How to set up the new Xiaomi Poco smartphone: a complete guide from first inclusion to fine optimization

Buying a new Xiaomi Poco smartphone is always an exciting moment, but the first launch of the device can raise questions even among power users.Poco is known for its balance of price and performance, but to unlock the full potential of the gadget, it needs to be set up correctly from the beginning.

We will not only look at the basic activation steps, but also the hidden functions. MIUI, You'll learn how to move data from an old phone, adjust control gestures, optimize autonomy, even eliminate possible lags. We'll focus on security, locking, encryption and surveillance.

It is important to understand that Xiaomi Poco works on a custom shell. MIUI, It's a very different experience than pure Android, and many of the features are implemented in their own way, and some of the settings are hidden in non-obvious menus. If you've used other brands' smartphones before, be prepared to do things differently.

Before you start setting up, make sure you have:

• 🔌 Charger (preferably original or certified)
• 📶 Stable connection to Wi-Fi or mobile Internet
• 📱 Old Smartphone (if you plan to transfer data)
• 🔐 Pre-fictional PIN-lock-in

Ready to get started? Then we start tweaking your new Xiaomi Poco Step-by-step.

1. First Entry and Basic Setup

When you first turn on Xiaomi Poco, the system triggers the Initial Customization Wizard. This process cannot be missed, but can be optimized. On the welcome screen, select the language (we recommend Russian, as some translations in the app are available). MIUI This is where it's important to specify the right country, which is where the availability of some Xiaomi and Google services depends.

When you connect to the network, choose Wi-Fi over mobile data, which will speed up the download of updates and sync your accounts. F5 Or, more recently, the system may offer activation. 5G — agree if your tariff supports this technology, otherwise it is better to turn off 5G In mobile network settings later to save battery power.

The next step is to move the data, and there are three options.

• 📲 From an old Android device – via cable or Wi-Fi Direct
• 🍎 With iPhone, you will need to install the Move to iOS application on an old iPhone
• ❌ Skip – if you prefer a clean installation

⚠️ Note: When transferring data from iPhone via Move to iOS, some application settings and passwords from Wi-Fi may not be transmitted.

Once you have chosen the transfer method (or skip it), the system will prompt you to sign in to your Xiaomi account, and here’s a caveat: if you don’t plan on using Mi Cloud, Mi Home or Mi Fit, you can skip this step.

• 🔄 Get updates MIUI airborne (OTA)
• 📱 Use the Find Device feature to search for your phone
• ☁️ Synchronize notes and contacts in the cloud

At the final stage, the setup wizard will suggest enabling:

• 📍 Geolocation Services – You can turn off if you don’t use maps
• 🔍 Diagnostics and system improvements – better off for privacy
• 📊 Personalized Advertising – Unambiguously Disabled

2. Security and locking setup

One of the most important steps is to protect your new device. Start by setting up your lock screen. MIUI available:

• 🔢 PIN-code – minimum length of 4 characters (recommended 6)+)
• 🔑 Password is the most secure option
• 👆 pattern lock – convenient, but less secure
• 👤 Face unlocking – works fast, but not 100% reliably
• 👆 Fingerprint – the optimal balance of security and convenience

For maximum protection, we recommend a fingerprint combination. + PIN-Set it up in Settings. → Lock screen → Add a fingerprint. When you add fingerprints, remember:

• Write your finger from different angles (3-4 finger-toe)
• Add fingerprints of both thumbs for convenience
• Avoid adding fingerprints with wet or dirty fingers

The next step is to set up a Smart Lock, which allows you to keep your phone unlocked in a safe environment (such as at home or when the device is on you). → Lock screen → Smart lock. You can add it here:

• 🏠 Trusted seats – the phone unlocks automatically at home/work
• 👕 Body devices – unlocking when wearing (e.g. in a pocket)
• 🔊 Voice unlocking – only works with the “OK, Google” command"

⚠️ Note: The "Devices on the body" function can reduce autonomy on the body 5-10%, Because the sensors are constantly scanning the motion, and turn it off if you notice a quick discharge.

Don’t forget to activate device encryption in Settings → Additionally. → Encryption and accounts: on new Poco models (e.g. Poco) X6 Pro) encryption is enabled by default, but it may not be available on budget versions. 30-60 minutes and require:

• Battery charge of at least 80%
• Connecting to charging during the process
• Established PIN-code

Installed PIN-code ≥6 characters

Added ≥2 fingerprints

Encryption of the device activated

Personalized advertising is disabled

Smart Lock is set up for home use-->

3. Optimization of productivity and autonomy

Xiaomi Poco smartphones are known for their performance, but even they can brake if the settings are wrong.Start with optimization MIUI — a shell that sometimes overloads the system with unnecessary processes.

