Change Home or Lock Screen Theme
If your Home screen, Lock screen, and app icons suddenly look inconsistent after switching themes, MIUI applied only part of the new theme's assets. This happens when a saved theme only covers some elements, like Lock screen and System, but skips Icons. Picking the wrong theme ('Classic' vs 'Limitless') or a corrupted download can also leave icons untouched while wallpapers change.
Add Account in Calendar App
If appointments from your Google or work account never show up in the Xiaomi Calendar app, only one account is usually linked to it. Calendar only displays events for accounts you have added yourself, so a new work email or a second Google account stays invisible until you connect it. This is also why events vanish after switching phones or resetting the calendar app.
Turn Wi-Fi On or Off
If your Xiaomi phone won't connect to your home or public network, Wi-Fi might simply be switched off in the background. Leaving Wi-Fi active around the clock also drains the battery faster, especially when no network is in range. Many users struggle to find the toggle after a system update moved it inside a different menu.
Disable Navigation Bar Per App
Accidentally tapping the Back or Recents button during a full-screen game or video can pull you out of the app at the worst moment. On Xiaomi phones the on-screen navigation bar stays active by default even in apps that do not need it. MIUI lets you set this behavior per app instead of turning it off system-wide.
Sort Contacts by First or Last Name
If your Xiaomi contact list feels out of order, it usually comes down to whether the Contacts app is sorting entries by first name or last name. This becomes a real problem when you are searching for someone by their surname but the list is alphabetized by given name instead. The rule that controls this sits in one setting inside the Contacts app.
Turn On/Off Traffic Mode
If a background download eats up bandwidth while you are streaming or on a video call, your Xiaomi phone might be sharing the connection equally between all apps. Traffic mode in the Wi-Fi assistant lets you decide whether the app you are actively using gets priority over background traffic. Without it enabled, downloads and updates can slow down whatever you are doing in the foreground.
Wi-Fi Assistant: Select Best Networks Automatically
If your Xiaomi phone keeps switching away from a weak Wi-Fi network without asking, Wi-Fi assistant is likely doing that for you. Once every nearby network drops in signal, it can also fall back to mobile data on its own, which can use up your data plan faster than expected. This automatic switching can also cause interruptions during video calls or downloads.
Sound and Vibration for Calendar Reminders
If birthday or appointment reminders in the Calendar app stay silent, or if they buzz and ring when you would rather have them quiet, the notification settings for that app are usually the cause. On Xiaomi phones this is controlled separately from the general system sound, so a muted phone does not automatically mean the calendar stays quiet too. Checking the dedicated Calendar notification options clears up most missed or unwanted reminder alerts.
Turn On/Off Wi-Fi Calling
Weak signal at home, underground, or in a concrete building often causes dropped calls on a Xiaomi phone, even when Wi-Fi shows full bars. Wi-Fi calling routes voice calls through your wireless network instead of the mobile network, but only works if your carrier actually supports it. If the toggle is missing from your SIM settings, an unsupported plan or outdated carrier profile is usually the reason.
Turn Off User Experience Program
If usage statistics keep syncing quietly in the background on your Xiaomi phone, the User Experience Program is likely still active. This service sends anonymous usage data from your device to Xiaomi to help refine products and features. Since it is not possible to verify exactly what data leaves your device, disabling this option is the safer choice.
Change Device Name
If your Xiaomi phone still shows up under its model number when you scan for Bluetooth devices or connect to a hotspot, that is the default device name at work. It makes picking your phone out of a list of nearby devices harder, especially if you own more than one Xiaomi device. MIUI lets you replace that generic label with a name you actually recognize.
Unhide an Album in Gallery
If a photo album you hid earlier is missing from Gallery, it is not deleted - it just sits in a separate hidden section. Xiaomi keeps hidden albums out of the main view until you unhide them again, and each album needs to be restored on its own.
SMS Delivery Reports Setting
Not sure if a text message actually reached the other person? Xiaomi phones can show a status report for every SMS you send, but the switch for it sits deep inside the Messages app and is easy to overlook. With the setting off you get no confirmation at all, even when the message went through without issues.
Show or Hide the Emoji Switch Key
If you type a lot of emojis, switching between the language globe and the emoji picker can slow you down on the MIUI keyboard. The globe icon and the emoji key share the same spot, so only one of them shows on the keyboard row at a time. Turning on the emoji switch key swaps that icon while quick language switching still works by holding the space bar.
Change Alarm Tone
If your Xiaomi alarm keeps ringing with the same generic tone or the Nature alarm sound never changes, the ringtone categories in the Clock app are likely the reason. Some categories, like Nature alarm, only rotate through different sounds when the phone has an active internet connection. Without that connection, the alarm falls back to a stored default tone instead of downloading a new one.
Allow Gallery Access to SD Card
If Gallery on your Xiaomi phone refuses to save new photos or won't let you delete files on the SD card, it usually means storage access was never granted. Android blocks apps from writing to external storage until you confirm the permission for that specific card. Until you approve it, Gallery can only display existing files but not create, move or remove anything on the card.
Turn On/Off Gesture Confirmation
Swiping back or closing an app by accident during a full-screen game or a video can throw you straight out of the action. On Xiaomi phones with full-screen gesture control, this usually happens because gesture confirmation is turned off, so a single swipe is enough to trigger the action. Turning it on forces you to swipe twice before the gesture actually executes.
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.
Set Snooze Time and Repetition
If your Xiaomi alarm keeps snoozing for too long or not often enough, the default snooze interval and repeat count are likely not adjusted to your needs. MIUI lets you fine-tune both values, but the option sits several menus deep in the alarm settings.
Remove Google Search Bar from Home Screen
After the first setup of a new Xiaomi phone, a Google Search bar sits on the home screen by default and takes up space you might want for widgets or app icons. Many people assume it is a fixed part of MIUI and leave it there without checking. It is actually just a removable widget, so getting rid of it does not require digging through any settings menu.
Turn Location Access On or Off
If maps, weather, or camera apps suddenly stop finding your position on a Xiaomi phone, the general location toggle in MIUI settings might be switched off. Turning it off blocks GPS for every app at once, even those you already granted permission to use your location. This differs from per-app location permissions, which stay untouched but simply can't function without the master switch.
Change Keyboard Theme (Language & Input)
If the Gboard keyboard on your Xiaomi phone still shows the default gray background, the theme setting has never been switched. This only changes the visual layout - colors, gradients or picture backgrounds - and has no effect on autocorrect or typing speed. The key borders can also be turned on or off separately from the overall theme.
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.
Missed Call Reminders: Turn On or Off
If a missed call slips by unnoticed until hours later, missed call reminders are probably switched off or set to repeat only once. MIUI can nudge you again about an unanswered call, and the number of repeats is adjustable. Without this setting active, a single missed call notification is easy to swipe away and forget.