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 One-handed Mode On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone feels too big to reach the top of the screen with one thumb, the built-in one-handed mode shrinks the whole display into a smaller window. Many users never find this option because it hides under Additional settings instead of the main Display menu. Without it enabled, you are stuck stretching or using both hands for every notification bar swipe or top-corner button.
Close All Tabs in Mi Browser
After a long browsing session in Mi Browser, the tab counter on your Xiaomi phone can climb to a number you never actually chose. Every open tab keeps running in the background, which slows down the browser and drains extra battery. Closing them one by one takes forever, but there is a faster way.
Change Press-and-Hold Shutter Button Function
On Xiaomi phones, holding down the shutter button in the Camera app usually triggers a burst shot instead of a single photo. If you actually want continuous autofocus or a locked focus point for a tricky shot, that burst behavior gets in the way. MIUI lets you swap this hold action to Focus or Record video instead.
Turn Screen Locking Sounds On or Off
Every time your Xiaomi phone locks or unlocks, a short click plays, and it keeps repeating as you use the device throughout the day. That sound comes from the Screen locking sounds option buried in the sound settings, not from notifications or Focus mode. It can be muted or restored in a few taps once you know where it hides.
Name Format for Call History
If some entries in your call log show the first name before the surname while others do the opposite, the phone app is mixing display styles from different contact sources. This happens often after importing contacts from a SIM, another account, or a backup. The call history keeps the format each contact was saved with instead of applying one consistent style.
Rename a Contact Group
A contact group on your Xiaomi phone keeps the name you gave it when you first created it, even after you add or remove members over time. If that label no longer fits, MIUI lets you edit it without deleting the group or losing its contacts. Default groups like Family, Colleagues or Friends are locked and cannot be renamed.
Filter Contacts by Account
If your contact list mixes phone numbers, WhatsApp entries, and other synced accounts, finding the right person gets messy fast. MIUI keeps every synced account in one long list by default, which makes Calls and Messages harder to scan. A built-in filter lets you narrow that view down to only the account you actually need.
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.
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.
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.
Save Location Info for Photos and Videos
Photos and videos from the Xiaomi camera arrive without any location tag, so sorting vacation shots by place later only works if you remember the trip yourself. That happens because the camera option for saving location info sits switched off out of the box. Turning it on lets the Camera app attach GPS coordinates to every photo and video you capture.
Turn On or Off Bluetooth Tethering
If your laptop or tablet has no free USB port, sharing your Xiaomi phone's mobile data over a cable is not an option. Bluetooth tethering lets you pass the connection wirelessly, but it needs to be paired and switched on first, and many users miss the toggle because it sits inside the hotspot settings rather than the Bluetooth menu itself.
Allow or Deny Apps to Modify System Settings
Some apps on your Xiaomi phone quietly hold permission to change system settings like brightness, do-not-disturb or notification behavior, even after you stopped using them. If a random app is toggling display or sound settings on its own, this hidden permission is usually the cause. You can review and revoke it for individual apps without affecting others.
Merge Duplicate Contacts
When contacts get saved by different apps or sync sources, the same person can end up listed twice in your Xiaomi contact list. This duplication clutters your call log, messages, and search results, making it harder to reach the right entry fast. MIUI includes a built-in way to link matching entries back into a single, clean contact.
Turn on TalkBack
Once TalkBack starts running, every tap on the screen gets read aloud instead of performed right away, which throws off anyone who did not expect the phone to switch to gesture-based navigation. This screen reader is essential for blind or low-vision users, but a stray touch inside the Accessibility menu can turn it on by accident too, changing how the whole interface reacts to touch. Knowing exactly where the toggle sits helps you switch it on deliberately or turn it back off if the phone suddenly stops responding to normal taps.
Set Default Account for New Contacts
If you keep getting asked which account to save a new contact to on your Xiaomi phone, MIUI has no default target set. This happens when Google Account, Mi Account, and one or both SIM cards are all active on the same device. Every save then triggers a manual account pick, which slows down quick contact entry.
Turn On/Off Switch to Speaker Automatically
If your Xiaomi phone keeps the call on the earpiece even after you pull it away from your face, or the speaker never kicks in on its own, a hidden accessibility feature is likely involved. This function relies on TalkBack and sits inside a section labeled Experimental, which is why most people never find it. Without it enabled correctly, calls stay locked to the earpiece no matter how you hold the phone.
Set Monthly Data Usage Limit
If your Xiaomi phone still enforces the data limit from an old tariff, warnings or automatic data cut-offs can trigger at the wrong point in your billing cycle. The Monthly data limit value under Data usage does not update itself when your plan changes or your provider raises your allowance. You have to adjust it manually to match the new tariff.
Turn USB Tethering On or Off
When you plug your Xiaomi phone into a PC or laptop to share its mobile data, the computer often prompts you to pick a connection type instead of connecting automatically. This happens because USB tethering sits in a separate toggle from your regular USB file-transfer mode. Without switching it on first, the cable only charges the phone or transfers files instead of sharing the data connection.