The first thing you need to do is turn off the animations of the system, and that will speed up the interface. 15-20%. For that:

1. Activate Developer Mode (7 times click on the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone)
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers
3. Find the items Animation Scale, Transition Animation and Animator Duration
4. Set the value of animation disabled for all three items

The next step is to set up auto-run applications. Many programs run automatically and consume resources. → Annexes → Autostart. We recommend you leave autostart only for the purpose of:

• 📞 Telephone and contact
• 📧 Mail and Communications
• 🎵 Musical services (if you use them)

To increase battery life, disable unnecessary functions:

⚠️ Note: On Poco models with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (e.g. Poco) F5 Pro) disabling Background Data Transfer may cause delays in receiving notifications from messengers, in which case it is better to leave it on, but limit background activity for individual applications manually.

For additional optimization, use the built-in performance mode:

• 🚀 Balance is the best option for most users
• ⚡ Performance – for games and heavy tasks (consuming more battery)
• 🔋 Savings of charge – limits background processes

Switch between modes can be in Settings → Battery → Performance mode or through the notification panel (if you add the appropriate switch).

💡

If your Xiaomi Poco is warming up for no apparent reason, check the list of active processes in Settings. → Annexes → Often the cause of overheating is background camera tasks or games that have not closed properly.

4. Personalization of interface and gestures

Shell MIUI It offers a lot of customization options that many users don't use. Start by setting up your control gestures, which will make it much faster to use your smartphone. Xiaomi Poco has three types of navigation available:

• 👆 Gestures MIUI — Swipes instead of buttons (recommended)
• ⚪⚫ Navigation buttons – the classic three buttons
• 📱 Full-screen gestures – like in pure Android

To activate gestures go to Settings → Display. → Full screen display and select Gestures MIUI. Major teams:

• 🔙 Back - swipe from right to left from the edge of the screen
• 🏠 Home - swipe up from the bottom edge
• 📑 Recent - swipe up with a delay or swipe to the right

For minimalist lovers, you can hide the status bar (top bar with time and icons). → Display. → Full-screen display → Hide the status bar. Keep in mind that this is the mode:

• ⏰ The time will only be shown on the lock screen.
• 📶 Notification icons will be hidden (but notifications will remain)
• 🔋 The battery level can only be seen in the notification panel.

Equally important is the screen setting Always On Display (AOD). On the Poco models with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Poco) X6 Pro) this function works without significant battery consumption. Activated in Settings → Lock screen → Always-on display. Here you can choose:

• ⏰ The watch is a classic version with time
• 📅 Calendar – displays the date and upcoming events
• 🎨 Image - own picture on the lock screen

For additional customization, install a theme from the Mi Theme Store, which features both free and paid themes that change:

• 🎨 Application icons
• 🖼️ Wallpaper and animation
• 🔊 Notification sounds
• 📱 Fonts of the system

Please note that some topics may contain ads or collect data. Before installing, read reviews from other users.

5. Network and connection settings

Getting network settings right will help you avoid Internet problems and improve connectivity. Start by optimizing your Wi-Fi connection. MIUI There's a hidden Wi-Fi Assistant feature that automatically switches between Wi-Fi and mobile data for better stability. → Wi-Fi → Additionally. → Wi-Fi Assistant.

To improve the quality of mobile communication, set up a PRIORITET network:

1. Go to Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Your name is yours. SIM-map
2. Select Network Type
3. Install. 4G (preferably)/3G/2G Better balance of speed and stability
4. If you have Poco with support 5G, choose 5G/4G/3G/2G (motor-car)

To solve problems with connection to the network operator, follow the following steps:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📶 Manually select the operator network in Settings → SIM-map → Choice of network
• 🔧 Reset network settings in Settings → Memory. → Reset → Resetting network settings
• 📱 Check if the beta version is available. MIUI (It may contain bugs)

Pay special attention to Bluetooth and NFC. Xiaomi Poco can make these modules unstable due to optimizations MIUI. To improve stability:

• 🔗 Turn off the dual Bluetooth connection function in Settings → Bluetooth → If you are not using two devices at the same time
• 📱 Update the firmware of headphones or other Bluetooth devices
• 🔄 Reboot your phone after first connecting a new device

If you use two of them SIM-Maps, set priorities for calls and the internet:

• 📞 For calls: Settings → SIM-map → Priority SIM-call-card
• 🌐 For the Internet: Settings → SIM-map → Mobile data → Choice SIM-data-card

⚠️ Attention: On Poco models X5 and newer when using two SIM-There may be a problem with the loss of the network on the second SIM And if you have an active Internet connection on the first one, it's a hardware constraint that's related to Qualcomm's modem architecture. It's not a solution yet, but it helps to reboot the phone.

💡

For maximum stability of mobile Internet, disable the VoLTE and VoWiFi function in the settings SIM-cards if you don't use them HD-These functions sometimes conflict with some operators.

6. Camera and multimedia work

Xiaomi Poco’s Smartphone Cameras Are Often Underrated Due to Software Processing MIUI Camera. But with the right setups, you can get great results. Start with updating the camera app, and sometimes new versions come out separately from the system updates.

