Show Connection Speed in Status Bar
If the status bar on your Xiaomi phone stays blank while you browse or download, the connection speed indicator is probably turned off. Once enabled, MIUI shows the current transfer rate in the top left corner, but the number only updates while data is actively moving. If nothing is loading, the value simply freezes or disappears until the next download or page load.
Allow or Block Display over Other Apps
When a chat bubble from Messenger or your Messages app refuses to pop up over other screens, the permission behind it is usually switched off. MIUI hides this setting under a different name than stock Android, which makes it easy to miss. Without it, apps can only notify you in the background instead of floating on top of whatever you are doing.
Turn Keyboard Sounds On or Off
Typing on your Xiaomi phone without any click sound, or getting loud key tones during a call or meeting, usually comes down to the keyboard's own sound setting. This is separate from your ringtone or notification volume, so muting your phone system-wide does not always silence it. A volume slider controls how loud the feedback is once the sound is switched on.
Allow Apps from Unknown Sources
Downloading an APK through the Mi Browser or a file manager on a Xiaomi phone and getting blocked at the install screen is common once MIUI tightens its unknown-sources rule. A single global switch no longer works — MIUI now asks you to approve each source app individually before it can install anything outside the Play Store. Until that specific app gets permission, every install attempt from it fails or shows a warning.
Hide or Show Caller ID
Your Xiaomi phone sends your number to every call by default, following the network operator's setting. Some people see your number on their screen, others don't, because the setting actually lives on the SIM card rather than in the phone software. If you want to decide for yourself who sees your number, you can override that network default per SIM.
Turn Google Discover On/Off on the Home Screen
If the Info Assistant or Google Discover feed disappeared from your Xiaomi home screen, you probably stopped getting stock updates, news, or quick shortcuts. This panel sits on the leftmost home screen page and gets toggled through a hidden home screen setting, not through the Google app itself. Swiping all the way left and finding a blank page usually means it got switched off by accident.
Flash for Incoming Calls: Enable or Disable
If your phone stays dark during a call and you rely on the LED flash as a visual alert, the flash notification for incoming calls might be switched off. This function blinks the rear LED whenever a call comes in, separate from the flashlight or camera. The setting sits inside the calling accounts menu, not the general notification settings, so it gets overlooked easily.
Turn On or Off USB-OTG
If your Xiaomi phone does not recognize a USB drive, game controller, or keyboard through a USB-C adapter, the OTG function is often switched off or has timed out. MIUI disables OTG automatically after 10 minutes without an active connection, so a device that worked yesterday can suddenly show nothing today.
Adjust Audio Balance
If music or calls sound louder in one earbud than the other, the audio balance on your Xiaomi phone might be shifted to one side. This mostly happens after a system update or when the Hearing accessibility settings were changed by accident. A simple slider lets you shift the volume back to center or fine-tune it for hearing differences between your ears.
Show Battery Percentage in Status Bar
If your Xiaomi phone only shows a battery icon in the status bar, you have to guess whether you are at 40 percent or 25 percent charge. That icon shrinks as the battery drains, so the difference between a quarter and a third full is barely visible at a glance. Switching to a numeric readout removes the guesswork and helps you plan charging before a call or navigation session runs out of power.
Turn On/Off Call Recording
If you need proof of what was said on a call, or want to stop your Xiaomi phone from silently recording every conversation, the built-in call recorder is the setting to check. It sits disabled by default, and many users never notice it is there until a recording shows up unexpectedly in the Phone app. Whether you want it running for every call or only for a handful of numbers changes which option you need to pick.
Set a Different Wallpaper on the Lock Screen
If your Xiaomi phone keeps showing the same picture as the home screen every time you wake it up, the lock screen and home screen wallpaper are still linked. MIUI actually lets you assign a separate image to the lock screen, but the option is buried inside the Wallpaper app instead of the usual display settings. Without picking the right save target, any photo you choose only updates the home screen.
Enable or Disable LED Notification Light
If your Xiaomi phone stays dark when a new message arrives, the LED notification light might be switched off for that app. This setting works per app, so one app can flash the LED while another stays silent. Not every Xiaomi model has a physical LED, so the option may be missing entirely on some devices.
Add Owner Info to the Lock Screen
If your Xiaomi phone shows your saved contact card name instead of a custom message on the lock screen, that text comes from a separate owner info field, not your business card. Many people want a different name, a backup contact number, or no personal details at all showing before the phone is unlocked. This setting controls exactly what text appears above the clock on a locked screen.
Turn SIM PIN Lock On or Off
Every restart of your Xiaomi phone stops at a PIN prompt before you even reach the pattern or code unlock screen. If you already trust your environment and that extra step feels redundant, MIUI lets you disable the SIM PIN lock for each card individually. On a dual SIM device, forgetting which slot still has it active is a common source of confusion.
Manage App Autostart Permissions
If certain apps keep draining battery overnight or notifications arrive late, MIUI's autostart permission might be blocking background services for that app. Autostart controls which apps can load background functions right after you power on your phone, not the app itself. Checking this setting helps you balance battery life against apps that need to stay ready in the background.
Change Lock Screen Clock Format
By default, MIUI centers the clock and date on your lock screen, which can crowd out notification icons or clash with your wallpaper. If you want the time left-aligned or stacked vertically instead, that layout sits in a setting most people never open. This affects only the lock screen clock, not the always-on display style itself.
Add or Remove Emergency Contacts
Once Emergency SOS is active on a Xiaomi phone, the contact list from setup often stays fixed unless you go back and update it. If a family member or new number was left out, that person will not receive an alert or location share when SOS triggers.
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.
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.
Set Up a Private DNS Server
If your Xiaomi phone still resolves domains through whatever DNS your carrier or Wi-Fi router assigns, you get no ad blocking, no tracking protection, and inconsistent speeds between networks. On some models the Private DNS option is missing entirely or resets to Automatic after a reboot, which silently stops a custom provider like Cloudflare or Google DNS from taking effect.
Block Apps from Using Mobile Data or Wi-Fi
If an app keeps burning through your mobile data plan even though you are connected to Wi-Fi, a per-app network permission is likely still letting it use the mobile connection. Xiaomi phones let you lock individual apps to just one connection type, which stops unexpected background data use. This helps with apps you only want active when Wi-Fi is available, or that should never touch mobile data.
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.
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.