Have you ever missed important messages because your phone was on the screen down or in a noisy room? A flash of light on Xiaomi notifications solves this problem — the bright blinks of the camera or screen will catch your attention even in the most uncomfortable situations. This feature is especially useful for people with hearing impairments or those who often work in high noise conditions.
Unlike standard audio signals, light alerts do not interfere with others and work even in silent mode. On Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, Poco and Black Shark models), this feature is implemented through the MIUI system settings, but its location may vary depending on the firmware version. In this article, we will discuss all possible activation methods, including hidden settings for older versions of the system.
Why Notification Flash on Xiaomi Doesn’t Work
Before you get to the setup, it’s important to understand why the feature might not be available on your device.
- 📱 An outdated version MIUI — firmware MIUI 10 Options May Not Be Available or Not Work Right
- 🔧 Lack of hardware support – budget models (e.g. Redmi) 5A or Redmi 6) sometimes lacking LED backlight
- 🚫 Manufacturer restrictions – on some devices for the Chinese market, the function is disabled
- 🔄 Conflict with third-party applications – notification management programs (e.g. Light Manager) may block the system function
If your smartphone is released after 2018 and runs on MIUI 11+, the problem is most likely the settings. For older models (such as Xiaomi Mi A1 or Redmi Note 4), you may need to install additional utilities.
Method 1: Standard setting through special features
The most reliable activation method is using the special feature menu, which works on most devices with MIUI 12 and later.
- Open Settings → Special Opportunities
- Select the Hearing section (on some firmware - Sound and vibration)
- Find the option of Notification Flash or Light Alerts
- Activate the switch and select the type of flashing: 📸 Camera – will flash the LED main / front camera 📱 Screen – the display will be turned on periodically (only works when the screen is turned off)
On some devices (e.g. Poco F3 or Redmi K40), this path may look different: Settings → Additional → Special Features → Flash at notifications. If the option is not in the specified sections, move to the next method.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Method 2: Activate through a hidden menu of engineering settings
If the standard method didn't work, you can try to turn on the function through the engineering menu, which requires caution, since incorrect changes can lead to system failures.
Instructions for Xiaomi based on Qualcomm Snapdragon:
- Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##36446337###
- In the menu that appears, select Hardware Testing → LED
- Find the Notification LED option and activate it.
- To save the changes, restart the device
For MediaTek devices (such as Redmi 9A or Poco C31), use the code ##4636##, then go to Testing → LED.
What to do if the engineering menu does not open?
⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the engineering menu can lead to unstable camera or LED backlighting.Before experimenting, back up your data via Settings → The phone. → Backup.
Method 3: Using Third-Party Applications
If the system methods don't work, third-party utilities will come to the rescue.
| Annex | Support for MIUI | Features | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Manager | MIUI 9-14 | Flexible color and frequency settings, support for individual applications | Google Play |
| Flash Notifications | MIUI 10+ | Simple interface, working with the camera and screen, energy saving | Google Play |
| LED Blinker | MIUI 11-14 | Support for LED and screen, setting for each contact | Google Play |
These applications will require permissions for Special Access and Display over other windows, and the setup usually takes no more than 2-3 minutes, and the result is not inferior to the system function.
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If the flash doesn’t work after installing the app, check if the battery optimization is blocking it. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Battery Optimization and add the utility to the exceptions.
Setting up a flash for individual applications
Xiaomi’s system feature allows you to turn on light alerts for all notifications at once, but what if you only need flashing for WhatsApp or Telegram?
- Go to Settings → Notifications and Status Bar → Notification Management
- Select the application you want (for example, Viber)
- Activate the Flash or Light Alert option
- Adjust the blinking color (if available) and frequency
On MIUI 13/14, the path may differ: Settings → Applications → Application Management → [select app] → Notifications → Additional. Some messengers (e.g. Signal) may require manual configuration within the app itself.
Solving common problems
If the notification flash doesn’t work despite all the efforts, check out these points:
- 🔋 Power saving mode - turn it off in Settings → Battery and productivity
- 📵 Block Notifications – Make sure that notifications are allowed for the application in Settings → Notifications
- 🔄 Application conflict – temporarily disable other LED control utilities
- 🔧 Resetting – if nothing helps, reset special features settings via Settings → Special opportunities → Reset
For devices with MIUI 14 and later, also check if Do Not Disturb with Visual Effects Lock is enabled. This setting is in Settings → Sound and Vibration → Do Not Disturb → Additional.
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On devices with AMOLED-screens (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or Poco) F4) The screen blinking function can be disabled by default to save battery.In this case, use only the camera LED.