Block Apps from Using Mobile Data or Wi-Fi
If an app keeps burning through your mobile data plan even though you are connected to Wi-Fi, a per-app network permission is likely still letting it use the mobile connection. Xiaomi phones let you lock individual apps to just one connection type, which stops unexpected background data use. This helps with apps you only want active when Wi-Fi is available, or that should never touch mobile data.
Scan QR Codes Automatically with the Camera App
If your Xiaomi camera does not react to a QR code on a package or shipping label, the Scan QR codes function is likely switched off. Without it, the camera behaves like a normal photo app and shows no scan prompt at all, forcing you to search for a separate scanner app.
Block Calls from Unknown Numbers
When a caller shows up as Unknown or Private, your Xiaomi phone has no caller ID to check against a blocklist entry. Instead of rejecting these calls by hand every single time, you can have the Phone app reject them automatically before they ring through.
Empty the Gallery Trash Bin
Deleted photos and videos in Xiaomi's Gallery app sit in the trash bin for up to 30 days before MIUI deletes them automatically. Until that happens, they still count against your storage, even though you already deleted them. If you want that space back right away, you can clear the trash bin manually instead of waiting.
Turn Off Screen Lock
Want to skip entering a pattern, PIN, or password every time you wake your Xiaomi phone? Removing the screen lock only asks for your current unlock method once, but afterward the device stays open to anyone who picks it up. That trade-off matters if the phone holds banking apps, messages, or saved logins.
Dark or Light Theme for Messages App
If the Messages app on your Xiaomi phone still shows a bright white background while the rest of your system runs in dark mode, the app theme is set independently. Calls, Contacts and Messages each carry their own display setting in MIUI, so a system-wide dark mode switch does not always carry over automatically.
Change Keyboard Height
If the on-screen keyboard on your Xiaomi phone feels cramped for typing or covers too much of the screen, the Keyboard height setting is usually the cause. MIUI offers seven size presets from extra short to extra tall, and picking the wrong one makes typos more likely or blocks content you need to see while typing.
Import Contacts from VCF, SIM or Account
If your contacts are stuck on a SIM card, an old VCF backup, or a different account, your Xiaomi phone won't just pick them up automatically. Contacts app import options are easy to miss inside Settings, so people end up re-typing numbers by hand instead of pulling them in from an existing file or account.
Change App Lock Settings
Once App lock is turned on for an app, MIUI still leaves several details open: notification previews can leak private messages, protected apps might each demand their own unlock, and Xiaomi keeps suggesting more apps to add to the lock. These behaviors come from separate switches inside the App lock settings, not from the lock feature itself.
Turn Auto-correction On or Off
If your Xiaomi keyboard keeps swapping in a word you never typed, MIUI auto-correction is stepping in before you finish a sentence. It usually helps, but on names, slang or foreign words it can turn a normal message into something embarrassing. The feature sits in the keyboard settings and you can switch it on or off depending on how you type.
Change the Default Browser
Tapping a link on your Xiaomi phone always opens Mi Browser, even though you installed Chrome or another app from the Play Store? This happens because Android keeps using the browser you confirmed as default the first time you opened a link. The new app stays installed but is simply never called until you switch the default setting yourself.
Turn Vibration on Tap On or Off
Every tap on your Xiaomi screen can trigger a short buzz, and if that feels too strong or barely noticeable, the haptic feedback setting is usually the cause. MIUI lets you switch this tap vibration off completely or pick between three intensity levels. The same control also affects the buzz you feel while typing on the keyboard.
Turn On Automatic Network Selection
If your Xiaomi phone stays locked to a single carrier and won't reconnect after a SIM swap or a trip abroad, automatic network selection is probably switched off. This setting normally lets MIUI scan for and pick the strongest available network on its own, so having it disabled means you have to search and connect manually every time you lose signal. On dual SIM phones each card has its own toggle, so fixing one slot does not automatically fix the other.
How to Turn on/off Airplane mode
If your Xiaomi phone suddenly stops receiving calls, texts, or mobile data, Airplane mode is often the reason. Turning it on shuts down the mobile network, mobile data, WLAN, and Bluetooth at the same time. On some Xiaomi phones you can still switch WLAN or Bluetooth back on manually while Airplane mode stays active, which causes confusion when connectivity only half works.
Set Up Face Unlock
Xiaomi phones store a 2D scan of your face and use the front camera to unlock the screen without a fingerprint or PIN. Before you turn it on, MIUI itself warns that a photo of your face or someone who looks similar could sometimes trigger the same unlock. That trade-off between convenience and security is worth understanding before you register your face.
Hide or Show the Notch
If icons or app content get cut off by the camera cutout on your Xiaomi phone, the Notch display setting is likely still set to show full-screen content behind it. Some apps stretch their layout right into the cutout area, hiding status bar icons or clipping off parts of the interface. MIUI lets you switch between covering the Notch with a black bar or letting content run around it.
Change Default Messaging App
Texts land in one app while replies keep opening in another, or a new SMS app you downloaded from the Play Store never becomes the one that actually launches. This happens because MIUI keeps a fixed default assignment for messaging that does not update automatically when you install a new app. Until that assignment is changed manually, notifications and quick replies keep routing to the wrong app.
Manage App Permissions
If you tapped Deny when an app first asked for camera or contacts access, that app stays locked out until you change the setting yourself. MIUI does not repeat the prompt later, so features like document scanning or contact sync can quietly stop working. The permission is not deleted, it just needs to be switched back on in the app settings.
Set the Monthly Data Usage Reset Date
If the data usage counter on your Xiaomi phone resets on a different day than your carrier billing cycle starts, the numbers you see never match your actual plan. This happens because the reset date in Data usage is set independently from your SIM contract and has to be adjusted manually. Without matching it, data warnings and remaining allowance calculations stay inaccurate all month.
Forget Saved Wi-Fi Networks
If your phone keeps reconnecting to a slow or wrong Wi-Fi network instead of your home connection, an outdated saved entry is usually the cause. This often happens after a router password change or when two networks share the same name. Removing the old entry forces your Xiaomi phone to ask for the current password the next time it connects.
Route a Contact Straight to Voicemail
When a specific contact keeps calling at bad times, you do not have to reject the call manually every time. MIUI lets you route calls from a single contact straight to voicemail while everyone else still gets through as normal.
Turn On/Off Contact Suggestions
When Contact suggestions are active on a Xiaomi phone, the keyboard pulls names, numbers and email addresses from your Contacts app while you type messages or fill out forms. That can be handy for quick replies, but it also means personal details from your address book show up as autocomplete hints in apps that have nothing to do with Contacts. If you want tighter control over what your keyboard suggests, this setting is the one to check.
Mount SD Card
If you tapped Eject SD card or safely removed the card from your Xiaomi phone, the storage disappears from your file manager and apps stop saving to it. MIUI keeps the card unmounted until you tell it to reconnect, even after a reboot in some cases. Photos, downloads, and app data meant for the card get redirected to internal storage instead.
Filter Call History
When your Xiaomi call log fills up with dozens of entries, finding a specific missed or outgoing call turns into scrolling work. The Phone app on MIUI stores every call in one long list without separating calls by type or SIM card by default. A built-in filter option sorts the log so you only see the calls that matter.