Xiaomi Developer Menu: Where to Find and How to Enable Hidden Features

Have you ever wondered why your Xiaomi smartphone isn't as fast as you'd like, or why some apps are acting weird? It may be hidden in the settings that the manufacturer hides from ordinary users. The developer menu is a powerful tool to fine-tune the device, speed up animations, debug apps, or even unlock additional features you didn't know you had.

But there are pitfalls. Incorrect settings on this menu can cause your phone to crash, overheat, or even lose warranty. So before you get into these wilds, it's important to understand why you need to do it and what options you can change without risk. In this article, we'll not only show you where the developer menu on Xiaomi is, but also explain which options are really useful for the average user and which ones are better not to touch.

What is a developer menu and why is it needed?

The Developer Options menu is a hidden Android settings section designed to test and debug applications, which is disabled by default so that ordinary users do not accidentally change critical system settings. However, for experienced owners of Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO, this menu offers a wide range of opportunities:

• 🔧 Speeding up the interface – reducing the time of animation windows and transitions.
• 📡 Debugging by USB — It is necessary to connect to the PC through ADB.
• 🔄 Forced application stops – useful if the program is “hanging".
• 📱 Emulation of other devices – changing screen resolution or pixel density (DPI).
• 🔒 Unlocking the bootloader is the first step to install custom firmware.

But not all functions are equally useful. For example, turning on Do not turn off the screen while charging will accelerate battery wear and activation. GPU-The acceleration can lead to artifacts in games, so before you change any parameter, you need to understand what the consequences are.

⚠️ Attention: Changing the settings in the developer menu can disrupt the stability of the device. Xiaomi is not responsible for damage caused by the wrong configuration. If you are not sure about your actions, it is better to leave the default settings.

Where is the menu for developers on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

You can turn on the developer menu on Xiaomi smartphones in a few seconds, but the path to it depends on the version of MIUI. Here is a universal algorithm for most models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5, Xiaomi 13, etc.):

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to About Phone (sometimes called About Device).
3. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row.
4. After the seventh press, a notification will appear: You have become a developer!
5. Return to the main Settings menu – there will be a new section Additional → For developers.

On some devices (such as the Xiaomi Pad 6), the path may be slightly different:

Settings → System → About tablet → MIUI version (7 taps)

If after several attempts the menu does not appear, check:

• 🔹 Version MIUI — on old firmware (below) MIUI 12) may need to tap the Assembly number.
• 🔹 Administrator rights – sometimes the system blocks access due to security restrictions.
• 🔹 Interface language – on some localizations, the name of the item may differ (for example, Developer options instead of the Russian version).

What the developer menu looks like on different versions of MIUI

The appearance and location of options in the developer menu can vary depending on the shell version, and below is a comparison table for popular versions of MIUI:

Since MIUI 13, Xiaomi has been actively hiding or renaming some options due to tightening security policies, for example, the OEM Unlock option (unlock bootloader) can now be absent on new devices until additional conditions are met (Mi Account binding, waiting 7 days, etc.).

What settings in the developer menu can be safely changed

Not all options on the developer menu are equally dangerous, but here is a list of options that can be customized without risk to the device:

• ⚡ Windows animation, transition animation, animation duration - reduction to 0.5x speed up.
• 🔄 Keeping the screen off is helpful when watching long videos or reading.
• 📱 Display scale - change DPI for a more compact display of elements.
• 🔊 Turn off absolute volume – fixes problems with adjusting sound in Bluetooth headphones.
• 📡 Modem modem - allows you to use the phone as USB-modem without notification.

Here is what you should not touch without a clear understanding:

• 🚫 Do not save actions – disables the app cache, which will lead to constant reboots.
• 🚫 Enforcement of use GPU — It can cause overheating and shorten the life of the chip.
• 🚫 Disable the check MIUI — disrupts security.
• 🚫 Background processes – restriction will lead to application departures.

Reduce animation to 0.5x|

Turn on "Do not turn off the screen" when charging |

Change. DPI comfortable-scale|

Turn off absolute volume for Bluetooth devices-->

Important: On devices with MIUI 14+ some options (for example, USB-debugging) requires input PIN-It's a code or fingerprint every time you connect to a PC, and it's a security measure against unauthorized access.

How to reset the developer menu settings to factory

If, after experimenting with the settings, the phone starts to work unstable (brakes, overheats, discharges quickly), you can return all parameters to factory values.

1. Partial reset (Developer Menu only): Settings → For Developers → (three dots in the top right corner) → Resetting This method saves all the other data on the phone.
2. Full reset (if the first method did not help): Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Erase all data ⚠️ Warning: Full reset will remove all apps, photos and files from internal memory. pre-backup via Mi Cloud or Google Drive.

On some devices (POCO F4, Redmi Note 11 Pro+) after resetting the developer menu may disappear again, in which case it will have to be activated again (7 taps according to MIUI).

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If the phone gets too hot after the settings change, check the Background Processes parameter. Set the Standard Limit, which will reduce the load on the processor.

Hidden Developer Menu Features You Didn't Know About

In addition to the obvious options, the developer menu hides really useful tools that can make it easier to use a smartphone:

• 📲 Demonstration mode – hides notifications and personal data when shooting the screen (useful for streamers).
• 🔍 Show touches – displays touch points on the screen (needed to create tutorials).
• 📡 Call symbols – shows technical information about calls (signal level, codec).
• 🔋 Battery. → Show the charge level as a percentage – even if this option is hidden in the main settings.
• 🎮 Simulating additional screens – allows you to test multitasking on a single display.

On devices with AMOLED-screens (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi) K60 Pro) You can find the Color Mode option in the developer menu with advanced white-gamma balance settings, which is useful if you don't like standard profiles (Live, Standard.

Another little-known feature is Left-handed Mode, which mirrors the interface, which is convenient for users who are holding the phone in their left hand, and is activated in the Enter the Developer Menu section.

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Not all hidden features work equally well, for example, mimicking HDR on devices without hardware HDR support can cause color distortion.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many users make the same mistakes when working with the developer menu, and here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

One of the most insidious mistakes is activating Strict Energy Saving Mode, which blocks the background activity of all apps, which stops sending notifications from messengers and emails, and to get everything back to normal, you need to:

1. Go to Settings. → Battery.
2. Turn off the power saving mode.
3. In the developer menu, deactivate the background check.

If the phone stops charging or runs out quickly after the changes, check the battery settings in the developer menu. Sometimes users accidentally turn on Charge Limitation, which only charges the battery to 80%.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions