Owners of modern Xiaomi smartphones often face the desire to personalize locks to make them more informative. a feature known as Always On Display or Active Screen allows you to see the time, date and notifications without unlocking the device. However, on many models, this option is hidden or disabled by default, which raises questions among users.
Installing an active screen is not just a change of picture, but a fine-tuning of the MIUI or HyperOS system. You will need access to hidden menus or third-party applications if the feature is not available by standard means. It is important to understand that activating this option affects power consumption, so you should carefully consider the choice of display style.
In this guide, we will discuss all the current ways to activate AOD on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones. You will learn how to bypass the limitations of regional versions of firmware and what tools will help make the screen truly “live” without risk to the system.
Before you start making changes, make sure your device supports AMOLED technology. On IPS screens, a full active screen is impossible to implement due to the features of the backlight, although there are software emulations with limited functionality.
Compatibility check and device preparation
The first step is to accurately define the characteristics of your display, and the Always On Display technology is only physically possible on matrices, where each pixel is individually illuminated. IPS-screen, the standard function will not work, and you will need special "crutches" in the form of emulator applications.
You also need to check the operating system version. On older versions of MIUI 11 or 12, the energy-saving algorithms differ from current MIUI 14 and HyperOS. In newer shells, the system controls background processes more closely, which can lead to spontaneous shutdown of the active screen after 10 seconds.
⚠️ Warning: Before making changes to system settings or installing unverified modules, be sure to create a full backup of data. Failure to modify system files can lead to a cyclical reboot.
To prepare the device, perform the following actions:
- 📱 Update the Themes app to the latest version through the GetApps store.
- 🔋 Make sure that the battery is at least 40% during the setup.
- 🌐 Check the stability of the Internet connection to download components.
Global firmware versions for Europe (EU) and Russia (RU) often have reduced functionality compared to Chinese versions (CN), due to regional restrictions and licensing features of services.
Activation through standard MIUI and HyperOS settings
On most modern flagships and mid-budget Xiaomi models, the feature is built-in by default, but can be hidden depending on the selected region. The standard activation path is as follows: go to Settings → Wallpaper and Personalization → Active Screen.
If the menu does not have "Active Screen", try changing the region of the device. Go to Settings → Additional Settings → Region and select "India" or "Nepal". Often the hidden option becomes available for activation after that, it is a legal method that does not require root rights.
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After changing the region, remember to return to the original settings to ensure that local services and weather work correctly, but the AOD function may remain available.
The HyperOS interface has changed a little bit, and now the settings are integrated into a single ecosystem, so you have to choose a style from a gallery or download a new one from a theme store, and some styles are static, and others are dynamic, responsive to touch or notification.
It is important to set up a work schedule. Infinite operation of the active screen can significantly reduce battery life. It is recommended to set intervals, for example, from 8:00 to 23:00, or the "Increase time" mode, which keeps the screen on 10 seconds after notification.
Use the application Always on Display & Lock Screen
If standard methods fail to activate the feature, a popular third-party solution comes to the rescue – the Always On Display & Lock Screen app from developer Kimcy929. It is a powerful tool that emulates the operation of native AOD even on devices where it is not officially supported.
The app requires advanced permissions via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or root rights to work properly, and without those rights, the functionality will be limited: the screen will go out in 10 seconds, just like in a standard implementation without deep integration.
After installing the application, the following sequence of actions must be performed:
- 📥 Download. APK-The latest version file from a reliable source.
- 🔐 Provide all permissions requested, including access to display over other windows.
- ⚙️ Set up an energy saving profile for this application in the system.
In the app settings, you can choose the screen type: AMOLED (black background) or LCD (black background). For owners of AMOLED displays, this is ideal, since black pixels do not consume energy. You can also adjust the response to notifications so that the screen lights up when a new message arrives.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party applications for AOD The system can aggressively kill the process in the background, and you have to manually prevent the memory cleaning for this application from being in the multitasked menu.
Configure with the hidden menu Activity Launcher
For advanced users who don’t want to install separate launchers or emulator apps, there is a method of directly accessing the hidden system menu.
The method is to start the system activity responsible for setting Always On Display, which is usually hidden from the user, which allows you to open the native settings menu even if the button in the normal interface is missing or locked.
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Install and launch Activity Launcher.
- In the search, enter the search “Always” or “Aod”.
- Find a point associated with com.miui.aod or similar.
- Run the activity you found.
List of hidden activities
After you go to the menu, you will see the same settings as in the standard section, but with the ability to enable the function forcefully. However, if hardware support is not available (for example, on the IPS matrix), the menu may not open or the function will not work.
The good thing about this method is that it doesn't require heavy applications to be installed, which are always in memory, so you just change the settings once in the system, and it starts to work natively, if the hardware allows.
Problems with turning off the screen after 10 seconds
One of the most common complaints users have is that the active screen only lasts for 10 seconds and then goes out despite the settings they choose, which is not a bug, but a feature of optimizing MIUI for battery saving that activates under certain conditions.
Most often, the problem lies in the power saving settings of a particular application or system restriction. If you use a third-party AOD application, the system perceives it as a regular application and limits its background activity.
To solve the problem, it is necessary:
- 🔋 Go to Settings → Battery → Finding problems.
- 🚫 Find your app AOD and select "No restrictions".
- 🔒 In the multitasking menu, click on the lock next to the app.
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The main reason for the AOD shutdown after 10 seconds is MIUI’s aggressive energy saving policy, which requires manual removal of restrictions on background processes.
Also worth checking is the Ultra-Energy Saving mode, which blocks all background processes except calls and messages, making it impossible for the active screen to function, and disable this mode for full functionality.
If the problem persists, try turning off adaptive brightness, and sometimes the light sensor misidentifies the conditions, believing that the phone is in your pocket, and turns off the screen.
Comparison of activation methods Always on Display
To make it easier to choose the best way to activate the active screen, we have summarized the main characteristics of the methods in a comparative table, which will help you quickly navigate which option is suitable for your model and level of training.
| Activation method | Need a Root. | Impact on the battery | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard settings | No. | Optimal. | Low. |
| Kimcy929 Annex | Preferably. | Medium/High | Medium |
| Activity Launcher | No. | Optimal. | Medium |
| Change of region | No. | Optimal. | Low. |
As you can see from the table, standard methods and region change are the safest and most energy efficient, and third-party applications are only justified if the function cannot be activated by regular means.
For owners of devices with IPS-screens, the choice is actually limited only to third-party applications that mimic AOD, But they consume much more energy because of the constant illumination of the matrix.