Modern Xiaomi Mi TV and Redmi TVs running on Android TV or proprietary PatchWall provide users with a wide range of media. However, the standard automatic search procedure often results in a chaotic manner, where entertainment channels are mixed with news channels and the numbering does not meet the usual expectations. Users often find that after scanning the air their favorite station is in the hundredth position, which creates discomfort when switching the remote.
Solving this problem requires intervention in system settings or the use of third-party software. Smart TV built-in tools allow you to edit the broadcast list, but the functionality can be limited depending on the firmware version and region. Understanding the principles of the broadcast and satellite reception will help you to properly organize the media space in the living room.
In this article, we’ll take a look at all the available ways to sort channels, from simple built-in features to advanced methods using ADB and specialized applications. You’ll learn how to create the perfect broadcast order, remove unnecessary duplicates, and why a standard list may not be editable without additional actions.
Features of PatchWall and Android TV interface
Xiaomi TVs are based on Google TV or PatchWall, which defines the editing functionality available. Unlike older push-button TVs, the channel list is not just a static frequency table, but a dynamic database that can sync with the Internet, meaning that an attempt to change order manually can be blocked by the system if the automatic broadcast list update feature is activated.
A key element of the control is EPG (Electronic Program Guide), which often dictates its sorting rules. The system seeks to arrange channels according to their logical numbers in the DVB-T2 digital stream, ignoring the user's desires. To redefine these settings, you need to access an extended editing menu, which is sometimes hidden from the average user.
It is important to understand the difference between the physical frequency order and the logical order in the playlist. Logical numbering (LCN) is a technology that allows broadcasters to specify a channel number regardless of the frequency. If your provider or repeater transmits correct LCN data, Xiaomi TV will stubbornly return channels to "legitimate" places every time it rescans.
⚠️ Warning: Before you start any manipulation of the channel list, make sure that the antenna cable is tightly attached to the connector. Poor contact can lead to an error in saving settings or interrupting the sorting process, which will require a repeated full scan.
Standard Sorting Procedure through the TV Menu
The basic method of changing the order is available directly through the remote control without connecting additional devices. First, you need to go to TV viewing and call the settings menu, usually by using a button with the image of a gear or through the Input signal source menu.
Once you enter edit mode, the interface will change: tools will appear to move items. Using the navigation buttons of the remote, select the desired channel and press the confirmation button to activate drag and drop mode or select the action "Move." Some Redmi models allow you to change the order simply by pressing the OK button and moving the cursor up or down.
However, it is worth considering that standard functionality is often limited: you can only move channels that are not protected from changes by system flags, and if you update the TV software or reset the settings, all manually created order can be lost, and the system will return to factory sorting by frequency.
☑️ Pre-sorting check
There's a nuance to grouping. Channels are often broken down into "All," "Favorites," "TV," "Radio," changes made to one group may not be displayed in another, so it's recommended that you sort through the All Channels list so that the changes are applied globally to all viewing modes.
Using the TV Assistant app to manage the list
For owners of Xiaomi PatchWall TVs, the official TV Assistant (or Mi Remote on smartphones) is a great solution, allowing you to control your TV from your smartphone, which makes it much easier to type and navigate complex menus. The app connects over a local Wi-Fi network, providing a more convenient interface for working with lists.
The app often has an advanced editing mode that's not as visible on the big screen, and you can see the scroll-through tape list on the smartphone screen, where you sort with a simple drag-and-drop, which is much faster than flipping through hundreds of positions with the remote buttons.
Engineer's Secret Menu
The advantage of using a mobile app is that you can quickly search for a particular channel by name in alphabetical order, even if they are randomly located on the TV, and once you find the right item in the app, you can immediately move it to the top of the list or to the Favorites group.
⚠️ Warning: Make sure your smartphone and TV are on the same Wi-Fi network.If the router is set to isolate client devices (AP Isolation, the app will not be able to detect the TV to pair.
Application of third-party applications for channel sorting
If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t deliver the desired results, apps from the Google Play Store come to the rescue, with Google’s Live Channels app, which integrates into the system and provides its own, more flexible, on-air TV management interface, being the leader in this area.
Once you have installed Live Channels, you need to start the initial setup and allow access to the tuner. The app will create its own channel list, which will be completely independent of the PatchWall system list, where you can manually assign any numbers, hide unnecessary channels and group them as you wish.
Another powerful tool is the TiviMate app or analogs if you use IPTV, but native solutions or specialized utilities like Channel Manager are best for terrestrial digital television (DVB-T2), which allows you to export a list of channels to a file, edit it on your computer and download it back, which is ideal for fine-tuning the order.
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Use the Favorites feature in the Live Channels app to hide all the extra channels and leave only the ones you watch, creating the illusion of perfect order without the complex manual rearrangement of hundreds of positions.
Importantly, when using third-party applications, the standard channel switch on the remote can work differently, and sometimes you need to configure the Live Channels app on Xiaomi as the default signal source so that the sorted list opens when you turn on the TV.
Table of comparison of methods of setting
To make it easier to choose the best way to sort channels on your Xiaomi TV, we have prepared a comparison table that will help you assess the labor costs and effectiveness of each method depending on your model and version of the software.
| Method | Difficulty | Flexibility of setting | Risk of discharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu of TV | Low. | Limited. | High-pitched |
| TV Assistant appendix | Medium | Medium | Medium. |
| Live Channels (Google) | Medium | Tall. | Low. |
| Third-party utilities (ADB) | Tall. | Maximum | Low. |
As the table shows, the standard menu is suitable for quick edits to multiple positions, but for a global reorganization, it is better to use third-party solutions. Live Channels provides a balance between convenience and functionality, saving data even after a reboot.
Creating a "Favourites" group as an alternative to sorting
Users often don’t care about the order of thousands of channels, but rather need quick access to the network. 10-20 Instead of spending hours permutating, it's more efficient to create a separate Favorites group. The channel editing menu of almost all Xiaomi models has a feature to add to favorites.
Select the channels you want and add them to this group, and then you can use a filter or button on the remote when you switch channels (often marked with an asterisk or an F) that will only switch channels from the favorites list, and this solves the navigation problem without breaking the system numbering.
This is especially true for families with different people using television, and everyone can customize their profile or simply use a select list without conflicting with the basic broadcasting order set by the provider.
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Creating a Favorite List is the fastest way to get a convenient order of channels without the risk of disrupting the system tuner or losing settings when updating.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Despite its apparent simplicity, users often find channels running away after turning off the TV, because the background Auto Update process forcibly synchronizes the list with the broadcaster’s data, and to fix this, you need to find the channel autoupdate in the tuner settings and turn it off.
Another common problem is that you can't move a particular channel, which can mean that the channel is marked as system or protected, and in such cases, only removing the channel from the list completely (if it is) and re-manually searching only one frequency on which it broadcasts, and then assigning a number, helps.
If Xiaomi TV freezes when trying to save changes to the list, try clearing the cache of the Live Channels or TV tuner app through the Settings menu → Apps. Accumulated errors in the channel database cache often interfere with the correct recording of new sorting parameters.
⚠️ Warning: If after all the manipulations, the TV stops seeing channels or shows a black screen instead of a video, reset the tuner to the factory settings.