How to open the settings for a developer on Xiaomi: a secret method in 30 seconds

Why you need a developer settings on Xiaomi and what they give

Developer mode on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones is a hidden menu section that gives access to advanced operating system features. Many users are not even aware of its existence, although it can dramatically improve the operation of the device, for example, you can speed up the animation of the interface, unlock debugging over USB for firmware or disable background processes, saving battery power.

But there's a caveat: the manufacturer hides this section for a reason, and some parameters, if used incorrectly, can disrupt the stability of the work. MIUI So before you activate the developer mode, it's important to understand what you need it for, gamers will find options to reduce the input delay, photographers will find camera settings that are not available in standard mode, and you'll find options to reduce the input delay. IT-Experts will be able to test applications without restrictions.

In this article, we’ll not only look at how to turn on developer mode on Xiaomi of any generation (from the old Android 8 models to the flagships of 2026 on MIUI 14), but also tell you which settings should be changed first and which should not be touched.

Step-by-step: how to activate the developer mode on Xiaomi

The process of enabling hidden settings is the same for all Xiaomi devices, regardless of model – be it Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 or Xiaomi 13 Ultra. The main condition: the smartphone must have official MIUI firmware (even if it is a global or Chinese version). If you use custom firmware like LineageOS or Pixel Experience, the path to settings may differ.

Here is the general algorithm for MIUI 12/13/14:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Scroll down and select About Phone (on some models it may be called About Device or Phone Information).
3. Find the line MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row, the system will start counting: after the 3rd touch, the notification will appear "You are almost there!", and after the 7th it will be a message "You became a developer!".
4. Return to the main Settings menu, and a new section will appear — Additional → Settings for Developers (or just Developers in newer versions of MIUI).

If nothing happens after 7 taps, check:

• 🔍 Correct line: on some models (e.g, POCO X3 Pro) you need to tap the Assembly number, not the version MIUI.
• 📱 No Child Mode: If Parental Control is enabled on the smartphone, access to the developer’s settings can be blocked.
• 🔄 System Updates: On Very Old Versions MIUI (Below 10) the path to activation may differ.

Where to find the developer settings after activation

Once the developer mode is successfully enabled, the new section can be hidden in different menu locations depending on the MIUI version.

If a partition suddenly disappears after the MIUI update, don't panic - this is normal system behavior. Just repeat the activation procedure (7 taps according to MIUI), and it will appear again. Also check if the settings have reset after the update: sometimes the system automatically turns off the developer mode to "protect" the user.

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To quickly find a section, use the search in Settings: enter the “developer” request in the search bar at the top of the screen.

Top.-5 Useful settings for developers on Xiaomi

Now that you know how to open a developer's settings on Xiaomi, let's see what you can and should change. Not all settings are equally useful: some are designed to test applications, others are designed to optimize performance. We selected the 5 most popular options that will be useful to the average user.

1. Accelerating interface animation

By default, MIUI uses smooth animations when opening apps, returning to the home screen, and switching between tasks. It looks beautiful, but slows down the smartphone.

• 📱 Go to Settings for Developers.
• 🔍 Find the settings: Windows animation scale (install) 0.5x or disable) Transition animation scale (recommended 0.5x) The duration of the animator (optimum) 0.5x)

These changes will make the interface more responsive, especially on budget models like the Redmi 9A or the POCO M4 Pro.

2. USB debugging (for firmware and ADB)

If you plan to flash your smartphone through Fastboot or use ADB for advanced settings, turn on:

• 🔌 Debugging by USB (main-switch)
• 🔒 Unlocking OEM (necessary to unlock the loader)

Background processes

MIUI aggressively shuts down background apps to save battery, if you need instant messengers or music services to work in the background:

• 📵 Find the parameter Limit of background processes.
• 🔄 Set the Standard Limit or No Limits (but this will increase battery consumption).

4. GPU-acceleration

For gamers, it is useful to include:

• 🎮 Disable overlay processing GPU (reduces the lags in games)
• 🖥️ Enforcement of use GPU (rendering 2D-charting)

5. Simulation of additional screens

App developers will benefit from the option to simulate additional displays, which allows them to test the adaptability of the interface under different resolutions without having to have physical devices.

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Do not change parameters whose name contains the words “mock”, “spoof” or “override” unless you understand their purpose, this can cause sensors or network functions to malfunction.

Dangerous settings: what not to touch without need

Not all of the parameters in the Developer section are harmless.

• 🚨 Disrupt the network (e.g., disable the absolute signal level will result in an incorrect display of the level) Wi-Fi/linkage).
• ⚠️ Reset settings (Reset network settings option will delete all saved Wi-Fi passwords).
• 🔋 Increase battery consumption (turning on Do not turn off the screen will discharge the battery in a few hours).
• 📱 Disable the smartphone (change in the parameters Sensors or the Core can lead to a "brick»).

⚠️ Note: If you have enabled Screen Inactivity (Sleep), the smartphone will not lock automatically.This is easy to read, but the risk of accidental touch and battery discharge increases by 3 times. Always return the value to the default after use.

Also avoid changes in the following sections:

• 🛠️ Monitoring – here you can accidentally turn on a record of all touches, which will fill the memory with logs.
• 📡 Network – Incorrect settings lead to loss of connection to the mobile Internet.
• 🔧 Hardware acceleration – changing rendering parameters can cause artifacts on the screen.

If after the changes, the smartphone began to slow down, overheat or behave strangely, return all parameters to factory values or reset settings through Recovery and Reset.

How to turn off the developer mode on Xiaomi

If you no longer need advanced settings or want to return your smartphone to standard, there are two ways to turn off developer mode:

Method 1: Through settings

1. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
2. In the upper right corner, press the switch (it should turn grey).
3. Confirm the action if the system requests a password or PIN.

Method 2: Reset all settings

If the first method fails (for example, after the MIUI update), do:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Network Reset or Reset all settings (the second option will delete all data!).

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12T or Redmi K50) After disabling the developer mode, the section disappears from the menu, but it can be activated again in the standard way (7 taps according to the version). MIUI). However, any changes you make to your settings will be reset to default values.

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after successful activation of the developer mode, users face difficulties.

1.The "For Developers" section is gone after the update

This is standard MIUI behavior. After major updates (e.g., from MIUI 13 to MIUI 14), the system resets access to hidden settings.

• 🔄 Repeat the activation procedure (7 taps according to the version) MIUI).
• 📱 If it doesn’t help, check if the settings are reset to factory (sometimes updates do it automatically).

2. USB debugging doesn't work

If the device is not defined in ADB when connecting to a PC:

• 🔌 Make sure that the Xiaomi drivers are installed on the PC (you can download it on the official website).
• 🔒 Turn on Debugging. USB (security parameters in the developer settings.
• 📱 Reboot your smartphone and PC.

3.The smartphone overheats after changes

If you've enabled Forced GPU use or changed the Background settings, the device may start to warm up.

• 🔥 Return all settings to the Default Values section for developers.
• 📉 Disable unnecessary background apps in the Battery and Performance section.

4. Changes do not persist

On some models (e.g. the POCO F4 GT), MIUI blocks changes to the developer settings if Protected Mode is enabled.

• 🔒 Turn off Protected Mode in Settings → Special facilities.
• 🔄 Reset the device.

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If after changes in the developer settings, the smartphone began to work unstable, the first thing to check the parameters of animation and background processes – their incorrect configuration causes 80% of problems.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions