Special Features on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Setup

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face a vague notification or menu item called “Special Features.” Many users are frightened when they see an app requesting access to screen control or clicks and start looking for what kind of virus it is. It is actually an Android system mechanism designed to help people with disabilities, but its functionality is often used by third-party programs.

With MIUI and the new HyperOS, this section is critical not only for accessibility but also for security, and it is through this gateway that many legitimate utilities, such as banking applications or password managers, gain the necessary rights, but it is also where malicious scripts are often hidden, so understanding how this module works is key to keeping your personal data safe.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what services are running in the background, why they require constant permissions, and how to manage this list, learn how to distinguish between system processes and suspicious activity, and learn which settings can improve the ergonomics of your device.

What is a special service and why is it needed?

Accessibility is not a single application, but a whole set of system services and API-It's an interface built into the Android operating system, and it was originally designed for people with visual, hearing or motor impairments, like TalkBack, which voices everything that happens on the screen, allowing the blind to use a smartphone.

Over time, application developers realized that these tools could be used to extend the functionality of conventional programs. Now access to "Special Capabilities" requires clipboard managers, automatic clickers, text translators from the screen, and even some launchers. Without this permission, they simply will not be able to perform their tasks, because the system blocks their interference with the interface of other applications.

It’s important to understand the difference between system services and third-party services. System processes like Android Accessibility Service or Xiaomi services are part of the firmware and are essential for the basic operation of the phone. Third-party apps connect to this module voluntarily when you install them from Google Play or GetApps.

• 👁️ Visualization: Scale increase, color inversion, high contrast of text.
• 🗣️ Audio and speech: voice, real-time subtitles, voice control.
• 🖐️ Physical interaction: Eye control, switches, voice control, gestures.
• ⚙️ System functions: Quick access, special features menu, action recognition.

⚠️ Warning: If you see an app in the list of active services that you haven’t installed, or whose name consists of a set of random characters, immediately turn it off and check the phone with antivirus.

Main system services Xiaomi and Android

When you first see the permission list, a Xiaomi user will see a lot of items that have the word Accessibility in their name, and you shouldn't panic when you see them active, most of them are standard components that ensure that the interface works correctly and that you interact with the hardware of your smartphone.

One of the key services is the Android Accessibility Service, which is the basic component that allows the system to track user actions to provide feedback. Without it, many personalization functions will not work, and often the Xiaomi Accessibility service is active, which is responsible for specific features of the MIUI shell, such as one-hand control or special gestures.

Print Service Recommendation Service, which is responsible for finding and connecting printers, is a feature that you can deaktivate if you don't use wireless printing from your phone to save battery life, although its impact on autonomy is minimal.

Some users notice the activity of Google Play Services for AR or similar components. They also use access to special features to overlay virtual objects on the real world through the camera. If you do not use augmented reality, these services can be limited in battery settings, but a complete shutdown can lead to errors in maps or games.

Third-party applications and security risks

The biggest danger lies in third-party applications, and by gaining access to Special Features, the program actually gains super-user rights within the interface, which can read text from the screen (including SMS codes from the bank), simulate fingerstrokes, and even block the lock screen.

Often, these rights require seemingly harmless utilities, such as memory cleaners, Internet boosters, flashlights, or apps to listen to music with the screen off, which developers justify by “managing the player” or “clearing the cache of other applications.” But the mechanism of operation through accessibility is an overkill for such tasks.

A special category is malware that masquerades as useful utilities, and once logged in, they can use the accessibility service to:

• 💸 Money theft: Automatic confirmation of payments in banking applications.
• 📱 Device locks: Lock screen with a ransom demand (ransomware).
• 🕵️ Surveillance: Reading correspondence in messengers and browser history.
• 🚫 Delete Blocks: Banning Uninstallation of the Most Malware App.

⚠️ Warning: Never give special features to flashlight apps, simple calculators, or accelerators. They don't need it to work, it's a fraud marker.

If you installed an app and it insists on going to availability settings, ask yourself, "Why would a calculator know what I'm typing?" 99% of the time, it's an attempt to get redundant rights. On Xiaomi devices, security often warns you about this, but the final decision is made by the user.

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Zero Trust Rule: Only give access to special features to applications you trust 100% and whose functionality is impossible without it (for example, password managers or voice assistants).

How to Manage Permits and Disable Services

Access control in the MIUI and HyperOS shells is quite convenient, although the path to settings may vary slightly depending on the version of Android. To check which applications have access, you need to go to the appropriate settings section.

The path to the menu is as follows: open Settings, then select Additional Settings (or just search). Next, click on Special Opportunities. In the list that opens, you will see all services divided into categories "Downloaded" and "System".

To disable unnecessary service:

1. Click on the name of the app or service in the list.
2. In the menu that opens, find the Use Service switch.
3. Transfer the switch to the "Off" position.
4. Confirm the action in the pop-up warning window by pressing OK or Disable.

Sometimes, the system may require you to enter a screen unlock password or fingerprint scan before changing these settings, an additional Xiaomi protection measure to prevent accidental or remote changes to critical security settings.

Useful features for ordinary users

Despite the risks, the feature section contains tools that can be useful to any Xiaomi owner, even without health restrictions. For example, Magnification allows you to quickly zoom in on any part of the screen with triple tapping or through the quick access panel, which is convenient for looking at small details on the map or in the settings menu.

Another useful feature is the Special Options Menu, which adds a floating button to the screen, where you can quickly take screenshots, lock the screen, change the volume, or start Google Assistant, which is a great alternative to physical buttons if one of them is incorrect or incorrect.

For those who drop their phone frequently, a drop detection feature (if available in the region) or emergency call feature will be helpful, and a “hold time” setting that lets you ignore accidental touches if you put your phone in your pocket or bag where the screen can respond to fabric is also worth paying attention to.

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Tip: Use Screen Timer in special features to make sure the screen goes out strictly after a predetermined inactivity time, even if the basic settings are "Never." This saves the battery if you forgot to lock the phone.

And don't forget the subtitles. In the accessibility section, you can include automatic subtitles for any video you play on your device, and this works not only on YouTube, but also on local video players, which is very convenient when you watch content in noisy places or at night, so you don't wake up the household with sound.

Diagnostics of problems: when special opportunities cause failures

Sometimes, users are faced with a situation where the phone starts to behave strangely: apps spontaneously open, the screen goes out or, conversely, does not respond to touches. Often, this behavior is caused by a conflict of accessibility services, and if two applications try to control the screen at the same time, there is a “resource race”.

The first sign of a problem is that you see a message saying, "Special Opportunity Services are using a lot of resources," or you notice a noticeable decline in interface performance, and in those cases, you need to do an app review, and remember what you installed recently before the bugs.

Algorithm of actions in case of failure:

• 🔄 Reboot: First, restart the device in Safe Mode (clip the off button, then keep your finger on the “off” icon on the screen for a long time).
• 🔍 Analysis: If the phone is working normally in safe mode, then the problem is in third-party software.
• 🗑️ Clean: Disable all third-party accessibility services and turn them on one at a time, checking for stability.
• 🛡️ Security: Launch Xiaomi’s built-in Security antivirus for deep scanning.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is locked and requires an unlock code that you didn't enter, or shows a window that can't be closed, it's a virus. Don't enter card details, try turning off the phone with the power button, and when you turn on, turn off the Internet immediately.