How to change the color of the notification indicator on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The LED notification indicator on Xiaomi smartphones is a small but extremely useful detail that signals missed calls, messages or low battery power. However, standard colors (usually red, blue or green) do not always suit users: someone wants to highlight important notifications, someone is disturbed by bright lights at night, and some just want to personalize the device. Unfortunately, in the latest versions of MIUI (starting with 12), the manufacturer significantly limited the settings of the indicator, removing direct options from the menu.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to change the color of Xiaomi’s notification indicator, including the official settings for older firmware versions, hidden developer settings, ADB teams, and even alternative solutions for devices without LED. Importantly, not all methods are universal – their performance depends on the smartphone model (Redmi Note 10 Pro, POCO X3, Mi 11, etc.) and the version of MIUI. Where necessary, we will point out restrictions and cautions.

1. Official indicator settings in MIUI (for older versions)

If your Xiaomi is running MIUI 11 or older, you may still have access to standard LED settings.

1. Open the Settings. → Notifications.
2. Scroll down and look for the Notification Indicator or LED indicator.
3. Turn on the slider and select the color for different types of notifications (calls, messages, charging).

On the Redmi 5/6/7 series, Mi 8/9 and earlier models, this section was often present. However, MIUI 12-14 removed it - instead of using the LED now uses Ambient Display (the screen is always on) or screen blinking. If you have a new firmware, move on to the following methods.

⚠️ Note: On some models (POCO F3, Redmi Note 9 Pro, even in older versions MIUI The indicator settings may not be available due to hardware limitations. Check for a physical LED, which is located next to the front camera.

2. Hidden settings through the “Developer Options”

MIUI has a hidden menu for developers, where you can sometimes find additional LED control options to activate it:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Click on the MIUI version 7 times in a row until the “You became a developer” notification appears.
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new section Additional settings → Developer settings.

Now look for items related to LED:

• 🔴 Charging indicator color – allows you to choose a shade when connecting to the network.
• 🟢 Blinking notification indicator – turns on/off response to notifications.
• 🔵 Default notification color – sometimes you can choose between red, green, blue.

Unfortunately, most modern devices (Xiaomi 12T, Redmi Note 11) don’t even have options on this menu, but owners of POCO X3 NFC or Mi 10T are sometimes lucky to have advanced settings.

💡

If there are no items in Developer Settings, try upgrading to the latest stable version of the firmware. Sometimes Xiaomi returns hidden features in new builds.

3. change of colour through ADB-Teams (for advanced users)

The most reliable way to change the color of the indicator on new versions of MIUI is to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer, but gives you complete control of the LED. Importantly, the wrong commands can cause system notifications to fail — back up the data.

Instructions:

1. Install. ADB-PC drivers.
2. Turn on your smartphone to debug USB in the Developer Settings.
3. Connect the device via cable and enter in the command line:

adb shell settings put global notification_light_pulse 1


adb shell settings put global notification_light_color 0xFFFF0000

The last command is set in 0xAARRGGBB format, where:

• 🔴 FF0000 — red
• 🟢 00FF00 — green
• 🔵 0000FF — blue-colored
• 🟣 FF00FF — purple

To return the standard settings, use:

adb shell settings delete global notification_light_color

This method works on most Qualcomm Snapdragon devices (e.g., POCO F4, Redmi K50), but may not work on models with MediaTek processors (Redmi 10, POCO M4 Pro) due to manufacturer limitations.

Install ADB drivers on PC|

Enable debugging by USB on your smartphone |

Connect the phone with the original cable |

Make a backup copy of the data-->

4. LED control applications: do they work?

There are dozens of apps on Google Play that promise to change the color of the notification indicator (e.g. Light Manager, LED Blinker).

• ❌ Not working. MIUI 12-14 system constraints.
• ❌ Demand. ROOT-rights that cancel the guarantee.
• ❌ May contain advertisements or malicious code.

The only exception is the AODNotify app (for Always-on Display devices), which allows you to configure the flashing screen instead of the LED, simulating notifications. K60 and other flagships with AMOLED-screen.

⚠️ Note: Installation of applications from unknown sources may lead to data leakage.Before using, check the reviews and permissions that the program requests (for example, access to notifications or other information). SMS).

5. Alternative solutions: if the LED is not present or it does not blink

Many new Xiaomi models (Redmi Note 12, POCO X5) lack a physical LED.

• 📱 Ambient Display: Ambient Display is a short-term screen turn on when notified. You can adjust the color in Settings. → Screen. → Ambient Display.
• 🔋 Blinking screen - short-term flashes of backlight. Included in Settings → Notifications → Blinking indicator.
• 🎵 Sound or vibration signals as an alternative to visual notifications.

For devices without LED, we recommend using MacroDroid, which allows you to create automatic rules, for example:

1. When receiving SMS - turn on the screen light for 5 seconds.
2. If you miss a call, start the vibration with a given rhythm.
3. At low charge, play the sound signal.

This won’t replace the color indicator, but it will make the notifications more visible.

Frequent problems and their solutions

When you change the color of the indicator, users encounter typical errors. Here's how to fix them:

• 🔄 The color doesn't change after ADB-Commands: Restart your smartphone or check if your model supports LED hardware control (for example, on MediaTek processors this is often blocked).
• ⚡ The indicator does not work at all: Make sure that the settings → Battery → Power saving mode is not disabled notifications, and check if the application you expect to be signaling is blocked.
• 🛠️ After updating MIUI Reset settings: Xiaomi often resets custom LED settings when major updates. Reset through ADB or developer parameters.

If none of the methods worked, it may be the firmware problem. Some custom builds (e.g. Xiaomi.EU or PixelExperience) return control of the LED, but installing them requires unlocking the bootloader and may be insecure.

💡

On devices with a MediaTek (Helio G) processor, changing the color of the LED through ADB is extremely rare, and in 90% of cases it is a hardware limitation that cannot be avoided without modifying the firmware.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions