How to turn on the light indicator on Xiaomi phones: a complete guide for all models

Light indicator on Xiaomi: why it is needed and why it is turned off

Xiaomi’s LED notification indicator is a small but extremely useful element that signals missed calls, messages or low battery power. In the era of always-on screens, many manufacturers are abandoning physical devices. LED-Xiaomi still equips most budget and mid-budget models with them (for example, the Redmi Note series, POCO X, Mi A. However, even if your phone technically supports LED, the feature can be disabled by default or hidden in the depths of settings. MIUI.

The problem is that since MIUI 12, Xiaomi has been gradually forgetting the light indicator: newer versions of the firmware have its settings disappearing from the menu, then returning back. And models without a physical LED (such as the Xiaomi 13 or Redmi K60) instead use a screen indicator – a flashing dot on the display turned off. In this article, we will discuss all possible ways to activate the light indication – from standard settings to hidden functions and workarounds.

Before you get to the instructions, check if your phone has a physical LED, which is usually to the right of the front camera (on monobrow models) or under the screen (on cut-out devices). If you don't see a small dot that lights up when charging, chances are you have an on-screen indicator instead of an LED, it's different setup.

Method 1: Standard MIUI settings (for models with physical LEDs)

If your phone is equipped with a physical LED, the first thing you should do is turn it on through the standard menu. Depending on the version of MIUI, the path to settings may differ, but the general logic remains. Starting with MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 (Android 13/14), the indicator section is often hidden - you need to look for it in the "Additional" submenus.

Instructions for most models (Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5, Mi 10T/11 Lite, etc.):

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Go to Always on Screen and Lock (or Lock Screen in older versions).
3. Slip on Lock Settings or Additional Settings.
4. Find the Light indicator (or Notification indicator) item. If it is not available, see the following method.
5. Activate the slider Show the light indicator.
6. Set up colors for different types of notifications (calls, messages, charging).

Some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global) may have a different name for the section. If you don't find "Light indicator", try searching for the settings (lamp at the top of the screen) for an LED or indicator, and the system should give a direct link to the hidden menu.

✅ Make sure your phone supports a physical LED.

✅ Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (Settings) → The phone. → Updating the system)

✅ Check if the indicator is turned off in the "Do not disturb" mode"

✅ Restart your phone (sometimes system settings get lost)-->

Method 2: Enable via "Special Opportunities" (for MIUI 12-15)

In the latest versions of MIUI, the light indicator settings have been moved to the Special Features section, so that the function is available to users with hearing impairments - the LED helps to visually alert incoming calls. If you do not find the right item in the standard settings, follow this instruction:

1. Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Choose Hearing (or Sound and Vibration in some firmware).
3. Slip on the Light indicator or the Blinking indicator.
4. Turn on the option to flash the LED when calling.
5. If you wish, activate Blink at notifications (does not work on all models).

Note: in this section, the indicator is configured only for calls and SMS. For notifications from messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber), you will need to use additional applications (see Method 4).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi 9, POCO M3) Turning on the indicator through "Special Features" turns off the vibration when you call. To return the tactile recoil, go to Settings. → Sound and vibration → Vibration when calling and activate the slider again.

Method 3: Set up the screen indicator (for models without LED)

If your Xiaomi doesn’t have a physical LED (e.g., Xiaomi 12T, Redmi K50, POCO F4), it uses a screen indicator — a small dot or bar on the screen that is off — called Always-on Display (AOD), or the Notification Lock Screen, to activate it:

1. Go to Settings → Always on screen and lock.
2. Always choose style on the screen.
3. Activate the slider Show notifications.
4. Set up the display: 🔄 Only at notifications – the point lights up only when missed events. ⏱️ According to the schedule - the indicator works at specified hours (saves charge). 📱 When lifting - the screen turns on when you take the phone in your hand.

The screen indicator is less visible than LED, It does not require a physical LED, supports color schemes (you can configure different colors for different applications) and works even on the AMOLED-It's a low-power screen, but it's a low-power model. LCD-display (e.g., Redmi) 10A) Continuous burning of pixels can cause the screen to burn out.

Method 4: LED management applications (if standard settings don’t work)

If your MIUI firmware doesn't have built-in settings for the light indicator, or they don't work correctly, you can use third-party apps.

• 🔦 Light Manager (LED Settings – supports color customization for different applications, works on most models with physical LED. Link to Google Play.
• 📱 AOD Notify – an alternative to the standard Always-on Display, allows you to configure a flashing dot on the screen even on devices without any AMOLED. Reference.
• 🔄 MacroDroid: Automatically turn on the indicator under certain conditions (e.g., only at night or for specific contacts).

Before installing, check the app’s compatibility with your model.For example, Light Manager doesn’t work on the Xiaomi 13 and Redmi K60 due to the lack of a physical LED, and AOD Notify may conflict with Xiaomi’s branded Always-on Display.

1. Install the application and provide all the necessary permissions (access to notifications, auto-run).
2. In the application settings, select the LED Test to make sure it works.
3. Set up rules for different types of notifications (e.g. red for missed calls, blue for messages).
4. Turn off the standard Always-on Display if you use AOD Notify.

⚠️ Attention: Some management applications LED (LEDBlinker requires root rights on new versions MIUI. If you are not ready to get root, choose utilities that work without it (the description on Google Play usually indicates whether you need superuser rights).

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If the LED flashes too often and drains the battery, in the Light Manager settings, reduce the blinking interval to 2-3 seconds, which will reduce power consumption by 30-40%.

Method 5: Hidden settings through the engineering menu (for advanced)

If none of the above methods worked, you can try to activate the light indicator through the engineering menu (Engineer Mode), which is suitable for advanced users and requires caution - incorrect changes can lead to malfunctions in the phone.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###
2. You will be taken to Engineer Mode. Go to Hardware Testing → LED.
3. Turn on LED testing (LED Test).
4. If the indicator caught fire, it means that it is physically working, and the problem is in the software settings.
5. Go back to the main menu and select MTK Settings → Hardware → LED (the path may vary depending on the processor).
6. Activate the Enable LED Notification option.

After this manipulation, the light indicator should work. If the LED partition is not in the engineering menu, then your model does not support hardware configuration of the LED through MTK or Qualcomm.

Why the light indicator doesn’t work: common problems and solutions

If you have followed all the instructions but the LED still doesn’t blink, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🔋 Battery discharge - at charge level below 15%, many Xiaomi models turn off the indicator to save power.
• 📵 Do Not Disturb Mode – check if it is activated in the sound settings (Settings) → Sound and vibration → Don't disturb).
• 🔄 Resetting – if the indicator worked before but Suddenly stopped, try resetting the application settings (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Three points. → Resetting application settings).
• 🛠️ LED damage – if the phone fell or fell under water, contacts LED They could oxidize. In this case, only repairs can help.
• 📲 Conflict with the shell - on some firmware (for example, MIUI EU) The indicator is off by default. Try switching to MIUI Global.

If the firmware is a problem, you can try to roll back to the previous version of MIUI (if the indicator worked before) or wait for an update to see if the current version of the software is to blame:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Remember the current version (e.g. MIUI 14.0.5 Global).
3. Search the web for reviews of this firmware + your phone model + "LED doesn't work".

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On Xiaomi models with a Snapdragon processor (for example, POCO F3, Redmi K40), the light indicator is controlled at the kernel level. If after the MIUI update it stopped working, most likely, the driver problem is in the driver - wait for a patch from the developers.

FAQ: Frequent questions about light indicator on Xiaomi