How to permanently turn off autobrightness on Xiaomi: 5 working methods

The automatic brightness adjustment on Xiaomi smartphones is a feature that should make life easier for users by adapting the backlight to the lighting around. But in practice, many people find that the screen suddenly dims in sunny weather or blinds their eyes in the dark, and the light sensor works with a delay. If you are tired of constant “jumping” brightness and want to return manual control, this article will help you to figure out how to completely turn off the avrightness on any Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO device.

We'll look at official ways through MIUI settings, hidden options for power users, and workarounds for cases where standard methods don't work. It's important to understand that autobrightness algorithms differ depending on the firmware version (MIUI 12/13/14) and smartphone model - so the article provides universal solutions to take these nuances into account. If you notice accelerated battery discharge after the feature is turned off, don't worry: this is normal, since the system no longer optimizes the power consumption of the screen automatically.

Why is the autobrightness on Xiaomi not working properly?

Problems with automatic brightness control on Xiaomi devices are often associated with the peculiarities of the light sensor and MIUI algorithms.

  • 🔍 Incorrect sensor calibration: Factory settings may not take into account the individual preferences of the user, which makes the screen appear too dim or bright.
  • 📱 Conflict with the shell MIUI: In some versions of the firmware (especially) MIUI 12.5 and MIUI 13) The adaptive brightness algorithm works with a delay to 2-3 seconds.
  • 🔋 Energy saving: In Battery or Super Energy Saving modes, the system forcibly lowers the brightness, ignoring the user's settings.
  • 🛠️ Software bugs: After updates MIUI Often there are glitches with a light sensor, which are corrected only by resetting the settings.

Interestingly, flagship models (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi K60 Pro) are less likely to have problems with more accurate sensors, but budget devices like the Redmi Note 12 or POCO M5 often suffer from twitchy autobrightness due to simplified hardware stuffing, and if you notice that the screen flashes when lighting changes, this is a sure sign of a sensor failure.

📊 How often do you get annoyed by the auto-brightness on Xiaomi?
Constantly.
Sometimes.
I used to worry, but I used to.
Never noticed a problem.

Method 1: Turning off autobrightness through standard MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to use the built-in system options. The instructions are suitable for most models on MIUI 12/13/14, including Xiaomi 12T, Redmi Note 11 Pro, POCO X5 and others.

  1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the desktop).
  2. Go to the Display section (or the Screen on some versions).
  3. Slip on the item Brightness (at the top of the menu).
  4. Uncheck the box opposite Automatic Adjustment (or switch the slider to off position).
  5. Manually set a comfortable brightness level with a slider.

If the brightness changes by itself after this action, check if the energy saving mode is activated.

  1. Back to Settings → Battery.
  2. Make sure you choose Performance or Balanced mode.
  3. Turn off the Super Power Saving option if it is enabled.

☑️ Check before turning off autobrightness

Done: 0 / 4

Important! On some devices (such as the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite), after turning off the autobrightness, the option of manually adjusting the color temperature may disappear. To return it, restart the smartphone.

Method 2: Resetting the light sensor settings

If the autobrightness is turned off, but the screen still spontaneously changes the backlight, the problem may lie in the wrong settings of the sensor, in which case resetting the sensor calibration will help.

  1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
  2. Tap 7-10 times on the MIUI version until you become a developer!
  3. Go back to the main Settings menu and select a new Developer section (usually at the bottom of the list).
  4. Find the option to turn off automatic brightness (or Reset adaptive brightness) and activate it.
  5. Reset the device.

After the reboot, the light sensor will be reset to the factory settings. If the problem persists, try calibrating it manually:

  • 🌞 Go outside on a sunny day and set the comfortable brightness manually.
  • 🌙 Return to the dark room and adjust the brightness again.
  • 🔄 Repeat the procedure. 2-3 The system will remember your preferences.
What to do if there is no “Developers” item?
If, after multiple clicks on the "version" MIUI" partition does not appear, check: 1. Your account is tied to the device (sign in to Mi Account). 2. There are no restrictions on the smartphone through Parental Control. 3. Official firmware is installed (custom builds can block this partition).

Method 3: Using ADB to force shutdown

For advanced users who have not had standard methods, there is a way to turn off autobrightness via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that is guaranteed to work on all versions of MIUI, but requires a connection to a computer.

You'll need:

  • 💻 Computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and package ADB Tools.
  • 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
  • 📱 Included debugging by USB smartphone.

Step-by-step:

  1. Activate Developer Mode (as in Method 2) and enable USB Debugging in the developer settings.
  2. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission on the device screen.
  3. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:
adb shell settings put system screen_brightness_mode 0
  1. To record the brightness at the current level, do:
adb shell settings put system screen_brightness 128

(where 128 is the brightness value from 0 to 255).

After these commands are executed, the autobrightness will be turned off at the system level, and even resetting the settings will not return it back without reinterventing through ADB. If you want to return adaptive brightness, use the command:

adb shell settings put system screen_brightness_mode 1

💡

Before using ADB, back up your data via Mi Cloud or locally. In rare cases, incorrect commands can cause system failures.

