Notification indicator on Xiaomi: decryption of signals, setting up and troubleshooting

Have you ever noticed a small LED light or flashing on your smartphone? This notification indicator is one of the most useful but often underrated features of the brand’s devices, and it signals missed calls, messages, low battery power, and even system errors — all without having to turn on the screen.

However, not all users understand what exactly colors and modes of blinking mean, and moreover, in recent Xiaomi models (for example, the Redmi Note 12 Pro).+ Xiaomi 14, or the other, has changed the logic of the indicator, so it can now integrate with Always-on Display or be physically absent, giving way to software solutions:

• 🔹 What is a notification indicator and why you need it
• 🔹 Color and flashing modes for different models
• 🔹 How to turn on / off the indicator in the settings MIUI
• 🔹 Frequent problems (does not burn, blinks constantly, resets)
• 🔹 Alternative ways to display notifications without LED

What is Xiaomi’s notification indicator and how does it work?

Notification indicator (or LED-The indicator is a miniature LED embedded in the body of a smartphone that visually alerts the user about events:

• 📱 On top of the screen (near the front camera) - in models up to Redmi Note 10 inclusive.
• 📱 On the bottom frame - in some devices of the series POCO.
• 📱 Physically absent – in the new flagships (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi) K60 Pro), where it is replaced by Always-on Display or software screen highlights.

The main advantage of the indicator is the battery saving, so instead of turning on the entire display to check the notifications, just look at the flashing LED. MIUI:

• 🔘 MIUI 12 and below: the indicator is controlled through Settings → Screen. → Notification indicator.
• 🔘 MIUI 13/14: settings have been moved to Settings → Always active screen and lock, and in some models the indicator is disabled by default.

⚠️ Note: In smartphones with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T Pro) physical LED-The indicator is often missing, and instead, it uses the edge light or Always-on Display.

Color decoding: What each signal means

The colors and flashing modes of the indicator on Xiaomi are standardized, but may vary slightly depending on the model and firmware version. Below is a universal table for most devices:

In some models (for example, POCO X3 Pro) Blue can mean notifications from social media, and purple can mean reminders from Google Calendar.To know exactly what your model means, check Settings. → Notifications → Event indicator.

How to turn on or off the notification indicator

If the indicator on your Xiaomi does not work or, conversely, interferes (for example, at night), it can be adjusted or deactivated.

For MIUI 12 and below

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select the Notification Indicator.
3. Activate the slider Show the indicator.
4. Set up colors for different types of notifications (calls, messages, charging).

For MIUI 13/14

In the new versions, the path has changed:

1. Go to Settings. → Always active screen and lock.
2. Slip on the Notification Indicator (may be called the Notification Illumination).
3. Turn on the option and select the applications for which the indicator will work.

Check the version. MIUI|Find the "Notification Indicator" section in the settings|Enable/disable function|Assign colors for different types of notifications|Reboot your smartphone to apply changes-->

⚠️ Note: On devices without physical LED (For example, Xiaomi 13 Lite, instead of the indicator, you use a backlight. To turn it off, go to Settings. → Screen. → Illumination of notifications.

Frequent Indicator Problems and Solutions

Xiaomi’s notification indicator sometimes doesn’t work properly, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

1.The indicator doesn't burn at all

Reasons:

• 🔌 The function is disabled in the settings (see section above).
• 🔌 Energy-saving system blocks LED (Check the settings. → Battery → Energy saving regime).
• 🔌 Hardware malfunction (damaged LED or plume).

Solution: Turn on the indicator manually, turn off energy saving or contact the service center if the problem is hardware.

2. the indicator flashes constantly, even without notifications

Possible causes:

• 📲 System notification (e.g., malfunctions) SIM-map).
• 📲 Firmware failure (especially after update) MIUI).
• 📲 Viral software that sends false signals.

Decision:

1. Check all the notifications in the curtain.
2. Reset the device.
3. Scan your smartphone for viruses (for example, through Google Play Protection).

3.Indicator resets after rebooting

This is a typical problem for custom firmware devices (e.g. Xiaomi.eu or LineageOS).

• 🛠️ Update the firmware to the latest version.
• 🛠️ Reset the settings to factory (Settings) → The phone. → Resetting settings).
• 🛠️ Install the module. LED Controller via Magisk (root rights required).

💡

If the indicator does not work after the update MIUI, Try to clear the cache of the system: turn off the smartphone, press Volume up + Select Wipe Cache from the Recovery menu.

Alternatives LED-Indicator: What to do if it is not

In modern smartphones Xiaomi (especially with the AMOLED-Physical notification indicator is often missing:

1. Always-on Display (AOD)

It displays the time, date and notification icons on the screen that's off, to enable:

1. Go to Settings. → Always active screen and lock.
2. Choose Always-on Display.
3. Set up your display style and enable the option to Show notifications.

AOD Minimum charge is consumed by technology AMOLED (Only the pixels necessary to display information are highlighted).

2. Illumination of the edges of the screen (Edge Lighting)

The function is available on devices with MIUI 13+ (For example, Xiaomi 12 Pro. When notified, the edges of the display are highlighted with the selected color:

1. Open the Settings. → Notifications → Illumination of notifications.
2. Turn on the option and select the applications.
3. Adjust the color and duration of the lighting.

3. Software solutions (for older models)

If the indicator is broken or not, you can use the apps from Google Play:

• 📱 Light Manager – allows you to set up LED for each application separately.
• 📱 Always On AMOLED — alternative AOD Devices without official support.
• 📱 Notification Light – emulates the indicator through the backlight of the screen.

⚠️ Note: Indicator emulation applications can drain the battery faster because they have to turn on the screen periodically.

💡

On devices with AMOLED-screens (Xiaomi) 13/14, Redmi K50/K60) physical LED-There is no indicator. Instead, use Always-on Display or Edge Lighting).

How to set up an indicator for specific applications

By default, the indicator on Xiaomi responds to all notifications in the same way. MIUI You can assign individual colors to different applications, for example, you can make it so that you can have a color:

• 💬 WhatsApp flashed blue.
• 📧 Gmail is green.
• 📞 Missed calls - red.

Instructions:

1. Open the Settings. → Notifications → Notification indicator.
2. Tap on the Notification Colors (or App Setup).
3. Select the app from the list and assign a color.
4. Save the changes.

If the desired application is not in the list, try:

• 🔧 Update it through Google Play.
• 🔧 Clear the application cache (Settings) → Annexes → [Name of name] → Memory. → Clear the cache).
• 🔧 Include notifications in settings (Settings) → Notifications → [Annex]).

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi’s notification indicator