Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: a complete guide to using a smartphone

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7

Snapdragon 660

4,000 mAh

In this article, we will not only look at the basic features of calls, messages and photos, but also the hidden settings that will help extend battery life, speed up the system and improve the quality of shooting, and pay special attention to the typical mistakes that users make when they first get acquainted with MIUI, the Xiaomi brand shell.

If you’ve just unpacked the box or have been using the Redmi Note 7 for months and feel like the device isn’t working at full capacity, this is for you. We’ll skip the technical terms, but we’ll cover all the key aspects, from setting up the double tap to wake up the screen to optimizing autobrightness to save charge.

First Installing and Basic Setup

When you first launch the Redmi Note 7, you will be asked to choose a language, connect to a Wi-Fi network and log into your Mi Account, which is not mandatory, but without it, you will not be able to use branded services such as cloud backup or search for a device through Find Device.

If you missed the setup at the initial stage, you can always complete it later. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone → Additional → Initial setting. Here you can reset all the settings to factory if the smartphone started to work unstable.

• 📱 Language and region: Select Russian (Russia) to avoid font display problems in some applications.
• 🔒 Screen lock: Install PIN-pattern lock or code – Fingerprint is configured later.
• 📲 Google Services: If you don’t plan to use Gmail or YouTube, turn them off in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

Note: When you first connect to Wi-Fi, your smartphone can automatically download MIUI updates. If the internet is slow, it’s best to postpone this action. To cancel, go to Settings → About Phone → System Update and click Pause.

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If the smartphone takes a long time to boot on the first turn on (more than 5 minutes), don’t panic – this is normal for a Redmi Note 7 with factory firmware.

Screen and gesture settings

The Redmi Note 7 supports both classic navigation buttons and gestures, which save space on the screen and speed up interaction.

Settings → Screen → Full-screen mode

Choose the MIUI Gesture option and practice:

• 👆 Swipe up from the bottom edge – return to the main screen.
• 👆 Swipe up and hold – open the app menu.
• 👈 Turn left to right and go back.

For convenience, you can set up a double tap to wake up the screen. This feature is included in:

Settings → Screen → Double touch to wake up

We also recommend calibrating autobrightness, and by default, the light sensor doesn't always work correctly.

1. Open the settings → Screen → Autobrightness.
2. Turn off the function, set comfortable brightness manually.
3. Turn on the autobrightness back – now it will take into account your preferences.

Optimizing the battery and charging

The 4000mAh battery in the Redmi Note 7 provides up to 2 days of moderate use, but many users are facing rapid discharge due to background processes.

• 🔋 Enable energy saving mode in Settings → Battery → Energy saving regime.
• 🚫 Limit the background activity of applications: Settings → Battery → Choice of applications → Limit background activity for unnecessary programs.
• 🌙 Activate the dark theme in Settings → Screen. → Dark topic – it reduces energy consumption AMOLED-screens (Redmi Note 7 has a screen) IPS, But a dark topic still reduces the strain on the eyes).

A critical feature of the Redmi Note 7: the smartphone supports fast charging of 18 watts, but the complete adapter only gives 10 watts. To charge the device at full speed, purchase the original Xiaomi 18 watt charger (model MDY-08-EU).

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Never discharge the Redmi Note 7 to 0% - this reduces battery life.The optimal charge range is 20% to 80%.

Camera: hidden functions and settings

The 48-megapixel main camera of the Redmi Note 7 is capable of taking high-quality pictures, but only with the right settings. By default, the camera app uses pixel-combination mode (4-in-1), delivering 12-megapixel photos with better detail.

Open the camera → Settings (cogs) → Resolution → 48 MP

To improve nighttime photography, turn on Night mode (the moon icon at the top menu) and automatically takes multiple frames and combines them to reduce noise, and it is also useful to activate HDR (high dynamic range) in brightly lit scenes.

• 📸 Portrait mode: Works only on the main camera. For better background blur, keep the object at a distance 1-2 square.
• 🎥 Video 4K: Available, but takes up a lot of space.To enable: Camera settings → Video resolution → 4K.
• 🔍 Macro mode: Use 2-Megapixel auxiliary camera for shooting small objects (distance) 2-5 centimeter).

Clear the lens of your fingerprints |

Turn off digital zoom (use optics only)|

Set white balance manually in artificial lighting |

Activate the grid for the correct composition-->

If your photos are blurry, check your focus settings. From the camera menu, select AF (autofocus) or MF (manual focus) for macro photography. Also avoid HEIF, which saves space but may not open on some devices.

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To start the camera quickly, double-press the volume button. This feature is enabled in Settings → Screen Lock and Password → Quick camera start.

Communication and Networks: 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

The Redmi Note 7 supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz), but connects by default to a less stable 2.4 GHz network.

Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Wi-Fi Range → 5 GHz

To speed up the Internet, disconnect the auto-connection to weak networks:

Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → Autoconnection to open networks

If mobile internet is slow, check the APN settings (access points). Most Russian operators have automatic settings, but sometimes require manual input.

Name: MTS


APN: internet.mts.ru




Username/password: mts/mts

• 📶 4G+: Included in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Preferred type of network → 4G (recommended).
• 🔄 Data Transfer: Limit background traffic to Settings → Transfer of data → Background gear.
• 🎧 Bluetooth 5.0: Supports simultaneous connection to two devices (e.g. headphones and fitness bracelet).

Security and confidentiality

The MIUI branded shell collects anonymous data to improve services, but this can be disabled.

Settings → Privacy → Special Permits → Sending Diagnostic Data

We also recommend that you set up permissions for applications manually, for example, many programs request access to geolocation or microphone without needing to, to limit them:

Settings → Privacy → Application permissions

To protect against theft, activate Find Device:

Settings → Mi Account → Find Device

This feature allows you to remotely lock your smartphone, erase data or locate it, and it is also useful to enable bootloader lock so that attackers can not reflash the device:

Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times) → Additional → bootloader Lock Status

⚠️ Note: If you sell or transfer a smartphone to another person, be sure to complete a full reset via Settings. → Additionally. → Recovery and discharge → Resetting settings. Simply deleting an account is not enough - data can be restored!

Updates and firmware: how not to break the smartphone

Xiaomi regularly releases updates for the Redmi Note 7, but not all of them are stable. Before installing a new version of MIUI, check user reviews on forums (for example, 4PDA or XDA Developers). If the update weighs more than 1.5 GB, this means that it contains major changes, it is better to wait for reviews.

To update manually:

1. Download the firmware from the official MIUI Downloads website (choose the Redmi Note 7 version, lavender encoding).
2. Put the file in the folder. downloaded_rom memory-root.
3. Go to Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three Dots → Select a firmware file.

If the smartphone is stuck on the MI logo after the update, perform a hard reset:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up for 10 seconds.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Reboot.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install custom firmware (like LineageOS) without unlocking the bootloader.This can cause the device to blink (total inoperability!

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Before upgrading, check the battery charge - it should be at least 50%. interruption of the process due to discharge can damage system files.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions