How to Disable Google’s Ambient Mode on Xiaomi Phones: All Ways

Google’s Ambient Mode (or “Always on Screen”) automatically turns on many Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones after updates. It displays time, notifications and weather on a locked screen, but it drains the battery and can interfere with privacy. If you want to remove it, this guide will help you do it quickly and without consequences.

The problem is that Xiaomi often hides Ambient Mode settings in different menu sections depending on the MIUI version (14 or 15) and the Android shell (12-14).We have collected all the current ways to disable from standard to hidden, including methods for root-enabled devices.

What is Ambient Mode and Why it Should Be Disabled

Ambient Mode is a feature from Google that keeps part of the screen on even when it's locked.

• ⏰ Time and date
• 🔔 Notifications (SMS, Messengers, missed calls)
• 🌤️ Weather and temperature
• 🔋 Battery level of charge

At first glance, it is convenient, but there are 3 key problems:

1. Battery consumption – the screen consumes up to 5-15% of the charge per night, even in standby mode.
2. Privacy – Anyone can see your notifications without unlocking their phone.
3. Screen heating -- on AMOLED-Xiaomi displays (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi) K60) constant lighting accelerates the wear of the matrix.

Test data. XDA Developers, on smartphones with AMOLED (for example, POCO F5 Pro) Ambient Mode reduces battery life on 8-12% when used actively. IPS-screens (e.g. Redmi Note) 12) The effect is smaller, but still noticeable.

Method 1: Disconnect via screen settings (MIUI 14/15)

The easiest method is to use the standard MIUI menu, which works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models with Android 12-14:

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Scroll down and find the Mode section on the screen (or Ambient Display).
3. Move the slider to the off position.
4. Confirm the action if a warning appears.

If the Mode item is always not on the screen, try an alternative way:

1. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance → Battery Mode.
2. Select Screen Settings.
3. Turn off Ambient Display or Show notifications on a locked screen.

Close all applications|Lock the screen for 10 seconds.|Light a flashlight on the proximity sensor|Check if the screen is spontaneously lit.-->

Important! On some MIUI 15 firmware (e.g. Xiaomi 14), the feature may be called Always-on Display (AOD). If you don't find it in the screen settings, check the Additional or Special Features section.

Method 2: Disable Google Assistant (if the standard method doesn’t work)

If Ambient Mode is enabled via Google Assistant (for example, after updating Google Play services), it can be disabled as follows:

1. Open the Google app (the icon with the letter G).
2. Slip on the profile avatar in the upper right corner.
3. Select Settings → Google Assistant → General.
4. Scroll to the Device section and disable Ambient Mode.

If there is no point, try another way:

1. Press the Home button (or swipe the corner of the screen) to call Google Assistant.
2. Say, “Stop the Mode on the Screen” or “Stop the Ambient Mode.”
3. Confirm the action by voice or press.

Note: On some models (e.g., the POCO X5 Pro), Google Assistant may ignore voice commands to disable Ambient Mode.

Method 3: Reset Google Settings (radical method)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can reset Google’s settings to factory settings, which will delete all personalized data (like search history) but is guaranteed to disable Ambient Mode.

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Google (or Google Play Services) and tap on it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

Warning: After the reset will have to again:

• 🔑 Log in to a Google account.
• 📱 Set up synchronization of contacts, calendar, mail.
• 🎵 Restore the settings of Google Assistant and Google Pay.

💡

Before reset, export important data from Google Keep, Google Photos, and Gmail to a backup. Go to Google Settings → Backup and create an archive.

This method works 100% of the time, but only use it if other methods have not worked.On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14 (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+), after a reset, you may need to update Google Play Services through the Play Market.

Method 4: Use ADB (for advanced users)

If Ambient Mode is enabled at the system level and does not turn off via the menu, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires a PC and enabled debugging over USB.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version.

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

PC

Command line.

CMD

Windows

Terminal

Mac/Linux

adb shell


settings put global ambient_display_always_on 0




settings put secure doze_always_on 0

Reboot the phone.

Result: Once the commands are executed, Ambient Mode will be disabled at the Android level, even if the MIUI does not have a corresponding switch.

💡

ADB-Teams work on all Xiaomi smartphones with Android 10+, But require unlocked bootloader on some models (for example, Xiaomi) 12T).

Attention! Incorrect use of ADB can cause system failures, and if you're not sure, skip this.

Method 5: Disconnect via root (for custom firmware)

If you have custom firmware installed (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) or unlocked root, you can disable Ambient Mode through file managers with superuser rights.

Instructions:

1. Install Root Explorer (such as Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer).
2. Go to /system/etc/prop.default
3. Find the build.prop file and open it in the text editor.
4. Add a line to the end of the file: ro.ambient_display_enabled=0 config_dozeAlwaysOnDisplayAvailable=false
5. Save the changes, restart the phone.

Warning: Editing build.prop without backup can lead to bootloop (locked download).Before changes, backup through TWRP or OrangeFox.

This method is suitable for devices with MIUI based on Android 13/14, where the standard settings do not work (for example, on the POCO F4 GT with MIUI 15).

Comparison of Ambient Mode Disconnection Methods

Recommendation: Start with the simplest method (screen settings) and move on to more complex ones only if the previous ones didn't work. On the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi K70 Pro, the first two are usually enough.

Frequent problems and solutions

Sometimes Ambient Mode doesn't shut down or turns on again after you reboot, here are 5 common problems and solutions:

1. The feature turns on itself after the Google Play Services update. Solution: Disable automatic updates for Google Play Services in the Play Market → Settings → Auto-Update apps.
2. There is no Ambient Display in the settings. Solution: Check for MIUI updates in Settings → About Phone → System Update. On some firmware, the feature is hidden until the update.
3. After Google reset, the feature returned.Solution: Remove the cache of the Google app in Settings → Apps → App Management → Google → Memory → Clear the cache.
4. On custom firmware Ambient Mode does not turn off.Solution: Install the Disable Ambient Display module via Magisk (root required).

On Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 15 and Android 14 (for example, Xiaomi 14T Pro) sometimes helps roll back the version of Google Play Services to 23.30.14 - this version does not have a bug with spontaneous inclusion of Ambient Mode.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions