How to completely disable screen awakening on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Random screen turn on on Xiaomi smartphones is a common problem that not only drains the battery, but can also lead to unwanted actions (for example, random calls or opening applications). AMOLED-In this article, we will examine all possible causes of spontaneous switching on of the display and offer 5 proven ways to turn it off β€” from basic settings. MIUI Up to Hidden Features for Experienced Users.

It is important to understand that the mechanisms of the screen awakening on Xiaomi depend on the firmware version (MIUI 12-15), Device models (e.g. Redmi Note) 12 or POCO X5 They behave differently, and even from the apps they've installed. Some users have problems with gestures (like double-touching), others with proximity sensors or notifications. We'll look at each scenario separately so you can choose the best solution.

If you've already tried turning off wake-ups through standard settings, but the problem remains, don't rush to reset your phone to factory settings. ADB-This method is especially useful for Xiaomi owners with custom firmware or devices where the manufacturer has restricted access to certain functions.

Why Xiaomi’s screen wakes up on its own: 6 main reasons

Before we get to solutions, it's important to diagnose the source of the problem. Here are the most common reasons for accidentally turning on the screen on Xiaomi, Redmi and other smartphones. POCO:

  • πŸ”„ Double tap to wake – activates even when you touch the screen lightly in your pocket or bag.
  • πŸ“± The β€œRaise to wake” gesture works when the phone moves the slightest, such as when you walk with it in your hand.
  • πŸ”” Screen wake notifications – some apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram) force the display to turn on when a message is received.
  • πŸ‘οΈ Approximation sensor – can falsely trigger when light is hit or when the screen is covered with a palm.
  • πŸ”‹ Battery Optimization – in some versions MIUI The system wakes up the screen to β€œoptimize” the application background.
  • πŸ› οΈ Failure in the firmware operation - after the update MIUI Bugs with sensors or power management may appear.

To determine the culprit, try to watch the phone in different situations:

  • πŸ“¦ Is it lying on the table and spontaneously turning on?
  • πŸ‘– Whether the awakening occurs only in the pocket or bag?
  • πŸ“² Does the screen work when receiving notifications from specific applications?

⚠️ Warning: If the wake-up only occurs when you connect to a charge, the problem may be a faulty cable or power supply.

πŸ“Š How often do you have a random screen awakening on Xiaomi?
Several times a day
1-2 times a day
Rarely, but it happens.
Never noticed.
I'm having trouble answering.

Method 1: Turning off wake-up gestures in settings MIUI

The simplest and most obvious method is to deactivate the standard gestures that turn on the screen, a feature that is available on all Xiaomi smartphones with a high-end screen. MIUI 12 and newer, including the Redmi Note 11, POCO F4, Xiaomi 13 and others. Here's the step-by-step instruction:

  1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
  2. Go to Always on screen and lock (on some firmware - Lock screen).
  3. Select Screen Awakening or Awakening Gestures.
  4. Turn off the following options: πŸ‘† Raise to wake (Raise to wake) πŸ‘†πŸ‘† Double tap to wake (Double tap to wake)

On certain devices (e.g, POCO X3 Pro) these settings may be elsewhere:

Settings β†’ Display β†’ Additional β†’ Screen Awakening

Disabled "Rise to wake up"|"Double touch" disabled"|Checked the lack of awakening when the phone moves|Checked for no response to touching the screen-->

After these functions have been disabled, the screen shall not be switched on when:

  • πŸ“± Picking up the phone from the table;
  • πŸ‘– Touching the screen in your pocket;
  • 🚢 Movement with phone in hand.

⚠️ Note: On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Mi 11 Ultra), Double tap to wake can be hidden in the developer menu. β†’ The phone. β†’ Version. MIUI and tap 7 times on the build number to unlock the developer mode.

Method 2: Configure notifications to prevent them from waking the screen

Many applications (especially messengers and social networks) have permission to wake up the screen when they receive notifications, and this can be turned off for individual programs, and globally for the entire system.

Disabling wake-up for specific applications

If the screen is turned on only when notified by Telegram, Viber or other messengers, do the following:

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Notifications and Status bar β†’ Notification management.
  2. Select an app whose notifications wake up the screen (such as WhatsApp).
  3. Turn off the option to wake up the screen or pop-up notifications.
  4. To completely disable the awakening, you can also deactivate Sound and Vibration.

Global Disconnection of Awakening from Notifications

If you want no notification to turn on the screen, follow these steps:

  1. Open Settings β†’ Notifications and Status bar.
  2. Go to the Supplementary β†’ Screen wake-up notifications.
  3. Turn off the Wake up screen slider when new notifications are made.

