How to set up Xiaomi 8T: from basic parameters to hidden MIUI features

Xiaomi 8T is one of the brand’s most popular smartphones, combining powerful hardware (Snapdragon 845, 6/8 GB of RAM) and flexible MIUI firmware. However, even experienced users often miss key settings that can significantly improve the device’s performance. This article will not just repeat the standard steps from the instruction manual – we will reveal hidden features, optimize performance and show how to avoid typical setup errors.

The Xiaomi 8T is that its MIUI firmware (even in the global version) contains dozens of non-obvious options that are not documented in the official guides. For example, did you know that you can turn off ads in system applications without root rights? Or that Game Turbo mode works not only in games, but also in resource-intensive applications like Lightroom?

The article is structured to be useful for both beginners (the first section is basic configuration) and advanced users (sections about optimization and hidden functions). If you are already an experienced Xiaomi owner, you can immediately go to the sections about hidden features or system acceleration.

First Installing and Basic Setup

When you first turn on the Xiaomi 8T, the system offers you to go through the initial setup wizard, where it is important to take your time and choose the right key options that will be difficult to change later, for example, the region of the device determines the available Xiaomi services (including the cloud and themes) and does not change without a complete reset.

In the language selection phase, we recommend that you install Russian (Russia) to ensure that the voice assistant and speech recognition work correctly. If you choose English (USA), some functions (for example, Xiaomi Cloud) may not work stable. Also pay attention to the item "Personalization" - you can immediately disable unnecessary system applications like Mi Video or Mi Music, which will then annoy with notifications.

• 📱 Select a region: Specify Russia (if you are in Russia) – this affects the availability of Mi Pay and local themes.
• 🔑 Xiaomi Account: Create it right away – without it, you can not use a cloud backup and some features MIUI.
• 🛡️ Security: Enable Find Device (phone search) and Virus Scanner – they work in the background and do not load the system.
• 📶 Network: If you use two SIM-maps, set network priority for each in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks.

⚠️ Note: If you miss creating a Xiaomi account at the initial setup stage, you can only add it later via Settings. → Accounts. → Add an account. Without an account, you can't unlock the bootloader to install custom firmware.

Once you have completed the customization wizard, we recommend you update your firmware to the latest version immediately. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update. If the upgrade weighs more than 1.5 GB, connect to Wi-Fi – mobile traffic may not cope with this load. Also check the MIUI version: if it is older than 12.5, it makes sense to manually update via Recovery (instructions in the section about firmware).

Screen optimization: frequency, color reproduction, gestures

Xiaomi 8T fitted AMOLED-screen-in-screen HDR10, But by default, many of the display settings are suboptimal. For example, factory color profiles often make the picture too cold, and screen refresh rates (60 Hz) can be increased to 90 Hz on custom firmware.

The first thing to look out for is the display mode. Go to Settings → Display → Display mode and select:

• 🌞 Standard – Balance between saturation and realism (recommended for most tasks).
• 🎨 Saturated – enhanced colors, suitable for viewing photos and videos.
• 👁️ Eye sparing – reduces blue light, but can distort colors (only turn on at night).

If you lack the smoothness of the animation, you can try to enable 90Hz through ADB (requires an unlocked bootloader). To do this, connect the phone to your PC, open the command prompt and type:

adb shell settings put global force_fps 1

After the reboot, the screen frequency will increase, but note that this is an informal feature – artifacts are possible in some applications.

⚠️ Warning: If the picture becomes too dark after changing the color profile, check Adaptive Contrast settings in Settings → Display. → This function automatically adjusts contrast according to the lighting, but sometimes it doesn't work properly.

Keep in mind navigation gestures. In MIUI, they can be configured flexibly, from standard buttons to full-screen swipes. We recommend using MIUI Gestures (not Android Gestures), as they are better optimized to work simultaneously with Split Screen. To enable them, go to Settings → Display → Full-screen Mode.

Speeding up work: cleaning, cache and hidden tweaks

Over time, even the powerful Snapdragon 845 in Xiaomi 8T can start to “brake” due to clogged memory, background activity of applications and unoptimized MIUI settings. In this section, we will tell you how to return to its former smoothness without resetting to factory settings.

The first thing you need to do is clear the cache.

1. Go to Settings. → Memory.
2. Click on Clean in the Cash section of the applications.
3. For deep cleaning, go to Settings → Applications → Application Management, select unnecessary apps, and click Clear Cache and Clear Data.

But just cleaning the cache isn't enough. MIUI has a hidden system acceleration feature that turns off animations and optimizes background processes.

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Click the MIUI version 7 times in a row until the message “You are a developer!” appears.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Find the items: Windows animation – set 0.5x or Reverse. Transition animation – set 0.5x or Recurring. Background process limit – choose process Max. 2 (if you want to save battery).

Another effective way to speed things up is to disable unnecessary system applications, many of which (Mi Browser, Mi Music, Mi Video) can't be removed without root rights, but you can freeze them through ADB. For example, to disable Mi Browser, you can follow the command:

adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.browser

⚠️ Note: Disabling system applications through ADB This can cause some functions to work in an unstable way (e.g. Mi Share will stop working without com.miui.mishare.connectivity!

