The app prohibits taking screenshots on Xiaomi: why this happens and how to fix it

You try to take a screenshot of a big moment in a banking app, messenger or game on Xiaomi, but instead of a saved picture you see a notification: “The application does not take screenshots” This problem is familiar to many owners of smartphones with MIUI firmware – from the budget Redmi Note 12 to the flagship Xiaomi 14 Ultra. The reasons for blocking can be both technical (data protection) and software (errors in the system settings).

In this article, we’ll look at 7 proven ways to get around the limitation, from basic MIUI settings to advanced ADB and third-party tools, and learn which apps block screenshots most often (and why), and how to avoid security issues when circumventing restrictions. If you’re not a tech person, don’t worry: most solutions don’t require root rights or complex manipulation.

Why do apps block screenshots on Xiaomi?

The restriction on screenshots is not a whim of MIUI developers, but a security measure built on Android and reinforced by proprietary firmware.

• 🔒 Protecting confidential data: banking applications (SberBank Online, Tinkoff), instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram in secret chats) and corporate tools block screenshots to prevent information leakage (card numbers, passwords, correspondence).
• 🎮 Antichit in Games: Many Online Games (e.g, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact: Prohibit screenshots so players don’t share the location of opponents or bugs.
• 📱 Politics MIUI: Xiaomi’s firmware has a built-in mechanism FLAG_SECURE, It automatically blocks screenshots in protected windows, even if the app doesn’t require it.
• 🔄 Cache errors: Sometimes a lock occurs due to a failure in the application or system data (for example, after an update) MIUI).

Interestingly, other smartphones (such as Samsung or Google Pixel) may have the same apps behaving differently, because Xiaomi is more aggressive in implementing security policies in its shell, for example, MIUI 14 has an additional layer of protection for applications with access to Android Accessibility Service.

Method 1: Disable protection in MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use built-in MIUI options that bypass locking for some applications, which works on most devices with MIUI 12-15 (including Redmi, POCO and Xiaomi 11/12/13/14).

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Special Opportunities → Special Opportunities Services.
2. Find the list of "Ban screenshots" (or Screenshot Restriction in English firmware) and tap it.
3. Turn off the switch for the app you want to take pictures in.
4. Reboot your smartphone.

If this item is not in your MIUI version, try an alternative path:

• 🔧 Go to Settings. → Annexes → Application management.
• 📱 Select the desired application (for example, Sberbank Online).
• 🔒 Tap "Permissions" → "Additionally" → "Allow screenshots" (if optional available).

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If the Allow Screenshots option is inactive, try clearing the app cache in the same menu first (Storage → Clear the cache).

Method 2: Use of the Screen Recording function

If an app blocks static screenshots but doesn't block screen recording, you can do the trick of recording a short video and then extracting a frame from it, which works for 90 percent of banking apps and many games.

How to do this:

1. Activate screen recording via the Notification Panel (the Screen Record icon) or in Settings → Screen → Screen Recording.
2. Record 5-10 seconds of the screen you want (for example, a payment confirmation in a bank application).
3. Stop recording - the video will be saved in the gallery.
4. Open the video in any player (such as MX Player) and take a screenshot from the pause.

The advantage of the method is that it does not require root rights and works even on MIUI 15 with the latest security updates.

Method 3: Bypass Google Assistant (for Android 10+)

Little-known life hack: Google Assistant can take screenshots bypassing restrictions MIUI, It uses its own screen capture mechanism, and works on Android 10 and later devices (including: MIUI 12–15).

Step-by-step:

1. Activate Google Assistant with a long press on the Home button or a voice command, OK, Google.
2. Say “take a screenshot” (or enter the request manually).
3. If the Assistant requests permissions, provide them in the Special Options settings.

Important: This method may not work for applications with FLAG_SECURE at the core level (e.g. Netflix or some corporate messengers) and on Xiaomi with Chinese firmware (China) ROM) Google Assistant can be disabled by default – it will have to be installed separately through Google Play.

Method 4: Using ADB to remove restrictions (no root)

If previous methods didn’t work, you can use the Android debugging bridge (ADB) to manually disable screenshot locking for a particular application, which requires a PC connection but doesn’t need root rights.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times to tap the assembly number → return to Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect the smartphone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.


2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with ADB.




3. Enter a command to obtain a list of packages:




adb shell pm list packages | grep "appendix name"




(e.g. for Sberbank: adb shell pm list packages | grep sberbank)




4. Copy the name of the package (for example, en.sberbankmobile).




5 Run the command to remove the flag FLAG_SECURE:




adb shell pm clear <name packet>




(Example: adb shell pm clear en.sberbankmobile)




6. Reboot the smartphone.

⚠️ Note: this method resets the application data (you will have to re-enter the account), and after updating the application, the lock can return.

Install ADB Tools on PC| Enable USB debugging on Xiaomi| Connect your phone with the original cable | Check the visibility of the device with the adb devices command | Make a backup of the application data-->

Method 5: Install third-party apps for screenshots

If system methods do not work, you can use third-party utilities that bypass the limitations of MIUI.

Warning: Some apps (like Super Screenshot) may ask permissions to access notifications or special features.Never install APKs from unverified sources - this could lead to data theft of banking applications.

Method 6: Resetting MIUI security settings

If the screenshots were blocked after the MIUI update or the new application was installed, the problem may be a security settings failure, in which case the reset of the security settings will help without losing data.

How to reset your settings:

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select “Reset App Settings” (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm action. The smartphone will reboot.

After restarting, check if you can take screenshots. If the problem persists, try clearing the system cache:

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Power button + Volume up to enter Recovery Mode.
3. Select Wipe Cache Partition (use volume buttons for navigation).
4. Confirm the action and restart.

⚠️ Note: Cache reset does not delete personal data, but may require re-authorization in some applications (e.g., Mi Account).

Method 7: Getting root rights (extreme case)

If none of these methods work, the radical solution is to get root rights, and that allows you to manually disable the root rights. FLAG_SECURE for any application, but has serious disadvantages:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (on new Xiaomi models, the warranty is canceled when unlocking the bootloader).
• 🔓 Security Risk: Root opens up access to system files that could exploit malware.
• 📱 Unstable work: on MIUI With root, there are often lags and errors in branded services (for example, in Mi Cloud).

If you are willing to do this, follow the instructions:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi tool (Mi Account binding is required).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP) for your model.
3. Please use Magisk to obtain root rights.
4. Install the Disable Flag Secure module in Magisk.

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14/15 Unlocking the bootloader can lead to blocking some functions (for example, Mi Pay or Face Unlock), and after updating the firmware root will have to be installed again.

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Root rights are the last option when all other methods are exhausted. On most Xiaomi devices, screenshot blocking can be removed without root using ADB or third-party utilities.

FAQ: Frequent questions about blocking screenshots on Xiaomi