On some firmware (e.g, MIUI 13 for Redmi Note 10 Pro) this item may be called Pop-up notifications on the locked screen.

πŸ’‘

If you stop receiving important alerts (such as calls) after disabling notifications, check the settings of specific applications in the Permissions section. β†’ Auto-run. Some programs require this permission to work properly.

AnnexAdjustment to turn off awakeningAdditional action
WhatsAppSettings β†’ Notifications β†’ Wake up the screenDisable Pop-up Notifications
TelegramSettings β†’ Notifications and sounds β†’ Wake up the screenDisable Message Preview
GmailSettings β†’ Notifications β†’ Sound and vibrationSelect No Sound and Turn off Vibration
System notificationsSettings β†’ Notifications β†’ System NotificationsTurn off the screen for each type

Method 3: Turning off sensors that cause the awakening

On Xiaomi smartphones, not only gestures can wake up the screen, but sensors can also respond to it -- proximity, light, accelerometer. If previous methods have failed, the problem may be that they're not working properly. Let's see how to fix this.

Disabling the proximity sensor

The proximity sensor often works falsely, especially if there's a protective glass or a metallic coated film on the screen, to turn it off:

  1. Go to Settings β†’ About Phone β†’ MIUI version and tap 7 times on the build number to activate the developer mode.
  2. Return to the main settings menu and open Additional β†’ for developers.
  3. Find the option to Disable the proximity sensor (on some firmware - Ignore the proximity sensor) and activate it.

If this option is not available, try an alternative method:

Settings β†’ Applications β†’ Application Management β†’ Three points (menu) β†’ Show system β†’ Find the β€œapproximation sensor” β†’ Disable

Calibration of the illumination sensor

The illumination sensor may cause the screen to turn on accidentally, especially in dark rooms.

  1. Open the settings β†’ Display β†’ Brightness.
  2. Turn off the automatic brightness.
  3. Turn it back on, and the system will suggest calibrating the sensor.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen by placing the phone under bright light and then in the shade.
What to do if the sensors are not turned off?
If the sensors don't turn off through the settings, the problem could be the firmware. Try: 1. Update MIUI Up to the latest version through Settings β†’ System Update. 2. Reset sensor settings via Settings β†’ System system β†’ Resetting settings β†’ Reset sensor settings. 3. If nothing helps, you may need to reflash the device via Fastboot (for power users only).

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the proximity sensor can cause problems during calls - the screen will not go out when you bring the phone to your ear.If this is critical, instead of completely turning off, try to reduce the sensor sensitivity through the engineering menu (code #6484##).

Method 4: Use ADB-commands to completely shut down the awakening (without root)

If the standard methods do not work, you can resort to ADB-The method works on all Xiaomi smartphones with an unlocked bootloader (even if there are no root rights) and is universally possible to disable the screen awakening at the system level).

Preparation for working with ADB

You'll need:

  • πŸ–₯️ Computer with Windows, macOS or Linux;
  • πŸ“± USB-cable (preferably original);
  • πŸ”§ Utility. ADB (You can download from the official website of Android Developers);
  • πŸ”“ Included debugging by USB phone-on.

To enable debugging over USB:

  1. Activate Developer Mode (7 taps according to the MIUI version in the phone settings).
  2. Back to Settings β†’ Additionally. β†’ For developers.
  3. Turn on USB debugging and confirm the permission.

Disabling the awakening through ADB

Connect your phone to your computer and execute the following commands at the Terminal (Command Prompt or Terminal):

adb shell


settings put global double_tap_to_wake 0




settings put global pick_up_gesture 0




settings put global pocket_mode 0

These teams will shut down:

  • πŸ‘†πŸ‘† Double touch to wake up;
  • πŸ“± The gesture "Raise to wake up";
  • πŸ‘– Pocket mode (waking up when extracted from the pocket).

To make the changes effective, restart your phone:

adb reboot

πŸ’‘

ADB-commands allow you to disable the screen awakening at the system level, which is impossible to do through standard settings MIUI. This method is particularly useful for devices with custom firmware or modified cores.

⚠️ Attention: After update MIUI settings established through ADB, To avoid this, repeat the commands after updating or create a script to automatically apply the settings.

Method 5: Virus Checking and Application Background Optimization

Sometimes, malicious applications or programs that aggressively use background processes cause the screen to wake up, such as some battery-saving games or apps, which can wake up the screen to "optimize." Here's how to check and fix it.

