How to display the speed of the Internet on the screen Xiaomi: all the ways

Ever wanted to see real-time internet speeds right on your Xiaomi screen? Not only is it convenient for monitoring connection quality, it also helps you quickly detect network problems — whether it's Wi-Fi or mobile Internet. Unlike the iPhone, where this feature is hidden deep in the settings, MIUI smartphones offer several ways to display speeds.

In this article, we’ll look at all the current methods for displaying Internet speed on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, from built-in MIUI 14 tools to third-party applications with advanced statistics. You’ll learn how to set up a widget on your desktop, add an indicator to the notification bar, or even display speed on top of any screen. And we’ll compare the accuracy of different methods and explain why the performance in the status bar and specialized applications can vary by 20-30%.

1. Built-in "Internet Speed" widget in MIUI

The easiest way is to use the standard widget from Xiaomi, which is available on all devices with MIUI 12 and later, and it shows the current download / return rate in kilobytes or megabytes per second, as well as the total traffic per session.

To add it:

• 📱 Long press on the free space on the desktop.
• 🔧 Select “Widgets” from the bottom menu.
• 🔍 Find the Internet Speed widget (usually in the Tools section»).
• 📲 Drag it on the screen and select a size (options available) 2×1 or 4×1).

The widget updates data every second, but has a limitation: it doesn’t work in the background — if you roll it off the screen, the display speed will stop. It also doesn’t show ping or connection type (Wi-Fi 5/6, 4G/5G).

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If the widget doesn’t display speed, check if the developer mode and USB debugging are enabled – sometimes this interferes with the correct operation of system tools.

Indicator in the notification panel (status bar)

For those who don’t want to clutter up the desktop, there’s a way to bring speed straight to the top notification bar, which requires activating the hidden feature through the developer’s Settings:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Press the MIUI version 7 times to unlock the developer mode.
3. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
4. Find the option “Show network speed” and turn it on.

After that, a number with the current speed will appear in the upper right corner of the screen (for example, «1.2 Mb/s»). Keep in mind that:

• ⚠️ The indicator does not appear in full-screen applications (games, video).
• 📶 Shows only download, without data return.
• 🔄 Resets when reconnecting to the network.

3. Third-party applications for network monitoring

If built-in tools aren't enough, you can install specialized utilities, and they offer advanced statistics: traffic consumption charts, ping, connection type, and even day/week speed history.

Top.-3 apps:

For installation:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. Provide permissions to access the network and display over other windows.
3. Customize the appearance of the indicator (color, position, units of measurement).

4. Displaying speed through ADB-Teams (for advanced teams)

If you're ready to dive into the technical details, you can activate the hidden speed display function via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which works even on non-root devices, but requires a connection to a computer.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Enable USB debugging in the Developer Settings on your phone.
3. Connect Xiaomi to your computer and execute the command: adb shell settings put global status_bar_show_network_speed 1
4. Reset the device.

Then the status bar will have a permanent speed indicator that works even in games.

adb shell settings put global status_bar_show_network_speed 0

Install Xiaomi drivers on PC| Enable debugging on USB| Download ADB Tools| Connect the phone with the original cable-->

5. Alternative methods: Game Turbo and Second Space

Few people know, but MIUI has two other ways to track the speed of the Internet without third-party applications:

Method 1: Game Turbo Mode

• 🎮 Open the Settings. → Special facilities → Game Turbo.
• 📊 Enable the option to “Show network speed” in the mode settings.
• 🕹️ Now, when you start any game in the upper corner will display speed.

Method 2: Second Space (Second Desktop)

If you have Second Space set up (second account), you can output the Internet speed separately for it:

1. Switch to Second Space (swipe on the lock screen down with two fingers).
2. Add the “Internet Speed” widget as described in the first method.
3. The widget settings in Main Space and Second Space are not synchronized, which allows for different indicators.

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Game Turbo mode only shows speed in games, but with minimal latency (update every 0.5 seconds).

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after setting the speed indicator correctly, it may not work properly. Here are the typical errors and ways to correct them:

⚠️ Note: If the speed is displayed as «0 Kb/s», But the Internet works, check if the Traffic Saving Mode in Settings is enabled → SIM-It blocks background data, which makes it impossible for widgets to capture it.

Problem 1: The widget does not update the data

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📥 Update. MIUI Up to the latest version (old versions had a bug with the update widgets).
• 🚫 Remove and add the widget again.

Problem 2: Status bar indicator goes missing after screen lock

This is normal MIUI behavior, and it optimizes the background processes. To return the display, unlock the screen or turn off Battery Optimization for the indicator app.

Problem 3: The speed in the application and widget differs by 2-3 times

The reason lies in the method of measurement:

• 📊 MIUI Considers useful traffic (without service packets).
• 📈 Third-party apps capture all traffic, including repeat data transfers.
• 📡 With a weak Wi-Fi signal, the difference can be as high as 50% due to packet losses.

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For an accurate speed test, always use Speedtest.net or nPerf – they measure speed at the server level, not the device level.

7. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?

Each method has its pros and cons, and here is a comparison table for choosing the best option:

For most users, the best solution is:

• 📱 Widget – if you need simple statistics without unnecessary details.
• 🔧 ADB-indicator - for continuous monitoring without installing applications.
• 📊 Internet Speed Meter – if graphics and speed history are important.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions