How to turn off the moon on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the device automatically switches to a specific shooting mode when the lens is getting stuck over the night sky, a feature known as the Moon mode, which is designed to improve the detail of the satellite, but in everyday conditions can be annoying with intrusiveness or give an unnatural result. Understanding how to turn off the moon on Xiaomi is necessary for users who prefer classic photography without aggressive algorithmic processing.

In addition, the term “Moon” can refer to the Always On Display feature, which displays time and notifications on a screen that is off, or to the specific themes of the MIUI and HyperOS interface design. Depending on what exactly interferes with your device, deactivation methods will vary. We will consider all possible scenarios so that you can fully control the behavior of your gadget.

Xiaomi's system algorithms are designed to give the user what the developers think is the best result. But automatically turning on modes often happens at a wrong time. For example, when shooting a bright street lamp, the phone can decide that it is the Moon and apply inappropriate exposure settings. Manually controlling these parameters allows you to regain control over the creative process.

Turning off Moon mode in a standard camera

The most common request is for photography. When you point the camera at the night sky, the Moon icon may appear in the interface, indicating the activation of a special algorithm. To turn off the moon on Xiaomi in this context, you just need to tap the icon to cross it out, or switch to manual mode. However, if the icon appears constantly and interferes, a deeper intervention in settings is required.

Scene Detection AI algorithms analyze images in real time, and they decide to switch to supermoon mode. Often users want to leave other scenes (food, documents, flowers) to be recognized, but remove the lunar mode, because it makes a lot of noise when shooting ordinary objects.

• 🌙 Open the Camera app and go to settings via the “three stripes” or gear menu.
• 🔍 Find the item "Scene Recognition" or AI Camera and try to disable it completely.
• ⚙️ In some versions MIUI There is a separate switch “Mode of the Moon” inside the menu of additional camera settings.

It is worth noting that in the latest updates to the HyperOS shell, Xiaomi has slightly changed the logic of the algorithms. Now the switch may occur less noticeably, but the principle remains the same: the system searches for a bright object against a dark background. Completely remove the moon recognition algorithm from the Camera system application without obtaining Root rights, since this is part of the firmware. However, you can minimize the likelihood of it working using third-party applications or manual settings.

Always on Display and Design Themes

The second option, when users are looking for how to turn off the moon on Xiaomi, is related to the lock screen or the always-on display. the Always On Display (AOD) feature allows you to see the time and notifications without waking up your smartphone. Often users set themes where the main element is the image of the moon, or the standard animation displays the phases of the satellite, which can be distracting in the dark.

To manage this functionality, you need to go to the screen settings section, where you can not only change the picture, but also adjust the schedule. Many people forget that AOD consumes energy even if the screen is turned off. Turning off unnecessary animations or replacing a static theme with black will save battery power and remove visual noise.

The process of changing the lock theme in MIUI and HyperOS is unified, but has its own nuances in different regions of the firmware. If standard methods do not remove the image, it may be that the theme was downloaded from a third-party source or is part of a system package that requires resetting the theme to standard settings.

• 🎨 Go to the Topics app and select your profile.
• 🔒 Click on “Block screen” and select the standard or “Classic” option».
• ⏰ In the screen settings, find Always On Display and turn it off or change your style to digital.

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Use dark themes with black backgrounds for AMOLED-This will not only remove visual noise, but also significantly extend the battery life of the device, since the black pixels on such arrays do not consume energy.

Use of third-party camera applications

If the built-in camera app continues to impose a lunar mode, the most effective solution is to install alternative software. Third-party cameras, such as Open Camera or GCam (Google Camera), often lack aggressive algorithms. AI-This allows you to get a more natural image of the night sky without drawing craters where they shouldn't be.

Installing GCam requires you to select a specific version (port) for your Snapdragon or MediaTek processor model. Once installed, you need to find the section responsible for prompts or automatic modes in the application settings and deaktivate them, which will give you full control over shutter speed and ISO, which is critical for night shooting.

The advantage of third-party applications is that they don't have to be tied to cloud-based processing algorithms, which are often the reason for the artifacts to appear as an "improved" moon, and you get a "clean" signal from the matrix, which is especially important for those who are serious about mobile astrophotography.

Comparison of night shooting modes

To better understand the difference between standard system behavior and desired results, consider the parameters of the different modes. The table below shows how shooting characteristics change when automatic improvements are activated and disabled.

As you can see from the table, Moon mode sacrifices naturalness for the sake of visibility of details that the eye may not recognize. Manual mode requires skill but gives an honest picture. For most users looking for a way to turn off the moon on Xiaomi, switching to Pro or Manual mode is the fastest solution to the problem without installing additional software.

Impact of MIUI and HyperOS Updates

Xiaomi’s software policy is dynamic. With the release of new MIUI versions and the transition to HyperOS, the location of the switches may change. What could be disabled in Android 11, Android 13 may become a hidden parameter, due to the company’s desire to provide “smart” features by default.

Often, after a major system update, users notice the return of previously disabled functions, the system can reset the camera settings to factory values, in which case the procedure for disabling intrusive modes will have to be repeated, and new versions can bring new bugs in the work of the algorithms for scene recognition.

⚠️ Warning: After updating the firmware, be sure to check the settings of the Camera application. New versions often reset user preferences to standard ones, which can return the active Moon mode».

In some cases, the problem is solved by cleaning the Camera app cache. Accumulated temporary files may contain erroneous data about the shooting profiles. Going to the application settings, selecting the Camera and cleaning the data often helps to reset the “glitch” of the lens behavior.

Solving problems with the proximity and illumination sensor

Sometimes the phrase "how to turn off the moon" is a metaphor for solving problems with sensors that misinterpret the environment. If the screen goes out or changes brightness when "lunar-like" objects appear (bright lights), the problem may be calibrating the light sensor. Although this is rare, it happens that a software glitch makes the phone think it's looking at the moon and turn on the appropriate energy saving modes or night themes.

You can use an engineering menu or a special application to test the sensors for diagnostics. The dialing code ##6484## (for most Xiaomi models) includes a hardware test. Checking the operation of the sensors will help to eliminate hardware malfunctions that mimic software glitches.

• 🛠 Enter the engineering code ##6484## in the Phone app.
• 👁 Find the Proximity Sensor and Light Sensor test».
• 📉 Check how the readings change when closing the top of the screen with your hand.

If the sensor is stuck or shows incorrect values, software shutting down the function may not help, in such cases, it requires physical cleaning of the sensor or replacement of the protective glass if it covers the sensor, a common problem after unqualified repair or fall of the device.

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If software methods do not help remove the strange behavior of the camera or screen, the problem may lie in the malfunction of the hardware lighting sensors or proximity sensor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)