How to understand the settings of the Xiaomi phone: from MIUI to hidden features

Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones offer hundreds of settings, from obvious to well-hidden. But this richness of features often turns into a headache for the beginner: where to turn off ads, how to set up gestures, why the battery goes down in an hour? This article will not just list menu items, but teach you a systematic approach to setting up the phone — from basic parameters to advanced tweaks.

We will understand which settings are really important for comfortable work, and which can be safely ignored. You will learn how to avoid common bugs (such as why you shouldn’t turn off all background processes), where to look for hidden features like Game Turbo or Second Space, and how to return factory settings if something went wrong. MIUI — Not all advice is universal!

Prepare your Redmi, POCO or Mi, and we'll work it out together. And yes, if you've just unpacked the box, charge your phone to at least 50 percent first: some settings (like software updates) require a sufficient battery level.

1. Basic settings: where to start after the first switch on

The first switch on Xiaomi is always a small quest, and the system offers to go through the initial setup, but many users rush and miss important steps.

• 📱 Link your Mi Account. Cloud backup, device search, and some features like Quick Share will not work without it. If you already have an account on another Xiaomi device, log in under the same data — this synchronizes notes, contacts, and even wallpaper.
• 🔒 Set up the unlock. Fingerprint or facial recognition is more convenient. PIN-code, but keep in mind: on budget models (e.g. Redmi) 12C) The face scanner only works in good light. Add a backup unlock method for reliability.
• 🌐 Select the region of the system. This affects the available services: for example, China will not have Google Play, and Russia may not have some themes. You can change the region later, but you will need to reset your settings.
• 📶 Check the networks. In the settings menu → SIM-Maps and mobile networks make sure it is enabled 4G/5G (If supported) and correctly selected APN-settings for your operator. POCO And global firmware is usually done automatically, but on Chinese versions, manual adjustment may be required.

Note the privacy settings during the initial setup. Xiaomi collects usage data by default (e.g. to improve MIUI), but you can turn off most of the telemetry in the Settings → Memory → Auto Run (yes, this is not obvious!). It is also helpful to disable Settings Recommendations immediately → Basic Settings → Recommendations – this will reduce the amount of advertising in system applications.

⚠️ Note: If you bought your phone with your hands, the first thing you do is complete a reset via Settings. → The phone. → Resetting: The previous owner could have left a tied Mi Account, which would lock the device after flashing it over.

2. Interface and control: gestures, themes, notification panel

MIUI offers one of the most flexible interfaces among Android smartphones, but that's also the main drawback of it - there are too many customization options.

Control gestures (starting with MIUI 12) replace the classic navigation buttons. You can configure them into Settings → Display → Full-screen mode. The best option for most is MIUI Gestures (swipe from the bottom for returns). If you are used to iPhone, choose iOS-style gestures, but note that in some applications (for example, YouTube), they may conflict with internal gestures.

Themes and design – a feature of Xiaomi, but not everyone knows that in addition to the theme store (Themes) → You can install local themes online via.mtz files. For this, download the theme from a trusted source (for example, download the theme from a trusted source, XDA Developers, put the file in the folder MIUI/theme on the internal drive and apply through the themes → My subjects. → Local.

• 🎨 Adaptive wallpaper: in MIUI 14+ And we have Super Wallpaper, which changes with the time of day, and they consume more battery, but they look impressive.
• 📱 Notification panel: you can adjust the order of the tiles of quick settings (hold your finger on any tiles) → Change it. It's useful to add Do Not Disturb Mode and Saving Charge.
• 🔍 Search by settings: can't find the item you want? There's a search bar at the top of the Settings menu - type in a keyword (e.g., type in a keyword, "NFC" or "fingerprint").

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If you lose your gestures or theme after the MIUI update, try resetting the interface settings: Settings → About Phone → Resetting → Resetting the interface settings. This won’t delete your data, but will return the standard display settings.

Performance and battery: how to speed up the phone and extend autonomy

One of the most common complaints about Xiaomi is that it's running out of battery and slowing down, and it's usually due to the wrong background settings or aggressive system optimization, and this is what really works:

Battery optimization:

• 🔋 Adaptive charging: included in Settings → Battery → Battery settings → Adaptive charging: slows battery wear, limiting charge to 80% at night. On models with wireless charging support (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Pro), this feature only works when using the original charger.
• ⚡ Energy saving modes: in Settings → Battery → Battery mode select Balanced for everyday use. Super energy saving turns off background processes and notifications - useful if less than 15% of charge is left.
• 📵 Background Activity: Limit Auto-Run Unnecessary Applications in Settings → Annexes → Application management → Auto-run, especially with social media and instant messengers.

System acceleration:

• 🚀 Cache Cleanup: Do It Once a Month Through Settings → Memory. → Not to be confused with "memory cleansing" -- it closes down background applications and can slow down your work.
• 🔄 Interface animation: for smoothness, reduce animation in Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (Tap 7 times according to version, then return to Additional settings → For developers → Speed of animation).
• 🎮 Game Turbo Mode: Not Just for Games! Enable It in Settings → Special facilities → Game Turbo to prioritize resources in the right apps (e.g. Chrome or Photoshop).

⚠️ Warning: Don’t turn off all background processes in pursuit of battery savings!This will cause notifications to arrive with a delay, and some applications (such as banking) will require constant manual start-up.

