Many Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphone users are faced with the need to access hidden system functions sooner or later. The standard MIUI or HyperOS interface hides many useful options that can come in handy for fine-tuning the device, debugging applications or even unlocking the bootloader.
Enabling this section does not require superuser rights (Root) and is a completely safe procedure, if you understand what you are doing. However, it is worth remembering that changing some parameters can affect the stability of the operating system. In this article, we will discuss the activation process in detail, consider key settings and answer frequently asked questions.
Before you start, make sure your device is at least 30-40% charged. Although the risk is minimal, interruption of system processes due to battery discharge is not desirable.
Why do I need a developer menu on Android?
The main purpose of this section is to provide tools for application developers, but advanced users use these features to optimize the work of the gadget, for example, here you can change the speed of the animation interface, which will visually speed up the smartphone, or adjust the behavior of the system when you connect to a computer.
One of the most popular features is USB debugging, which allows you to send commands from computer to phone, install applications to bypass standard restrictions, make full data backups, or use your phone as a webcam with high signal quality. Without activating this mode, many specialized programs simply will not see your device.
Also in this section are settings for emulating location, limiting background processes to save battery life, and managing log buffer size, all of which give the user full control over how the operating system interacts with the hardware of the smartphone.
⚠️ Note: Changes in parameters such as "Minimum width" (DPI) or "Font size" can make the interface unreadable. If you're not sure what the parameter means, you'd better leave it as default.
Step-by-step instruction: how to turn on the developer mode
The process of activating the hidden menu on the shells of MIUI and HyperOS is unified, but has its own features compared to pure Android. You do not need to download third-party applications or enter secret codes into the "caller." Everything is done through the standard settings menu.
First, open the Settings app on your device. At the top of the list, you'll see a card with your Mi Account name and phone model. Right here, in the MIUI Version bar, that's where the button you're looking for is.
☑️ Activation algorithm
You need to quickly click on this line 7 times in a row. You don't have to do it in a frantic rhythm, a fairly confident pace. After 3-4 clicks, the system will start showing pop-up notifications with a countdown: "There are 3 clicks left before the developer mode is turned on."
If the phone has a lock screen password or PIN-The code, the system will require you to enter it to confirm the actions, and after successful authentication, you will see a message saying, "You became a developer!". From now on, a new section will appear in the settings menu.
| Step. | Action. | Expected output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open Settings | Main menu of parameters |
| 2 | Press 7 times on "Version" MIUI" | Pop-up activation notification |
| 3 | Enter the lock password | Confirmation of access rights |
| 4 | Return to the settings menu | Introduction of the paragraph “Additional” |
| 5 | Select "Advanced Settings" | Access to hidden functions |
Where to find the activated section in the settings
After successful activation, the menu does not appear on the home screen of settings, as it was in older versions of Android. In modern shells from Xiaomi, it is hidden in the submenu. You need to go to the section Additional settings (or Advanced settings).
Within this section, usually at the bottom of the list, there will be a Special Features item or a Developer option, and the location may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13, 14) or HyperOS, as well as regional firmware (Global, China, EEA).
If you can't find this item, search by settings, type the word "developer" or "developer" into the search box, and the system will redirect you to the desired menu, which is especially useful if the menu items have been renamed when localized.
What if there is no item?
Key settings for the regular user
Once inside, you'll see a long list of options, most of which are marked with a red warning that a change could disrupt the system, and let's look at those options that are really useful and safe for everyday use.
The animation settings are in the "Draw" section. The default settings for "Window animation," "Jump animation," and "Animation duration" are 1x. If you change them to 0.5x, the interface becomes more responsive and the transitions between screens will occur faster, creating the illusion of a more powerful processor.
Another important option is not to turn off the screen. When you plug in the charger, the display will burn all the time, which is convenient if you use your smartphone as a desktop clock, a dashboard or a navigator in your car.
- 🚀 Acceleration GPU — Makes the graphics processor more active 2D-graphs that can increase FPS In older games, but will increase battery consumption.
- 🔋 Limiting background processes – allows the system to keep more 2-4 processes in the background, which significantly saves charge, but can slow the switching between applications.
- 📍 Location emulation – allows you to choose an app that will replace your real one GPS-Signal that is useful for testing geo-dependent services.
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Before you change your animation settings, remember the initial values. If the interface gets twitchy or uncomfortable, you can always return everything as it was by resetting the values to 1x.
Debugging by USB and working with a computer
USB Debugging is a gateway for a smartphone to interact with the outside world at a deep level, and is needed to install applications via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), take screenshots of the entire system, debug code and work with file systems hidden from the average user.
When this function is first activated, the security system MIUI You'll need to confirm the action, and you'll need to allow access to a particular computer. RSA-When you connect the cable, the notification curtain will show the corresponding icon.
It is important to note that on new versions MIUI work ADB often need to add the paragraph "Installation through USB" and "USB-debugging (security settings).” Insert may be required to activate the latter SIM-Cards and login to Mi Account with a linked phone number.
adb devices
adb shell
rebootThese simple commands, typed in the computer's command line, allow you to check the connection and control the device. Without the developer menu activated and debugging enabled, the computer will only see the phone as a media device or charger.
⚠️ Warning: Never leave the debugging mode on USB If you are constantly connected to public charging stations, this can create a vulnerability to your device data.
Hidden opportunities and memory management
You can find tools to manage RAM on the developer menu, and the "Background Process Limit" section allows you to severely limit the number of applications running in the background, and this can be useful on devices with low RAM (3-4 GB) to prevent heavy applications from constantly rebooting.
It also has a "Do Not Activity" feature, which, if it's on, will destroy the app as soon as you leave the screen, a radical method that is guaranteed to free up memory but makes multitasking impossible.
For customizers, the Minimum Width (DPI) option is interesting, and by changing that number, you can make interface elements smaller to fit more information on the screen, or larger for better readability. The standard value is usually around 360-400 dpi.
- 📉 Hardware acceleration of rendering – forcibly includes the use of GPU render 2D-elements that can fix artifacts in some applications.
- 📡 Bluetooth Codec – allows you to select a priority codec (SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC) to transmit sound to wireless headphones, affecting quality and latency.
- 📊 Process statistics – shows detailed information about the resource consumption of each running process in real time.
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Changing the DPI (minimum width) is the most noticeable way to change the visual style of the interface without installing launchers, but requires caution in selecting values.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the developer menu is lost or stopped opening, most often this happens after updating the firmware or resetting the settings to factory, in such cases, the activation procedure (7 clicks on the MIUI version) must be repeated again.
Another common problem is the inability to enable "Installation through" USB". This is due to Xiaomi's enhanced security policy.If the button is inactive, make sure the phone is installed SIM-Operator card, mobile Internet is enabled (Wi-Fi is better to turn off at the time of activation) and Mi Account is logged in.
If the phone starts to behave unstable after the settings change, reboots or a “boot” (cyclic reboot) appear, you need to reset the developer menu settings. At the very top of the section, there is usually a “Reset Settings” or “Switch off for All” button, which will return all parameters to factory values.