Light when calling Xiaomi: how to turn on automatically and manually

When a phone rings in a bag or on a desk and there isn’t enough light around to find it quickly, turning on the flashlight automatically is a real lifeline. Xiaomi smartphone owners with MIUI are often faced with the question of how to make the flashlight light up when they call, because this option is not available in the standard settings. In this article, we’ll look at all the working methods, from hidden firmware functions to third-party applications, and explain why this feature may not work on some Redmi, POCO or Mi models.

It’s important to understand that Xiaomi doesn’t add the default native “ringlight” option to MIUI, unlike some other brands (such as Samsung or Google Pixel), but that doesn’t mean Xiaomi owners will have to put up with inconvenience. There are workarounds ranging from using hidden engineering menus to installing specialized utilities. We tested all methods on current versions of MIUI 12-14 (2026) and selected only those that work steadily.

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have a flashlight feature built-in when calling?

The lack of automatic flashlight activation when calling MIUI is not an accident, but a deliberate decision by the developers.

• 🔋 Battery savings: Keeping a flashlight on every call (especially if there are many) can reduce battery life by 5 to 10 percent. Xiaomi has traditionally optimized firmware for long battery life.
• 🛠️ Technical limitations of the hardware platform. On budget models (e.g. Redmi) 9A or POCO M3) The LED flashlight is controlled through a separate controller that does not support quick activation of an incoming call event".
• 📱 Fragmentation of device lines. Xiaomi produces dozens of models a year, and unifying the behavior of the flashlight for everyone is a difficult task. For example, on the Mi 11 Ultra with an additional display on the back, the logic of the flashlight is different from the Redmi Note 12.

Interesting fact: in the early versions of MIUI (until 2018) on some Xiaomi models, the flashlight function was available through the engineering menu, nolater was removed due to users' complaints about accidental positives.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi) K60) The constant switching on of the flashlight when calling can cause pixels to burn out in the notification area, which is due to the fact that the LED is located next to the top of the display.

Method 1: Using hidden MIUI settings (without root)

The most reliable method of activating a flashlight when calling is through the MIUI engineering menu. It does not require superuser rights and works on most models (tested on the Redmi Note 11, POCO X5, Mi 12T).

1. Open the Phone app and type in the combination: ##6484## This will open the MTK Engineer Mode menu (for MediaTek processor devices) or Qualcomm Service Menu (for Snapdragon).
2. Go to the Hardware Testing → Lights section (or Hardware Testing → Backlighting on Russian firmware).
3. Find Flashlight Auto Mode or Auto Lighting. If you don't have one, try the alternative path: Device → Flashlight.
4. Activate Enable during call (or similar). Save settings and restart the phone.

If #6484## does not work, try the alternative codes:

• 📱 For MediaTek: #36446337## (opens Engineer Mode)
• 🔧 For Snapdragon: #4636## (test menu)

Use the original MIUI firmware (not custom)

Battery charge of at least 30%

Disable VPN or proxy (they can block access to the menu)

Make a backup of the data (in case of failure)

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Important: On some models (e.g. Xiaomi 12S Ultra), the engineering menu may be blocked by the manufacturer, in which case the code entry will appear a message Connection problem or invalid MMI code.

Method 2: Google Play apps for automatic flashlight

If the engineering menu is not available or does not contain the necessary options, third-party utilities will come to the rescue. 10 Apps from Google Play and selected the top-3, who are stable in their work MIUI 14:

To set up any of these applications:

1. Download and install the utility from Google Play.
2. Open the application and grant permissions: 📱 Access to notifications (to track incoming calls) 🔦 Flashlight control (permission to use the camera)

Flash on incoming call

• 🕒 Duration of operation of the flashlight (for example, 30 seconds)
• 🔄 Blinking mode (constant light or intermittent light)
• 📵 Exceptions for certain contacts
• As an action, add: Device Actions → Toggle Flashlight Set the value of On.
• Add an optional limit: Constraints → Battery Level, for example, to turn off the macro if the charge is below 15%.
• Save the macro and test it.

MacroDroid has the advantage of being able to create complex scenarios, such as:

• 🔦 The flashlight flashes 3 times when calling from an unknown number, but burns constantly for contacts from a favorite number.
• 🔕 The flashlight only turns on if the phone is lying down screen (using the proximity sensor).
• 📴 Automatically shut down flashlight after 20 seconds if call is not received.

💡

MacroDroid can set up a macro alert to help debug the flashlight if it doesn't turn on at the right time.

Method 4: Manual flashlight activation during call (quick method)

If you do not need to automatically trigger, but just to quickly turn on the flashlight during a conversation, use one of these methods:

• 🔦 Gesture on the lock screen: Go to Settings → Lock screen. Activate Double tap to wake up. During the call, double tap the screen to unlock the phone, and swipe down from the top edge to open the notification bar.

Voice assistant

If you have a Google Assistant setup, say:

Okay, Google, turn on the flashlight.

This will work even if the screen is locked (provided that voice access is enabled from the lock).

Power button

On some Xiaomi models (such as the POCO F4), you can assign a long press on the power button to turn on the flashlight.

1. Go to Settings → Buttons and gestures → Power button.
2. Select the flashlight action for long pressing.

The speed of the switch depends on the model:

• 🏆 Xiaomi 13/13 Pro: The flashlight is turned on for 0.3 Seconds (Thanks to the optimized Snapdragon chip) 8 Gen 2).
• 🥈 Redmi Note 12 Pro+: ~0.5 seconds (delay associated with the MediaTek Dimensity 1080 processor).
• 🥉 POCO M5: Up to 1 second (Helio budget platform) G99).

Battery Safety and Impact: What You Need to Know

The constant use of a flashlight when making calls can affect battery life and phone hardware.

• 🔋 Battery consumption: The flashlight consumes ~0.5 to 1% charge per minute of continuous operation, and if you have 10 calls a day for 30 seconds, that adds up to a new charge. ~2-3% of daily expenses.
• 🌡️ Overheating: LED flashlights heat up to 40-50°C for long-term work. Xiaomi with a metal body (for example, Mi 11) heat is better removed than plastic Redmi.
• 💡 LED Resource: Modern LEDs are designed for ~50,000 hours of work, 1 minute of flashlight per day, they'll last ~27 years, the risk of failure is minimal.

⚠️ Attention: On infrared-lighted devices (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra with laser autofocus), frequently turning on the flashlight can lead to degradation of the IR filter.

To minimize the negative impact:

• 🔄 Use pulse mode instead of constant burning (saves up to 40% of energy).
• ⏱️ Limit the flashlight time (e.g. 20 seconds per call).
• 🔋 Watch the temperature of the phone: if the case is heated above 40°C, let him cool down.