How to remove the circle on the screen Xiaomi: the complete guide

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones periodically encounter a mysterious visual artifact: a small circle, dot or floating icon appears on the display. This phenomenon often catches the user by surprise, causing confusion or concern about the state of the device. However, in most cases it is not a virus or a matrix breakage, but an activated system function or a third-party application.

In this article, we will look at all the possible causes of this indicator, how to diagnose the source of the problem and how to disable an unnecessary interface element, and we will look at the built-in MIUI tools, settings for developers and hidden functions that may have been activated accidentally.

Understanding what's on your screen will not only remove the annoyance, but also help keep the device safe, and sometimes this circle signals a screen recording or a microphone, which is directly related to your privacy. Let's get this straight.

Mi Assistant and floating windows

The most common reason for the round icon is the Mi Assistant feature (formerly known as Quick Ball), a handy tool for quick access to commonly used activities such as screenshots, locking screens or launching apps, and if you accidentally hit settings or upgraded the system, this feature could turn on automatically.

To check if this circle is a Mi Assistant, look at its behavior. It's usually translucent and moves around the screen when you touch it. To turn it off, you need to go to the settings menu. Find the Additional Features or Advanced Settings section, depending on your firmware version.

Inside the menu, find Mi Assistant (or "Floating Ball"). The switch should be active. Just click on it to deactivate the function. After that, the circle will disappear instantly. If you use the global version of the firmware, the path can look like Settings → Additional Features → Mi Assistant.

• 🔘 The function allows you to take screenshots with one touch.
• 🔘 You can set up your own shortcuts for quick application launches.
• 🔘 Often activated accidentally when cleaning memory or updating.
• 🔘 Completely disabled through the standard settings menu.

Note that some versions of HyperOS may have changed the menu layout, so if you don't find a feature in the additional features, search for the settings, type "Assistant" or "Assistant" into the search bar, and the system will lead you to the desired switch.

Android privacy indicators

Modern versions of Android (starting with version 12) have an important security feature, so if you see a little green or orange dot in the top right corner of the screen, it's not a bug, it's a feature, and it tells you that some app is using a camera or microphone right now.

The green indicator usually means the camera is activated, and the orange indicator means the microphone, and this is done to protect against spyware. If you haven't started the camera or voice recorder, but the dot is on, it's worth checking the processes that are running.

⚠️ Warning: If the indicator is on continuously when you are on your desktop, check the list of recently launched apps immediately.This could be a sign of malware trying to access your data without your knowledge.

To find out which app is using the sensor, you swipe the notification curtain down, and at the top of the notification panel, you'll see a camera or microphone icon, and if you click on it, you'll see the name of the app that triggered the indicator, and then you can decide if the app needs that permission.

You can't remove this indicator with regular means, because it's a system-wide security mechanism, and the only way to make it stop burning is to close an app that uses a camera or microphone, but you can deny access in your privacy settings if you don't need the app.

• 🟢 Green dot signals camera operation.
• 🟠 The orange dot indicates the use of a microphone.
• 🔒 The indicator cannot be turned off without root rights, as it is the protection of the system.
• 👁️ Allows you to quickly identify hidden surveillance through the camera.

It's important to distinguish between this system indicator and third-party camera applications, and if the dot only appears when a particular software is running, it's part of the interface, but if it occurs spontaneously in different programs, it's worth doing a full antivirus test of the device.

Developer Mode and Debugging by USB

Another common reason for the appearance of various icons, lines or circles on the screen is the activated developer mode. Users often turn it on accidentally, repeatedly clicking on the build number, or it is activated after connecting to a computer to transfer files.

In developer mode, options can be enabled that display technical information on the screen. For example, "Show Touch" draws a white circle at the touch of a finger. It can also display the current frame rate (FPS) or the processor loading in the corner of the screen.

To disable these features, you need to go to the developer menu. → The phone. → Press 7 times on "Version" MIUI" (If the menu is not open yet, then go to the Additional → For developers, you need to find and turn off the following options:

Show touch


Display surface updates




Pointer arrow

And then there's the developer mode switch on the menu, and if you're not using your phone to debug apps or to deep-tube the system, you'd better turn it off completely, which will make the device safer and remove unnecessary elements from the screen.

Third-party applications and memory cleaning

Remember, a circle on the screen can be part of the interface of the apps you install, and it's especially common for memory cleaners, accelerators, antiviruses and launchers to create floating widgets to quickly access functions.

For example, the popular Clean Master app or Xiaomi’s built-in accelerator can display a circular memory load indicator, as well as similar elements found in screen recording applications, voice recorders or night-time book reading programs.

To identify the culprit, try to remember which program the problem occurred after installing, and you can also go to the special features settings. Path: Settings → Advanced settings → Special features. Here listed all the applications that have the right to draw over other windows.

If you find a suspicious app that you don't recognize, you better delete it. Often, these programs collect user data under the guise of "optimization." The built-in MIUI is usually enough to run a smartphone without third-party utilities.

Application Lock and Parental Control

Sometimes a circle or lock appears as a result of security features such as App Lock or Parental Control, and if a child's profile is installed on the phone or Do Not Disturb mode with a visual indicator is enabled, this can be displayed with the appropriate icon.

Do Not Disturb mode can display a crescent or crossed-out circle icon that some users perceive as an artifact. Check the sound and notification settings. It's also worth checking the Security app, which is preinstalled on all Xiaomi phones.

Google Family Link parental controls can also make changes to the interface by adding time control icons or action approval icons. If a child is using the phone, check the settings of the parent's linked account.

⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to remove system security applications, even if they seem to be causing the problem.This can disrupt the entire system.

To check, run your phone in Safe Mode, press the turn off button, and when the turn off icon appears on the screen, press it and hold it, the system will suggest that you go to Safe Mode, and if this mode is missing, then it is definitely a third-party application.

Hardware problems and screen burnout

In rare cases, the circle can be a physical defect in the matrix. If the spot does not disappear when rebooting, does not change color and is visible even in the boot menu (the Mi logo), it is pixel burnout or a broken module.

Burnout often happens when a long-term static display of some interface element, such as navigation buttons or keyboards, is not software-enabled to remove the circle, you need to replace the display or use special programs to massage pixels, which quickly change colors in order to restore performance.

It's also worth checking for a protective film or glass, and sometimes air or dust gets underneath it, forming a bubble that, when illuminated, looks like a circle on the screen, remove the shield and wipe the screen to rule out this option.

• 👁️ Check the screen on a white background at maximum brightness.
• 🔄 Take a screenshot: if there is no mug in the image, the problem is in the matrix.
• 🔥 Burnout is more common on AMOLED-screen.
• 🛠️ Software recovery only helps in the early stages.

💡

Use a screen-checking app (such as Display Tester) to run a broken pixel test, which will help you determine exactly whether the defect is software or hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

💡

In 90% of cases, the circle on the Xiaomi screen is a useful feature (Mi Assistant or privacy indicator), which can be easily turned off in the settings without resorting to complex manipulations.