Today’s Xiaomi smartphones have impressive functionality that is often hidden from the eyes of the average user. One of the most useful but little-known features is the ability to create a Second Space. It’s not just a replica of the desktop, but a fully isolated environment that works in parallel with the main system. In this article, we will discuss how to effectively use this tool to separate personal and work lives.
Imagine you have two different phones in your pocket, one with work chats, corporate email and documents, the other with personal photos, games and social media, and that's the logic of MIUI or HyperOS, so you don't have to buy a second gadget or reboot your device to hide some apps and show others, just do a few simple things in the settings.
This is especially relevant for those who value privacy or have to hand over the phone to their children, so you can set up a separate password or fingerprint to log into a hidden profile, and the data in the main system will remain completely inaccessible to outsiders, so let's take a look at the process of creating and switching between spaces in as much detail as possible.
What is the Second Space and Why is it Necessary?
The second space is a virtual copy of the operating system inside your smartphone, and technically, it's a separate user profile with its own set of apps, gallery, contacts, and notes, and unlike just hiding folders, here the data is physically separated, and the apps installed in the main profile are not visible in the second one, and vice versa.
Why would a normal user want this? First of all, for digital detox and context-sharing. When you're in the workplace, you don't care about notifications from Instagram or Telegram. You're completely focused on tasks. When you switch to your personal space in the evening, you leave work and forget about work chats.
⚠️ Attention: Data between spaces is not automatically synchized, and if you downloaded a file in the main profile, the second one won't be until you hand it over manually.
Another important aspect is security: You can give your child a phone by turning on the Second Space mode with a set of children's games and YouTube Kids, and the child will not be able to accidentally delete important files, send a message or make a purchase from the online store, because access to the main system will be blocked.
Step-by-step: how to create a new profile
The activation process takes less than a minute, but it requires careful adjustment of security settings, and you first need to go to the appropriate settings menu, and the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but the logic remains the same.
Open the standard Settings app on your device. Scroll down to About Phone or find Additional Features (some versions call it "Special Features"). That's where the option is hidden. Click on it to open the profile management menu.
☑️ Creating a Second Space
Once you press the creation button, the system will suggest you choose the login method, so you can use the same unlock key as the main screen, but then the switch will occur through the menu, and a more advanced option is to assign a separate fingerprint or pin code, in which case the phone will know which profile to load, just by which finger you put on the scanner.
The system will warn you that the process of creation may take some time. This is normal, because there is a cloning of system libraries. Once completed, you will see a clean desktop, resembling the phone you just bought, and you can now customize it to suit your needs.
Can the second space be removed?
How to quickly switch between profiles
Once you have created a second profile, it becomes a question of ease of navigation. It is inconvenient to constantly search for the desired option in the depth of the menu. Xiaomi system offers several ways to quickly transition, which are worth mastering for comfortable use.
The fastest method is to use the assigned fingerprint, and if you've given different fingers to different profiles (like the thumb of the right hand for the main and the left for the second), the lock screen will determine the context itself. Just put the right finger on the scanner, and the phone unlocks immediately in the right space.
If you prefer graphical interfaces, use a switch widget. It's usually added to the desktop automatically after the second space is created, you can also call the control panel (curtain) and find the corresponding icon there. In some versions of the firmware, it looks like two intersecting squares.
| Method | Speed of access | Convenience | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fingerprint. | Instantly. | High. | Tall. |
| Widget on screen | 1-2 seconds | Average. | Low (incoming) |
| Password at the entrance | Depends on the length. | Low. | Tall. |
| Voice command | 3-5 seconds | Average. | Low. |
Keep in mind that switching between spaces is actually logging out of one account and logging into another, so open apps in the second profile can curl up or shut down if the system lacks RAM. Heavy games are better closed before switching.
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Set up different wallpapers for each space, which will help you visually understand what profile you are in, and not send a personal photo to the work chat by mistake.
Access setting and file transfer
One of the biggest challenges for beginners is data isolation, because you can't just open a file from the main storage in the second space, but Xiaomi's developers have a secure data exchange mechanism.
To transfer files, photos or contacts, use the built-in Data Moving feature, which can be found in the settings of the second space or through a special application switch. You select the type of data (for example, images), mark the desired files and confirm the copy. The system will create a copy of the file in the new profile.
- 📁 Photos and videos: transmitted through a gallery or file manager marked "Move to second space".
- 📞 Contacts: imported from the main phone book through the contact settings in the second profile.
- 📝 Notes: require manual copying of text or exporting, as there is no direct synchronization.
It's important to understand the difference between copying and moving. When you copy, the file stays in both places, taking up double the amount of memory; when you move, the original is deleted from the source; and keep an eye out for free storage space, especially if you're working with heavy video files.
⚠️ Note: When transferring files through standard means, messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram) may not see files from another space.
Application removal and resource management
Each space consumes the resources of the device. The apps installed in both profiles take up space twice, for example, if Instagram is there and there, it takes up twice the amount of cache and data, and this should be considered by smartphone owners with a small amount of internal memory.
Delete the apps independently. You can remove the game from the main profile and it will remain in the second. To manage, use the standard Settings → Applications menu, which will indicate how much space a particular application takes up in the current active profile.
You should pay special attention to background processes. Some applications can continue to work or consume traffic even when they are curled up. If you want to completely isolate the second profile, for example, for a child, turn off mobile data or Wi-Fi access through network settings.
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Each app in the second space works as a separate instance, which means you can logged in to two different accounts at the same time (like two WhatsApp accounts).
Frequent problems and their solution
Despite the system's fine-tuning, users may encounter difficulties, most often due to forgotten passwords or application version conflicts, and if you forget the password from the second space, it is impossible to restore it without resetting the data for security reasons.
Sometimes, after updating the firmware, the function may not work smoothly: the switch widget disappears or the fingerprint is no longer recognized, in which case, try to delete the second space and create it again, saving important data beforehand.
If the application crashes or doesn't launch in the second space, check its compatibility. Some banking applications may block work in the cloned environment due to security requirements, in which case only using the application in the main profile will help.