How to Enable Notifications in Xiaomi: Setup and Fix Errors

Users of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face situations where important messages from messengers or emails do not arrive on time, due to aggressive optimization of battery life in the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS, which by default limits the background activity of applications to save charge.

In this article, we will take a look at all the steps of activating alerts, from basic operating system settings to fine-tuning specific applications, learn how to make your phone wake up the screen when incoming events and why standard Android settings are often not enough to work consistently in the Xiaomi ecosystem.

An incorrect configuration can lead to the fact that you only learn about an event after manually opening the application. System restrictions can block the network activity of background processes, so it is important to go through all the instructions to ensure that information is received in real time.

Basic activation of alerts in system settings

The first step should always be to check the device's global settings. Often, the alert function is simply disabled at the operating system level, which blocks all applications from running at once, so you need to go to the Settings menu and find the Notifications and Status bar section.

Here, you should make sure that the switch that displays pop-ups and audio signals is activated. If this slider is turned off, no further manipulation of individual applications will not work. You can also set the format of the display on the lock screen in this section: show the contents of the message or hide it for privacy purposes.

Note the item "Notification Indicator" if your smartphone is equipped with an LED. For models without a constant indicator (Always-on Display), it is important to enable the option to flash the screen when new events arrive, so that you do not visually miss the signal in your pocket or bag.

There is an important nuance for owners of devices with AMOLED-The Always-on Display feature can consume charge, but it allows you to see the time and notification icons without touching your smartphone. Disabling this feature for the sake of battery saving often leads to users noticing incoming calls when the phone is lying down screen.

Configure access rights for individual applications

The Android system that underpins MIUI requires individual permission for each application. Even if it’s all-on, a particular WhatsApp, Telegram, or email client may not be allowed to display information on the screen. Go to Settings → Notifications → Notifications from apps.

In the list that opens, find the program you want to use and make sure the master switch is green, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Click on the name of the app to open an extended menu where you can customize the types of events in detail, whether to allow sounds, vibrations, pop-ups or display in a curtain.

• 🔔 Sound: Make sure you select a specific sound, not a “no sound” mode".
• 📱 Pop-ups: Critical for messengers to see text on top of other windows.
• 🔒 Lock screen: Allow content to be displayed if you want to read messages without unlocking your phone.

Special attention should be given to priority: in modern versions of the shell, you can set the status "Important" for certain applications, which causes the system to ignore the "Do Not Disturb" mode for selected contacts or programs, skipping their signals even at night.

⚠️ Warning: If you have turned on Do Not Disturb mode (moon in curtain), normal notifications will come silently (no sound or vibration), even if everything is allowed in the application settings.

Energy saving and background management

The most common reason why notifications in Xiaomi are delayed or not coming at all is aggressive energy saving. The system tends to close the background process of the application to save battery power, at which point the application loses connection to the server. To fix this, find the right one in the list of applications and go to the Battery (or Activity Control) section.

You need to select a "No Limits" strategy. By default, the system often sets "Power Saving" or "Smart Limits" values, which leads to delivery problems. Setting "No Limits" mode allows the application to be permanently hanging in memory and maintaining a network connection.

It’s also worth checking your autorun settings. There’s a separate Apps → Permissions → Autorun menu in the MIUI shell. If the switch opposite your messenger is turned off, the system won’t let it start after you reboot your phone or clear the memory until you manually open it yourself.

Another important parameter is access to data in the background, in the traffic management menu or in the settings. SIM-Make sure the app is allowed to use mobile internet and Wi-Fi when the screen is off. Without this permission, the phone will simply cut the connection once the display goes out.

Configure the curtain and the Notification Center

In recent firmware versions, Xiaomi has separated the fast settings curtain and notification tape, making them similar to iOS.Manage these elements is in the Notifications and Status bar section. Here you can choose the style: "Classic" (Android) or "New" (iOS), where notifications are grouped by application.

Grouping notifications can be both convenient and annoying. If you miss messages often, try changing the grouping settings. In some cases, the system hides the old notifications in a rolled-up list, and they don't make a sound until you turn the group around manually.

Don't forget to "notify history." On Android 11 and above, and on current MIUI 13/14/15, you can view all notifications that were deleted by swiping. This is a useful feature if you accidentally closed an important alert, but don't remember what the app was from.

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Tip: If notifications come but the screen isn't on, check the "Raise to turn on" setting in the Screen section. Sometimes the proximity sensor or gyroscope doesn't work properly and the screen doesn't light up in your pocket.

Solving problems with sleep messages

If all settings are correct, but messages in Viber or Telegram come only after unlocking the phone, the problem may lie in network settings or in the Internet. DNS. Try changing. DNS-server in the Wi-Fi settings on public from Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare, as providers sometimes block push services.

It’s also worth checking if you have a third-party memory cleaner or antivirus that conflicts with Xiaomi system services, which may have their own background blocking rules that override system settings.

• 🔄 Reboot: trivial but effective method: Reboot resets the suspended network services and synchronization processes.
• 📶 Network switching: turn on and off the air mode so that the phone is re-registered in the operator’s network.
• 🗑️ Clear cache: in the application settings, find the item "Memory" and click "Clear cache" (not data, exactly cache).

In rare cases, reinstallation of a problematic application helps, and when you delete and re-install, the system requests all the permissions again, and often this resets the erroneous configurations that have accumulated over time.

⚠️ Note: When cleaning the application data (not the cache, but the data), you may lose your correspondence history if it is not stored in the cloud. Use this feature only as a last resort and make sure you have a backup copy.

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The main reason for the delays is the power saving mode, and setting a “No Limits” strategy solves 90% of the problems with delivering messages to Xiaomi.

Specifics of work in HyperOS mode

With the release of the HyperOS shell, notification algorithms have become even more intelligent, but also more complex, with the introduction of Smart Notifications, which tries to determine which ones are important and which ones can be hidden, which can play a cruel joke if the system misclassifies.

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The new shell also improves the widgets on the lock screen, so you can set up the latest messages directly on the widget without unlocking your phone, and you need to press the lock screen for a long time, select "Edit" and add the widget "Last Notifications".

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)