How to go to the engineering menu on Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 T: the complete guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the need for deep diagnostics of the device, which goes beyond standard user settings. The engineering menu is a hidden software interface designed for developers and service engineers, but accessible to ordinary users for testing components. On the Redmi Note 8 T model, this tool allows you to check the performance of the microphone, speaker, sensor and other critical nodes without installing third-party software.

Access to these functions is provided through special USSD-codes or system applications that don't show up on the default home screen, and knowing how to activate that mode correctly can save you from going to the service center if you can identify the malfunction yourself. In this article, we will discuss in detail all legal ways of entering, describe the functionality of each section and warn about the risks of changing system parameters.

It’s worth noting right away that interfering with a base station or changing frequency bands without proper knowledge can cause a loss of network signal.However, standard hardware tests such as checking vibration or pixel color are completely safe for your Redmi Note 8 T. We’ll look at both basic commands for quick checks and advanced ADB access methods.

The main ways to activate the hidden menu

The easiest and fastest way to get into the hidden diagnostics section is to use the standard Phone application, so you don't need superuser rights or a computer connection, just type a certain sequence of characters, and the system automatically recognizes the command.

For the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 T, the main access code to the engineering menu is ##6484##. When you enter the latest characters, the screen automatically switches to the CIT (Customer Integration Test) interface, where all the hardware tests are collected. If this code does not work for some reason, as happens on some versions of the MIUI firmware, you can try an alternative combination of ##4636#, which opens the test menu of the phone information.

⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may not automatically transition, so you need to press the call button after typing the last digit, although it is rarely required for engineering codes.

There's also a second way that's useful if the keyboard doesn't respond or the screen doesn't work, and you can create a shortcut for the engineering menu manually, go to the settings, look for the Advanced Settings section, and select Shortcuts, where you can add a shortcut for the engineering test if it's available in the list of system applications.

Using the CIT application for diagnosis

Once you have successfully entered the code, you will see a list of tests, each of which is responsible for checking a specific component of the smartphone. The CIT interface on the Redmi Note 8 T is designed in a minimalist style and contains text descriptions of the tests.

For example, if you select TouchPanel, you'll be in touch screen mode, prompted to swipe along lines or paint over certain areas of the screen, a great way to identify dead areas of the sensor that are not visible when you're using MIUI.

Also important is the partition that checks the display, where you can run the color change cycle (Red, Green, Blue, White) to find broken pixels or uneven matrix illumination. IPS-This is critically important, since factory marriage of matrices occurs infrequently, but is possible.

Remember to return to the main menu after each test by pressing the back or pass button if the test is successful. Some tests, such as checking the accelerometer or gyroscope, require placing the smartphone on a flat surface. If the calibration is successful, the system will give a notification.

Menu testing information about the phone

The second type of engineering menu, available under code ##4636##, focuses not on hardware tests but on software settings and statistics. Here you will find the sections Phone Information, Usage Statistics and Wi-Fi Information, which are especially useful for users who want to manage network type or detailed app performance statistics.

In the Phone Information section, you can force the network mode to switch, for example, if your Redmi Note 8 T is constantly jumping between 3G and 4G, you can lock in LTE only mode. However, beware: this mode may not work incoming calls unless VoLTE technology is enabled.

You can also run a Ping test to check the quality of the connection to the Google server, which helps to quickly diagnose problems with the Internet without resorting to third-party applications. If the ping is high or packets lost is large, the problem may be on the side of the provider or antenna module of the smartphone.

💡

If you have changed the network settings in this menu and lost the signal, just restart the device – the settings will reset to the standard operator values.

Sensor verification and calibration

One of the common problems Xiaomi users have is that the proximity sensor doesn't work properly during a conversation. The screen may not go out when you bring the phone to your ear, or it may go out too early. The Redmi Note 8 T's engineering menu has a separate section for calibrating these sensors.

To access the sensor calibration, the code ##64663## is often used, or to navigate through the Proximity sensor in the CIT menu. During the calibration process, the system will ask you to close the top of the screen (where the speaker is located) with your palm and then open it. The light sensor is also checked in the same cycle.

⚠️ Note: Do not calibrate the sensors in bright direct sunlight or with a thick edged protective film pasted, which can disrupt settings and make sensor performance worse under normal conditions.

If the software calibration doesn't help, it may be hardware-related, and in the CIT menu you'll see the values that change when you close the sensor, and if the numbers don't change at all (remain at 0.0 or 5.0), it's a sure sign that the plume or the sensor itself is broken.

Access via ADB and debugging via USB

For advanced users who need hidden features not available through conventional codes, there is a method of entering commands via Android Debug Bridge (ADB).This method requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and enabling the developer mode. On the Redmi Note 8 T, this is done by seven times pressing the build number in the About Phone section.

Once you have enabled USB debugging and installed ADB drivers on your PC, you can send commands directly to the system, for example, to run a specific test, you can use the command:

adb shell am start -n com.android.facetest/.FacetestActivity

This method allows you to run hidden activities that do not have a desktop shortcut, and through ADB you can also use real-time system logs, which is useful for finding the causes of MIUI instability. However, remember that entering incorrect commands through ADB can lead to program errors.

Possible problems and solutions

When trying to log into the engineering menu, Redmi Note 8 T users may encounter a number of difficulties. Often the code is simply not entered or ignored by the system, this may be due to the fact that the Phone application does not have the default rights to process such requests, or a stripped-down version of the firmware is installed.

In some cases, the menu opens, but all tests are marked "Fail" or not running.This may indicate no access rights or a conflict of system processes. Try clearing the Settings and Phone app cache before trying again to log in.

If you accidentally changed the setting in the engineering menu and the phone behaves inadequately (no sound, no network), the most effective solution is to reset the settings to factory. Resetting through the CIT menu is impossible, use the standard system recovery section.

💡

Most login problems are solved by restarting your smartphone or upgrading your system to the current version of MIUI.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)