Disable Auto-Run for Unnecessary Applications|Enable adaptive charging (if supported)|Set a dark topic (AMOLED-screen)|Turn off device search in the background (Settings) → Google → Devices)|Check the battery consumption list (Settings) → Battery → Battery utilization)

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4.Security and privacy: what to turn off so you don't get tracked

Xiaomi has been in a lot of controversy over user data collection, and fortunately, most of the telemetry can be manually disabled, and here's what you need to do to protect your personal data:

Disconnection of telemetry and advertising:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and tap 7 times according to version to activate Developer Mode.
2. Return to Settings → Additional settings → Developer and disable: Sending error reports Automatically sending crash reports

Settings → Basic settings → Recommendations

Settings → Google → Advertising

Advertising ID

Protection against malware:

• 🛡️ Security MIUI: In Settings → Annexes → Security enable Scan on Installation and Link Checker, which won't replace a full-fledged antivirus, but will cut off some of the threats.
• 🔐 Application Blocking: You can set a password for individual programs (for example, banking) through Settings → Annexes → Application lockdown.
• 📡 Network Protection: C Settings → Connections and sharing → Private DNS Specify dns.google or 1.1.1.1 to protect against phishing.

If you use Xiaomi to work with sensitive data, consider creating Second Space, a separate, secure space with its own apps and settings that is activated by an additional password, and can be found in Settings → Special Features → Second Space.

5. Communications and networks: Wi-Fi, mobile Internet, Bluetooth

Communication problems are one of the most common reasons for contacting Xiaomi service centers, often not because of hardware malfunctions, but because of the wrong settings.

Mobile Internet:

• 📶 Network Selection: C Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Try manually selecting a network operator if the automatic search does not give a stable signal.
• 📞 VoLTE and VoWiFi: These features improve call quality. Include them in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Wi-Fi call / Call by 4G. Some of the scalings may require input APN-operator settings.
• 📡 Double. SIM: if you use two SIM-maps, in Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Double. SIM Set up which card is used for data and which is used for default calls.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth:

• 📶 Autoconnection to Wi-Fi: in Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional settings turn off Connect to open networks automatically to avoid connecting to unsafe points.
• 🔗 Wi-Fi Direct: useful for fast file transfer between Xiaomi devices. → Connections and sharing → Wi-Fi Direct.
• 🎧 Bluetooth Codecs: For the best sound in wireless headphones, choose aptX or LDAC In Settings → Connected devices → Bluetooth settings → Sound quality.

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If the phone doesn’t catch the network after updating MIUI, try resetting the network settings: Settings → About phone → Resetting → Network settings Reset.This will delete all stored Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, but often solves communication problems.

Camera and Multimedia: Hidden Functions and Professional Modes

Xiaomi cameras are known for their software-enhanced imagery, but not everyone knows how to use their potential 100%. Even budget models like the Redmi Note 12 can shoot in RAW, record video in HDR10+ and make timelapses at different speeds.

Hidden camera functions:

• 📸 Professional mode: allows you to manually adjust ISO, To save the settings as a preset, click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Save settings.
• 🎥 Moving photos: in camera settings (Settings) → Moving photos, turn on this feature so that you can save short animations along with the usual shot (like in iPhone Live Photos).
• 🌃 Night Mode for Video: Available on flagships (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, POCO F5 Pro. It's manually activated when shooting in the dark.
• 🔍 Macro mode: on models with a dedicated macro camera (for example, Redmi Note) 11 Pro+) Bring the phone to the object on 2-4 The camera will automatically switch to macro mode.

Optimizing multimedia:

• 🎵 Equator: In Settings → Sound and vibration → Equalizer choose preset or adjust frequencies manually. LDAC It is recommended to turn off the equalizer - it can worsen the sound quality.
• 📺 Mode of the cinema: in Settings → Display. → Mode movies turn on Auto for automatic color correction when watching videos (works on Netflix, YouTube Premium, etc.).
• 🎤 Noise suppression when recording: in the application Dictaphone or video calls, turn on Noise suppression - this will significantly improve the sound quality.

If the camera is soaping or not focusing well, try resetting it: Open the Camera app, go to Settings → Restore default settings. Also check if the lens is closing the case or film, which is a common cause of blurry images.

7 Reset and Recovery: What to Do When Everything Broken

Sometimes MIUI settings are unpredictable, with the phone braking, overheating, or not turning on at all, and factory resets will help, but you should try some milder methods before you do that.

Soft reset (without loss of data):

1. Restart your phone to Safe Mode (hold the power button → long tap on Turn off → Safe Mode). Check if the problem persists - if not, one of the installed apps is to blame.
2. Clear the system cache: Settings → Memory → Cleanup → Cash.
3. Reset the settings of a particular section (such as a network or interface) through Settings → About Phone → Reset settings.

Hard reset (full cleaning):

• 🔄 Through Settings: Settings → The phone. → Resetting settings → Delete all data, you need to enter a password and confirm the action.
• 🛠️ Through Recovery: If the phone doesn't turn on, press Volume Up + Power before the Mi logo appears, then select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data.
• 💾 Restore from backup: After resetting when setting up your phone, select Restore from backup and specify a file from Mi Cloud or local storage.

⚠️ Note: If you sell or give away your phone, make sure to log out of your Mi Account (Settings) → Xiaomi account → Exit) before resetting, otherwise the new owner will not be able to use the device due to the linked account!

Once reset, the phone can run slower for a while — that's OK, since the system indexes files and optimizes apps. Give it 10-15 minutes to "rock" before judging performance.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions