Owners of modern smartphones Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco often face an annoying situation: you read a long article, recipe or technical documentation, and the screen suddenly goes out.
This aggressive battery-saving policy can interfere with the user experience, especially if you use your phone as a navigator or reader. Fortunately, the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS provide flexible tools to manage this setting.
In this article, we will discuss not only standard methods for increasing backlight time, but also specific settings that can force the display to turn off even when the timer parameters are changed.
Standard setting of the backlight timer
The most obvious and common way to fix the problem is to change the standard latency in the system settings menu, which regulates how many seconds of inactivity the display goes out, and it is often set to 15 or 30 seconds by default, which may not be enough to read.
To change the settings, go to the Settings menu, then select the Screen and Brightness section. In the list that opens, look for Sleep Mode (or Screen Time Out). Here you will be offered several options, including 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes and sometimes 10 minutes.
Selecting a longer interval, such as 5 or 10 minutes, will allow you to work comfortably with text without constantly touching the screen. However, it is worth remembering that setting the maximum value significantly speeds up the battery discharge, especially if used. AMOLED-high-brightness.
The interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version. In some cases, the item may be called "Time to Sleep" and it is important to choose a value that balances between convenience and autonomy of the device.
- 📱 Open Settings and go to the Screen and Brightness section.
- ⏱ Find Sleep Mode and select the maximum available time (usually 10 minutes).
- 🔋 Keep in mind that long screen time increases battery consumption.
- 🔄 If the item is inactive, check whether the power saving mode is on.
Once the settings are changed, the system will apply them instantly, no reboot is required. Check the timer, leaving the phone without action for the selected time.
Special features and screen retention
If a standard 10 minute timer isn't enough, or if the screen goes out too quickly despite settings, the "Keep the screen on" feature is a help, which is designed specifically for scenarios where the phone needs to be running all the time while it's connected to the charger or in a particular application.
To activate this feature, go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special Features. In the list, find the section associated with the screen or sharing, and activate the Keep screen on while charging switch.
This setting ignores the standard timeout while power is on, and is ideal for using a smartphone as a desktop clock, smart home control panel, or navigator in a car.
⚠️ Attention: Constant operation of the screen at maximum brightness can lead to overheating of the device and degradation of the matrix (pixel burnout) on the screen. AMOLED-display.
Also in this section, there is a frequent option "Read Mode" or "Paper Eye" which can affect backlight behavior but does not cancel the off timer.
The problem of the proximity sensor and pocket mode
A common cause of sudden screen quenching is not a timer, but a false alarm of the proximity sensor, which is located at the top of the case, detects whether the phone is in the ear or in the pocket, and if the sensor is contaminated or closed with a protective film, the system may think that the device has been removed in the pocket, and extinguish the screen.
Check the top of your smartphone for contamination. Even a thin layer of fat or dust can distort the sensor. Wipe the speaker area with a soft cloth. Also make sure the protective glass does not cover the sensor.
The second aspect is Pocket Mode, which prevents accidental tapping while the phone is in the bag, and sometimes it's too aggressive, and you can turn it off through the Settings menu. → Screen locking → Pocket regime.
If the problem persists, you can try calibrating the sensor through the engineering menu. To do this, in the Phone app, type ##6484##. In the CIT menu that opens, select "Proximity sensor" and follow the instructions on the screen for calibration.
- 🧹 Carefully wipe the top of the screen and the speaker area.
- 🚫 Turn off Pocket Mode in the lock settings if it interferes.
- 🛠 Calibrate the sensor through the engineering menu CIT.
- 📱 Check if the protective film or the case of the sensor is blocked.
Incorrect operation of the sensor is one of the most common causes of users’ complaints about the “spontaneous” switching off of the display during a conversation or reading.
Settings Always On Display (AOD)
For owners of smartphones with AMOLED-The Always On Display feature is a technology that allows you to display time, date and notifications on a screen that is off, using minimal energy. AOD It is not a complete refusal to turn off the main lighting.
It’s important to understand the difference: AOD shows a static or animated image on a portion of the pixels, while the main screen goes out completely.AOD setup is along the Settings path → Wallpaper and Personalization → Always screen on.
You can choose a work schedule here, for example, set the display only from 8:00 to 23:00, or activate the "10 seconds after touch" mode. If you want the information to be visible constantly, select the "Always" option.
Use of the AOD Increases battery consumption by approximately 1-3% per hour, depending on the brightness and number of active elements. LCD-This function is not available hardware, since such matrices do not know how to highlight individual pixels.
The effect of AOD on the screen resource
| Parameter | Description | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|
| Off. | The screen goes off completely on the timer. | Minimum |
| Scheduled. | It only works at specified hours. | Moderate. |
| Always. | Constant indication of time and notifications | High. |
| Notification received | It only lights up when new events occur. | Low. |
Use of third-party applications
If the built-in MIUI isn't enough, Google Play offers a variety of screen management tools, which allow you to create complex scripts that are not available in the standard menu.
One of the popular solutions is the Keep Screen On app, or analogues, which adds a floating button or widget that forcibly prevents the system from turning off the screen, which is convenient when you need to temporarily leave the phone on without changing the global settings.
Another class of software is automation, like MacroDroid or Tasker, which allows you to set the rule, "If you're running a YouTube or Kindle app, turn off the screen timeout," which is the most elegant solution, saving the battery in other scenarios.
When you install these applications, the system will ask permission to "Change System Settings" or "Above Other Applications." Without these permissions, the program will not be able to intercept the backlight control. Be careful and download the software only from trusted sources.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party apps that block screen sleep may conflict with Xiaomi’s battery optimization system processes, resulting in accelerated discharge or heat.
The use of automation allows you to flexibly adjust the behavior of the device for specific tasks, making the smartphone a truly smart assistant.
☑️ Checking screen settings
Impact of the energy saving regime
One of the hidden reasons for a short timeout can be an activated power saving mode: When the battery drops below a certain level (usually 20% or 10%), the system automatically goes into an economical mode that severely limits the backlight time, often to 15 seconds, regardless of your previous settings.
To check this out, look at the status bar battery icon, if it's yellow or green (depending on the topic), it means that the energy savings are active, and you can turn it off through the notification curtain or in the Settings → Battery menu.
There is also Ultra Power Saving Mode, which only allows basic functions (calls, messages) to be accessed, and in this mode, the screen goes out very quickly, and it is almost impossible to change this behavior before you leave mode.
If you're critically concerned about keeping your screen on low charge, manually turn off all energy saving, but be prepared for the phone to run out much faster.
- 🔋 Check if the power saving mode is activated (yellow battery).
- 📉 At low charge, the system forcibly reduces the time of illumination.
- ⚙ Turn off Ultra Mode for full access to screen settings.
- 📊 Keep an eye on the energy consumption schedule in the battery menu.
Understanding the logic of the operation of the algorithms of saving charge will help to avoid unexpected shutdowns of the screen at an important moment.
💡
If you use your phone for navigation, turn on the “Do not turn off the screen” mode only in the maps application through the settings of the application itself, if such an option is there, so as not to put the battery in vain.
Specific settings for reading and video
Many users are unaware that some apps have their own timeout settings that override system settings, such as e-books or video players often themselves forbid the screen from going out while content is played.
If the screen goes out while watching video in the browser, try turning on Full Screen Mode or Mode of the Mode in the browser settings. This is a signal to the Android system that the user is consuming media content, and the sleep timer turns off automatically.
For PDF or DOCX documents, it is better to use specialized reader applications, which are optimized for long-term text work and often have a built-in “Do not turn off the screen” button right on the toolbar.
In Second Space or Guest mode, the screen settings can be reset to factory settings. If you use these features, check the timer separately for each user profile.
💡
Reading and video apps often ignore the system timer, but browsers and office programs require manual adjustment or a full-screen transition.
Proper use of the capabilities of specific applications allows you to achieve the desired result without digging deep into the system settings of Android.