How to turn off teletext on Xiaomi TV: the complete guide

Owners of modern Xiaomi Smart TVs often face a situation where an information bar or a translucent window with text appears on top of an image. This phenomenon, known as teletext, can overlap important details of a frame and annoy when watching movies, a feature that appeared long ago, in the era of analog broadcasting, but in digital TVs it has survived as a relic of the past or as a way of displaying news feeds.

However, it is not always the appearance of text on the screen that indicates the enabled teletext function in the classical sense. Often users confuse this option with subtitles embedded in the video stream or with system notifications of the Android TV or PatchWall operating system. It is important to correctly diagnose the source of the problem in order to apply the correct method of disabling. In this article, we will discuss all possible scenarios.

First, you need to determine the type of text you're displaying. If it's a static news or weather bar that appears when you switch channels, it's classic teletext. If it follows actors' dialogues, it's subtitles. It's critical to distinguish between these terms because they're turned off in different menu sections. If you're diagnosed incorrectly, you can spend hours looking for the right setting in the wrong place.

The main reasons for the appearance of text on the screen

Before we get into action, we need to understand why this feature is activated at all. In most cases, teletext launches by accident. Xiaomi Mi TV remote controls have a specific layout where the text call button can be located next to the volume or navigation keys. Careless pressing while watching is the most common reason.

The second reason could be that the digital TV provider automatically turns on, and some IPTV or cable TV providers stream text data along with the video stream, and the TV, following the standard, tries to decode it and show the user, especially in older models where the software can't ignore the extra data.

⚠️ Note: If the text on the screen flashes or looks strange (crackers), this may indicate a signal encoding problem or interference in the antenna, rather than a feature turned on.

Also worth mentioning are third-party apps: TV viewers installed from the Google Play Store may have their own display settings, in which case the TV system settings may not affect the behavior of the particular app, and you need to check the settings inside the service itself.

Using remote buttons for quick shutdown

The fastest way to remove intrusive labels is to use a keyboard combination on the remote control. Xiaomi engineers have provided hotkeys to control functions so that the user does not have to climb into a deep menu every time, which works in 90% of cases if the problem is in the standard teletext.

Look carefully at your remote. Classic layout models often have a button that says TTX, Text, or a piece of paper icon with text. On more modern Bluetooth Mi Remotes, there may not be a separate button, and the functionality is ported to other keys. Try pressing the Menu or Options button while watching TV channels, this will cause a context menu where you can select the display mode.

• 🔘 Find the button. TTX Text and press it once to switch modes.
• 🔘 Use the Subtitle button (often looks like a rectangle with lines) if the text looks like subtitles.
• 🔘 Try the combination. OK + Back (return) to call the hidden flow control menu.

If you press one button, try holding it for 3-5 seconds. In some versions of PatchWall firmware, prolonged retention activates voice search, but in Live TV viewing, this can reset the overlay settings. It is also effective to switch the signal source (for example, from HDMI to a TV tuner and back), which often forcibly reboots the teletext decoder.

Disconnection through the system settings of the TV

If physical buttons don't work, you need to go to the software interface. The Android TV operating system on which Xiaomi TVs are based has centralized accessibility and language options management, and this is where the switch that blocks text data displays is most often hidden.

To enter the menu, click the button with the image of the gear on the remote or select the user profile in the upper right corner. You will need to go to the Settings section, then find the System or General Settings. The interface may differ depending on the PatchWall version, but the logic remains the same: look for sections related to the language or special features.

Within the menu, pay attention to the following subsections:

• 🛠 Special features: here is often a global switch of subtitles and teletext.
• 🌐 Language and input: check the teletext language settings; if you select "Do not use" or "Off", the function must turn off.
• 📺 Channels and inputs: in some models, the decoder settings are made in a separate tuner control unit.

⚠️ Note: After changing the settings in the menu, it may be necessary to restart the TV completely (shutting off the socket for 10 seconds) for the changes to take effect for all applications.

Teletext Language is also a feature worth mentioning: even if the teletext itself is turned off, the TV can try to find and show information if the language is installed in Auto. Forced installation of a language other than the one being broadcast (for example, setting English when broadcasting in Russian, where teletext is not supported) can serve as a kind of “crut” to disable the function.

Managing Subtitles in Applications and Services

This is complicated when the text is not on air TV, but when you run the content through apps like YouTube, Netflix or IVI, and in this case, the system settings of the TV can be ignored, because the application takes priority in managing the video stream, and you need to act inside the service itself.

Most video players have a play menu button, usually OK or Up button while watching, and a timeline overlay will appear on the screen, where you'll see a bubble icon with text or CC on the right or left. Clicking on this icon cyclically switches the subtitles languages or turns them off completely.

If standard methods fail to remove text, you can try a more radical but effective method - cleaning the application data, which will return the player's settings to the factory, removing all user preferences, including forced inclusion of subtitles.

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Before clearing the application data, make sure to remember your login and password to log in to the service account, as you will need to re-authorize.

To perform the reset, go to Settings -> Apps -> All Apps. Find a problem app (like YouTube), select Clear Data and confirm the action. Then run the app again and check if the text is missing. This method also helps if the application is not working properly.

Table: Comparison of disconnection methods

To organize the information and help you choose the right way to solve the problem, we have prepared a summary table that shows which method is most effective depending on the type of signal source and the model of the TV.

As you can see from the table, most of the time, the problem is solved by simple actions, but if none of these methods worked, it may be due to deeper system failures or features of a particular video content that is hard-to-stitch and cannot be turned off software.

Resetting settings and updating firmware

When software glitch reaches a critical level and the TV begins to behave unpredictably, including features that the user has not activated, the only way out is a factory reset, a last resort that is guaranteed to eliminate any software errors, including "stuck" teletext.

Before starting the procedure, be sure to save important data. Reset will delete all installed applications, logins, passwords and personalized settings. The TV will return to the state "out of the box". To complete, go to Settings -> About System (or About Device) -> Reset.

Also, don’t ignore software updates. Xiaomi regularly releases patches that fix PatchWall interface bugs. Often, problems with incorrect display of service information are solved in security or system stability updates.

• 🔄 Check for updates in the About Device section -> System update.
• 💾 If the automatic update does not work, download the firmware from the official website to the USB-flash-drive.
• ⚙️ Install the update manually via the restore menu or file manager.

⚠️ Note: During the firmware update, it is strictly forbidden to turn off the TV from the outlet or interrupt the process, otherwise the device may turn into a "brick" and require repair in the service center.

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Regular firmware updates are the best prevention of software errors associated with incorrect operation of the interface and service functions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)