Change Preferred Network Type
If your phone shows no or barely any 4G/LTE signal in certain spots, calls drop and data stalls even though older 3G or 2G networks are still available nearby. The Preferred network type setting decides which mobile network your SIM tries first, and the wrong choice can leave you stuck searching for a signal instead of connecting to one that actually works.
Enable the Number Row on the Keyboard
If you only get digits by long-pressing the letter keys on your Xiaomi keyboard, the number row is switched off. That is the default state on the MIUI keyboard, so every digit needs an extra long-press instead of a single tap. A dedicated setting adds a permanent row of numbers above the letters, which speeds up typing passwords, codes or addresses.
Turn Quick Ball On or Off
If the floating navigation bubble is missing from your Xiaomi screen edge, you probably switched off Quick Ball at some point. This shortcut button gives fast access to actions like locking the screen, capturing a screenshot, or switching between recent apps without touching the physical buttons. When it disappears or starts blocking games and videos, it usually comes down to one setting hidden inside Additional settings.
Manage the Personal Dictionary
If your keyboard keeps autocorrecting a name, brand term, or slang word you actually want to type, MIUI's personal dictionary is the setting that controls this behavior. Without an entry there, the keyboard falls back to its built-in wordlist and ignores your preferred spelling or shortcut for longer phrases.
Add a Keyboard Language
Typing in a second language on your Xiaomi phone turns into a mess of red underlines and wrong autocorrect suggestions when the keyboard only knows one language. Messages, emails, and notes in that language become slower to write because every word gets flagged or swapped for something else. The built-in keyboard supports multiple languages at once, but only if you add them manually first.
Allow Calls During Do Not Disturb
If Do Not Disturb mode is silencing calls you actually want to receive, a call filter is deciding who gets through and who gets blocked. Xiaomi phones let you choose between allowing calls from anyone, only contacts, only starred contacts, or nobody at all while the mode is active. Missed calls from family or work contacts usually trace back to this exact setting being set too strictly.
Switch Between Navigation Buttons and Gestures
If your Xiaomi phone shows on-screen Back, Home, and App Toggle buttons but you expected full-screen swipe gestures - or swipes stopped registering and buttons appeared instead - the system navigation mode has switched. This setting decides whether MIUI runs on three buttons or edge-to-edge gestures, and mixing up the active mode leads to missed taps or swipes that do nothing.
Turn Screen Cast On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone won't mirror to a TV or monitor, the built-in Cast feature might be turned off, or your phone and screen aren't on the same Wi-Fi network. Screen Cast behaves differently from many third-party mirroring apps, since playback usually stops the moment you turn off the display. That makes it easy to mistake a disabled toggle for a broken connection.
Set a Default Launcher on Xiaomi
Installed a new launcher on your Xiaomi phone but the home screen still opens with the MIUI launcher? Android keeps using the previous launcher until you tell the system which app should manage your home screen, widgets and app shortcuts. Without changing the default app assignment, your new launcher stays installed but inactive.
Set Up Switch Access
If tapping the touchscreen is difficult or impossible, everyday tasks like opening apps, scrolling, or typing on a Xiaomi phone can become a real barrier. Switch Access lets people with motor disabilities control the phone through one or more external switches instead of direct touch. These switches connect over USB or pair via Bluetooth and take over selection, scrolling, and text entry.
Set Up Screen Lock with Pattern, PIN or Password
If your Xiaomi phone still opens with a swipe, anyone who picks it up can read your messages, open apps or change settings. Without an active screen lock, accidental taps in your pocket can also trigger calls or purchases. Setting up a Pattern, PIN or Password closes that gap and keeps the phone usable only for you.
Assign a Custom Ringtone to a Contact
If every incoming call sounds the same, you have to check the screen to know who is calling before you pick up. On Xiaomi phones, the default ringtone applies to all contacts unless you override it manually for specific people.
