If none of the software methods worked, the problem could be hardware or firmware.

1. Faulty proximity sensor

Symptoms: The screen goes out when you call or when you bring your hand to the top of the phone.

• 🛠️ Solution: Test the sensor with code ##6484## (injected as phone number) If the test shows an error, you need to replace the sensor.

2.Damaged display plume

Symptoms: The screen flickers before turning off, reacts to the phone's tilts.

• 🔧 Solution: Contact the service center. Self-repair may result in loss of warranty.

3. Failure after MIUI update

Symptoms: The problem appeared immediately after installing the new firmware version.

• 🔄 Solution: Perform reset settings through Settings → The phone. → If it doesn't work, run your phone through the Mi Flash Tool (instructions on Xiaomi's official website).

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi models with MediaTek processors (Redmi) 10A, POCO M4 Pro) resetting may result in the bootloader being blocked. Before the procedure, check if it is unlocked via command:

fastboot oem device-info

Search for Device unlocked: true.

8. Alternative solutions for specific tasks

Sometimes, you only need to have a constant backlight for specific scenarios, and here are some special solutions.

For navigation in the car:

• 🚗 Use a magnetically mounted tripod – many models automatically turn on an “in-car” mode that ignores timeouts.
• 🔌 Connect your phone to charging through USB-Car port (not wireless charging!).

For reading books:

• 📖 In the Moon apps+ Reader or FBReader has a built-in screen retention feature. Activated in reading settings.
• 🌙 Turn on a dark theme – reduces battery load during long-term operation.

For video and streaming:

• 🎥 YouTube Premium and Netflix have the option to not turn off the screen in the playback settings.
• 🔄 For regular YouTube, use Firefox browser with the Enhancer for YouTube extension.

💡

If you need to temporarily turn off screen sleep (for example, to show photos), double tap the display with your finger – on most Xiaomi models this resets the timer by 30 seconds.

FAQ: Frequent questions