Your Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco screen goes out too quickly, interrupting reading, watching videos or working with documents? By default, the manufacturer sets minimum backlight timeouts (usually 15-30 seconds) to save battery life. However, for many users this creates inconvenience — especially if you use your smartphone as a navigator, e-book or work tool.
In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can increase your backlight time, from basic settings in your phone’s menu to hidden developer and ADB command settings. You’ll learn how to get around the limitations of MIUI, which models support extended timeouts, and how to avoid fast battery drain when your screen is running long, and why some devices have a maximum of 10 minutes, and how to get around that limitation.
Important: the methods are different for different versions of MIUI (12, 13, 14) and smartphone models. We will indicate where you need to unlock the bootloader or root rights, and where there are enough standard tools. If you are not sure about your model, check it in Settings → About Phone → Model.
1. Standard settings of backlighting time in MIUI
So let's start with the simplest one, the built-in settings, and even if you've never gone into the screen settings, this section will help you get your timeout to the highest possible value without any further manipulation.
Open the menu: Settings → Screen → Sleep mode (or “Time-out screen”).
Here you will see the available options — usually 15 seconds to 10 minutes (on some models up to 30 minutes).
Limitations of the method:
- 🔹 On budget models (Redmi) 9A, Poco M3) Maximum time is often limited to 5 minutes.
- 🔹 Nana MIUI 14 and later may not be available 30 minutes – it was removed in some regional firmware.
- 🔹 When choosing a long timeout, the system will show a warning about increased battery consumption.
If you don't have a 10 minute or 30 minute menu, it doesn't mean it's not in the firmware, it can be hidden. We'll talk about that in the next section.
2 Unlock hidden timeouts through the "Developer Options"
MIUI has a hidden menu for developers to activate advanced screen settings, which works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco models, but requires developer mode pre-activation.
How to turn on "Developer Options":
- Go to Settings. → The phone.
- Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row (you will receive a notification "You became a developer").
- Return to the main settings menu - there will be a new section Additional → Developer options.
Now open Developer Settings and find the Standby Time Out option (or Sleep Timeout) where values up to 30 minutes or even Never can be available (on some firmware).
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If the option is Never missing, try changing the firmware region to Global or EEA via Settings → Additional → Region.
Important nuances:
- 📱 Xiaomi. 12/13 series and flagships (Mi) 11 Ultra, Mix 4) The option can never be blocked due to energy saving policy.
- ⚠️ Nana MIUI 14 and newer, some of the developer menu items are hidden – you need to search for them through the search by settings (the magnifier icon at the top).
- 🔋 Never lead to significant battery consumption (up to 10-15% per hour with an active screen).
3.Use of ADB-circumvention MIUI
If the developer menu does not have the necessary options, you can apply ADB-This method requires connecting your smartphone to your PC, but allows you to unlock hidden timeouts without root rights.
Step-by-step:
- Download ADB Tools for Windows/macOS/Linux and unpack the archive.
- Turn on the phone debugging over USB (Developer Options → Debugging over USB).
- Connect your smartphone to your PC and in the command line (terminal) do:
adb devices(Series numbered device should appear. If not, install Xiaomi USB Drivers.)
adb shell settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 3This command causes the screen to remain on when connected to charging (useful for navigators).
To set a specific timeout (e.g. 30 minutes = 1800 seconds), use:
adb shell settings put system screen_off_timeout 1800000Download ADB Tools|Enable debugging by USB|Connect phone to PC|Contact connection by adb devices|Execute the required command-->
Possible problems and solutions:
- 🚫 adb: device unauthorized – a request for debugging permission will appear on the phone, confirm it.
- 🔄 After the reboot, the timeout may reset – repeat the command or use Tasker for automatic application.
- ⚠️ On some models (Poco) F3, Redmi Note 11) MIUI block the change screen_off_timeout — root.
⚠️ Attention: Teams ADB Change system settings, which can cause the phone to malfunction. Before experimenting, back up your data through Settings. → Additionally. → Backup.
