How to increase screen lock time on Xiaomi: a detailed guide

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face a situation where the display goes out too quickly, interrupting reading news or watching recipes in the kitchen. Standard energy saving settings in the MIUI shells and the new HyperOS limit backlighting time by default to save battery life. However, for many users, comfort is more important than minimal energy savings, and they are looking for ways to change this parameter.

Fortunately, Android provides flexible tools for managing screen timeouts, but in Chinese-branded smartphones, they can be hidden or limited. In this article, we’ll look at all the methods available, from standard settings to hidden engineering menus, to help you customize your device to your needs.

We will examine why the screen goes out in 15 or 30 seconds, and whether it is possible to stretch this interval to a few minutes, we will look at the nuances of the approach and lighting sensors that can affect the behavior of the display, and also discuss safe ways to bypass system restrictions without obtaining root rights.

Standard timeout settings in MIUI and HyperOS

The first place to look at is the basic settings menu, and most of the time, the problem is solved by changing one setting, which is set to "15 seconds" or "30 seconds" by default. To access this section, you need to open the Settings app and go to the Screen and Brightness category.

Here is the "Sleep Mode" (or "Time to Sleep"). When you click on it, you'll see a list of available intervals. Usually manufacturers offer a choice between 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes and 5 minutes, and the "Do not turn off" option. The maximum value allows you to work comfortably with text or navigator without constantly touching the screen.

⚠️ Attention: setting the maximum latency or "Do not turn off" mode significantly speeds up battery consumption. OLED-In matrices, a long static image can lead to pixel burnout.

If the list does not have the value you want or the “Sleep Mode” option is inactive (shadowed), this may mean that lock time management is intercepted by a third-party app or a special mode is activated. Check if you have Read or Eye Protection mode enabled, as they sometimes block manual timeout settings.

💡

Standard path through Settings → Screen and brightness → Sleep mode works 90% of the time if third-party restrictions are not active.

Impact of energy saving regimes on blocking

A common reason users can’t increase lock times is active power saving mode: Xiaomi smartphones aggressively optimize power consumption, forcibly reducing display time when battery power drops below a certain level (usually 20% or 10%).

To check this, go to the Battery section in the settings. If you have Power Saving or Ultra-Energy Saving activated, the system ignores your screen time preferences. You need to switch to Performance or Balanced mode to unlock the full timeout settings.

• 🔋 Saving mode: automatically reduces brightness and reduces the time to lock to a minimum (often up to 15 seconds).
• ⚡ Background activity: In austerity mode, background processes are limited, which can also affect the operation of sensors that wake up the screen.
• 📉 Adaptive brightness: often works in conjunction with energy saving, quickly extinguishing the screen in the absence of active actions.

Also worth noting is the Ultra-Energy Saving feature, which turns a smartphone into a simple phone with a black and white interface, which is impossible to extend lock time due to the system’s severe limitations to extend the life of the device in an emergency.

Use of the Engineering Menu for Advanced Settings

For advanced users who don't have enough standard options, there is an option to access the engineering menu, which is a hidden part of the system designed to test hardware components, but it also allows you to change parameters that are not available in the normal interface. Be careful: changing unknown parameters can lead to unstable operation of the device.

To enter the engineering menu, open the Phone app and enter the code ##6484##. If the code doesn't work, try ##4636##. In the CIT (Customer Information Test) menu that opens, you need to find the section associated with the display, often called Touchpanel or Display.

Screen timeout

⚠️ Note: Do not change the values in the sections, the purpose of which you do not know (for example, Voltage or Frequency.

Problems with proximity and lighting sensors

Sometimes the problem is not timing, but sensors that are not working properly, and if the proximity sensor thinks the phone is in your pocket or ear, it will turn off the screen instantly, ignoring the timeout settings, often after the low-quality protective glass is glued or the top of the screen is contaminated.

You can check the sensors through the same engineering menu (##6484##.) Select the Proximity sensor and hold your hand to the top of your smartphone. The indicator should change state from 0.0 to 5.0 (or Near/Far). If the reaction is not there or it is chaotic, you will need to calibrate.

To calibrate the proximity sensor on Xiaomi, there is a special code in the call: ##64663## (may vary depending on the model). You can also use third-party apps from Google Play, such as "Proximity Sensor Reset/Fix." They help the software recalibrate sensor, which often solves the problem of spontaneous screen quenching.

• 🧼 Pollution: Fat spots over the speaker can block the IR sensor, making the phone think it's in your pocket.
• 🛡️ Protective glass: Too thick or black glass covers the sensor, requiring replacement or software sensitivity correction.
• 📱 Cases: Some magnetic-clasp bookcases can affect the Hall sensor, causing the screen to lock.

Third-party screen management applications

If MIUI system constraints don't allow you to set the time for more than 5 minutes, Google Play apps come to the rescue, they run on top of the system settings and force the screen to be active for a specified amount of time. One of the most popular solutions is the Screen On or Keep Screen On app.

Once you install this app, you'll need to give it permission to display over other windows. In the app settings, you can set the exact time in seconds or minutes that will ignore the system lock timer, which is ideal for situations where you want the screen to burn, for example, 10 or 15 minutes.

Another option is to use automation applications like MacroDroid or Tasker, which can create a scenario where you can say, "If you run the browser application, set a screen timeout of 10 minutes," which is a more flexible approach that doesn't require constant monitoring.

💡

Use app widgets to control the screen on your desktop, which will allow you to turn on the “eternal” screen mode with one touch when you need it, and turn off to save battery.

Table of comparison of methods for increasing the blocking time

To make it easier for you to choose the right method, we have systematized all the methods described in a comparative table that will help you assess the risks and effectiveness of each approach depending on your smartphone model and version of the shell.

Note the last item on the table, the developer mode. If you want the screen to stay on while charging (like using your smartphone as a desktop clock or navigator), this is the best option. Activate the developer menu by tapping the build number 7 times in the About Phone section, then turn on the "Do not turn off the screen when charging."

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)