How to make the notification light up the screen on Xiaomi: the full guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a situation where the device is silently lying on the table, missing important calls or messages. This is due to aggressive battery optimization, which turns off the display backlight to save energy. You can turn on the screen when notifying on Xiaomi through system settings, but depending on the version of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, the paths to the desired switches may differ.

Modern Android operating systems tend to minimize power consumption, so the function of "Ambient Display" (Ambledy) or "lock screen" by default may not work as users expect. Instead of constantly burning or brightly turning on every message, the phone only slightly highlights the clock or ignores incoming data unless the application is added to the exceptions. Understanding the logic of the notification system is the first step to properly configuring your gadget.

In this article, we will explore all the ways to make the display light up when a call or message arrives, not only the standard menus, but also the hidden settings of the developer, and also explore why specific applications like WhatsApp or Telegram may not wake the screen, even if the general settings are activated.

Basic setting of the function "Block screen"

The main backlight control tool is in the lock screen settings section, which determines whether the display will respond to external stimuli. To get to the desired menu, go to Settings → Lock screen. In some versions of the firmware, this item may be called "lock screen and password" or simply located inside the "Always on screen and lock screen".

Inside this menu, you need to find a switch that responds to events, which can be called "Show notifications and incoming calls" or "Switch on the screen when you receive notifications." Activation of this slider is a fundamental requirement for the function to work. Without it, any further manipulation of individual applications will not work, since the system at the kernel level prevents the display from waking up.

⚠️ Note: Some global versions of the firmware MIUI For Europe, this item may be hidden or renamed "Notifications on the Lock Screen." If you do not see an explicit indication to turn on the screen, check the privacy settings.

It's worth noting that even when the feature is on, the screen may not light up if the phone is down screen or in your pocket. The proximity sensor and accelerometer lock the backlight to avoid accidental taps and charge consumption. The Pocket Mode feature takes precedence over notification settings, so don't wait for the screen to turn on while the device is in your bag.

Set up notifications for specific applications

Often, the shared switch is active, the phone is on the table with a screen up, but when a message comes from Viber or Instagram, the screen remains black. This means that a particular application does not have permission to wake up the device.

Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Application Notifications. Find the right program, such as WhatsApp, in the list. Make sure the Allow Notifications slider is on. Next, click on the name of the app itself (not the slider) to enter the detailed settings. Here, it is critical to find the item "On the Lock Screen" and select the option "Show notifications and their content" or the same.

It is important to check the category settings within the app. In modern versions of Android, notifications are divided into categories (messages, groups, calls). For each category, you need to individually check the settings. Notification priority should be set to High or Urgent, so that the system understands the importance of the event and wakes the screen.

• 📱 Open the settings of a specific application in the list of programs.
• 🔔 Go to the Notifications section and find the Messages category".
• ⚡ Make sure you check the “Sound Alert” or “Important Notification” box".
• 👁️ Check that the "lock screen" section is "Show everything".

Always Screen On (AOD) as an Alternative

On smartphones with AMOLED-With displays (most flagships and mid-budget Xiaomi models), there is a more elegant solution – Always On Display. Instead of fully lighting the matrix, the phone displays only the watch and icon of the new message on a black background. This consumes minimal energy and solves the problem of missed notifications.

To activate AOD, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. Here you can choose the display style. Some styles are dynamic and respond to notifications by changing the picture or adding an unread message counter. AMOLED technology allows only individual pixels to glow, leaving the rest black and off.

There are several modes of operation of this feature. You can set the AOD on schedule (for example, from 8:00 to 23:00) or on event (only when you receive a notification), the second option is closest to the request "how to make the screen light up", since the display lights up at the moment of the event, but in energy-efficient mode.

⚠️ Attention: Function AOD Only available on screens made with technology AMOLED. If you have a budget model with IPS-with a matrix (such as some versions of Redmi Note or Redmi A), this settings section will be missing or the function will not work.

In the AOD style settings, you can often find the "Show notifications" option, make sure it's activated, in which case when a message arrives on a black background, an icon will appear, which allows you to quickly assess the importance of the message without even touching the phone or turning on the main screen completely.

Special features and gesture management

MIUI and HyperOS have additional tools that can help control the screen, and the Special Features section (or "Additional Settings") often hides the non-touch controls, which are designed primarily for people with disabilities, but can be used by anyone.

One of the useful features is "Look Control" or "Lift to Turn On." The last option makes the screen light up when you pick up the phone. The "Raise + Notification" combination gives you almost 100% guarantee that you will notice a message. You can find this feature by way of Settings → Additional Settings → Special Features → Tab "Physical" → Lift to Enable.

Also worth mentioning is the "Double-touch to turn on" feature, which, although it requires physical contact, allows you to instantly see the contents of the notification if the screen is turned off. It's not exactly automatic on, but a useful related skill. Activated under Settings → Lock screen → Double-touch to turn on the screen.

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Use a combination of features: turn on "Raise to turn on" along with displaying notifications, so the phone will respond to both events and your movement, which minimizes the risk of missing an important call.

Impact of energy saving mode on illumination

The most common reason why the screen stopped lighting up when notified is the active power saving mode. Xiaomi's system is known for its aggressive optimization, which can completely turn off the background activity of applications and prevent the display from waking up in order to save every percentage of charge.

Check if you have Power Saving or Ultra Saving mode on. If the slider is active (usually the battery icon in the notification curtain is yellow or green), try turning it off and check the notifications. In ultra-saving mode, only calls and SMS work, all other applications are blocked.

Then there's Battery and Performance. Go to the battery settings and see if the back-end limit for important applications is worth it. MIUI optimization often kills messenger processes, causing the notification to arrive with a delay and the screen will not light up, since the event is considered to have occurred in the past.

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Energy saving is the main enemy of instant notifications, and if the screen stopped responding suddenly, 90% of the time it is the restriction of background activity or the on saving mode that is to blame.

Hidden settings and engineering menu

For advanced users who have not found a solution in the standard menu, there is an option to use the codes of the engineering menu. However, be very careful: changing the parameters in the engineering menu can lead to unstable operation of the system. We will only consider secure checks.

Enter the code ##6484## (CIT menu) to check the sensors, and here you can see if the proximity sensor that locks the screen is working, if the sensor is faulty or is glued with a protective glass, the screen will not light up, and you can also try resetting the sensor settings through this menu, if this option is available in your version of CIT.

There's also a hidden setting in the developer menu called "Stay awake," which is designed to debug and keep the screen on while charging. While this doesn't solve the notification problem directly, it helps diagnose whether the problem is hardware.

⚠️ Warning: Don't change the values on the engineering menu unless you're sure they're there. Resetting to factory settings may be the only way to bring the phone back to life after incorrect experimentation with system settings.

Sometimes it helps to clear the cache of the System Interface service or Lock Screen. To do this, go to Settings → Applications → All applications, search for System Interface (or MiuiHome/ScreenLocker), go to properties and click Clear Cache. This will not delete your data, but update the interface configuration files.