Skip to content
TechBone
Xiaomi

Guides for Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A

466 guides

Calls & Messages2

Send MMS Message

Xiaomi Messages does not offer a separate MMS button, so it is easy to assume attachments go out as a normal text message. As soon as you add a photo, video, or .gif to a chat, the app switches the message to multimedia format automatically. If your carrier has MMS disabled or your mobile data is off, that message can silently fail to send.

Open
Photo, Video & Media2

Zoom In and Out in the Camera App

If the pinch gesture in the Camera app feels imprecise or the zoom slider does not react as expected, framing a shot gets frustrating fast. On Xiaomi phones the zoom level can be controlled either with two fingers on the screen or with a dedicated slider next to the shutter button, and mixing up both methods often causes jumpy results. Knowing which control belongs to which situation makes zooming smoother and prevents accidental resets while shooting.

Open
Notifications & Focus2

Turn Camera Shutter Sound On or Off

Every photo on your Xiaomi phone triggers a shutter click, even in a quiet room or during a video call screenshot. The sound comes from the camera app itself and has nothing to do with your ringtone or notification volume, so muting the phone alone will not silence it.

Open
Calls & Messages2

Block a Contact (Calls & Messages)

If someone keeps calling or texting after you have asked them to stop, deleting the contact does not actually stop the calls or messages from reaching you. MIUI has a separate blocklist function inside the Contacts app that silently rejects both. Note that blocking only works for numbers already saved as a contact, not for random unsaved numbers.

Open
Language & Input2

Reorder Keyboard Languages

If your Xiaomi phone keeps switching to the wrong keyboard language after you added a second or third layout, MIUI is simply using the wrong priority order. The keyboard picks its default language from the order you set in Manage keyboards, not from the one you type most often. Autocorrect and word suggestions follow that same order until you rearrange it.

Open
System & Settings2

Set the Time Manually

If the clock on your Xiaomi phone keeps jumping back to the wrong hour right after you edit it, the Use network-provided time toggle is still active in the background. Xiaomi phones pull the time straight from your mobile network or Wi-Fi connection, so any manual change gets overwritten within seconds. That sync option has to be switched off first before a custom time will actually stick.

Open
Photo, Video & Media2

Turn Front Camera Mirroring On or Off

Selfies taken with your Xiaomi front camera often look flipped compared to how other people actually see you, especially when text or logos appear reversed in the background. This happens because MIUI mirrors the preview and, on many devices, the saved photo to match what you see in the viewfinder. The mirroring setting controls whether your final shot keeps that flipped look or saves a true-to-life version.

Open
Accessibility

Change TalkBack Voice Output Settings

If TalkBack reads text too fast, too slow, or in a pitch that is hard to follow, the default speech output values are likely still active. On Xiaomi phones the speaking rate and voice pitch can be adjusted independently through sliders in the Text-to-speech settings.

Open
Other

Turn On Second Space

If you want to keep work apps, private photos, or a guest profile completely separate from your main Xiaomi setup, mixing everything into one home screen becomes a mess fast. Second space creates an isolated area with its own apps, files, and accounts, so nothing from one side leaks into the other. It is different from a simple app lock, because the whole environment is duplicated rather than just hidden.

Open
Display & Home Screen2

Move a Widget on the Home Screen

When a new widget lands right on top of an app icon or pushes your favorite shortcuts to another page, the home screen on your Xiaomi phone turns messy fast. Every widget blocks out its own grid space, so repositioning one often forces nearby icons to shift too. Getting the placement right the first time saves you from constantly rearranging your layout afterward.

Open
Apps & Installation2

Set Up an App Timer

If an app on your Xiaomi phone keeps eating hours of your day without you noticing, MIUI does not limit it automatically. Digital Wellbeing only tracks usage in the background unless you configure a timer yourself for that app. Without that timer, games or social media apps stay open all day, no matter how long you actually meant to use them.

Open
Other2

Set Autoclick Dwell Timing for a Mouse

If you control your Xiaomi phone with a connected mouse, clicking a tiny cursor button gets tiring fast. Autoclick (dwell timing) lets the phone register a click automatically once the pointer stops moving for a set time. The delay is adjustable, so a short dwell time can trigger accidental taps while a long one feels sluggish.