Search for suspicious applications

Follow the instructions:

  1. Open Settings β†’ Battery and Performance β†’ Battery Use
  2. See the list of applications consuming the battery in the background.
  3. If an app is unusually high in consumption (like Clean Master or an unknown game), tap it.
  4. Select Background Activity Management and turn off Autostart and Background Activity.

Virus testing

Use the built-in MIUI antivirus or third-party software (such as Malwarebytes):

  1. Open Security. β†’ Antivirus.
  2. Run a deep scan.
  3. If threats are found, remove suspicious apps.

Also check the list of installed applications for the presence of unfamiliar programs:

Settings β†’ Applications β†’ Application Management β†’ Sorting by installation date

Optimizing the application background

MIUI It has an integrated optimization feature that sometimes wakes up the screen to clear the background:

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Battery and Performance β†’ Mode Selection.
  2. Choose Performance over Balanced or Battery Savings.
  3. Turn off Optimization when you lock the screen (if any).

πŸ’‘

If you notice that the screen is waking up at the same time (for example, at night), check your settings. β†’ Annexes β†’ Alarms and reminders: Perhaps some app (like Google Clock or Mi Fit) is set to wake up the screen to show reminders.

More tips: How to prevent screen waking up in the future

Even after all gestures and sensors are turned off, the screen may turn on due to external factors, and here are some tips on how to minimize the risk:

  • πŸ›‘οΈ Use a magnetic lock case – many Xiaomi cases have a magnet that automatically locks the screen when closed.
  • πŸ”„ Update the firmware - in new versions MIUI They often fix sensor bugs. Check for updates in Settings. β†’ Updating the system.
  • πŸ“΅ Turn off mobile data at night – this will prevent the screen from waking up due to nighttime notifications (for example, from Viber or Email).
  • πŸ”‹ Use Do Not Disturb mode – it blocks all notifications and screen wakes at a given time (Settings) β†’ Don't disturb).

If you often put your phone down, check the autoturn settings:

Settings β†’ Display β†’ Autoturn

On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T) Autorotation can conflict with wake sensors, especially if the phone is lying on a soft surface.

What to do if nothing helps: radical measures

If you’ve tried all the ways, but the screen still wakes up on its own, perhaps the problem lies deeper:

  • πŸ”„ Resetting your settings to factory is a last resort, but it helps in 90% of cases where the problem is caused by a firmware failure.Be sure to back up (Settings) β†’ System system β†’ Backup).
  • πŸ› οΈ Fastboot Flashing – If the reset didn’t help, try reinstalling MIUI It's using the official Mi Flash Tool, which requires an unlocked bootloader.
  • πŸ”§ Replace the proximity sensor -- if the screen only wakes up when you put your hand up, it's possible that the sensor is physically damaged.

Before resetting the settings, try the test mode:

  1. Launch your phone in safe mode (hold the power button) β†’ long-tail β†’ Safe regime).
  2. Check if the screen is waking up in this mode, and if it's not, it's a problem in one of the apps installed.

⚠️ Warning: If the screen is wakened by overheating of the phone or rapid battery discharge, this may indicate a hardware malfunction (e.g. short circuit on the screen plume.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the screen wake up on Xiaomi

Can I turn off the screen only while sleeping?
Yes, for this, use the mode Do not disturb (Settings). β†’ Do not disturb. Set a schedule (e.g. 23:00 to 7:00) and activate the option to turn off screen wake-up in mode settings. You can also manually turn on Do not disturb before bedtime.
Why After Updating MIUI The screen has started to wake up again?
Updates MIUI frequently reset user settings, including those set through ADB. After the update, re-turn off the wake-up gestures in the settings or perform ADB-To avoid this in the future, create an automatic script (for example, through Tasker) that will apply the settings after the reboot.
How to turn off the screen awakening when connecting charging?
This feature can be deactivated via charging settings: Go to Settings β†’ Battery and productivity β†’ Charging settings. Turn off the option to wake up the screen when charging is connected or show charging status. If this option is not available, use ADB-Adb shell settings put global charging_wake_up 0
Will your fingerprint work if you turn off all wake-up gestures?
Yes, fingerprint scanner and facial recognition will continue to work regardless of the screen wake settings, using separate unlock mechanisms and independent of gestures or wake sensors, but if you turn off all unlocking options (including the use of a single unlock mechanism). PIN-code, the phone will become unusable.
Can I turn off screen wake-up only for specific applications?
Yes, but not for everyone. Some applications (like the Ringer or the Alarm clock) have priority and can wake up the screen regardless of settings. β†’ Notifications and status bar β†’ Notification management. Select the application and turn off Screen Wake and Pop-up Notifications. System applications (e.g. Messages) may need to ADB root-access.