Turn Data Roaming On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone connects to a foreign network, no data moves until data roaming is switched on. Once active, you get internet access abroad, but your carrier may bill extra for it. Xiaomi does not offer a simple on/off toggle here - it gives you three distinct roaming states, and picking the wrong one either blocks data or leaves roaming running when you do not want it.
Add or Remove Bookmarks in Mi Browser
Losing track of a website you visited last week is common once it drops out of your browser history. Bookmarks fix this by saving the page permanently until you decide to remove it. The catch is that many Xiaomi users don't know where the bookmark list actually lives inside Mi Browser, so saved pages get forgotten or accidentally deleted.
Change the Always-on Display Clock Style
If the Always-on display on your Xiaomi phone only shows a plain digital number and you want something more analog or more detailed, the clock style is buried a few taps deep in the display settings. Many users never notice the option because it sits inside a submenu, not on the main Always-on display toggle screen. Picking the wrong style can also affect how much info fits on the lock screen and how visible the clock stays in daylight.
Turn Off Wi-Fi Hotspot Automatically
Leaving the personal hotspot active after every connected device disconnects quietly drains battery on Xiaomi phones. MIUI includes a setting that shuts the hotspot down on its own once nothing is using it, but most owners never notice it exists.
Turn Off App Lock
If Xiaomi's App lock keeps asking for a PIN, pattern or fingerprint before certain apps open, and some apps seem to have vanished from your app drawer, the lock feature is still active in the background. Turning it off releases every protected app at once and brings previously hidden apps back into view.
Turn On or Off Find My Device
If your Xiaomi phone goes missing and Google's Find My Device search comes up empty, the tracking toggle is probably switched off in your privacy settings. This setting decides whether your phone keeps reporting its last known location to your Google Account. Without it enabled beforehand, there is no location history to fall back on once the phone is actually lost.
Set Notification Sounds for Each App Individually
When every app on your Xiaomi phone plays the same notification tone, it gets hard to tell a messaging alert from a random app update without looking at the screen. MIUI lets you assign or mute sound per app, but the option sits inside a settings area many users never open. Here is where that control actually lives and how to change it for one app at a time.
Turn Glide Typing On or Off
If typing feels slow because you tap every single letter, Glide typing lets you swipe across the keys instead of lifting your finger. On some Xiaomi phones this swipe input stays off by default, or it keeps running even though you prefer classic tapping. Auto-correction and word suggestions are separate settings and keep working either way.
Set a Custom Watermark in the Camera App
If every photo automatically shows your device or camera model as a watermark, you might want your own text there instead. The Watermark settings inside the Camera app let you swap that default label for a personal signature, but the option sits a few taps deep in the menu. Once set, the custom text gets stamped on every new shot instead of the model name.
Add a Birthday to a Contact
If the default Contacts form on your Xiaomi phone only shows phone number and email, there's no visible field for a birthday. That date option sits in a separate section that most people never open, so they assume it doesn't exist and skip it. Without it, you lose an easy way to keep birthdays tied directly to a contact card instead of a separate calendar entry.
Change Calendar View
If your Google Calendar app on Xiaomi always opens in Month view, finding today's appointments takes extra scrolling. The default layout does not match how you actually plan your day. Switching between Schedule, Day, 3-Day, Week and Month views fixes this without touching any system settings.
Remove a Stored Fingerprint
If a fingerprint still unlocks your Xiaomi phone after you sold it, handed it to someone else, or just registered a bad scan, that print needs to go. MIUI stores several fingerprints under one name, so it is easy to remove the wrong one by mistake. Deleting a print always asks for your unlock pattern, PIN or password first, which trips up people who only remember using their finger.
Resize a Home Screen Widget
When a widget takes up too much space or looks squeezed on your Xiaomi home screen, the easiest fix is adjusting its size instead of removing it. Not every widget supports resizing, and some only offer fixed size steps rather than free dragging. Knowing which widgets react to resize handles saves you from rearranging your whole layout.
Remove a Member from a Contact Group
If a contact still shows up in a group even though you no longer want them there, the fix is not to delete the contact but to unlink them from that specific group. On Xiaomi phones this distinction confuses people because the removal option sits inside the group menu, not in the contact's own profile screen.
One-Handed Keyboard Mode
Typing with one thumb on a large Xiaomi screen often means missing keys on the far side of the keyboard. The stock layout stretches across the full display width, so you end up stretching your thumb or shifting your grip with every message. Xiaomi's keyboard settings can shrink and pin the whole layout to the left or right edge instead.
View Device Certification Info
If you need your Xiaomi phone's FCC ID, model number, or other certification details for a return, insurance claim, or customs check, they are not printed on the box or shown in a quick settings toggle. This information sits inside a dedicated certification screen that most users never open on their own.
Turn On/Off Auto Brightness
If your Xiaomi screen keeps getting brighter or dimmer without you touching anything, Auto Brightness is reacting to the light sensor. You can still drag the brightness slider manually while the function stays active, which often causes confusion about which setting is actually in control.
Check for System Updates
If you swiped away the update notification on your Xiaomi phone or never saw it pop up, the update itself is not lost. MIUI still tracks it in the background, you just need to trigger the check yourself. This matters when a security patch or bugfix has been sitting unnoticed for weeks.
Convert HEIF Photos to JPEG Before Sending
If photos shared from your Xiaomi phone show up as broken files or will not open on someone else's device, the picture was likely saved in HEIF format. Many apps and older phones cannot read HEIF directly, so the recipient sees a blank thumbnail or an error instead of your photo. The Gallery app has a setting that handles this conversion automatically at the moment you send a file.
Turn On/Off USB Debugging
If MyPhoneExplorer refuses to sync contacts or a rooting tool cannot detect your Xiaomi phone over cable, USB debugging is usually still switched off. The option only appears once Developer options are unlocked, and many users cannot find the toggle afterward. Leaving it enabled permanently also carries a small security risk you should know about.
Split Screen on Xiaomi Phones
Split screen lets you run two apps side by side on your Xiaomi phone, so you can chat while browsing or take notes while watching a video. MIUI offers more than one way to trigger it, and not every app supports it the same way. Knowing how it behaves helps you decide when it actually saves time.
Custom Image on Always-on Display
If the pre-installed Always-on Display themes on your Xiaomi phone all look the same, you can swap them for a photo of your own. MIUI lets you pick any image from your gallery instead of the default clock designs. Once applied, you can still adjust the clock position, text color, and how battery or notification icons appear on top of your picture.
Clear RAM and Storage
If your Xiaomi phone feels sluggish or storage keeps filling up, junk files, app cache, and rarely used apps are often the cause. MIUI includes a built-in cleanup tool that clears RAM and storage in one pass, but what actually gets removed depends on which categories you select before confirming.
Turn Auto-Sync Data On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone burns through mobile data or drains battery faster than expected, background account synchronization is often the reason. This setting keeps your Google Account data, like contacts, calendar entries and photos, updated in the background at all times. Switching it off stops the drain immediately but also means new changes stop arriving until you sync manually.