Change Home Screen Transition Effect
Swiping between home screen pages on your Xiaomi phone always triggers the same flat slide animation, even after you have customized icons and widgets. MIUI actually ships with several transition styles such as Crossfade, Cube or Cascade, but the option sits inside the home screen settings rather than the main display menu, so most people never find it.
Change Password for a Saved Wi-Fi Network
If your router password changed, your Xiaomi phone still tries to connect with the old one and just shows Saved, not connected. This is common after a router reset or a switch to a new internet provider. You do not need to forget the network and start over, the saved entry can be updated directly.
Turn On/Off Ultra Battery Saver
When your Xiaomi phone drops to critical battery, apps stop refreshing in the background and the screen switches to a dark theme without asking first. That is Ultra battery saver taking over, and it can feel like half your phone stopped working until you know how to control it.
Set Ringtone for Incoming Calls
When every incoming call on your Xiaomi phone uses the same generic tone, or a video calling app ignores your chosen sound completely, the default ringtone setting is usually the cause. Dual-SIM users often run into a second issue: one SIM plays the wrong tone because each line can carry its own ringtone. Both problems trace back to the same sound settings that MIUI applies system-wide.
Rename a Gallery Album
Album names like Camera, Screenshots or a random date string get confusing fast once your Gallery fills up with dozens of folders. Renaming an album on your Xiaomi phone does not touch the photos or videos inside it, so nothing gets lost or reordered. This only affects how the folder is labeled in the app, not where the files are stored.
Turn On/Off Dark Mode
If your Xiaomi screen still glares white at night, straining your eyes and eating into battery life, Dark Mode is probably still switched off. MIUI can flip the whole interface to a dark layout, but many users never find the schedule option that would turn it on automatically at a set time. Without that schedule active, you end up switching the toggle by hand every evening.
Auto-Fill Empty Home Screen Cells After Uninstalling Apps
When you uninstall an app on a Xiaomi phone, the empty cell it leaves behind can sit unused or the whole layout can shift, depending on one home screen setting. Most people never notice this toggle exists until their icons suddenly rearrange themselves. Knowing where it lives lets you decide whether gaps stay put or close automatically.
Turn Off Automatic Diagnostic Data Sending
If Send diagnostic data automatically stays enabled, your Xiaomi phone keeps transmitting usage statistics that can include personal details. Many people only notice this after checking a privacy report or reviewing background data usage. MIUI never discloses exactly what content gets sent in these reports, which is why disabling related user experience options is worth doing.
Delete a Single Call History Entry
Trying to remove just one number from your call log on a Xiaomi phone can get confusing fast. The long-press menu shows options that sound like they clear everything, so it is easy to end up wiping your whole call history instead of one line. Knowing which option only affects the entry you tapped makes the difference.
Set Default Event Duration in Calendar
New calendar entries on your Xiaomi phone always start with the same length, even when you only need a quick 15-minute call instead of a full hour. This default value lives in the Calendar app settings and can be different for every account linked to your calendar. If several accounts are active, each one keeps its own separate default, which often causes mismatches between personal and work events.
Turn On/Off Google Voice Typing
If tapping the microphone icon on your Xiaomi keyboard does nothing, or the icon is missing entirely, Google voice typing is usually switched off in your language and input settings. Without it, spoken words never turn into text and you are stuck typing manually. A system update or keyboard reset can flip this setting without you noticing.
Change Ringtone for Event Reminders
If every calendar reminder, note alert, and task notification on your Xiaomi phone plays the same generic tone, it's easy to miss what actually matters. Event reminders use a separate sound slot from calls and messages, so changing your default notification tone alone does nothing. MIUI lets you assign a dedicated tone just for these reminders, from either Xiaomi's included tones or your own sound files.
Turn Off the Phone Completely
If your Xiaomi phone keeps restarting instead of shutting down, or the screen stays black after you try to power off, the shutdown menu might not be responding correctly. This is different from a simple restart or locking the screen, since it fully cuts power to the device. Knowing where the power off option sits helps when you want to save battery or troubleshoot a frozen phone.
Volume Buttons Function for Camera
Pressing the volume buttons in the Xiaomi camera app triggers the shutter or a countdown timer by default, not zoom. If you want the buttons to handle something else while framing a shot, the assignment can be changed in the camera settings. Right now only two options are available for this shortcut.
Hide an Album
If an album with private photos or videos keeps showing up in your Xiaomi Gallery overview, anyone browsing your phone can open it in seconds. MIUI lets you hide individual albums so they disappear from the main view without deleting a single file. This only works per album, not for single photos inside a mixed folder.
Switch Keyboard Language While Typing
Typing a message in a second language on your Xiaomi phone often means the wrong keyboard stays active because it defaults to the last language you used. Leaving the text field to fix this in settings breaks your train of thought and can even discard what you typed. A quick gesture inside the text field itself switches the keyboard without closing the app.
Add a City to World Clock
Your Xiaomi phone only shows the time for your home region, and comparing time zones means switching apps constantly. The World Clock widget can hold several cities at once, but the option to add one sits inside a menu that is easy to overlook. Removing a city later works differently too, since it needs a long-press instead of a simple delete button.
Turn Emergency Location Service (ELS) On or Off
If first responders cannot pinpoint your position during an emergency call or text, Emergency Location Service on your Xiaomi phone may be switched off. This feature sends your current GPS position automatically whenever you dial an emergency number, but it only works if the setting is active and your wireless carrier supports it. Some users disable it by accident while adjusting location permissions, which delays help in a real emergency.
Turn On/Off Mono Audio
If music, videos or calls sound identical from both speakers on your Xiaomi phone, Mono audio is switched on. This accessibility feature merges the left and right channels so every clip and call plays the same content on each side. It's meant for hearing support, not everyday stereo listening.
Add an Account
If WhatsApp, Facebook or another app did not create the account you need automatically, you have to add it yourself before contacts, calendar or backup data can sync. Xiaomi phones bundle every linked account - Google, Exchange, Mi Cloud and more - under a single settings screen, but that screen is easy to miss on a new device. Without the account added there, the app keeps asking you to sign in every time you open it.
Display Short Calendar Entries as 30-Minute Blocks
If short events or tasks in your Xiaomi Calendar look squeezed and hard to tap, the app is likely showing them at their real, tiny size instead of matching a standard 30-minute slot. This makes quick entries easy to miss or misread on a crowded day view. A single setting controls whether short entries get stretched to the same height as 30-minute entries.
Reset App Settings
If notifications suddenly stop showing up or a default app keeps opening files the wrong way on your Xiaomi phone, a leftover app preference is often the cause. Resetting app settings clears these overrides without touching your saved app data or files. It is the quickest way to undo background restrictions, disabled notifications, or stuck default app assignments.
Save a Webpage in Mi Browser
Closing a browser tab often means losing an article for good, especially without a stable connection to reload it later. Mi Browser includes a built-in save function, but most people only notice the screenshot option and overlook the HTML and PDF alternatives. Each format behaves differently once you try to reopen, edit, or share the saved page again.
Enable or Disable Google Assistant via the Home Button
Holding down the virtual home button on your Xiaomi phone launches Google Assistant automatically, even when you only meant to go back to the home screen. If that accidental trigger bothers you, or you actually want the shortcut and it is not working, the setting sits in a spot most people never check.