Open
Photo, Video & Media2

Reset Camera Settings to Default

If your Xiaomi camera keeps producing blurry shots, odd colors, or a shooting mode you no longer understand after trying out filters and manual adjustments, restoring the default configuration usually fixes it. This clears every custom change you made in the camera app without touching photos or videos already saved on your phone. It is the fastest way to undo settings that got out of control after too much tinkering with exposure, resolution, or scene modes.

Open
System & Settings2

Add a Print Service

If a print dialog on your Xiaomi phone shows no printer at all, no print service is registered in MIUI yet. Most phones only come with a driver for Epson devices, so printers from other brands stay invisible until you install their own service. Without that step, apps like a PDF viewer or browser can never send a job to your printer.

Open
Network & Connectivity2

Turn Data Usage On or Off for a SIM Card

If mobile data suddenly refuses to turn back on after your phone hit its limit, the culprit is usually the Data usage toggle inside the Security app. Xiaomi switches off the connection automatically once the set threshold is reached, and it stays off until you flip that switch again. The same setting also lets you disable mobile data manually before any limit is close.

Open
Notifications & Focus2

Turn Call Vibration On or Off

If your Xiaomi phone buzzes loudly on a hard surface every time someone calls, or you can barely feel it while it sits in your pocket, the call vibration setting is likely working against you. This option controls only the vibration for incoming calls, independent from message or app notification vibration. Getting it wrong means either annoying buzzing on a desk or missed calls when the phone is muted and out of sight.

Open
Display & Home Screen2

Change Home Screen Transition Effect

Swiping between home screen pages on your Xiaomi phone always triggers the same flat slide animation, even after you have customized icons and widgets. MIUI actually ships with several transition styles such as Crossfade, Cube or Cascade, but the option sits inside the home screen settings rather than the main display menu, so most people never find it.

Open
Notifications & Focus2

Set Ringtone for Incoming Calls

When every incoming call on your Xiaomi phone uses the same generic tone, or a video calling app ignores your chosen sound completely, the default ringtone setting is usually the cause. Dual-SIM users often run into a second issue: one SIM plays the wrong tone because each line can carry its own ringtone. Both problems trace back to the same sound settings that MIUI applies system-wide.

Open
Photo, Video & Media2

Rename a Gallery Album

Album names like Camera, Screenshots or a random date string get confusing fast once your Gallery fills up with dozens of folders. Renaming an album on your Xiaomi phone does not touch the photos or videos inside it, so nothing gets lost or reordered. This only affects how the folder is labeled in the app, not where the files are stored.

Open
Other2

Turn Off Automatic Diagnostic Data Sending

If Send diagnostic data automatically stays enabled, your Xiaomi phone keeps transmitting usage statistics that can include personal details. Many people only notice this after checking a privacy report or reviewing background data usage. MIUI never discloses exactly what content gets sent in these reports, which is why disabling related user experience options is worth doing.

Open
Calls & Messages2

Delete a Single Call History Entry

Trying to remove just one number from your call log on a Xiaomi phone can get confusing fast. The long-press menu shows options that sound like they clear everything, so it is easy to end up wiping your whole call history instead of one line. Knowing which option only affects the entry you tapped makes the difference.

Open
Language & Input2

Turn On/Off Google Voice Typing

If tapping the microphone icon on your Xiaomi keyboard does nothing, or the icon is missing entirely, Google voice typing is usually switched off in your language and input settings. Without it, spoken words never turn into text and you are stuck typing manually. A system update or keyboard reset can flip this setting without you noticing.

Open
Notifications & Focus2

Change Ringtone for Event Reminders

If every calendar reminder, note alert, and task notification on your Xiaomi phone plays the same generic tone, it's easy to miss what actually matters. Event reminders use a separate sound slot from calls and messages, so changing your default notification tone alone does nothing. MIUI lets you assign a dedicated tone just for these reminders, from either Xiaomi's included tones or your own sound files.

Open
Apps & Installation

Go Back to Previous App Gesture

If swiping in from the left edge and holding for a moment does nothing on your Xiaomi phone, the Go back to previous app gesture is probably switched off. This shortcut only shows up once full-screen gestures are active, and it needs its own toggle buried inside the gesture settings. Without it, the small app-icon preview at the screen edge never appears.

Open