If your Xiaomi 8T is getting hot, check the heat in Settings → Battery & Performance → Heat Control. Balanced is the default, but if the phone is used for gaming, choose Performance (heating will increase, but lags will decrease).

💡

To quickly release RAM, turn on Light mode in Settings → Battery and Performance → Performance mode. This will turn off the background activity of unnecessary applications.

Battery setting: how to extend the life of the battery

The Xiaomi 8T (3200 mAh) battery does not have a record capacity, but with the right settings, the phone can work on a single charge for up to 1.5-2 days with moderate use.

The first thing you need to do is turn off auto-run of unnecessary applications, and many programs (like Facebook or Instagram) continue to work in the background even after closing, using up charge to fix this:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select an app (such as Facebook).
3. Press the Battery. → Limit background activity.
4. Also turn off AutoRun in the same menu.

To add a fingerprint:

1. Go to Settings → Screen Lock and Password → Add a fingerprint.
2. Follow the instructions on the screen (touch the sensor 5-6 times).
3. After adding a fingerprint, turn on the Unlock option when turned on – this will allow you to unlock the phone immediately after restarting.

For additional protection, enable device encryption:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → Protection and Lock → Encryption.
2. Set your password (remember it!).
3. Wait until the process is completed (it can take up to 30 minutes).

If you plan to install custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience), you will need to unlock the bootloader.The official way Xiaomi requires waiting 7 days after you have attached your account.

1. Link your Xiaomi account to your phone in Settings → Accounts.
2. Go to Settings → About Phone → The MIUI version and tap it 7 times to activate the developer mode.
3. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable OEM Unlock.
4. Download the Mi Unlock Tool from Xiaomi’s official website and follow the instructions.

⚠️ Attention: Unlocking the bootloader resets all data on the phone! Before the procedure, make a backup via Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset. Also note that once unlocked, you will lose your warranty (if it is still valid).

To protect yourself from viruses, turn on the built-in security scanner:

1. Go to Settings → Passwords & Security → Scan.
2. Click Full Verification – the system will scan the device for malware.
3. Enable the Real-Time Verification option to automatically scan new files.

We also recommend you to disable activity tracking (if you do not use Xiaomi services):

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Special Access → Access to the call log.
2. Disable access for all applications except Phone and Contacts.
3. Repeat the same thing for SMS access.

Hidden MIUI features you didn’t know about

MIUI is not just a shell over Android, but an ecosystem with dozens of hidden features, many of which are undocumented, but can greatly improve the Xiaomi 8T experience.

One of the most interesting features is Dual Apps, which allows you to clone messengers like WhatsApp or Telegram and use two accounts simultaneously, so you can turn it on:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Double Apps.
2. Select the app you want to duplicate (such as WhatsApp).
3. Click Create – a second icon will appear on the desktop marked Dual App.

Another useful feature is One-Hand Mode, which reduces the size of the interface by allowing you to reach the top of the screen with your thumb, so you can activate it.

1. Go to Settings → Additional → One-hand mode.
2. Select Enable and set the screen size (3.5" or 4.5").
3. To activate the mode, swipe the Home button (or gesture if you use navigation without buttons).

If you use Split Screen a lot, look for the hidden "floating windows" setting, which allows you to open applications in small windows on top of other programs, to enable it:

1. Activate Developer Mode (click 7 times on MIUI Version).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the option Floating windows and turn it on.
4. Now you can open apps in floating windows by holding their icon in the multitasking menu.

For customization enthusiasts, Hidden Themes will be interesting. MIUI has undocumented themes that don't show up in the standard directory.

1. Download the theme file (.mtz) from a trusted source (e.g., the XDA Developers forum).
2. Place the file in the MIUI/theme folder on internal memory.
3. Open the Topics app and select Locals – your theme will appear in the list.

And finally, one of the most useful hidden features is Game Turbo, which not only speeds up games, but can also be used to optimize the performance of resource-intensive applications like Photoshop or Lightroom, to customize it:

1. Open Settings → Special features → Game Turbo
2. Add the desired app to the list (click +).
3. In Game Turbo settings, enable: GPU acceleration improves graphics performance; notification blocking turns off pop-ups while running; network optimization prioritizes traffic for the selected application.

⚠️ Warning: Don't turn on Game Turbo for all applications in a row, it can cause overheating and battery drain. Use it only for really resource-intensive tasks.

If you want to completely change the look of the system, try installing a custom launcher, for example, Nova Launcher or Lawnchair let you configure:

• 🎨 Icons: changing shape, size and style.
• 📱 Gestures: own swipes to open applications.
• 🔍 Search: Integration with Google Assistant or other assistants.
• 📂 Application boxes: vertical or horizontal scrolling.

To set up a custom launcher:

1. Download. APK-Launcher file (for example, from the APKMirror site).
2. Install the file by allowing