Always On Display (AOD) on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Setup and Use

Have you ever noticed how your Xiaomi smartphone screen continues to display time, notifications, or beautiful animations even when it’s off? It’s not magic — it’s Always On Display (AOD) technology that has become the standard for many of the brand’s flagship and mid-budget models. But how does it work, why does it work, and how do you set it up properly to keep the battery from landing in a couple of hours?

In this article, we’ll take a look at everything about Xiaomi’s AOD, from the technical details (which screens support the function and why) to hidden MIUI chips that aren’t mentioned in the official instructions. How to enable Always On Display on your model, what design styles are available, and how to minimize energy consumption without losing functionality. And also answering the most popular question: is AOD worth using at all, or is it just a marketing trick?

What is Always On Display and How Does It Work for Xiaomi?

Always On Display (AOD) is a mode where part of the screen remains active even when the smartphone is locked.

• 🕒 Time and date (primary function)
• 📱 Notifications (calls, messages, mail)
• 🎨 Animations or static images (brand logo, abstractions)
• 🔋 Battery level (on some models)

Technologically AOD accomplished AMOLED-screens (or more modern ones) OLED), where each pixel is individually illuminated. LCD, There's no full-screen backlight, only the pixels that are used to display information are on, and this saves a lot of energy, like a black background. AOD It does not consume charge at all, as the pixels are simply off.

Xiaomi has a feature that has appeared in 2016 year-long 5s, but it only spread massively with the exit MIUI 10. Today. AOD Supports almost all branded devices AMOLED-displays, including the Redmi K line, POCO F and Xiaomi 11/12/13. Exception: budgetary apparatus with LCD-screens (e.g. Redmi Note) 10 In the basic version, where the function is physically impossible.

The Pros and Cons of Always On Display: Should You Include

It seems like a convenient feature — but why do some users immediately turn off AOD? Let's weigh the pros and cons:

Critical nuance: on Xiaomi with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/2 processors (for example, Xiaomi 12 Pro or POCO F4 GT), AOD can consume up to 10% of charge per night due to the features of MIUI optimization. If you notice such a cost, try turning off the function or reduce the screen activity time in the settings.

Advice for owners of Redmi K50 and Xiaomi 13: in these models, AOD automatically turns off when the charge level is below 15%.This is done to save energy, but the threshold can be changed through hidden settings (we will discuss this below).

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If you use a magnetic lock case, the AOD will automatically shut down when the case is closed – this helps save charge.

What Xiaomi models support is always on display

Function AOD available only on devices with AMOLED/OLED-Here is a complete list of Xiaomi lines where it is exactly (relevant for firmware). MIUI 12–14):

• 📱 Flagship series: Xiaomi 11/11T/12/12S/12T/13/13T/14, Mi 10/10T/11
• 🔥 Gaming smartphones: Black Shark 4/5, POCO F3/F4/F5 GT
• 💰 Mid-segment: Redmi K30/K40/K50/K60, POCO X3/X4/X5 Pro
• 🌟 Folding devices: Xiaomi MIX Fold/Fold 2

How do you check if your model has AOD? Go to Settings → Screen → Always On Display. If you don’t have one, your smartphone doesn’t support the feature (or you have an outdated version of MIUI).

Excluded: Some models, such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G, have AMOLED-screen, but AOD They're locked at the software level, and in those cases, you can activate the function through ADB-commands (instruction below).

How to Enable and Configure Always On Display on Xiaomi

Instructions for activating AOD depend on the version of MIUI. Consider two options: standard (for most models) and alternative (if the item is not in the menu).

Method 1: Standard Enablement through Settings

1. Open the Settings → Screen.
2. Select Always On Display (on some firmware - Ambient Display).
3. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.
4. Set up the parameters: 🕖 Schedule: always, on schedule or only when charging. 🎨 Style: choice of watch design (digital, analog, minimalist). 🔔 Notifications: What apps can show alerts.

Method 2: Enable via ADB (for hidden models)

If there is no item in the settings AOD, but AMOLED-screen, try to activate the function through ADB:

adb shell settings put global always_on_display_enabled 1

After you execute the command, restart the device.Caution: this method may not work on some firmware or lead to bugs (e.g., spontaneous AOD shutdown).

Hidden AOD settings (for power users)

MIUI 13/14 has undocumented parameters that can be changed through Hardware Testing (code ##4636##):

• 🔄 Change in the frequency of the update AOD (By default, 1 Hz can be reduced to 0.5 Hz for savings).
• 📉 Customization of the shutdown threshold at low charge (standard 15%, you can raise to 25%).
• 🎭 Activation of experimental animations (e.g., falling snowflakes on New Year's Eve).

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On models with MIUI 14 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra), AOD consumes 30% less power thanks to optimizing display drivers.

How to reduce battery consumption when using AOD

The main fear of users is that Always On Display will quickly discharge the smartphone. Is it really true? According to XDA Developers tests, on the Xiaomi 12 Pro AOD consumes about 0.5-1% of charge per hour in standard mode.

• ⏳ Reduce activity time: set a schedule (for example, only from 8:00 to 22:00).
• 🌑 Choose a dark style: black background and white numerals save energy better than color animations.
• 🔌 Turn it off. AOD When charging: if the smartphone is connected to the network, the function loses its meaning.
• 📵 Hide Notifications: Displaying App Icons Increases Spending by 10-15%.

Extreme economy mode: Some firmware can reduce the brightness of AOD to 10% through the engineering menu (code # #3644633#).

⚠️ Note: If after activation AOD The smartphone is overheating (especially) POCO F3 or Redmi K40), Check the background processes through Settings → Battery → The battery use, maybe it's not the fault. AOD, a other application that conflicts with display drivers.

Top.-5 Always on Display on Xiaomi: How to Choose the Best

MIUI has over 20 built-in AOD styles, plus custom themes, and we've selected the 5 best combinations of beauty and economy:

1. Minimalist watches (white digits on a black background) are the most economical option, the consumption is ~0.3% / hour.
2. Analog watches with stopwatches are stylish, but consume 20% more due to the animation of the arrow.
3. The Mi logo is Xiaomi’s corporate identity, suitable for fans of the brand.
4. Weather + Time – displays temperature and weather icon (requires access to geolocation).
5. Custom themes (downloaded from Theme → AOD) – for example, “Cyberpunk” or “Starry Sky”.

How to set a custom style:

1. Open the Topic app.
2. Go to the AOD section.
3. Select your favorite theme and click Apply.
4. Return to the AOD settings and activate the new style.

Secret Lifehack: If you’re tired of standard styles, you can install AOD from Samsung or Google through the Always On AMOLED app (available on the Play Market), which offers more than 100 designs, but requires permission to display on top of other apps.

Frequent Always On Display Problems and Solutions

Even a function that simple can fail.-5 problems and ways to correct them:

If none of these methods worked, try resetting the screen settings:

1. Go to Settings → System → Resetting settings.
2. Select Reset Screen Settings (does not affect data).
3. After restarting, reset the AOD.

⚠️ Note: Xiaomi 13 Ultra and MIX Fold 2 after upgrading to MIUI 14.0.5 was a bug that caused the AOD It displays time with a delay of up to 1 minute. This is a known problem — wait for the patch in the next update.

FAQ: Answers to the popular questions about Always On Display on Xiaomi