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.
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.
Change Password for a Saved Wi-Fi Network
If your router password changed, your Xiaomi phone still tries to connect with the old one and just shows Saved, not connected. This is common after a router reset or a switch to a new internet provider. You do not need to forget the network and start over, the saved entry can be updated directly.
Set a Daily Mobile Data Usage Limit
A monthly data cap does not catch the one day you binge-watch or download something huge, and by the time the monthly warning fires the damage is done. On Xiaomi phones you can add a separate daily threshold so heavy usage gets flagged the same day it happens. You also decide whether MIUI just warns you or cuts mobile data automatically once the limit is hit.
Set Up a Proxy Server for Wi-Fi
If your network admin or workplace requires traffic to run through a specific server, a plain Wi-Fi connection on your Xiaomi phone will not route it correctly. Without a configured proxy hostname and port, apps either fail to connect or bypass the required server entirely. This affects browsing, app updates and anything that depends on that network policy.
Turn Bluetooth On or Off
If a Bluetooth headset, speaker, or car kit will not pair with your Xiaomi phone, Bluetooth is often still switched off or was never fully enabled after a restart. The Quick Settings toggle can also drift out of sync with the actual radio state, which leaves paired devices unable to reconnect until you check the setting directly.
App Location Permission Settings
If a Xiaomi app keeps showing the location icon even when you are not actively using it, its permission is probably set to allow access all the time. That drains battery and can expose more data than the app actually needs. You can review and change this setting for every installed app individually.
Change SIM Card Name
Two SIM cards from the same carrier look identical on your Xiaomi phone, so it is easy to grab the wrong one for a call or a mobile data session. MIUI shows a generic carrier label for each slot by default, which does not tell you which SIM is your personal number and which one is for work or travel. Giving each SIM card its own name in the phone settings clears up that confusion for good.
Add a Printer via IP Address or Wi-Fi Direct
If your printer does not show up automatically even though your phone and printer share the same Wi-Fi network, MIUI still lets you add it manually. This usually happens with older printers, devices on a different subnet, or printers that only support Wi-Fi Direct instead of standard network discovery. In that case you need to enter the printer's IP address yourself or switch on Wi-Fi Direct printing directly from the printing menu.
Set the Action for When Your Data Plan Runs Out
If your mobile data suddenly stops working before the month is over, MIUI may already be cutting it off automatically once you hit your set limit. Some people only want a heads-up instead of losing their connection outright, but that only works if the right action is selected in the data usage settings. Without checking this setting, you can end up with dead mobile data at the worst possible moment.
Set Up Unlock with Bluetooth Device
If your Xiaomi phone stays locked even though your paired Bluetooth accessory is nearby, the Unlock with Bluetooth device feature is probably still off. Once active, the phone unlocks automatically near that device and stays unlocked as long as the connection holds. This only works with Xiaomi's own Bluetooth accessories, not with third-party headphones or wearables.
Pair a Bluetooth Device
If your headset, earbuds, or speaker will not connect to your Xiaomi phone, the accessory usually needs to be paired first before Bluetooth can use it. Until pairing finishes, the phone will not list it as an active connection, so audio and calls stay on the built-in speaker.
Auto-download Updates via Mobile Data
If your Xiaomi phone keeps pulling system updates in the background while you are off Wi-Fi, mobile data usage can climb fast without warning. MIUI treats update downloads as automatic once a new version is detected, and a separate toggle decides whether mobile data counts as an allowed source for that download. Switching it off limits update downloads to Wi-Fi only, which matters if you are on a limited plan.
Set Up a Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot
If your Xiaomi phone still hands out a hotspot name and password nobody chose, other people nearby can guess it or connect without permission. A weak default SSID also makes it harder to spot your own hotspot among several devices in the same room. Setting a custom name and password fixes both problems and keeps the connection under your control.
Select Network Manually
When you travel abroad and your phone keeps hanging on a weak carrier, automatic network selection is usually the cause. MIUI picks a network by signal priority, not by actual reception quality, so calls drop and data stalls even though a stronger carrier is available nearby. Switching to manual selection lets you pick that carrier yourself instead of waiting for the phone to reconnect.
Turn a SIM Card On or Off
On a dual SIM Xiaomi phone, calls or texts sometimes keep arriving on a line you no longer want to use, or you want to silence one number without pulling the physical card out. MIUI lets you deactivate a SIM slot completely, which stops all calls, messages and mobile data on that line until you switch it back on.
Set Default SIM Card for Outgoing Calls
Every time you dial a number, your Xiaomi phone pops up a menu asking which SIM card to use for the call. If you only ever tap the same option anyway, that extra confirmation step just slows down dialing. A fixed default SIM removes the prompt for good.
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.
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.
Share Wi-Fi Password via QR Code
Typing out a long Wi-Fi password for every visitor gets tedious, especially with random letter-number combos. Xiaomi phones can turn your current network credentials into a scannable QR code instead. Anyone with a camera can then join the network without you dictating a single character.
Set Wi-Fi Hotspot Data Limit
If your mobile data plan drains fast whenever you share your Xiaomi phone's Wi-Fi hotspot with a laptop or tablet, an unlimited hotspot session is usually the cause. MIUI lets you cap the exact amount of data the hotspot can share and pick what happens once that cap is reached.
Delete an APN Entry
A wrong or duplicate access point can block mobile data or MMS on your Xiaomi phone, even after you switch carriers or SIM cards. If an old APN profile stays behind, the device sometimes keeps trying to use it instead of the correct one. Removing the unused entry clears up the confusion without touching your other network settings.
Limit Connected Hotspot Devices
By default, your Xiaomi phone lets an unlimited number of devices join your mobile hotspot at once. That can slow down your connection and makes it hard to track who is actually using your data. Setting a maximum device count gives you back control over who connects.