Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where a heart icon or digital values that mimic the heartbeat appear on a locked screen, a phenomenon that can be caused by several reasons, ranging from built-in pulse measurement functions through the camera to security widgets or third-party health apps.
Understanding the source of the signal is the first step to solving the problem. Xiaomi actively integrates health monitoring functions into the MIUI and HyperOS shell, which sometimes leads to confusion among users who did not plan to use the gadget as a fitness tracker. In most cases, the “pulse” on the screen is not a system failure, but an activated “Pulse Measurement” function or a “Health” widget.
In this article, we will take a look at all the possible options for these indicators to appear and provide step-by-step instructions for turning them off. Whether the indicator is constantly on or only appears when unlocked, you will find a working solution here.
Reasons for the appearance of the pulse indicator on the screen
Before you start settings, you need to identify exactly what your device is displaying, and a system analysis shows that there are three main scenarios for the appearance of a heart or heart rate on the display.
The first and most common option is the activated mode of measuring heart rate through the camera. Xiaomi smartphones allow you to use the flash and lens to read blood flow on the finger pad. If this feature was launched earlier and not closed, it can display status in the background or on Always On Display.
The second option is with lock-screen widgets, and in the MIUI shell, there are special themes and widgets called "Stepomer" or "Health" that display activity statistics, including pulse, if it's synchronized with the wristband. Third-party apps like Mi Fitness or Zepp Life can also display pulse notifications.
- ❤️ Activated system function "Pulsemeter" in the standard application "Health".
- 📱 Widget on the lock screen, broadcasting data from wearable devices.
- ⚠️ Misinterpretation of notification indicator or proximity sensor.
The third case is specific design themes, where users often download graphical shells that change the standard look of the watch or battery status to add animations of the heartbeat, and turning it off will bring back the standard look of the interface.
Turning off pulse measurement through the camera
If the indicator appears after you or someone at home accidentally started the measurement, you need to close the process in the application. the standard Mi Health app (or simply "Health") has a built-in module for such measurements.
Open the Health app on your device. In the bottom menu or tool list, look for the Pulse or the Pulse Measurement section. If you start the measurement, you'll see a timer or flashing indicator. Press the stop button or just close the application completely through the Task Manager.
☑️ Checking sensor activity
To prevent accidental launch in the future, you can restrict the app’s access to the camera in the background, although this can disrupt the quick start functionality. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Health → Permits and check access rights.
⚠️ Warning: Do not glue the camera or light sensor to remove the indicator, which can lead to overheating of the sensor or incorrect operation of the autobrightness of the screen.
Also worth checking the settings of the application itself. Inside the Pulse section, there is often a settings button (cogwheel) where you can turn off automatic history saving or background data synchronization if you do not need it.
Set up widgets on the lock screen
Often, the pulse is part of the lock screen design, and Xiaomi uses the wallpaper carousel or the set theme to do that, and if you see the numbers or the heart rate graph right when you turn on the screen, the visualization problem is.
To turn it off, go to Settings → Always on screen and lock screen. You need to find the wallpaper carousel (or "Glance") and turn it off. Also check the "Clock Format" section, where you sometimes choose a style with a stopwatch or a beat.
| Interface element | Where to turn off | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Wallpaper carousel | Settings → Lock screen | Removes advertising and news widgets |
| Clock style | Settings → Lock screen → Format | Changes the time and date display |
| Mi-Widgets. | Settings → Main screen | Removes floating activity windows |
If you're using a third-party theme, go to the Themes app, go to profile, and reset the design to standard. Topics from unknown developers often contain aggressive advertising or intrusive animations that mimic the work of medical devices.
It's important to distinguish between system widgets and theme elements, and if you change the theme to a standard Classic, your pulse is gone, it's the design, and resetting the theme is the fastest way to diagnose it.
Notifications Management from Mi Fitness and Zepp Life
If you have a fitness bracelet or smartwatch, a companion app (Mi Fitness, Zepp Life, WearOS) can duplicate pulse notifications on your smartphone screen.This happens when a sensor on your wrist detects an abnormally high or low heart rate.
To remove these pop-up messages, you need to configure notifications inside the app itself for wearables: Open Zepp Life or Mi Fitness, go to the device profile and find the Notifications or Settings alert section.
- 🔔 Turn off the option “Pulse Warning” or “Hardrate Monitoring".
- 📵 In the smartphone settings, forbid these applications to display notifications on the lock screen.
- 🔄 Check sync: Sometimes an old incorrect data packet “hangs” and is constantly displayed.
Also worth checking is Android settings. Go to Settings → Notifications → Notifications Management Center. Find the fitness tracker app in the list and turn off the display on the lock screen. This will hide the notification text, leaving only a small icon in the status bar.
Users often confuse the “Steps Goal” notification with the pulse, as the icons in the MIUI interface may look similar when glanced at.
Diagnostics through Safe Mode and Developer Settings
If none of these methods worked and the pulse continues to burn, it could be a conflicting application or a system failure.
To enter Safe Mode, press the turn off button, and when the turn off icon appears on the screen, press and hold it with your finger for a few seconds, the system will suggest that you go to Safe Mode, and if the pulse is lost in this mode, then the third-party application is to blame.
adb shell dumpsys activity services | grep -i healthThis command (for advanced users with a connected PC) allows you to see active health-related services, but it is easier for the average user to uninstall recently installed apps, especially those that require access to a camera or sensors.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party launchers and some system features are not working in Safe Mode. Don't be afraid if the interface becomes simpler - that's okay.
Also check the special settings. Some applications for people with disabilities or text enhancers may have their own activity indicators. Way: Settings → Advanced settings → Special features.
Resetting and system update
In extreme cases, when a software glitch doesn't allow you to remove an artifact, it helps to reset the interface settings, and it won't delete your photos or contacts, but it will return the design to the factory look.
Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Themes and Wallpaper. Click Clear → Clear All Data. This action will reset the theme and widget cache.
Don’t forget to update your system. Xiaomi regularly releases patches to fix interface errors. Go to Settings → About your phone and check for MIUI or HyperOS updates.
- 📲 Make a backup of your data before any radical action.
- 🔄 Update all system apps via GetApps or Google Play.
- 🧹 Use the built-in cleaning in the Security app to remove the cache.
If even a full reset to the factory settings (Hard Reset) did not remove the strange indicator, there is a high probability of a hardware problem of the matrix (a broken pixel that glows with a certain color) or the plume, in which case a diagnosis is required in the service center.