How to turn on the notification indicator on Xiaomi smartphones: 5 working ways

The LED notification indicator on Xiaomi smartphones is a useful feature that visually alerts you to missed calls, messages or low battery power. However, after updating the MIUI or resetting the settings, many users experience the indicator stop working. The reasons can be different from accidental disconnection in settings to hardware limitations on some models.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to turn on the indicator, from standard settings to hidden MIUI and third-party applications. You’ll learn how to check your model’s LED support, adjust color schemes for different types of notifications, and even restore the indicator after you have firmware. And if your Xiaomi isn’t equipped with a physical LED, we’ll show you alternatives using the screen.

Important: Not all Xiaomi models have a hardware indicator. For example, in the Redmi Note 11 and later line, the manufacturer often replaces it with software screen illumination (AOD).

1. Check the indicator support with your Xiaomi model

Before you try to turn on the indicator, make sure that your smartphone is equipped with it. Physical LED is usually located at the top of the body (near the front camera) or under the screen (models with a front camera) AMOLED-display).

Here is a list of popular Xiaomi models with a hardware indicator:

• 📱 Xiaomi Mi 9/9T/10/10T — white/red/blue LED
• 📱 Redmi Note 8/8 Pro/9/9 Pro – monochrome (white or orange)
• 📱 POCO F1/F2 Pro/F3 — RGB-color-tune
• 📱 Xiaomi Mi A2/A3 (Android One – Supports but requires manual configuration

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To accurately determine the presence of the indicator, shine a flashlight on the top of the screen when the phone is turned off - sometimes the LED is hidden under opaque plastic.

If your model is not on the list, check the specifications on the official Xiaomi website or in the documents for the device (AOD), accessible AMOLED-Models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12/13 series, Redmi K50 Pro).

2. Standard Enablement through MIUI Settings

The easiest way to activate the indicator is through the settings menu. MIUI 12/13/14:

1. Open Settings → Notifications and Status bar.
2. Select the Notification Indicator (on some firmware - LED indicator).
3. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.
4. Set up colors for different types of notifications (calls, messages, charging, etc.).

If the Notification Indicator is not in the menu, it means:

• 🔹 Your model does not support hardware LED (see section 1).
• 🔹 Function disabled at firmware level (solution – see section 4).
• 🔹 Installed custom firmware without indicator support.

Check the phone model for LED support|Update. MIUI last-minute|Make sure the battery is more than 20 times charged%|Turn off the power saving modes-->

On some devices (e.g. POCO X3), the path to settings may be different: Settings → Additional → Notification Indicator. If the indicator does not work after turning on, move to the next section.

3. Customization through the engineering menu (for experienced users)

If standard settings don’t work, try activating the indicator through the engineering menu, which works on most Xiaomi models, but you need to be careful – incorrect actions can disrupt the device.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and type the combination: ##8466## (some models may require ##4636###).
2. In the menu that opens, select Hardware Testing → LED.
3. Test the LED by selecting colors (red, green, blue).
4. If the indicator lights up in the test but does not work as usual, go back to the MIUI settings and turn it on again.

Important: After testing in the engineering menu, the indicator may reset. To fix the settings, restart the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Do not change other options in the engineering menu unless you are sure of their purpose.

4.Restore the indicator after the MIUI update

A common problem after the MIUI update is resetting the indicator settings. If the LED stopped working after the update, try the following steps:

1. Reset notification settings: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three Points (menu) → Reset notification settings.
2. Clean the System Application Cache: In the same application management menu, find System Settings and Notifications, then clear the cache for both.
3. Reverse update (if the problem has recently appeared): In Settings → The phone. → Update the system click on the icon ⚙️ and select Remove the Last Update.

If the indicator never worked, the update may have removed the LED driver, in which case it will help:

• 🔄 Reflashing the device via the Mi Flash Tool (only for power users).
• 📥 Install custom firmware with indicator support (e.g. Pixel Experience or LineageOS).

Updates MIUI|Resetting |Replacement of screen/battery |I don't know-->

5. Hardware indicator alternatives: AOD and third-party applications

If your Xiaomi model doesn’t have a physical LED, or if it breaks down, use software alternatives:

Always On Display (AOD)

Available on AMOLED-models (Xiaomi) 12/13, Redmi K50, POCO F4 Included in: Settings → Screen. → Always On Display.

Advantages:

• 📱 Shows time, date, notifications and battery charge.
• 🎨 Customized styles and animations.
• 🔋 Minimum battery consumption (thanks to) AMOLED).

Third-party annexes

For devices without AOD suitable:

• 🔴 Light Manager – controls the LED (requires root).
• 🔴 Always On AMOLED — emulate AOD off-the-shelf-AMOLED screens (consuming battery).
• 🔴 Notification LED — It works on devices with MIUI 12+ rootless.

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When using third-party apps, disable battery optimization for them in Settings → Battery → Battery Optimization, otherwise notifications may not show up.

For models with an infrared sensor (for example, Redmi Note 8 Pro) you can use the application IR Blaster Notification, which uses the IR port as an indicator.

Diagnostics of malfunctions: why the indicator does not work

If none of these things worked, the problem could be hardware, and here are the typical causes and solutions.

To check the hardware serviceability:

1. Connect your phone to charge – the indicator should light up (on most models – red / orange).
2. Call your phone from another device – when you call, the LED usually flashes green.
3. Run the test through the engineering menu (see Section 3).

⚠️ Warning: If the indicator does not respond to charging or tests, do not disassemble the phone yourself - risk damage to the plume or battery.

On Xiaomi models with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/2 processor (e.g. Xiaomi 12 Pro, Redmi K60), the indicator may conflict with the AdaptiveSync function. Turn it off in Settings → Screen → AdaptiveSync if you encounter a problem.

FAQ: Frequent questions about Xiaomi’s notification indicator