Method 4: Disconnect via the engineering menu (for experienced)

The engineering menu (#4636##) allows you to fine-tune screen settings, including the light sensor, but this method requires caution - incorrect changes can lead to unstable display performance.

Instructions:

  1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
  2. In the menu that appears, select Hardware testing → Sensors.
  3. Find the Light sensor string and tap it.
  4. In the new window, uncheck Auto Brightness or set the Disabled value.
  5. Save the changes and restart the device.

If after these actions the screen began to behave inadequately (for example, does not respond to changes in brightness), return the sensor settings to the original state or reset through Settings → System → Reset settings (select Reset application settings).

💡

The engineering menu is designed for testing and debugging, and don't change the settings that you don't know what they're supposed to do, because they can cause hardware failures.

Method 5: Remove Adaptive Brightness (root)

For root users, there's a radical method, which is to remove the autobrightness component of the system, which is only suitable for hard-wired devices with the bootloader unlocked.

Attention!

⚠️ Removing system applications could disrupt stability MIUI, cause bugs when updating or lead to "eternal" boot. TWRP.

Instructions:

  1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or FX File Explorer).
  2. Cross the path: /system/priv-app/AdaptiveBrightness.
  3. Remove or rename the folder (for example, in the AdaptiveBrightness_bak).
  4. Reset the device.

If you have problems with your screen after you delete, restore the folder from the backup or reflash the device through the Mi Flash Tool. Alternatively, freeze the application using Titanium Backup or Lucky Patcher so that it can be easily returned.

Method of disconnectionDifficultyRoot is required.ReversibilityRisks.
Standard settings⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.Absent.
Sensor reset⭐⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.Time glitches of the screen
ADB-team⭐⭐⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.Resetting when updating MIUI
Engineering menu⭐⭐⭐⭐❌ No.✅ Yes.Instable operation of sensors
Removal of system APK⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✅ Yes.❌ No (no backup)Bootloop, system errors

What if the lightning returns after rebooting?

Some users find that after a shutdown, the autobrightness is activated again on its own, and this is due to background MIUI processes that reset settings. Here's how to solve the problem:

  • 🔄 Turn off battery optimization for system applications: Go to Settings → Annexes → App management. Tap three dots in the top right corner and select Show System. Find Settings and Display, then turn off Battery Optimization for them.

Stop auto-starting

AdaptiveBrightnessService

  1. In Settings → Applications, find Adaptive Brightness.
  2. Turn off AutoRun and Background permissions.
  3. 🔧 Use Tasker or MacroDroid to Force Shutdown: Create a task that performs when booting the system ADB-team from Method 3.

If nothing helps, check your device for viruses — some malware changes your screen settings to display ads. To do this, scan your smartphone through Malwarebytes or built-in Security in MIUI.

💡

If the autobrightness is only turned on when charging is connected, check the settings in Settings → Battery → Charging settings. There the option “Optimize screen when charging” can be activated.

FAQ: Frequent questions about autobrightness on Xiaomi

Can autobrightness be turned off only for individual applications?
There is no such feature in standard MIUI, but you can use apps like Tasker or MacroDroid to create rules. For example, when you open YouTube or Chrome, the brightness will be fixed at a given level, and otherwise it will work automatically. The alternative is to turn on Read Mode (in screen settings) for specific applications. It mutes the screen and turns off autobrightness temporarily.
Why does the battery quickly go down after the autobrightness is turned off?
When the autobrightness is active, the system reduces the screen's backlight in dark conditions, saving charge. After the function is turned off, the screen can stay at high brightness longer, which increases power consumption. To save battery: Set the brightness to the minimum comfortable level manually. Use Dark Theme and Read Mode. Reduce the time of automatically turning off the screen in the display settings.
How to check if the light sensor works on Xiaomi?
To make sure that the sensor isn't a hardware fault, do the test: Enter the code ##4636##. Go to Hardware testing → Sensors. Cover the light sensor (usually next to the front camera) with your finger. Look at the Light sensor value -- it should drop dramatically to 0-10 lux. If the readings don't change, the sensor is faulty. In this case, turning off autobrightness is the only solution, since repair requires replacing the module.
Will autobrightness work after resetting to factory settings?
Yes, after hard reset, all settings, including autobrightness, return to factory settings. This means that the function is activated again. To avoid this: Before reset, write down the current screen settings (brightness, color temperature). After reset, immediately turn off autobrightness through Settings → Display. If you use ADB or engineering menu, repeat the procedure after data recovery.
Is there a difference in the autobrightness settings on POCO and Redmi?
No, because all of these devices run on MIUI. The only differences are: Menu item layout (for example, on POCO, the Display section can be called Screen) and additional options (on flagships like the POCO F5, there are advanced color reproduction settings), sensor sensitivity (on budget Redmi models it is less accurate), instructions from this article are universal for all devices on MIUI, including Black Shark.