How to extend the lock time on Xiaomi: from 15 seconds to “never”

Your Xiaomi screen goes out too quickly, interrupting reading, watching videos or working with documents? Standard 15-30 seconds of timeout in MIUI often prove insufficient, especially if you use your smartphone as an e-book or navigator. Fortunately, the system offers several ways to increase the time to automatically lock — from official settings to hidden features for power users.

In this article, we will discuss all the current methods for Redmi devices, POCO and Xiaomi on the base MIUI 12–14 and HyperOS. You will learn how to change the timeout through the settings menu, bypass the restrictions with the help of ADB, customize exceptions for individual applications and even disable the lock altogether, given the impact on autonomy. AMOLED-screens where constant backlighting can lead to pixel burnout with prolonged use of static images.

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in system options, which is suitable for most users and does not require superuser rights or a PC connection.

1. Open Settings and go to the Screen section (or Display in some firmware versions).
2. Select Screen Lock (sometimes called Sleep After or Screen Timeout).
3. In the list of available values, select the appropriate interval: from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.

On the new versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS, the path may be slightly different: Settings → Display → Additional → Sleep after.

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If your menu doesn’t have a “Screen Lock” option, try searching by settings (the magnifier icon in the upper right corner) and enter a “timeout” or “sleep” request.

• ⏳ Limitation MIUI: The maximum value in standard settings is 10 minutes. For longer periods, alternative methods will be required.
• 🔋 Battery impact: Increasing the timeout to 5-10 minutes can reduce battery life by 8-15% (depending on model and screen type).
• 📱 Exceptions: On some models (e.g, POCO F5) Smart lock is available, which adapts the timeout depending on the activity.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with AMOLED-displays (e.g. Xiaomi 13 or Redmi) K60) Extended work without locking the screen speeds up pixel burnout. If you want constant access to information, use Always on Screen (AoD) mode instead of increasing the timeout.

Method 2: Use the Always on Screen (AoD) mode

For owners of smartphones with AMOLED-The alternative to the screens (most flagships and mid-budget models of Xiaomi after 2019) is Always-on Display (AoD), which displays minimal information (time, notifications, battery power) when the main display is off, saving energy.

How to turn on the AoD:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Always on the screen.
2. Select the display style (such as Dial or Text).
3. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.
4. In the Schedule section, set up work hours (for example, only at night or constantly).

AoD consumes significantly less power than the main screen, but has limitations:

• 📵 Does not display a full application interface (only time, date, notifications).
• 🔄 Does not work at low battery charge (usually below 10-15%).
• 🎨 On some models (Xiaomi) 12T) AoD color scheme is available to reduce power consumption.

Method 3: ADB-commands for extended settings

If the standard 10 minutes are not enough, you can increase the timeout to 30 minutes or even turn off automatic locking using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and turning on the developer mode.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone. Click 7 times on MIUI Version until the notification “You’ve become a developer” appears.

Activate debugging via USB:

• Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• Turn on the debugging switch over USB.
• Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission.
• Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb shell settings put global screen_off_timeout 1800000

Where 1800000 is time in milliseconds (30 minutes).

• 300000 = 5 minutes
• 600000 = 10 minute
• 3600000 = 1 hour
• -1 = disable the lock completely (not recommended!).

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC|Enable the developer mode|Activate debugging by USB|Connect your phone to the original cable|Check the connection with the team `adb devices`-->

⚠️ Attention: Disabling Automatic Locking (screen_off_timeout -1) This mode can cause accidental pocket pressing and accelerated battery discharge, and only use this mode when connected to a charge or under controlled conditions.

To return the standard settings, run the command:

adb shell settings delete global screen_off_timeout

Method 4: Set up exceptions for individual applications

If you want your screen to stay on screen only in certain apps (like Google Maps or Waze), use the MIUI Lock Exclusions feature:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Permissions → Screen lock exclusions.
2. Select the applications for which you want to turn off timeout (for example, navigators, video players, e-books).
3. Activate the switch next to the name of each application.

This method is convenient because:

• 📱 Does not affect the total screen lock time in other applications.
• 🔋 Saves battery power as the screen does not burn constantly.
• 🎯 It works even if the main timeout is set to a minimum value (15 seconds).

On some models (POCO X3 Pro, Redmi Note 11), this section may be called AutoRun or Battery → Consumption Management. If you don't find an item, search by settings.

Method 5: Third-party applications for screen control

If built-in methods don’t work, third-party utilities from Google Play can be used, offering flexible timeout settings, including:

• 🕒 Dynamic change of lock time depending on the application.
• 🔄 Automatic on/off screen on schedule.
• 📱 Control gestures (such as shaking to wake up).

Top.-3 tested applications:

1. Keep Screen On is a simple switch to keep the screen on.
2. Caffeine – Adds a notification panel for quick timeout management.
3. Screen Alive – supports exceptions for applications and schedules.

Example of Caffeine setup:

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open it and give permission to change system settings.
3. In the notification panel will appear the icon of coffee – click on it to turn off the lock.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (e.g. Screen Alive) require permissions for special features. Do not give them to little-known utilities - this may threaten the security of your data.

Method 6: Manually disable lock via engineering menu (for advanced)

On older Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi 4X, Mi A1) or custom firmware, you can use an engineering menu to manage timeout.This method is risky and can lead to crashes, so it is recommended only for advanced users.

Instructions:

1. Open the phone app and enter the code: ##4636##
2. In the menu that opens, select Battery Information.
3. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select the screen timeout settings (the title may differ).
4. Set the desired value or disable the lock.

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The engineering menu is designed to test the device and may contain dangerous options. Change only the settings you believe in!

On newer versions of MIUI and HyperOS, this code may not work, and the alternative is to use applications like MTK Engineering Mode (for devices running MediaTek processors) or Qualcomm EngineerMode (for Snapdragon).

FAQ: Frequent questions about screen locking on Xiaomi