Many Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners experience a sudden change in color, turning yellowish or dull in the evening, due to the activation of the vision protection feature, which filters the blue spectrum of the display radiation. While this option is useful for reducing eye strain before bedtime, its accidental switching on or incorrect algorithms can cause serious discomfort when using the gadget during the day or in conditions requiring accurate color reproduction.
There are several ways to disable the night mode on the Android shell MIUI or HyperOS, as the system offers different levels of control over the display of information. In some cases, the user can confuse the reading mode with automatic brightness or even the theme of the design. Understanding the differences between these features will help quickly return the screen to its usual appearance and eliminate unwanted dimming.
In this guide, we will take a closer look at all the possible causes of color changes on your Redmi or Poco.We will look at standard system settings, hidden developer settings and how optimized applications work.You will learn how to manage the filter activation schedule and understand why the screen can behave unpredictable after a firmware update.
Differences between nighttime and vision protection
Before you start disabling functions, you need to clearly understand what exactly causes the color change on your smartphone screen. Xiaomi terminology often mixes the concepts of “Night Mode” and “Reading Mode”, although technically they perform different tasks. Dark theme simply inverts the colors of the interface, making the background black, but does not change the color temperature of the pixels.
The read mode, often referred to as nighttime, adds a warm, yellowish filter over the entire image, to minimize blue spectrum radiation, which some studies believe can disrupt circadian rhythms. On Redmi Note devices and other series, this feature can be activated automatically on a schedule or at a certain level of illumination.
- 🌙 Dark theme: changes the color of the interface elements to black or dark gray, but leaves the colors of photos and videos unchanged.
- 📖 Reading mode: superimpose a yellow or brown filter on the entire screen, distorting the color reproduction to reduce the load on the eyes.
- 🌓 Autobrightness: Can create the illusion of night mode if the light sensor is contaminated or not working properly.
It's also important to note that new versions of HyperOS have redesigned the display algorithms, so that the system can adjust the color temperature itself based on the time of day, even if you didn't set any manual restrictions, so finding a solution to the problem should start with analyzing the current screen settings.
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If the screen turned yellow after the system update, check the Digital Well-Being settings, as it may have activated the Sleep Time mode, which forcibly turns on the blue light filter.
Disabling Reading Mode Through Basic Settings
The most direct way to remove yellow from the screen is to turn off the vision protection feature through the main settings menu.The path to this option may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI shell, but the logic remains the same for all Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices.
You have to open the Settings app and find the partition that's responsible for the display, which is called the Screen or the Screen and Brightness in most of the current models, and that's where all the levers of color reproduction and backlight brightness are concentrated.
Inside the section, find Read Mode. When you click on it, you'll see a switch that activates or deactivates the function. If it's on, just turn the slider to Off. However, it often happens that even after the main switch is turned off, the screen continues to change colors. This means that the automatic mode is activated.
☑️ Checking screen settings
Notice the Auto tab inside the read menu, and you can set time slots, like 20:00 to 7:00. If the current time falls within that range, the phone will ignore your manual shutdown and turn on the filter again, and you either have to change the schedule or you have to turn off the automation completely.
⚠️ Note: Some Redmi models with AMOLED-Read Mode 2.0 can have separate settings for each application. Check the list of applications that have the filter enabled and remove the extra ones.
Set up an automatic schedule and exceptions
Android smart systems tend to automate processes, but sometimes it leads to inconveniences. Automatic nighttime can work not only in time, but also in geolocation or ambient lighting. To fully control the behavior of the screen, you need to (understand deeply) the automation settings.
In Read Mode, select the option to Turn on automatically. You can access the fine setting here. You can select Schedule option, which sets a specific start and end time. If you want, the screen will stay bright always, make sure that the Turn on switch is automatically off.
There is also the option of setting exceptions: Some users prefer to keep reading mode on for social media, but turn it off for viewing photos or working with graphics. In the list of applications available in the mode settings, you can manually select where the filter should work and where it should not.
- 🕒 Scheduled: rigidly timed to the time specified in the phone settings.
- 🌅 Sunset and Dawn: The feature uses your location data to turn on the mode in the dark.
- 📱 For individual applications: the filter works only in selected programs, the rest of the interface remains unchanged.
It’s worth mentioning that resetting to factory settings doesn’t always turn off these features if they’re synced with your Mi Account or Google account. So after resetting or moving to a new Xiaomi phone, settings can be restored automatically.
Why does the regime turn on itself?
Problems with autobrightness and light sensors
Often users mistake adaptive brightness for nighttime exposure. A light sensor located next to the front camera or at the top of the screen can be covered with a protective film, cover, or simply contaminated, which causes the phone to “think” it is in the dark and reduces the brightness to a minimum, making the image dim and faded.
To test this theory, try turning off Auto Brightness, which is usually through the notification curtain (swipe from top to bottom) or through the Settings menu → Screen → Brightness Level. Take the tick off Auto Setting and manually unscrew the brightness slider to maximum. If the colors became saturated and yellowness disappeared, the problem was in the sensor.
In situations where the manual brightness regulator does not respond or is working in jerks, it may be necessary to calibrate the sensor. On Xiaomi devices, this can be done through an engineering menu by typing a special code in the phone app, but this requires caution. A safer method is to clean the upper edge of the smartphone from dust and grease.
| Symptoms. | Probable cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| The screen dims in bright light | Sensor contamination | Wipe the top of the screen |
| Yellow only in the evening. | Scheduled reading mode | Disable auto-enablement in settings |
| Colors are inverted (negative) | The regime for the visually impaired | Settings → Advanced → Special Opportunities |
| The screen flashes at low brightness | Feature of the PWM matrix | Enable DC Dimming Mode (if available) |
If after all the manipulations, the screen continues to behave strangely, it may be a hardware malfunction of the matrix or the plume, in which case the software settings will not help, and you will need a diagnosis in the service center.
Hidden settings and developer mode
For advanced users, Android provides access to hidden menus where you can find additional switches that affect the display. In particular, on some Redmi and Poco models, there is the ability to disable hardware overlays or change the color reproduction profile, which can indirectly affect the perception of the “night” effect.
To get to the developer menu, you need to go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click on the build number seven times (MIUI Version). Once the message “You became a developer” appears, a new option will appear in the settings menu Additional or Advanced Settings, and inside it – For developers.
In this menu, the following points should be noted:
- 🎨 Simulation of anomalies: make sure that the value is “Disconnected” or the colors may be distorted.
- 🌑 Dark theme: here you can force the dark mode on or off for all applications, even those that do not support it.
- 📉 Black level: Some test modes allow you to adjust the depth of black, which affects the overall contrast.
Be careful when changing the settings in this section. Incorrect choice of settings can lead to unstable system operation or reboots. If you are not sure about the purpose of a particular option, it is better to leave it unchanged or reset the developer settings at the end of the menu page.
⚠️ Attention: Function «DC Dimming, in a developer menu or in a special screen menu, can make black look grayer and duller. This is a normal behavior to keep your eyes healthy. OLED matrices, but looks like a lack of brightness.
The impact of third-party applications and design themes
Remember, not only can you change your color profile, but you can also change your apps. Themes from MIUI Themes often have their own night mode settings that override your system values. If you've recently changed your theme, try going back to the standard one.
Also, various battery-saving or "cleaner" apps can aggressively control the screen. They can force the brightness down or include an energy-saving mode that is visually similar to the night one. Check the list of newly installed apps and try to disable their screen control permissions.
Video players and reading apps (like Google Play Books or Kindle) have their own built-in nighttime modes. If yellowness only appears inside a particular app, look for the Theme or Read Mode setting in the program’s menu, not in your phone’s settings.
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Third-party themes and SEO apps often take precedence over Xiaomi’s system settings. Check them first if standard methods don’t help.