Why Xiaomi Needs “Special Opportunities”
Have you ever gone into Xiaomi's settings and seen the "Special Features" item? Many users skip it thinking it's only for people with disabilities. It's actually a whole hidden menu with features that can come in handy for everyone from improving screen readability to controlling a hands-free phone.
Smartphone makers including Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are required to implement such options under international accessibility standards (such as WCAG), but even if you don’t have vision or hearing problems, there are some useful “chips” here: for example, Color Correction mode helps reduce eye strain when you use your gadget for long periods in the dark, and Touch gestures allow you to control your phone with one hand. Let’s understand what lies behind each function – without complex terms.
Important: on different models (Xiaomi 13, Redmi Note 12, POCO X5), the menu may differ slightly, but the basic options remain the same. If you do not find the right item, upgrade your MIUI firmware to the latest version.
Where to find a special feature menu at Xiaomi
You can get to the settings in two ways:
- 📱 Through the main settings: open "Settings» → «Special features. On some firmware, the item may be called “Universal Access” or “Additional Features».
- ⚡ Quick access: Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar, and tap the icon of the person in the wheelchair (if any).
If you have MIUI 14 or newer, the menu can be divided into categories: vision, hearing, interaction and general. On older versions (for example, MIUI 12), all options are collected in one list.
Features for vision: how to make the screen more convenient
This category is useful not only for people with poor eyesight, but also for those who read a lot from the screen or work in poor lighting.
- 👁️ Screen zoom: triple touching the screen increases the area you select, and you can adjust the proximity (from 1.2).× 8×) and position.
- 🌓 Color inversion: flips the screen colors (white turns black, and vice versa) useful when reading in the dark or for people with photophobia.
- 🎨 Color correction: color blind filters (protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia) and also has a Warm Screen mode that reduces the blue component of light.
- 📖 Large text: increases the font in all applications (including WhatsApp, Telegram), maximum size - 150% of the standard.
Note the Read mode (not all models have it), which takes away animations, simplifies the interface, and makes text more contrasting, like in an e-book, which reduces eye fatigue with long surfing.
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If after turning on the inversion of colors you need to take a screenshot, temporarily turn off the function - otherwise the picture will also be inverted.
| Function | Who's good for? | Side effects |
|---|---|---|
| Screen augmentation | People with poor eyesight, designers (view details) | Can slow down the interface on weak smartphones |
| Color inversion | Reading in the dark, reducing eye strain | Distorted colors in photos/video |
| Color correction | Color blinds, users with migraines | It can damage the perception of media content. |
| Large text | Older users, reading without glasses | Not all applications support scaling |
Settings for hearing: subtitles, screen blinking and not only
If you have hearing problems or are often in noisy places, these features will be a lifesaver:
- 🔊 Subtitles: automatically shows text from the video (works on YouTube, Netflix and other apps) You can adjust the size, color and background of the font.
- 💡 Flash flash: when you call or notify the camera will flash LED. Useful if the phone is lying on the table in silent mode.
- 🎧 Mono-audio: combines the sound from the left and right earphones into one channel, for those who hear only one ear.
- 📳 Sound control: allows you to separately adjust the volume of media, calls and notifications.
Attention! Subtitles requires an Internet connection, and text is recognized through Xiaomi's cloud service. If you want offline work, install Google Live Transcribe from the Play Market.
How do I turn on subtitles for calls?
Handless Control: Voice, Gestures and External Devices
This category is useful for those who want to control the phone as convenient as possible - for example, driving, while cooking or playing sports.
- 🗣️ Voice assistant: activated by the phrase "OK, Google" or "Hi, Siri" (on some models), you can open apps, call and dictate messages.
- ✋ Touch gestures: for example, a swipe up late opens the notification bar, and a swipe down opens the quick settings panel.
- 🎮 External devices: Connecting a joystick, keyboard or mouse over Bluetooth to control your phone as a computer.
- 👆 AssistiveTouch: A virtual button on the screen that replaces hardware keys (e.g. Home, Back»).
The most underrated feature here is "Automatically Rotate the Screen Over the Face," and you turn it on, and the phone will detect the position of your head through the front camera, not the gyroscope, which is convenient when you're lying on your side.
Include AssistiveTouch in Settings → Special Opportunities → Interaction
Select the size and transparency of the button
Set up actions for single/double touch
Add frequently used features (screenshot, lock, brightness)-->
Hidden functions that few people know about
The special features menu contains options that are not obvious even to experienced users:
- 🔒 Blocking: If you accidentally press the power button, the phone won't unlock until you press it again.
- ⏱️ Inactivity timer: automatically turns off the screen after a predetermined time (15 seconds to 30 minutes.
- 📱 Light Touch Mode: Increases screen sensitivity – useful if you have thick fingers or use your phone with gloves on.
- 🔄 Automatic Language Switching: If you type in two languages often, your phone will determine the layout you want.
Little-known life hack: In the Screen section, you can enable the display of button boundaries and clickable elements, which helps beginners learn the MIUI interface faster, and is also useful when recording training videos (viewers see where you click).
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Light Touch may conflict with cases that cover the edges of the screen. If the phone starts to push buttons spontaneously, turn it off.
How to Reset Special Opportunities Settings
If you’ve experimented with features and something goes wrong (like the screen becoming unreadable or the phone no longer responding to touch), you can go back to factory settings:
- Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
- Slip on the three-point menu in the upper right corner.
- Select "Reset settings."
- Confirm the action (a password may be required).
Attention! The reset will not affect system settings (e.g. screen brightness or wallpaper), but will return all parameters from the special features menu to standard values, including:
- Font size and contrast
- Gestures and voice control
- Subtitles and sound settings
If some features continue to work incorrectly after reset, try restarting your phone or updating your MIUI to the latest version.