Set Up a Privacy Protection Password
Anyone who unlocks your Xiaomi phone can still open apps like Gallery, Notes, or File Manager without a second check, exposing personal photos or documents. The screen lock protects the whole device but not individual apps, which is where a separate privacy password comes in.
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.
Fingerprint Unlock for App Lock
If a locked app on your Xiaomi phone keeps asking for the app lock password even though your fingerprint sensor works everywhere else, fingerprint unlock for App lock is probably switched off. This setting lets you skip the PIN or pattern entry for individual apps and confirm access with your finger instead. Without it enabled, MIUI falls back to the password every time you open a protected app.
Turn Emergency Alerts On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone keeps buzzing with Amber Alerts or severe weather warnings you never signed up for, the Emergency alerts feature is likely still active in the background. Some people want the opposite and need extreme threat notifications, vibration and voice alerts to actually get through. Either way, the switch sits in a security menu that is easy to overlook.
Pin a Conversation
If an important chat keeps sliding down your conversation list on a Xiaomi phone, new messages from other contacts push it out of view. The Messaging app sorts threads by recent activity, so a conversation without fresh replies eventually disappears from the top. Pinning keeps that specific chat visible regardless of how much new activity happens elsewhere.
One-Handed Keyboard Mode
Typing with one thumb on a large Xiaomi screen often means missing keys on the far side of the keyboard. The stock layout stretches across the full display width, so you end up stretching your thumb or shifting your grip with every message. Xiaomi's keyboard settings can shrink and pin the whole layout to the left or right edge instead.
Lock Home Screen Layout
If icons keep shifting position every time you delete an app or accidentally shake your phone, MIUI is still rearranging empty spaces on its own. Locking the layout stops that automatic reshuffling and keeps every icon exactly where you placed it.
Mi Browser Privacy and Security Settings
If Mi Browser keeps remembering passwords or search history you would rather not store, the built-in privacy controls are usually still on their default state. Autocomplete, personalized services, and security warnings can each expose more data than expected once you start browsing. Adjusting these toggles one by one gives you control over what Mi Browser saves and shares.
Data Usage Warning on Lock Screen
If you blow through your mobile data plan before the billing cycle ends, you probably only find out when the carrier sends a throttling notice. Xiaomi phones can flag this earlier, but the lock screen warning for data usage is off by default on most devices. Without it enabled, you only see usage numbers if you open the Security app yourself.
Remove a Stored Fingerprint
If a fingerprint still unlocks your Xiaomi phone after you sold it, handed it to someone else, or just registered a bad scan, that print needs to go. MIUI stores several fingerprints under one name, so it is easy to remove the wrong one by mistake. Deleting a print always asks for your unlock pattern, PIN or password first, which trips up people who only remember using their finger.
Turn On/Off Incognito Mode in Mi Browser
If Mi Browser keeps saving your search history and open tabs even though you wanted a private session, Incognito mode is probably switched off. Once active, the tab icon shows a small mask and the background turns dark purple, but many users never notice the toggle or find it again after closing the app. Without it enabled, every page you visit stays logged in your browsing history.