Change Default Messaging App
Texts land in one app while replies keep opening in another, or a new SMS app you downloaded from the Play Store never becomes the one that actually launches. This happens because MIUI keeps a fixed default assignment for messaging that does not update automatically when you install a new app. Until that assignment is changed manually, notifications and quick replies keep routing to the wrong app.
Start the Screen Recorder
Besides taking screenshots, you can record your Xiaomi screen as a video, but the recorder icon can be tricky to spot among the other Quick Settings tiles. Once recording starts, the small floating control panel fades after about two seconds and shrinks to a barely visible dot, which makes it easy to lose track of how to pause or stop the recording.
Dark or Light Theme for Messages App
If the Messages app on your Xiaomi phone still shows a bright white background while the rest of your system runs in dark mode, the app theme is set independently. Calls, Contacts and Messages each carry their own display setting in MIUI, so a system-wide dark mode switch does not always carry over automatically.
Change App Lock Settings
Once App lock is turned on for an app, MIUI still leaves several details open: notification previews can leak private messages, protected apps might each demand their own unlock, and Xiaomi keeps suggesting more apps to add to the lock. These behaviors come from separate switches inside the App lock settings, not from the lock feature itself.
Import Contacts from VCF, SIM or Account
If your contacts are stuck on a SIM card, an old VCF backup, or a different account, your Xiaomi phone won't just pick them up automatically. Contacts app import options are easy to miss inside Settings, so people end up re-typing numbers by hand instead of pulling them in from an existing file or account.
Game Turbo Settings
Game Turbo hides a long list of toggles that most Xiaomi owners never open, covering things like Game Speed Booster, ingame shortcuts and how added apps get removed from the list. If a game still throttles mid-match, notifications keep breaking through, or an external screen behaves oddly while gaming, one of these switches is usually the cause. The settings panel controls all of this from a single screen, but the options are easy to miss.
Set Up Face Unlock
Xiaomi phones store a 2D scan of your face and use the front camera to unlock the screen without a fingerprint or PIN. Before you turn it on, MIUI itself warns that a photo of your face or someone who looks similar could sometimes trigger the same unlock. That trade-off between convenience and security is worth understanding before you register your face.
Manage App Permissions
If you tapped Deny when an app first asked for camera or contacts access, that app stays locked out until you change the setting yourself. MIUI does not repeat the prompt later, so features like document scanning or contact sync can quietly stop working. The permission is not deleted, it just needs to be switched back on in the app settings.
Switch Contact Name Order (First/Last Name)
If your Xiaomi contact list always shows the first name before the last name, finding people gets harder when you organize contacts by family name or your workplace expects last-name-first lists. This affects how names appear in Contacts, the call log, and message threads alike. MIUI lets you flip that order without editing a single contact.
Turn Off Screen Lock
Want to skip entering a pattern, PIN, or password every time you wake your Xiaomi phone? Removing the screen lock only asks for your current unlock method once, but afterward the device stays open to anyone who picks it up. That trade-off matters if the phone holds banking apps, messages, or saved logins.
Scan QR Codes Automatically with the Camera App
If your Xiaomi camera does not react to a QR code on a package or shipping label, the Scan QR codes function is likely switched off. Without it, the camera behaves like a normal photo app and shows no scan prompt at all, forcing you to search for a separate scanner app.
Turn Auto-correction On or Off
If your Xiaomi keyboard keeps swapping in a word you never typed, MIUI auto-correction is stepping in before you finish a sentence. It usually helps, but on names, slang or foreign words it can turn a normal message into something embarrassing. The feature sits in the keyboard settings and you can switch it on or off depending on how you type.
Change the Default Browser
Tapping a link on your Xiaomi phone always opens Mi Browser, even though you installed Chrome or another app from the Play Store? This happens because Android keeps using the browser you confirmed as default the first time you opened a link. The new app stays installed but is simply never called until you switch the default setting yourself.
How to Turn on/off Airplane mode
If your Xiaomi phone suddenly stops receiving calls, texts, or mobile data, Airplane mode is often the reason. Turning it on shuts down the mobile network, mobile data, WLAN, and Bluetooth at the same time. On some Xiaomi phones you can still switch WLAN or Bluetooth back on manually while Airplane mode stays active, which causes confusion when connectivity only half works.
Block Calls from Unknown Numbers
When a caller shows up as Unknown or Private, your Xiaomi phone has no caller ID to check against a blocklist entry. Instead of rejecting these calls by hand every single time, you can have the Phone app reject them automatically before they ring through.
Adjust Screen Timeout Duration
If your Xiaomi display turns off after a few seconds or stays lit far longer than you expect, the sleep timer is set to the wrong value. This setting decides how long the screen stays active before it locks, and it has a direct effect on battery drain and how often you have to unlock the phone.
Set Up Fingerprint Unlock
Setting up fingerprint unlock on a Xiaomi phone only works if you already have a Pattern, PIN, or Password configured, and MIUI asks for it before it lets you enroll a finger. If you cannot remember that unlock code, the fingerprint menu will not let you proceed at all. Many users also get confused about how many fingerprints they can add and what each one can be used for.
Turn Game Turbo On or Off
When you mirror your Xiaomi's screen to a monitor or TV, gaming performance can drop noticeably if Game Turbo stays inactive. This mode reroutes system resources, speeds up data transmission and blocks distracting features like notifications during matches. If it stays on by default, though, it can also interrupt calls or messages you actually want to see.
Select Quick Ball Shortcuts
The Quick Ball on Xiaomi phones only holds five shortcuts at a time, so adding a new function always means removing one that is already assigned. If you tap the wrong field or pick the wrong replacement, you can accidentally lose quick access to a shortcut you use every day.
Turn MIUI Optimization On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone feels sluggish after enabling developer options, or certain apps crash or render oddly, the 'Turn on MIUI optimization' toggle inside developer options might be the cause. This setting controls how MIUI's custom interface layer interacts with the underlying Android rendering engine. Switching it off can fix app compatibility problems but also changes how some system apps look and behave.
Turn Color Inversion On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone suddenly shows a black background with white text everywhere, or photos and videos look like a photo negative, Color inversion is likely switched on. This accessibility feature swaps colors system-wide, including in apps, galleries, and the camera preview, which can make the phone look broken until you know where to turn it off.
Assign Alarm Functions to Volume Buttons
If your alarm keeps ringing because pressing a volume button does nothing, MIUI lets you change that behavior in the alarm settings. By default the phone treats both volume keys the same way, so you cannot assign a separate action to volume up and volume down. This single setting decides whether a button press snoozes, dismisses or ignores the alarm every single time.
Turn On/Off Contact Suggestions
When Contact suggestions are active on a Xiaomi phone, the keyboard pulls names, numbers and email addresses from your Contacts app while you type messages or fill out forms. That can be handy for quick replies, but it also means personal details from your address book show up as autocomplete hints in apps that have nothing to do with Contacts. If you want tighter control over what your keyboard suggests, this setting is the one to check.
Empty the Gallery Trash Bin
Deleted photos and videos in Xiaomi's Gallery app sit in the trash bin for up to 30 days before MIUI deletes them automatically. Until that happens, they still count against your storage, even though you already deleted them. If you want that space back right away, you can clear the trash bin manually instead of waiting.