Allow or Deny Picture-in-Picture Access per App
If a video keeps floating over your screen after you switch away from an app, or a floating window refuses to disappear while you're typing a message, picture-in-picture is active for that app. Some apps use this floating window aggressively even when you just want the screen back to yourself, while others lose the ability to keep playing video in the background because the permission got switched off. This setting controls exactly which apps are allowed to open that overlay window on your Xiaomi phone.
Camera Filter Selection
If your photos keep coming out with the same flat color tone, the camera is probably still set to its default look instead of one of the built-in filters. Xiaomi's camera offers several color styles like Vivid, Amour, Black & White or Sun, but the picker is easy to miss if you have never opened it before. The same filter menu controls photo, video and other media modes, so finding it once changes every shot you take afterward.
Create an Album in Gallery
When photos and videos pile up in one long timeline, finding a specific trip or event gets tedious fast. The Gallery app on Xiaomi phones sorts everything by date by default, with no automatic grouping by topic or person. Creating a custom album lets you pull selected photos and videos into one place without digging through months of camera roll.
Delete an Album in Gallery
Deleting an album on your Xiaomi phone also deletes every photo and video still stored inside it. This catches a lot of people off guard when they just wanted to tidy up their Gallery app and end up losing media they meant to keep. Knowing which albums are safe to remove and which ones hold originals is key before you tap delete.
Turn Auto-sync for Photos and Videos On or Off
If your Gallery keeps pushing photos and videos to Xiaomi Cloud even on mobile data, your storage plan fills up fast and your data allowance takes a hit. The sync behavior is controlled from within the Gallery app and tied to the Mi account signed in on the phone. Turning it off stops new uploads, but files already sent to the cloud stay there until you remove them yourself.
Zoom In and Out in the Camera App
If the pinch gesture in the Camera app feels imprecise or the zoom slider does not react as expected, framing a shot gets frustrating fast. On Xiaomi phones the zoom level can be controlled either with two fingers on the screen or with a dedicated slider next to the shutter button, and mixing up both methods often causes jumpy results. Knowing which control belongs to which situation makes zooming smoother and prevents accidental resets while shooting.
Turn Front Camera Mirroring On or Off
Selfies taken with your Xiaomi front camera often look flipped compared to how other people actually see you, especially when text or logos appear reversed in the background. This happens because MIUI mirrors the preview and, on many devices, the saved photo to match what you see in the viewfinder. The mirroring setting controls whether your final shot keeps that flipped look or saves a true-to-life version.
Customize Camera Feature Layout
If your camera app only shows modes you never use while Night or Pro mode stays buried under More, the feature layout on your Xiaomi is still set to default. You can add, remove or reorder quick-access modes like Portrait, 48M, Panorama, Documents, Slow motion or Time-lapse directly in the camera settings. Which modes are available depends on your specific device model.
Reset Camera Settings to Default
If your Xiaomi camera keeps producing blurry shots, odd colors, or a shooting mode you no longer understand after trying out filters and manual adjustments, restoring the default configuration usually fixes it. This clears every custom change you made in the camera app without touching photos or videos already saved on your phone. It is the fastest way to undo settings that got out of control after too much tinkering with exposure, resolution, or scene modes.
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.
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.
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.
Restore Deleted Photos or Videos from the Recycle Bin
Deleted a photo or video on your Xiaomi phone and now need it back? The Gallery app does not erase files right away - they sit in a hidden trash folder for a limited time before they disappear for good. Missing this window means the memory is gone permanently.
Manage Synced Gallery Albums
When Xiaomi Cloud sync is turned on, Gallery uploads every new photo and video automatically, including albums you would rather keep local. That fills up your cloud storage fast and makes it hard to tell which albums are actually being backed up. Instead of switching cloud backup off completely, you can review and adjust the sync status for each album on its own.
Switch Between Front and Rear Camera
Selfies on a Xiaomi phone often need extra light, and the display flashes white to fake a camera flash for the front lens. If you are not sure where the switch control sits or why the screen behaves this way, jumping between front and rear camera during a quick shot or video call gets slower than it should. This affects both the Camera app and any third-party app that uses the same camera controls.
Camera Delay-Timer
If your Xiaomi camera fires the shutter the instant you tap the button, group photos or selfies often turn out blurry or catch you mid-pose. MIUI has a built-in delay-timer for exactly this situation, but it sits hidden inside the camera menu instead of the main shooting screen. Without it, you only get a split second to get into position before the shot is taken.
Taking a Photo with the Camera App
Snapping a basic photo on a Xiaomi phone rarely causes trouble, but once you enable a color filter, lock focus manually, or switch away from the default Photo mode, the shutter button can seem to do nothing. Knowing which mode and settings are active before you tap the shutter prevents blurry or oddly filtered shots.
Turn On/Off Camera Quick Launch
Missing a fast-moving shot because unlocking your Xiaomi phone takes too long costs you the moment every time. Camera Quick Launch lets you jump straight into the camera app from the lock screen instead of swiping through your PIN or pattern first. When the option is off, a double press of the volume down button does nothing and you lose those extra seconds.