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Realme

Guides for Realme 5i

420 guides

Security & Privacy

Face Unlock Explained

Face recognition on Realme UI unlocks your phone by scanning your face with the front camera, so you skip typing a PIN or pressing a fingerprint sensor. It runs alongside your existing lock screen security and can fall back to a fingerprint or PIN when the camera cannot get a clear read. Knowing how the scan works and where its limits are helps you decide when it is the right unlock method for you.

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Security & Privacy

Turn On/Off Emergency Alerts

If your Realme phone keeps buzzing with alerts you never opted into, or if severe weather warnings suddenly stop showing up, the Wireless emergency alerts settings control which categories reach you. Extreme threats, Severe threats, and AMBER-style notices each have their own switch, tone, and vibration setting tucked inside Security. Missing one toggle is usually the reason alerts feel either too loud or completely silent.

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Apps & Installation

Turn App-switch Gesture On or Off

Swiping and holding from the screen edge should jump back to the previous app, but on some Realme phones the gesture does nothing or just opens the home screen. This happens when the App-switch option inside gesture navigation is turned off or gets reset after a settings change.

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Language & Input

Show/Hide Emoji Switch Key

If the button next to your spacebar always switches keyboard language instead of opening emojis, Gboard is set to prioritize language switching over quick emoji access. This is controlled by a single Gboard preference, not a system-wide keyboard setting. Switching it on replaces that key with a direct emoji shortcut.

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Language & Input

Key Long-Press Delay

Typing accented letters or symbols on your Realme phone by holding down a key only works well if the response time matches how you type. Set the delay too short and stray characters appear before you lift your finger; set it too long and holding a key just repeats the same letter instead of opening the character menu.

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Display & Home Screen

Change Home Screen Transition Effect

Swiping between home screens on your Realme phone always plays the same plain slide animation, and there is no obvious setting for it in the general Display menu. The option to change this wipe effect actually lives inside the Home screen settings, which is why most people never come across it by accident.

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System & Settings

Change Navigation Button Order

If you use button navigation on your Realme phone, Back, Home, and Recent apps stay in a fixed order until you change it yourself. A layout that does not match your grip can make one-handed use awkward and lead to mis-taps. Realme UI lets you flip between two button arrangements to fit how you actually hold and use your phone.

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Network & Connectivity

Auto Reconnect to a Wi-Fi Network

If your Realme phone keeps rejoining a Wi-Fi network you would rather avoid, or a saved network stops reconnecting and keeps asking for the password, the automatic reconnect setting for that specific network is behind it. This option applies per saved network, so one Wi-Fi entry can behave differently from another on the same phone.

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Storage & Backup

Create a Local Backup

If you want a backup that does not depend on a Google or cloud account, Realme UI lets you save one directly to internal storage. This local backup only includes the data types you actively select, so you decide whether photos, messages, apps, or contacts are included. It stays useful when you are about to reset the phone or hand it over for repair and want a safety copy that is not tied to Wi-Fi or an internet connection.

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Other

Enable or Disable Smart Sidebar

If a thin bar keeps sliding out from the right edge of your Realme screen, Smart Sidebar is active and getting in the way during games or full-screen video. The feature bundles shortcuts for screen recording, screenshots, and selected apps behind that swipe handle, and some users want it gone or set up differently. Others accidentally trigger it during normal swipes and don't know which setting is responsible.

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Network & Connectivity

Mobile Data During Calls on Secondary SIM

On a Dual SIM Realme phone, a call on one line does not automatically mean you stay online. If your secondary SIM holds the data plan, internet access can drop the moment you pick up, cutting messaging apps and background syncs mid-call. This setting decides whether that secondary SIM keeps feeding data while the other line handles the voice call.

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Accounts & Cloud

Accounts & Cloud Sync Explained

A Realme phone rarely runs on just one account. Between your Realme ID, a Google account, and logins for individual apps, each one controls a different slice of your data - contacts, photos, app settings, or backups. Understanding what each account actually syncs helps you avoid duplicate contacts, missing photos, or app data that silently stops backing up.

