How to make a SberPay label on Xiaomi phone: 3 working ways + problem solving

Why you need a SberPei label on Xiaomi and what problems it solves

SberPei is not just an alternative to Apple Pay or Google Pay, but a full-fledged payment service with unique bonuses for Sberbank customers. On Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi, POCO and Mi lines), adding a shortcut to the home screen makes it easier to pay in stores, transport and online services. But many users are faced with the fact that standard methods of creating shortcuts do not work due to the features of the MIUI shell.

In this article, you will find current ways to add a SberPei label to Xiaomi (including models from 2023-2026), as well as solving typical errors: from the lack of the option “Add to the home screen” to problems with NFC. All instructions are tested on MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 (including global and Russian firmware).

We will focus on the hidden method through Quick Settings, which works even on budget models without support for contactless payments by default, and we will also discuss how to avoid the error "Device is not supported" on the first setup.

Method 1: Standardly add a shortcut through the application menu

This is the most obvious method, but it doesn’t work on all versions of MIUI. If you have Xiaomi firmware older than 2022, check the option first:

1. Open the SberBank Online app (update it to the latest version in Google Play or AppGallery).
2. Go to the "SberPay" section (the card icon in the bottom menu).
3. Slip the icon "⋮" (three dots) in the upper right corner and select "Add to the main screen".

If you don't have a "Add to the home screen" option, don't worry. It's a MIUI limitation, and it's circumvented in other ways (see the following sections).

Update the SberBank application to the latest version

Check for Administrator Rights for the Application

Clear the cache of SberBank Online in the phone settings

Reboot your smartphone-->

⚠️ Warning: On some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 11 or POCO X5), a shortcut is created but not displayed on the home screen. In this case, check the Other Apps folder in the app menu - sometimes the shortcut is hidden there.

Method 2: Creating a shortcut through the Quick Settings widget (works on 90% of devices)

This method is universal and suitable even for devices without NFC or with stripped down versions of MIUI. The point is that we do not add the shortcut itself, but a quick access widget to SberPei:

1. Press and hold the empty space on the home screen, then select "Widgets".
2. Scroll the list to the Settings block (cog icon).
3. Select the Quick Settings widget (usually 4×1 or 2×2).
4. Drag it to the home screen and in the widget settings, find the option "Payments" or "NFC".
5. If you have a SberPei option, activate it. If you don't, select Google Pay (this is a temporary workaround).

After adding the widget:

• 📱 Slap it, and the contactless payment menu will open.
• 💳 Select a Sberbank card (if it is linked to Google Pay).
• 🔄 If the card is not available, go back to SberBank Online and re-assign it through the section "SberPay → Add the card".

💡

If the Quick Settings widget doesn’t display SberPei, try adding the card to Google Pay first, and then sync it with SberPei through the banking app settings.

Method 3: Manually create a shortcut through "Application Shortcuts" (for advanced)

If the first two methods didn’t work, use the hidden MIUI feature, which allows you to create custom shortcuts for any actions in applications.

1. Go to Settings → About Phone and tap "Version MIUI" 7 times to unlock Developer Mode.
2. Go back to the main settings and open "More" → For developers".
3. Activate the option "Debug by USB" (this is temporary, then you can turn off).
4. Install the Shortcut Maker app from Google Play (or APKMirror if it’s not in your area).
5. In Shortcut Maker, select Activities and find SberBank Online.
6. Select an activity called ru.sberbankmobile.activity.PayActivity and create a shortcut.

This method is guaranteed to work on all versions of MIUI, but requires caution:

• 🔧 Do not change other settings in For Developers unless you are sure of their purpose.
• 🛡️ Once you have created the shortcut, disable "Debugging by USB" for security purposes.
• 📱 If the shortcut does not open, clear the SberBank Online cache in the application settings.

⚠️ Warning: On some firmware MIUI for Russia (e.g., on Redmi 9A with factory firmware), the Shortcut Maker application may not show the activity list, in which case the only working option is to use the widget (Method 2).

Standard addition through the application menu

Quick settings widget

Shortcut Maker / Activity Launcher

None of the ways helped-->

Problem Solving: "Device not supported" and other errors

Even after successfully adding a shortcut, Xiaomi users may encounter errors when trying to pay.

Error: "Device not supported"

Causes and solutions:

• 📵 Absent NFC: Check if there is a NFC chip in your model (see the list of supported devices on Xiaomi's official website). If NFC is not, use the QR- code to pay for it.
• 🔄 NFC disabled: Go to Settings → Connect and share → NFC and activate the option.
• 🛠️ Outdated firmware: Update MIUI to the latest version via Settings → System Update.
• 🏦 Card not tied to SberPay: Remove the card from Google Pay and add it again via the SberBank app.

Error: "Failure to initialize payment"

This problem often occurs on Xiaomi with custom firmware or after resetting.

• 🔒 Reset NFC: Go to Settings → System and Device → Resetting → Resetting NFC.
• 📲 Reinstall SberBank Online: Remove the application, clear the cache and install again.
• 🔄 Change region: In some cases, changing the region of the phone to "Russia" helps in Settings → Additional → Region.

3.The label is, but it doesn't open.

If the SberPay label is added but nothing happens when you click:

• 🔄 Reboot your phone, which solves 70 percent of these problems.
• 🛠️ Clear the Louncher app data (Settings → Applications → Launcher → Storage → Clear Data). Attention: This will reset the location of all icons on the home screen!
• 📥 Update MIUI Launcher via Google Play (if available for your model).

💡

If none of these methods worked, check if SberPay is blocked by an antivirus or an optimizer (e.g., Xiaomi’s Security) and temporarily disable them in the security settings.

Security: How to protect payments via SberPei on Xiaomi

Adding a SberPay label to the home screen is convenient, but requires increased attention to security.

1. Set up screen lock: Use PIN, pattern lock or Fingerprint. On Xiaomi with MIUI 14/15, a PIN + biometric combination is recommended.
2. Turn off auto-start for SberBank Online: Go to Settings → Apps → SberBank Online → Auto-start and deactivate the option. This will prevent the background activity of the application.
3. Set up payment notifications: Enable push notifications for all transactions in SberBank Online settings (Profile → Notifications).
4. Use a separate PIN for payments: You can set a separate payment PIN in SberPay, other than unlocking your phone.

Additional measures for Xiaomi:

• 🔒 Block access to NFC via the Safe Zone in MIUI (available on Xiaomi flagships 13/14).
• 🛡️ Turn off "Transmission over NFC when the screen is off" in the settings NFC if you do not use it often.
• 📱 Set up Second Space (if available on your model) and install SberBank only in the main space.

⚠️ Warning: On devices with root rights or bootloader unlocked, SberPay may refuse to work for security reasons, in which case the only way out is to return the phone to factory settings or use alternative payment methods.

SberPei for Xiaomi: What to do if nothing works

If all attempts to add SberPei to Xiaomi have failed, consider alternative methods of contactless payment:

If your Xiaomi model does not support NFC (e.g. Redmi 9C or POCO M3), the only option is to pay by QR- code.

1. Open Sberbank Online and go to the section "SberPay".
2. Select "Pay by QR" and scan the terminal code.
3. Confirm payment via push notification or SMS.

For owners of devices with NFC, but without support for SberPay, we recommend:

• 💳 Link Sberbank card to Google Pay (works on 99% of Xiaomi models with NFC).
• 🔄 Use Mir Pay – it’s less whimsical about firmware and often works where SberPay refuses.
• 📱 Buy NFC- tag (costs ~300 rubles) and set it to start SberPay when you apply the phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about SberPei on Xiaomi