Volume Buttons Function for Camera
Pressing the volume buttons in the Xiaomi camera app triggers the shutter or a countdown timer by default, not zoom. If you want the buttons to handle something else while framing a shot, the assignment can be changed in the camera settings. Right now only two options are available for this shortcut.
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.
Switch Keyboard Language While Typing
Typing a message in a second language on your Xiaomi phone often means the wrong keyboard stays active because it defaults to the last language you used. Leaving the text field to fix this in settings breaks your train of thought and can even discard what you typed. A quick gesture inside the text field itself switches the keyboard without closing the app.
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.
Turn Emergency Location Service (ELS) On or Off
If first responders cannot pinpoint your position during an emergency call or text, Emergency Location Service on your Xiaomi phone may be switched off. This feature sends your current GPS position automatically whenever you dial an emergency number, but it only works if the setting is active and your wireless carrier supports it. Some users disable it by accident while adjusting location permissions, which delays help in a real emergency.
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.
Add an Account
If WhatsApp, Facebook or another app did not create the account you need automatically, you have to add it yourself before contacts, calendar or backup data can sync. Xiaomi phones bundle every linked account - Google, Exchange, Mi Cloud and more - under a single settings screen, but that screen is easy to miss on a new device. Without the account added there, the app keeps asking you to sign in every time you open it.
Display Short Calendar Entries as 30-Minute Blocks
If short events or tasks in your Xiaomi Calendar look squeezed and hard to tap, the app is likely showing them at their real, tiny size instead of matching a standard 30-minute slot. This makes quick entries easy to miss or misread on a crowded day view. A single setting controls whether short entries get stretched to the same height as 30-minute entries.
Reset App Settings
If notifications suddenly stop showing up or a default app keeps opening files the wrong way on your Xiaomi phone, a leftover app preference is often the cause. Resetting app settings clears these overrides without touching your saved app data or files. It is the quickest way to undo background restrictions, disabled notifications, or stuck default app assignments.
Format an SD Card
A newly inserted SD card sometimes won't work correctly in a Xiaomi phone, or you want to wipe an old card before reusing it. Formatting clears the card and lets MIUI set up the folder structure it needs to store photos, videos and app data properly. Once you confirm the format, every file on the card is gone for good.
Clear Cache (Storage & Backup)
If your Xiaomi phone feels slower than it used to, or apps freeze and crash for no clear reason, piled-up cache files are often the cause. MIUI stores thumbnails, temporary downloads and leftover app data that nobody ever cleans up manually. Over time this clutter eats into your free storage and can trigger odd system errors that have nothing to do with the apps themselves.
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.
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.
Blur Effect for App Previews
When you swipe through recent apps on your Xiaomi phone, the preview thumbnails can show account balances, chat messages or other personal details in plain sight. MIUI lets you blur individual app previews so text and layout become unreadable at a glance. The setting works per app, which means it is easy to forget for apps you add later, such as a new banking or messaging app.
Turn Auto-download MMS On or Off
If picture or video attachments in text messages download automatically on your Xiaomi phone, MMS auto-download is turned on by default. This can eat through your mobile data plan fast, especially with large video files. Switching the feature off gives you control over when attachments actually get downloaded.
Schedule Always-on Display
If the Always-on display on your Xiaomi phone stays lit all day or switches off at the wrong hours, MIUI is likely running a fixed on/off pattern instead of your own schedule. You can define exact start and end times for the display elements yourself. You can also decide whether the Always-on display keeps working once Battery saver kicks in.
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.
Turn On or Off the Pop-up Blocker
Banner ads and other pop-up windows keep breaking the flow of pages loaded in Mi Browser on Xiaomi phones. Turning off the pop-up blocker sometimes helps when a site relies on a pop-up window to show a login form, a coupon code or a download link that otherwise never appears. Switching it back on afterward keeps the ad clutter away again.
Turn Google Location History On or Off
If Google Maps keeps suggesting places based on where you have been, or your Timeline fills up with stops you never meant to save, Location History is still active in the background. On Xiaomi phones this tracking can run even when no Google app is currently open, which surprises a lot of users checking their data usage or battery drain.
Enlarge the Mouse Pointer
When you plug a USB mouse or similar pointing accessory into a Xiaomi phone, the on-screen pointer often stays tiny and hard to track. Large mouse pointer is a dedicated Accessibility option built for exactly this situation, especially useful for anyone with limited vision. Without enabling it, you end up guessing where the cursor sits on a crowded screen.
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.
Adjust Screen Brightness
If the display on your Xiaomi phone looks too dark indoors or blinds you at night, the brightness slider is set wrong or auto-brightness is fighting your manual changes. A screen running at full brightness all day is also one of the fastest ways to drain the battery. Getting the level right matters both for comfort and battery life.
Create a Contact Group
If you want to text several friends at once or hear a different ringtone when work calls versus family, MIUI needs your contacts sorted into groups first. Without a group, every message goes out individually and every caller sounds the same. Xiaomi handles this through a labeling feature inside the Contacts app that most people never notice.