Change Call Waiting Notification Sound
If the call waiting tone plays continuously instead of just a short beep, or a second incoming call barely gets your attention, the notification style set for call waiting is likely the cause. Xiaomi phones let you pick between a single tone, a repeating tone, or a tone combined with vibration, and the wrong choice makes overlapping calls easy to miss or annoying to handle.
Set Swipe-from-Edge Action in Mi Browser
Swiping in from the left or right edge of the screen in Mi Browser normally sends you back or forward a page, and that can get in the way if you actually meant to switch tabs. Xiaomi lets you reassign this edge gesture in Mi Browser or turn it off completely if it keeps triggering by accident.
Show or Hide Lock Screen Notification Content
If your Xiaomi phone shows full message text on the lock screen, anyone picking up the phone can read private notifications before it is even unlocked. If content stays hidden instead, you only see that something arrived without knowing what it says or who sent it. This behavior is controlled by a single notification format setting in MIUI, separate from each app's own notification permissions.
Assign Google Assistant to the Power Button
On some Xiaomi phones a short press of the Power button opens the power menu instead of Google Assistant, even though full screen gesture navigation is active. This happens because the button shortcut for Google Assistant sits in a separate settings section and stays off by default. Without enabling it, you still need the home button gesture or voice command to wake the Assistant.
Bedtime Mode: Turn On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone keeps buzzing with notifications late at night or the screen stays distractingly bright while you try to fall asleep, Bedtime mode is probably not set up yet. This feature is supposed to mute the device and dim the colors automatically, but only if you pick the right trigger - a fixed schedule or charging at night. Choosing the wrong option is the usual reason it never kicks in when you actually need it.
Change Keyboard Layout in MIUI
If your Xiaomi keyboard still types QWERTY while you actually need QWERTZ, AZERTY or another layout, every second word ends up misspelled. MIUI lets you switch or add layouts per language, including Dvorak, Colemak, Neo2 and a plain PC layout, but the setting is buried several menus deep inside the keyboard options. Handwriting input is listed there too, in case none of the fixed layouts match how you type.
Turn Do Not Disturb On or Off
When Do Not Disturb is active on your Xiaomi phone, calls get an instant busy signal and every notification stays silent, even for messages you actually want to hear. Many people leave it on by accident after enabling it for a meeting or at night, since MIUI does not always show a clear reminder that it is still running. Checking the current status and switching it off takes just a few taps in Sound & vibration settings.
Add Extra Contact Details
Only a phone number and name saved for a contact leaves out useful extras like birthday, nickname, or a website link. On Xiaomi phones, MIUI hides these optional fields behind the standard edit screen, so you never see them unless you go looking. Without filling them in, calls and messages only ever show the bare minimum information for that person.
Keyboard Vibration Settings
If every tap on the on-screen keyboard triggers a buzz that feels too strong or too weak, or typing feedback vanished after an update, the keyboard's Haptic feedback on keypress setting is usually the cause. This option runs independently from your general system vibration, so toggling System vibration alone will not fix it. Notifications and Focus mode profiles do not touch this setting either, since it lives inside the keyboard app itself.
Add a Time Stamp to Photos
Photos taken with your Xiaomi phone often show no date or time, making it hard to prove exactly when a picture was captured. This is controlled by the Watermark option inside the Camera app, which stays off by default on most MIUI devices. Without it enabled, every shot leaves the gallery without any timestamp overlay.
Turn Battery Drain Notifications On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone keeps popping up alerts about fast battery drain, or you never get one and expect to, this setting is the reason. Battery drain notifications warn you when an app or background process burns through power faster than normal. Left enabled, unrelated background tasks can trigger these alerts more often than you would like.
Show SIM Card Messages
Old text messages from years back sometimes stay on the SIM card instead of moving into the phone's internal storage. If you swap the SIM into a new Xiaomi phone, those messages do not show up in your normal inbox automatically, so it looks like they are gone.