Unmount SD Card Safely
Pulling the SD card out of your Xiaomi phone while it is still mounted can corrupt photos, app data, or the file system on the card. MIUI keeps read and write connections open in the background even when the screen looks idle. Ejecting the card properly closes those connections before you remove it.
Create a Local Backup
Switching to a new Xiaomi phone or resetting the current one often means losing app data, home screen layout and system settings if no backup exists beforehand. Cloud backup depends on a stable connection and free Xiaomi account storage, which is not always available. A local backup avoids both issues by saving everything directly to the device storage instead.
App Lock: Lock or Unlock Apps
Anyone who picks up your Xiaomi phone can open sensitive apps like banking, messaging or gallery without extra protection beyond the screen lock. App Lock adds a second barrier for individual apps, separate from your device PIN or pattern. Without it enabled, apps stay accessible the moment the phone itself is unlocked.
Block Offensive Words in Keyboard Suggestions
If the keyboard on your Xiaomi phone keeps suggesting swear words or curses while typing, autocorrect is picking them up as valid entries. A dedicated filter in the keyboard settings controls whether these words show up in suggestions at all. Turning it on or off changes what the prediction bar offers, not what you can actually type.
Add a Home Screen Page
Running out of room for app icons on your Xiaomi home screen is a common problem once you install more than a handful of apps. Instead of stacking icons into folders, you can create a completely new home screen page and spread your apps across it. This works with a simple drag gesture and does not require any extra settings menu.
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.
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.
Enable Dark Mode in Mi Browser
If Mi Browser still shows bright white pages after the sun goes down, the built-in night option is probably switched off. This setting dims both the browser interface and many web pages, which cuts glare and makes late-evening browsing easier on your eyes. It sits separately from the general system theme, so changing one does not automatically change the other.
Keyboard Usage Statistics Sharing Toggle
If your Xiaomi phone keeps sending keyboard usage data to Google in the background, that's the 'Share usage statistics' option buried in the keyboard settings. This toggle controls whether typing patterns get reported for diagnostics, and it's on by default on most devices. Many users only discover it exists when checking their privacy settings after noticing unfamiliar data usage.
Show or Hide Notification Icons in the Status Bar
When your status bar stays empty even though an app has new messages, the notification icon display in MIUI might be switched off. This setting decides whether small app icons show up next to the clock so you can spot new activity without unlocking your phone. If it is disabled, you will only notice new notifications once you pull down the shade.
Add a Bookmark to the Home Screen
If you keep opening Mi Browser just to reach one saved website, that link only lives in your bookmarks list, not on the home screen. Xiaomi phones do not turn a saved bookmark into a shortcut automatically, so you have to add that icon yourself. Without it, every visit means opening the browser, tapping Bookmark, and scrolling to find the right entry.
Change Select to Speak Voice Output
If Select to Speak reads text too slowly or sounds flat, the text-to-speech engine behind it is still running on its default speed and pitch. MIUI lets you fine-tune the speaking rate, voice pitch and language instead of leaving Select to Speak untouched. A wrong accent or a voice that talks too fast points to the same settings screen.
Turn Flashlight On or Off
Need to switch on the LED flash on the back of your Xiaomi phone without opening the camera app? The flashlight toggle sits in the quick settings panel, but if you rarely use it the icon is easy to overlook. An unresponsive toggle usually points to a Control center layout change, not a broken LED.
Turn On/Off Device Watermark on Photos
Every photo you take with your Xiaomi phone gets a small watermark in the bottom left corner, showing which device captured the shot. If you want cleaner images for sharing or printing, that watermark can get in the way fast.
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.
Turn On Automatic Backup for Storage and Data
If you only remember to back up your Xiaomi phone after something breaks or gets lost, relying on manual backups is the real problem. MIUI can schedule backups on its own, but the default days, time, and data selection may not match how you actually use your phone. Getting the schedule wrong means backups either pile up unnecessarily or miss the files you actually care about.
Mobile Data on Secondary SIM During VoLTE Calls
When you're on a VoLTE call with your primary SIM, mobile data can stay locked to that same line instead of switching to your secondary SIM. That leaves apps stuck loading or messages stuck sending mid-call. A dedicated toggle in the network settings decides which SIM handles data traffic while a VoLTE call is active.
Turn Select to Speak On or Off
If Select to Speak stays greyed out or its icon never shows up in your navigation bar, the accessibility shortcut on your Xiaomi phone is probably still switched off. Once enabled, tapping the icon lets you select any text or image on screen and have it read aloud instantly. Turning it off again removes the icon without touching other accessibility settings.
Make a Phone Call
When two SIM cards are active on your Xiaomi phone, tapping the call button can leave you unsure which line actually dials. The Phone app splits the green call button into two halves, one per SIM, and tapping the wrong side sends the call out on the wrong number or tariff. This mix-up gets worse if the SIM slots have not been renamed, since both halves look nearly identical.
Forward an SMS Message
Need to pass on an address, code, or phone number from a text without retyping it? On Xiaomi phones you can forward the original SMS straight from the Messages app instead of copying the content by hand. This saves time and avoids typos in important details.
Data Usage Warning: Enable or Disable
If your Xiaomi phone keeps popping up mobile data warnings even though you barely use your plan, or it stays silent right before you hit your limit, the Data usage monitor in the Security app is behind that behavior. This setting decides whether you get proactive alerts or none at all, independent of what your carrier app shows.
Delete an Event in the Calendar App
If your calendar is cluttered with old appointments you no longer need, deleting individual events keeps things readable. Once removed, an event is gone for good and cannot be restored. On some Xiaomi phones the built-in Calendar app is replaced by Google Calendar, which uses a slightly different menu.
Taking a Photo with the Camera App
Snapping a basic photo on a Xiaomi phone rarely causes trouble, but once you enable a color filter, lock focus manually, or switch away from the default Photo mode, the shutter button can seem to do nothing. Knowing which mode and settings are active before you tap the shutter prevents blurry or oddly filtered shots.
Add a Widget to the Home Screen
Opening an app just to check a stock quote, the weather, or your next calendar entry gets tedious fast. On Xiaomi phones running MIUI, widgets show that information directly on the home screen without unlocking the app first. Many users only find wallpaper and icon-organizing options here, since the widget menu is easy to miss.