Enable or Disable App Icon Badges
If your app icons keep showing a number or red dot even after you have read every message, the icon badge notification setting is still active for that app. On some Huawei phones badges stay visible for apps like Messages or Email regardless of how often you clear the notification tray. This setting controls whether unread counts appear on the icon itself, separate from the notification shade.
Turn Vibrate on Touch On or Off
Every tap on the back button, a menu item, or a toggle triggers a short buzz on your Huawei phone, even when you just want a quiet browsing session. Or the opposite happens: you rely on that haptic click to confirm a tap and suddenly it stops firing. Either way, the setting sits inside the sound options, not the vibration settings you would expect.
Enable or Disable Speak Passwords
When TalkBack reads out loud every character you type into a password field, anyone nearby can hear your login details. This happens because the Speak passwords option inside TalkBack is switched on by default on some Huawei phones. Turning it off keeps password entries silent while TalkBack still announces everything else.
Turn Personal Hotspot On or Off
When other devices show no internet connection through your Huawei phone, the personal hotspot is often switched off or was never configured. You can also give it a custom name and password so people around you connect quickly without sharing your regular Wi-Fi.
Set Alarm Volume Separately
If your alarm sounds too quiet or too loud even after adjusting the ringtone, the problem is not the ringtone at all. On Huawei phones the alarm has its own volume level, separate from calls and media playback. Missing this setting is a common reason people oversleep or get startled awake.
Show Network Speed in Status Bar
If you want to see how fast your Internet connection is running without opening a speed test app, EMUI has a built-in status bar indicator for this. Many Huawei phones ship with this network speed display turned off by default, so the numbers next to the notch stay hidden until you activate it. The speed only updates during active data transfer such as downloads, browsing, or background syncing.
Set Up Fingerprint Unlock
If your Huawei phone still asks for a pattern, PIN or password every time you wake the screen, fingerprint unlock probably has not been set up yet. Huawei phones require an existing backup unlock method before a fingerprint can be registered, since the print alone is never used as the sole security layer. Without that fallback in place, the fingerprint menu blocks you from adding a print at all.
Set Up or Reset APN Settings
When mobile data stays off even though your SIM is active, a wrong or missing APN entry is often the cause. Carriers usually push this configuration automatically, but a failed update or a manual change can break the connection. If your Huawei phone shows a signal but no internet access, the APN list is the first place to check.
Add a New User Account
Sharing your Huawei phone with family or a colleague usually means everyone sees your apps, photos, and messages. Adding a separate user account keeps each person's home screen, apps, and background apart from yours. Some settings, like WiFi, still stay shared across every user on the device.
Turn Bluetooth On or Off
Can't pair your Bluetooth headset or speaker? Your Huawei phone will not find any nearby devices until Bluetooth is switched on. Leaving it running when you are not using it also drains the battery faster and keeps the radio searching for connections in the background.
Enable or Disable Service Messages
Random texts from your carrier about data usage, promotions, or account balance can clutter your inbox on a Huawei phone. These service messages come through the regular Messages app and are controlled by a setting most people never touch. If you keep getting them after asking your provider to stop, the toggle inside the Messages app is usually still switched on.
Mobile Hotspot Auto Turn-Off Timer
If your Huawei phone keeps the mobile hotspot running for hours after the last device disconnects, battery drains faster than it should. EMUI includes an inactivity timer that can shut the hotspot down on its own, but on many phones it is left set to Never. Without changing it, the hotspot stays active in the background even when nobody is using it.
Show Alternate Calendars in the Calendar App
If your Calendar app only shows Gregorian dates, religious or cultural holidays like Islamic, Hebrew, or Chinese Lunar dates stay invisible next to your regular entries. EMUI hides this option inside the Calendar settings by default, so most users never notice it exists. Adding an alternate calendar shows a second date line under each day without replacing your main calendar.
Turn Location Access On or Off
If your Huawei phone keeps showing the location icon in the status bar even though you are not navigating or checking in anywhere, general location access is probably switched on for every app at once. This master switch overrides individual app permissions, so weather, maps, and social apps all lose GPS access the moment you turn it off. It is a different setting from disabling location for a single app.
Unhide Albums in Gallery
Albums you hid in Gallery for privacy do not vanish, they just stop appearing in the main overview. If a folder with photos or videos suddenly seems missing on your Huawei phone, it is usually parked in the Hide albums list rather than deleted.
Power Saving Mode: Enable or Disable
If your Huawei phone suddenly delays downloads or holds back new emails, Power Saving mode is probably running in the background. It throttles background activity on purpose to stretch battery life until you can recharge, which can make notifications and app updates feel slower than usual.
Enable or Disable Background Data and Roaming for Apps
If a messenger like WhatsApp only shows new messages after you open the app, or your data bill spikes right after a trip, background data and roaming permissions for that app are usually the reason. EMUI lets you allow or block both separately for every installed app, so getting the setting wrong means either late notifications or an unexpected roaming charge.
Show Step Count on Lock Screen
If the step counter your Huawei phone tracks with its built-in pedometer never shows up on the lock screen, the Magazine lock screen style is probably not active. Without it, the Show step count toggle in your settings has no visible effect, so the number stays hidden even though tracking runs in the background.
Forward an SMS Message
If you want to pass on a text you received without retyping it, EMUI hides the forward option inside the message menu rather than as a visible button. This is why many Huawei users only send screenshots instead of the actual message.
Allow Calls Through Do Not Disturb
When Do Not Disturb is active on a Huawei phone, urgent calls can get silenced along with everything else, so an important contact never gets through. EMUI lets you carve out exceptions so specific calls still ring while the rest stays muted. Getting this wrong usually means either missed calls from people who matter or a phone that keeps buzzing during focus time.
Enable or Disable Dial Pad Sounds
Every tap on the Huawei dialer can trigger a beep or tone, and that gets annoying fast if you dial numbers in a quiet room or share the phone with someone who hates the noise. The keypad tones setting controls whether you hear anything at all and which tone plays. Switching between None, Default and Melody changes how the phone reacts to every digit you press.
Set Up a VPN Connection
Public Wi-Fi hotspots and open mobile networks let anyone nearby read your unencrypted traffic. On a Huawei phone the built-in VPN client stays empty until a server profile is added, so the connection option does nothing on its own. Once a valid server address, protocol and login details are entered, the phone tunnels your data, hides your IP and reaches sites that would otherwise be blocked.
Assign a Custom Ringtone to a Contact
If every call sounds the same, you always have to glance at the screen to see who is calling. Assigning a personal ringtone to a specific contact lets you recognize important callers by sound alone, even with the phone in your pocket or across the room.
Change System Navigation Type
If the on-screen buttons at the bottom of your Huawei phone feel cramped, or you keep hitting the back button by accident, the navigation style is worth changing. Huawei phones default to Three-key navigation, but Gestures and the floating NaviDot are also available. Picking the wrong option can interfere with accessibility shortcuts tied to the navigation bar.