4.Apps for lighting control (without root)
If you don't want to mess with ADB, you can use third-party apps, which don't give you the same control as manual commands, but make it easier for beginners.
Top.-3 apps:
| Annex | Functions | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Keep Screen On | Keeps the screen turned on when the selected applications (for example, YouTube, Google Maps) work. | It does not work in the background on MIUI 14+ due to energy saving limitations. |
| Caffeine | Adds a button to the notification panel for quick on/off constant lighting. | Requires permission to overlay over other applications. |
| Tasker | It allows you to create automatic rules (for example, “turn on the screen for 1 hour when connecting to a Bluetooth navigator”). | A complex interface for beginners, a paid version for advanced features. |
How to set up Keep Screen On:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Open it and select apps that you want to turn off timeouts for (e.g. Chrome, Waze).
- Activate the service in the availability settings (Settings → Special features → Keep Screen On).
⚠️ Note: Keep Screen On apps may conflict with battery optimizer MIUI. If the screen goes out anyway, add the app to the exceptions: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → All applications → Find Keep Screen On → Select "No restrictions".
5. Advanced solution: changing system files (root)
If none of the previous methods worked, the last resort is editing system files, which requires unlocking the bootloader and obtaining root rights, which voids the warranty and can lead to a device blink.
How it works: In /system/build.prop or /vendor/build.prop, you have settings that control screen timeouts. You can change them manually.
Instructions (for experienced users only!):
- Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (requires a Mi Account and wait 7-15 days).
- Install custom recovery (TWRP) and get root through Magisk.
- Use a root-access file manager (such as Root Explorer) and open /system/build.prop.
- Find the lines: ro.lge.proximity.delay=25 ro.config.notification_light_pulse=1000 and add below: ro.ril.screen_off_timeout=1800000 (where 1800000 — time in milliseconds, that is, 30 minute).
- Save the file, reboot the phone.
What happens if you misrepresent build.prop?
Alternative method (without editing build.prop):
Install the Xposed Framework (for older versions of Android) or LSposed (for newer versions) and activate the GravityBox module. It has a Screen timeout option with advanced settings.
6. Battery optimization with prolonged illumination
Increasing the backlight time inevitably leads to increased battery consumption, but there are ways to minimize the loss:
- 🔋 Use dark themes and turn on them. AMOLED-Black in screen settings (for devices with AMOLED-This reduces consumption by 20-30%).
- 📉 Reduce the brightness of the screen to a comfortable minimum (optimum - 40-60%).
- ⚡ Connect your phone to charge if you plan to use it for a long time (for example, in a navigator).
- 🛑 Turn off Auto Brightness and Lift to Wake Up in Settings → Screen – These features are constantly polling sensors, draining the battery.
Comparison of battery consumption:
| Screen timeout | Consumption per hour (with active use) | Cost per hour (screen on, no action) |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds. | 5–8% | 0.5–1% |
| 1 minute | 6–10% | 1–2% |
| 10 minutes. | 8–12% | 3–5% |
| Never. | 10–15% | 5–8% |
If you need a screen that is always on (for example, to show information on the rack), consider buying a Power Bank with parallel charging or using a wireless charging station.
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On devices with a battery of 5000+ mAh (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro+) even with a timeout Never enough for 6-8 hours of active screen at medium brightness.
7. Frequent problems and their solutions
Even after all these methods are applied, users are faced with typical problems, and here are the most common ways to fix them:
- 🔄 Screen goes out despite settings: Check if the Power Saving function or Ultra Mode is activated in Settings → Battery. These modes ignore custom timeouts.
- 📵 ADB-Commands not applicable: Make sure that the debugging USB Repeat the command with superuser rights: adb shell su -c settings put system screen_off_timeout 1800000
- 🔒 No option "Never" in the developer menu: Try changing the firmware to Global or xiaomi.eu (unofficial, but with advanced settings).
- 🛑 Screenholding apps don't work: Add them to battery optimization exceptions (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery).
If none of the methods worked, it’s possible that your model has a hardware limitation (e.g. Xiaomi Mi A1/A2 on pure Android), in which case only custom firmware like LineageOS will help.