The main camera settings that should be changed:

• 📸 Photo resolution – set the maximum (usually 64 MP or 108 MP depending on the model)
• 🎥 Video resolution — 4K@30fps stability or 1080p@60fps smoothly
• 🔦 HDR — Turn on the car-HDR for better shadowwork
• 🌙 Night mode – manually activate in the dark

To improve the quality of the photo manually adjust the parameters in professional mode:

• 📐 White Balance – Set by hand for natural flowers
• 🔘 Focus – Use manual focusing for macro photography
• ⚡ Exposure – for night photography, increase to 2-4 seconds
• 📊 ISO — Do not raise above 1600 to avoid noise.

For video, we recommend turning on stabilization and noise reduction microphone:

• 🎬 Stabilization: Camera settings → Video → Stabilization → Ultra
• 🎤 Noise reduction: Camera settings → Video → Improvement of sound

If your Poco camera overheats during long shooting, try:

• 🔋 Close background applications before shooting
• 📴 Shut down. 4K@60fps and move on 1080p@30fps
• 🧊 Use a cooling cover or external fan
• 🔄 Reboot your phone before a long shooting session

To process photos directly on your phone, use the built-in Photo Editor MIUI, supportive:

• 🎨 Color correction and exposure
• 🖼️ Removal of objects with photos
• 🔍 Increased sharpness
• 📏 Pruning and horizon alignment

On Poco models X6 Pro and newer feature available AI-It automatically smooths the skin, removes bags under the eyes and adjusts the lighting, but it can overly lubricate facial details.

7. Installation of applications and optimization of memory

After the initial setup, it’s time to install the apps you need. Start with Google Play, where you need to turn off auto-update to avoid unexpected traffic and battery consumption. → Auto-update of applications → Not update automatically.

To install apps outside of Google Play (APK-files) you need to allow installation from unknown sources. → Annexes → Special rights → Installation from unknown sources. Here, select the browser or file manager you will install through. APK.

Optimize your memory usage with built-in tools:

• 🧹 Waste cleaning: Settings → Memory. → Cleanup
• 🗑️ Cache removal: Settings → Annexes → Select the application → Memory. → Clear the cache
• 📦 Transfer to SD-map: available for some applications

To monitor background processes, use Task Manager:

• 📊 View active processes: swipe up with a delay → badge "📊"
• ❌ Forced closure: swipe left on the application card
• 🔒 Fixing applications: swipe down the card

If your Poco started to slow down after installing a lot of apps, try:

• 🔄 Rebooting your phone (sometimes helps)
• 🧹 Clear the system cache in Settings → Memory. → Cleanup → Deep cleaning
• 📉 Disable animation (as described in Section 3)
• 🔧 Reset the application settings in Settings → Annexes → Select the application → Warehouse → Reset

⚠️ Attention: On models with 128 GB of memory (Poco) M6, Poco X5) The system may start to slow down when the memory is more than filled 85%. Try to keep them free at least. 15-20 GB by transferring photos and videos to the cloud or external drive.

💡

To speed up the phone, turn off the preloading of applications in Settings → Annexes → Application preload: This feature caches frequently used programs, but can take up to 1-2 GB of RAM.

8 Additional features and hidden capabilities

Xiaomi Poco smartphones have many hidden features that most users don't know about, and one of the most useful is Second Space Mode, which allows you to create a separate work profile with your own apps and settings. → Special facilities → Second space, you can do it here:

• 🔐 Protect the second space with a separate password
• 📱 Set different wallpapers and themes
• 🔧 Set up separate accounts in apps

Another useful feature is Game Turbo, which optimizes performance for games. It is enabled by swiping from right to left in the game or through Settings. → Special facilities → Game Turbo, you can do it here:

• 🎮 Disable notifications during the game
• 📊 Monitor FPS processor temperature
• 🔋 Optimize energy consumption
• 📞 Set up quick answers to calls

For automation enthusiasts, there's a built-in Macro that lets you record sequences, for example, you can create a macro to:

• 🌙 Automatic switch to night mode after 22:00
• 🔕 Quickly switch off the sound and turn on the vibration
• 📷 Simultaneous opening of the camera and switching on the flashlight

Configured in Settings → Additionally. → Macro.

Equally useful is the Screen Time feature, which helps control smartphone usage.

• ⏰ Set limits on individual applications
• 📵 Set up "time without gadgets"
• 📊 View usage statistics

Activated in Settings → Screen time.

For developers and advanced users, additional settings are available in the developer mode:

• 🔧 Including Debugging USB work-in ADB
• 📱 Simulation of additional screens (for adaptability testing)
• 🔄 Forced activation GPU-acceleration
• 📡 Changing the region for Google Play (useful for accessing apps)

And finally, if you want to completely change the look of the system, you can install an alternative launcher.