Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often notice the appearance of an unusual indicator at the top of the screen. Next to the standard wireless icon, an additional symbol suddenly appears that resembles a plus or arrows, a phenomenon that is puzzling for those who are accustomed to the classic display of connection status.
This marking is not a system error or a sign of a virus infection, but is a regular feature of the MIUI or HyperOS operating system, designed to improve the quality of the Internet connection, but for many users, it is unexpected, because it can lead to increased traffic consumption or unstable connection in certain conditions.
In this article, we will discuss the purpose of this indicator, find out why it appears to you, and provide step-by-step instructions for turning it off. Understanding the operation of the network modules of your device will help avoid unnecessary spending money on the mobile Internet and increase the stability of messengers.
Wi-Fi+ function and its purpose in MIUI
The icon, which users often describe as Wi-Fi plus, is directly related to the work of the intelligent network assistant, which is called Wi-Fi+ or Wi-Fi Assistant in Xiaomi’s shells, and its main purpose is to maintain a stable Internet connection even when the wireless signal becomes weak.
When a smartphone detects that the quality of the Wi-Fi signal falls below a certain threshold, the system automatically switches some of the traffic to the mobile network, this allows video calls to not be interrupted, and the loading of pages does not hang tight, at which point the corresponding indicator appears on the screen, notifying about the hybrid mode of operation.
It's worth noting that Xiaomi's algorithms can be quite aggressive: They may find the network unstable even if the internet actually exists, but the speed has dropped momentarily, and as a result, the phone starts to consume megabytes of your mobile carrier, thinking it's helping you stay online.
⚠️ Note: If you have a restricted tariff, this feature can lead to unexpected costs.
How to distinguish Wi-Fi+ from other network indicators
Not to be confused with Wi-Fi 6, which stands for support for a new communication standard. In the case of the sixth generation, the icon usually has the number 6 next to the signal arcs, and our case is characterized by the presence of a plus, arrows or an additional icon for data exchange next to the main icon.
It's also important to distinguish between dual-band routers. If your phone is connected to 5GHz, the icon may have a specific designation, but this is not always associated with the help function. The key to activating Wi-Fi+ is the simultaneous operation of two communication interfaces.
You can use an engineering menu or third-party app to accurately diagnose network health, but a visual indicator is the fastest way to understand what's going on, and if you see this symbol, your device is currently using a combined data channel.
Step-by-step: how to disable the icon and function
If you decide you don't need automatic help switching networks, or you want to save battery power and traffic, the feature can be easily deactivated.Settings may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS, but the overall algorithm of actions remains the same for most models.
First, open the main settings menu for your smartphone. Find the connection section, which is usually called "Wi-Fi" or "Connect and Sharing." That's where the advanced wireless settings are hidden.
Next, perform the following actions:
- 📱 Click on "Wi-Fi Assistant" or "Wi-Fi"+"
- 📉 Find the switch "Improving Wi-Fi signal" or "Auto-switch"
- 🚫 Transfer the slider to an inactive position (grey)
- ✅ Check the top curtain - the icon should disappear
Once you do this, the phone will stop automatically using the mobile Internet when you have a wireless network, even if the signal becomes weak, and the plus or arrow icon will no longer appear in the status bar.
☑️ Checking network settings
What if the Wi-Fi Assistant item is not on the menu?
The effect of the function on traffic consumption and battery
Using two radios simultaneously — Wi-Fi and cellular — inevitably leads to increased power consumption, and the smartphone has to constantly monitor the signal quality of both sources and redistribute data flows, which puts additional strain on the processor and antennas.
As for traffic, it depends on usage scenarios: If you're at home, where the router is stable, the function consumes little to no mobile megabytes. The problems start when you're at the edge of the home network coverage area, and the phone starts to twitch, switching back and forth.
Below is a table showing the approximate impact of different modes on device resources:
| Mode of work | Battery consumption | Mobile traffic consumption | Stability of connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only Wi-Fi. | Low. | No. | Depends on the router. |
| Wi-Fi + (Activated) | Medium/High | Possible expense | Tall. |
| Only 4G/5G | Medium. | Full expense | Depends on the tower. |
| Air mode | Minimum | No. | Absent. |
As the data shows, activating the network's auxiliary functions requires sacrifices, and if you're critical to device autonomy, it's best to keep that option off.
💡
For maximum battery life savings at night, use Do Not Disturb mode or simply turn on the flight mode if waiting for calls is not required.
Connection problems and methods of their solution
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the Wi-Fi+ icon is constantly on, but the Internet is not working or is extremely slow, which may indicate a conflict of settings or an error in the network stack of the Android operating system.
First of all, try to do the standard router reboot procedure, and often the problem isn't with the phone, but with the router giving out the wrong router. IP-It's also worth checking if the router has a limit on the number of connected devices.
If the reboot didn’t help, follow the following steps on your smartphone:
- 🔄 Click "Forget Network" in Wi-Fi settings and connect again
- 🔧 Reset your network settings in the menu "Extended settings"
- 📡 Try switching the router frequency from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz
In rare cases, the problem may be caused by an outdated firmware version. Check for system updates in the About Phone section. Xiaomi developers regularly release patches that fix network security and stability bugs.
💡
Constant burning of the Wi-Fi+ indicator with a good router signal is a sure sign of the need to reset network settings or check the router.
Additional settings of wireless networks
In addition to the basic help feature, there are many other useful options hidden in the MIUI wireless menu, such as setting up automatic open network connectivity, which can be useful when traveling, but dangerous from a data security perspective.
It is also worth paying attention to the function. MAC-By default, modern smartphones use randomized MAC-However, some older routers may not work properly with this feature, leading to constant communication breaks and strange indicators.
If you have difficulty connecting to a particular network, try changing your settings. MAC-This is done in the saved network property menu, where you select "Use" MAC-address of the device" instead of "random MAC".
⚠️ Attention: Change MAC-Static addresses make your device more trackable on public networks. Use this option only for trusted home networks.