Show or Hide the Emoji Switch Key
If you type a lot of emojis, switching between the language globe and the emoji picker can slow you down on the MIUI keyboard. The globe icon and the emoji key share the same spot, so only one of them shows on the keyboard row at a time. Turning on the emoji switch key swaps that icon while quick language switching still works by holding the space bar.
Change Webpage Text Size in Mi Browser
If text on websites looks too small to read comfortably or too large and forces constant scrolling in Mi Browser, the webpage display size is set to the wrong level. Xiaomi phones offer five separate font sizes for browsing, independent from the system font size in your general settings. Switching to a different level fixes cramped or oversized text on every site you visit.
Change Alarm Tone
If your Xiaomi alarm keeps ringing with the same generic tone or the Nature alarm sound never changes, the ringtone categories in the Clock app are likely the reason. Some categories, like Nature alarm, only rotate through different sounds when the phone has an active internet connection. Without that connection, the alarm falls back to a stored default tone instead of downloading a new one.
Allow Gallery Access to SD Card
If Gallery on your Xiaomi phone refuses to save new photos or won't let you delete files on the SD card, it usually means storage access was never granted. Android blocks apps from writing to external storage until you confirm the permission for that specific card. Until you approve it, Gallery can only display existing files but not create, move or remove anything on the card.
Turn On/Off Gesture Confirmation
Swiping back or closing an app by accident during a full-screen game or a video can throw you straight out of the action. On Xiaomi phones with full-screen gesture control, this usually happens because gesture confirmation is turned off, so a single swipe is enough to trigger the action. Turning it on forces you to swipe twice before the gesture actually executes.
Turn Emergency Alerts On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone keeps buzzing with Amber Alerts or severe weather warnings you never signed up for, the Emergency alerts feature is likely still active in the background. Some people want the opposite and need extreme threat notifications, vibration and voice alerts to actually get through. Either way, the switch sits in a security menu that is easy to overlook.
Set an App Timer to Limit App Usage
Some apps quietly eat hours of your day without you noticing, especially social media or games that keep notifications pulling you back in. On Xiaomi phones there is no built-in reminder that tells you when an app has crossed a healthy usage limit. Digital Wellbeing lets you assign a daily time budget per app so it pauses itself once that budget runs out.
Set Snooze Time and Repetition
If your Xiaomi alarm keeps snoozing for too long or not often enough, the default snooze interval and repeat count are likely not adjusted to your needs. MIUI lets you fine-tune both values, but the option sits several menus deep in the alarm settings.
Remove Google Search Bar from Home Screen
After the first setup of a new Xiaomi phone, a Google Search bar sits on the home screen by default and takes up space you might want for widgets or app icons. Many people assume it is a fixed part of MIUI and leave it there without checking. It is actually just a removable widget, so getting rid of it does not require digging through any settings menu.
Turn Location Access On or Off
If maps, weather, or camera apps suddenly stop finding your position on a Xiaomi phone, the general location toggle in MIUI settings might be switched off. Turning it off blocks GPS for every app at once, even those you already granted permission to use your location. This differs from per-app location permissions, which stay untouched but simply can't function without the master switch.
Set Up Text-to-Speech Output
When TalkBack or Select to Speak reads content in the wrong language or sounds too fast, the text-to-speech engine on your Xiaomi phone is set to the wrong voice or rate. Pitch, speed and language all come from one shared accessibility setting, so a single wrong value affects every screen-reading feature at once. Fixing it stops garbled or mismatched speech without disabling accessibility features entirely.
Change Keyboard Theme (Language & Input)
If the Gboard keyboard on your Xiaomi phone still shows the default gray background, the theme setting has never been switched. This only changes the visual layout - colors, gradients or picture backgrounds - and has no effect on autocorrect or typing speed. The key borders can also be turned on or off separately from the overall theme.
Missed Call Reminders: Turn On or Off
If a missed call slips by unnoticed until hours later, missed call reminders are probably switched off or set to repeat only once. MIUI can nudge you again about an unanswered call, and the number of repeats is adjustable. Without this setting active, a single missed call notification is easy to swipe away and forget.
Assign Custom Button Shortcuts
If double-pressing the power button always opens the camera when you wanted a screenshot instead, the button shortcut linked to that gesture doesn't match how you actually use your phone. MIUI lets you remap gestures like double-press power or long-press volume to actions such as torch, split screen or Google Assistant. Finding and changing that mapping means digging through a settings menu that isn't obvious at first glance.
Set a New Alarm
Waking up on time with a Xiaomi phone means finding the right spot to add a repeating schedule, a custom label, or a different ringtone for each alarm. Many users only set a one-off alarm and miss the options for weekday repetition, vibration, or automatic deletion after the alarm rings. Getting these details wrong means the alarm either fires on the wrong days or disappears after a single use when you actually wanted it daily.
Uninstall App Updates
If an app starts crashing, draining battery, or losing features right after an update on your Xiaomi phone, the new version is usually the cause. Instead of waiting for another patch, you can roll the app back to the version that shipped with your system and keep your data intact.
Change Camera Picture Quality
If your camera storage fills up fast or photos take too long to share, the picture quality setting in the MIUI camera app is often the reason. Xiaomi's camera defaults to a high resolution that produces large files, even when you only need a quick snapshot. Switching between High, Standard, and Low lets you balance sharpness against file size for each situation.
Set an Alternate Calendar
If your Calendar app only shows the Gregorian calendar, dates for other systems like the Hijri, Hebrew or Chinese calendar stay invisible in event details. This is controlled by a setting hidden inside General settings that most people never open.
Turn On/Off Sunlight Mode
Bright sunlight can make the Xiaomi display look washed out or hard to read, especially when checking messages outdoors. If automatic brightness is switched off, a separate Sunlight mode boosts the screen output whenever strong light hits the sensor. Without it active, the display often stays too dim outside even at maximum manual brightness.
Set Up Device Pairing for Messages on Web
If you want to read and send texts from your PC or laptop, the Messages app first needs to link with your browser. Without an active pairing, the browser page for Messages for Web stays blank or shows a QR code you cannot get past. This mostly affects people switching to a new browser or clearing their browser data, which breaks the existing link.
Turn Speak Passwords On or Off for TalkBack
When TalkBack reads your password out loud while you type it, anyone nearby can hear sensitive login data. On Xiaomi phones with MIUI, this happens because the Speak passwords option inside TalkBack is turned on by default. Switching it off keeps entered characters silent, though you lose the audio confirmation that a password was typed correctly.
Change Notification Sound
When every app on your Xiaomi phone plays the same generic chime, spotting an important message in a stack of notifications gets tricky. MIUI lets you pick a different tone per notification type, and if you run two SIM cards you can even split the sound by line. The tricky part is finding where this setting actually lives, since it is buried a few taps below the general Sound menu.
Add Update Shortcut to Home Screen
Checking for a new MIUI version usually means digging through several settings screens on a Xiaomi phone. A home screen shortcut skips that detour and opens the update check directly. Without it, casual users often forget to check for updates at all.
Remove App from Folder
When a folder on your Xiaomi home screen fills up with apps you barely touch, finding the one you actually use often becomes annoying. This happens a lot with apps like Messenger or WhatsApp, which start in a folder but end up needing a spot of their own once you rely on them daily. MIUI lets you pull an app back out without deleting anything.