Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones offer users unique digital space capabilities, such as Second Space, which allows them to create an isolated environment on a single device, ideal for those who want to separate workflows and face-to-face communication without buying a second phone.
Owners of budget-friendly but robust models like the Redmi 9A often wonder about the availability of the feature. Despite the affordable cost of the device, the software provides powerful tools for managing data. Enabling a second space turns your gadget into two independent devices with different desktops, passwords and a set of applications.
In this article, we will discuss in detail the process of activating, configuring and using this feature, you will learn how to quickly switch between profiles, what restrictions exist on the model. 9A and how to ensure maximum privacy of your data. MIUI Allows you to use your smartphone at full capacity.
What is the Second Space in MIUI and why is it necessary?
Second Space is a user interface virtualization mechanism, and it creates a new user profile that doesn't overlap with the main user profile, and all files, photos, contacts, and installed applications in the second space exist separately and can't be seen from the main profile without switching.
This is especially true for today's users who use one gadget for many tasks, such as installing work messengers in the second space and leaving personal ones in the first, and not disturbing you in your spare time if you switch to personal mode.
In addition to task sharing, this feature provides a higher level of privacy: you can set a separate password or pattern lock to log into the second space, and if someone picks up your phone and enters your primary password, they will only see your personal data without even knowing that there is a hidden profile.
⚠️ Note: When you delete the second space, all the data inside it (photos, contacts, applications) will be irretrievably lost.
Compatibility check and preparation of Redmi 9A
Before you start setting up, you need to make sure that your operating system version supports this feature. The Redmi 9A model originally came with different versions of Android and MIUI. The second space feature requires certain RAM resources, so on very old versions of firmware it may be missing or unstable.
It is recommended to check for system updates. Often manufacturers add or improve functionality in new versions of the software. Go to the settings menu and find the About section. Click on the MIUI version to check for updates. If an update is available, install it before you start setting up.
It is also worth freeing up space in internal memory. Creating a new profile requires disk space to install system files and application cache. If the device's memory is more than 90% full, the system may suggest clearing the space or refuse to create new space.
☑️ Preparing the smartphone for setting
It’s important to understand that on budget devices with 2 or 3 GB of RAM, activating additional profiles can slightly reduce overall system performance. Applications can be unloaded from memory more often than usual. This is normal behavior for the Redmi 9A architecture when working with multiple active environments.
Step-by-step instruction: how to turn on the function
The process of activating the second space in the shell MIUI standardized, but menu paths may vary slightly depending on the firmware version (Global, Russia, China) and below is a general-purpose instruction that is suitable for most builds on Redmi. 9A.
Open the main settings menu of your smartphone. Scroll down to the Additional (or Advanced Settings) section. In some versions of the interface, the desired item may be simply called Second Space and be located at the root of the menu or in the Special Features section.
Click on the appropriate item. The system will offer a brief description of the function and its benefits. Click on Enable or Add Second Space. The profile creation process will begin, which can take from 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the speed of the drive.
Settings → Additional → Second Space → IncludeOnce you've created it, you'll see the new space welcome screen, and the system will suggest you set it up as a new device: select a language, connect Wi-Fi (if you need it), and set up your biometrics, and don't miss this step, because that's where you set your own unlock password for your hidden profile.
What if the "second space" item is not on the menu?
Switching settings and access methods
One of the most convenient features of MIUI is the ability to quickly switch between profiles without entering a password each time, using the "Switch" feature, you can assign a certain combination of actions or use a fingerprint to instantly transition.
To set up quick access from the second space, go to Settings → Second Space. Here you will find the Switch. Activate it and choose the convenient way: display the icon in the notification curtain or switch by fingerprint.
Using biometrics is the fastest method, and you can set the system up so that unlocking a certain finger (like your left thumb) opens the second space and any other one opens the first space, and it creates a magical effect and speeds up the work.
| Setup parameter | Description of action | Recommendation for Redmi 9A |
|---|---|---|
| Label in the curtain | Icon for a quick transition | Insert for convenience |
| Fingerprint. | Unlocking with a specific finger | Set up for 1-2 fingers |
| Password. | Profile access code | Use a complex pattern lock |
| Notifications | Display in status bar | Hide content for privacy |
Remember that the fingerprint settings for the first and second spaces may overlap, and if you add a finger to the second space that is already used in the first, the system asks which profile to use when unlocking.
Application portability and data management
Once you create the second space, you have a clean desktop, and to make it functional, you have to move applications there, and MIUI allows you to copy installed programs from the main profile to the second one at a time, without downloading them from the store again.
Go to the settings of the second space and select Data Transfer. The system will show you a list of applications that can be copied. Mark the ones you want (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Banking apps) and click Transfer. It will take a few seconds.
It's important to understand the difference between copies of apps. Once you migrate, you'll have two (icons) of the same app, one in the main profile, one in the second, and the data inside them (correspondences, logins) will be completely independent, allowing you to sit in two social network accounts at the same time.
⚠️ Note: System applications and some secure banking programs may not be supported by cloning or transfer, and in such cases, you will have to manually install them via Google Play in the second space.
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When transferring large applications (games, navigators), make sure you have a stable connection to the Internet, as some cached data can be downloaded from the network.
To manage files, use a built-in Explorer. When you move between spaces, files are not visible automatically. However, in the settings of the second space, there is a File Access feature that allows you to open shared folders or move photos and documents between profiles.
Limitations of function on budget models
While useful, the second-space feature on the Redmi 9A has its own hardware limitations: the MediaTek Helio G25 processor and modest RAM dictate their own rules for working with resource-intensive functions.
The main problem is aggressive memory management, and when you're in the first space, the applications in the second space can be unloaded from RAM faster than usual, which means that when you switch, they can start again ("blink" at start), that consumes more battery and time.
In addition, some shell functions may not work properly, such as widgets or live wallpaper in the second space can be disabled by the system to save resources, and background activity may be limited: notifications from the second profile may come with a delay if the application is not fixed in memory.
- 📉 Autonomy: The operation of two profiles simultaneously increases battery consumption by approximately one 10-15% day-to-day.
- 🐌 Speed: The interface can slow down when heavy applications are actively used in both profiles.
- 📸 Camera: Camera applications in the second space may have limited access to the main profile features.
Users are advised not to keep too many heavy apps in the second space if they are not in constant use, which will help keep the performance of the Xiaomi smartphone at an acceptable level.
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On Redmi 9A, the second space is better used as a temporary or specialized profile (for work only or for banks only), rather than a full-fledged second OS with a dozen heavy games.