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Security & Privacy

Enable or Disable On-body Detection

If your Realme phone keeps unlocking itself while it sits in your pocket or you are just holding it, Smart Lock's On-body detection is the reason. This feature relies on the motion sensor to keep the lock screen inactive whenever the phone is being carried, regardless of who is carrying it. That means it never checks your identity, so anyone who takes the phone from your hand gets in without a PIN or password.

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Security & Privacy

Delete a Fingerprint

If an old fingerprint still unlocks your Realme phone after you sold it, lent it out, or just added too many entries, the fingerprint list under Password & biometrics needs a cleanup. Leftover prints from previous users or unused fingers keep unlock access open even after you change your screen lock. Realme UI keeps every registered fingerprint active until you delete it manually.

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Security & Privacy

Turn On/Off Emergency SOS Quick Access

Pressing the Power button five times by accident can trigger an emergency call you never meant to make. On Realme phones this happens because Emergency call quick access is turned on by default and dials a preset regional emergency number. If you keep hitting this shortcut without wanting to, the setting needs to be switched off - or checked if it silently stopped working when you actually need it.

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System & Settings

Turn On/Off USB Debugging

When your PC does not recognize your Realme phone in ADB or Android Studio, USB debugging is usually still switched off. This option lives inside the hidden Developer options menu, which most Realme phones do not show by default. Without it enabled, tools like ADB, Scrcpy or Android Studio cannot talk to your device over USB.

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System & Settings

Add a Printer Manually by IP Address

When a printer does not show up automatically in the default print service on your Realme phone, the auto-discovery over Wi-Fi has failed to find it. This can happen with printers on a different network segment or with 'Default Print Service' still loading its device list. Adding the printer manually by IP address gets around that without waiting for auto-detection to finish.

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Security & Privacy

Turn On/Off Activity Controls

By default, Realme phones keep sending your Google activity data back to Google so it can personalize services across your account. Web & App Activity, YouTube History and Ad personalization all run quietly in the background unless you open the settings yourself. Most people never notice how much is being logged until they check this menu.

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Notifications & Focus

Screenshot Sound On or Off

Every screenshot on your Realme phone triggers a camera-shutter sound, even in a quiet room or meeting. If that confirmation tone keeps catching you off guard, or you simply want it back after muting it, the switch sits in the sound and haptic settings rather than in the general notification menu.

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Storage & Backup

Show or Hide RAM Info in Recent Tasks

Switching between apps on a Realme phone often raises the question of how much memory is actually in use, but the recent tasks screen shows no numbers by default. Without that info you cannot tell if low RAM is the reason apps keep reloading or closing in the background. A hidden toggle in the system settings adds a RAM/Memory readout right below your open apps.

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Photo, Video & Media

Allow or Deny Picture-in-Picture per App

When a YouTube or Netflix video suddenly loses its floating window and jumps back to full screen the moment you open another app, Picture-in-Picture is disabled for that specific app on your Realme phone. Realme UI controls this permission separately for every app, so enabling it once for YouTube does not activate it for Netflix or any other media app. Without this permission, switching apps pauses or closes the video instead of shrinking it into a movable window.

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Apps & Installation

App Installations and Permissions on Android

Installing an app on your Realme phone is more than tapping a download button. This area covers where apps come from, which permissions they ask for, and how Realme UI keeps unwanted installs in check. Getting these settings right saves storage and keeps your phone free of software you never approved.

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Language & Input

Text Correction and Keyboard Input Settings

Realme UI includes a set of typing tools that catch mistakes, predict words, and adapt to the languages you use most. This area covers autocorrect, predictive text, spell check, and personal dictionaries, and explains how each one shapes what you see while typing. Understanding these settings helps you fix annoying auto-changes without losing the convenience they were built for.

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Network & Connectivity

Block Mobile Data or Wi-Fi for a Single App

If YouTube, Netflix or a background app keeps eating through your mobile data plan even when you only meant to use it on Wi-Fi, the app's individual network permission is likely still set to allow both connection types. The same issue shows up in reverse when an app refuses to load unless mobile data is switched on, even though you are connected to Wi-Fi. Realme UI lets you control each app's network access separately from the general Wi-Fi and mobile data toggles.

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