Table of contents:
- Show notification icons in the notification bar
- Navigate with gestures
- Add shortcuts to physical buttons
- Improve game performance
- Respond to notifications with quick responses
- Second space to create a hidden user
- Customize the Always On screen
- Print documents without resorting to third-party applications
- Share files instantly with other mobiles
- Share videos and images with television
- Parental control to control your children's mobile
- Lock apps with password
- Duplicate applications (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram ...)
It has taken longer than we thought but it is here. MIUI 11, the latest iteration of the Xiaomi mobile personalization layer, is already among us, or at least in a large part of the brand's devices. Although the layer has not yet been updated to Android 10, but is still based on Android 9 Pie, the company has implemented part of the functions of the latest version of the system in MIUI 11. Are you looking to take full advantage of your Xiaomi mobile ? Take a look at these nine hidden MIUI 11 tricks.
Show notification icons in the notification bar
After almost a year of waiting, Xiaomi has finally fixed the problem of notifications in the latest iteration of the system. To show the notifications in the corresponding bar, however, we will have to play with the manual settings. It is enough to go to the Notifications section within the Settings application.
Within this, we will click on notification icons and select all those applications whose notifications we want MIUI to show in the bar. Then we will go back to the Notifications section and we will access the Notifications bar. Once inside, we will select the Android option and click on Notch and status bar.
Finally we will activate the option to Show incoming notification icons.
Navigate with gestures
MIUI's gesture system has undergone a slight facelift and is now more polished than ever, although the MIUI 10 gesture philosophy remains. In addition, a new gesture has been introduced that allows us to return to the previous application without having to deploy multitasking.
To activate the gestures in MIUI 11 we will have to go to Additional Settings; specifically up to Full Screen. Finally we will activate the option of Gestures in full screen and return to the previous application. This last setting will allow us to perform the action mentioned above.
Add shortcuts to physical buttons
Although it is not an exclusive trick of MIUI 11, it has been expanded with the new system update. To proceed, just access the Additional Settings section again, although this time we will have to go to Button shortcuts.
As the name of the section indicates, we can add a multitude of shortcuts to the buttons of our Xiaomi phone (Volume up, Volume down, Camera, Power…). From activating the camera by pressing twice on the Power button to taking a screenshot by sliding three fingers down.
We can also play with functions such as the Flashlight, the Split Screen or the Google Assistant. The possibilities are endless.
Improve game performance
Game Turbo is possibly one of the most interesting MIUI 11 novelties in the system, although unfortunately its access is hidden. Roughly speaking, it is a kind of game mode that boosts the phone's performance in games by reducing background processes and making RAM and processor available.
To access the tool, just refer back to Settings; specifically up to the Special Functions section. Next we will select the Game Turbo option and then we will add all the titles that we want to be optimized. If we click on Settings we can perform actions such as restricting notifications, limiting applications in memory, forcing the orientation of the screen…
Respond to notifications with quick responses
Within the same Special Functions section we can find Quick Answers, a functionality that draws directly on the news of Android 10 and that allows us to respond to certain notifications without having to access the application. Applications like WhatsApp, Telegram or Instagram.
To do this, simply activate the applications that we want to enable this function within the Quick responses section. The system will automatically enable a text window that will allow us to respond to notifications at the exact moment of receipt.
Second space to create a hidden user
The second space function has been totally renewed with MIUI 11. This function is accessible through the Special functions menu, and as its name indicates, it is a characteristic that allows us to generate a secure and hidden second user.
Within this same user, we can install applications, take pictures and play with files completely independently of the main user of the phone. In this way, we can hide all our activity without leaving any trace in the normal mode of use.
To activate it, we will have to create a password independent of that of the phone and register a fingerprint to access the latter, an action that we must perform again from Special Functions.
Customize the Always On screen
With MIUI 11, the ability to customize the Always On screen comes to all Xiaomi phones with an AMOLED screen. Unfortunately, phones with an IPS screen are left out. Phones like the Redmi Note 7, the Note 8, 8T and 8 Pro, the Redmi 8…
To customize the ambient screen of our Xiaomi mobile we will have to go to the Ambient screen and lock screen section within Settings. Later we will click on Theme.
Now MIUI will show us a whole collection of clocks, fonts, themes and other elements to customize the Always On screen to our liking. We can also add a personalized text.
Print documents without resorting to third-party applications
With MIUI 11 Xiaomi has finally brought the compatibility of the system with any WiFi printer on the market. And best of all: without installing third-party applications, such as EPSON, Brother or HP.
To print a document or image we can do it either from the Gallery or from the Files application. In any case, we will only have to click on Share and then on the printer icon. Next, a whole printing assistant will be displayed, where we can not only configure the format of the sheets, but also the size, the number of copies, the type of paper or the color of the printing.
After having finished configuring the printing, we will click on Choose a printer, as long as we have previously made sure to activate the printer's WiFi.
Share files instantly with other mobiles
My Share is the new feature of MIUI 11 that allows us to instantly exchange files with other Xiaomi phones and those compatible Oppo and Vivo through a system very similar to Apple's AirDrop.
The way to proceed is the same as when printing an image or document. Just click on Share and then on the My Share icon to activate Bluetooth and share the item in question with other compatible devices without having to synchronize the Bluetooth connection.
Share videos and images with television
Another option that has been included in the Share menu allows us to take the Screencast function to another level. Following the same steps that we have indicated above, we can share any video or image with the nearest television as long as it has a WiFi connection and a Miracast function.
The retransmission will be immediate, and we can make chain broadcasts as if it were a presentation. If what we want is to duplicate the content of the screen completely (desktop, applications…) we will have to go to Settings / Connection and share / Emit and activate the homonymous function.
Parental control to control your children's mobile
Another novelty that they drink from Android 10 has to do with the parental control integrated in MIUI 11 with which we can control the time of use of our children's phone. We can also limit the use of it, as well as of certain applications and websites.
To activate this option we will have to go to Digital well-being and parental control. Finally we will click on Parental Control and we will follow the steps that the Family Link assistant will indicate to us immediately.
Lock apps with password
Again, we are faced with an option present in the latest MIUI 10 updates. However, MIUI 11 further polishes its operation when unlocking applications with the fingerprint or the facial recognition system.
To proceed with this setting, simply access the Applications section within Settings and then Lock applications. Subsequently, a list will be displayed with all the applications that we have installed on the phone and that we want to protect with a password. From WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook to Gallery and even Settings.
After having selected the applications that we want to block, we will only have to register a pattern and activate either the face unlock or the fingerprint recognition to protect the applications.
Duplicate applications (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram…)
It is true that it is not an exclusive function of MIUI 11, but the latter has expanded the compatibility with certain applications that until now were not compatible.
Dual applications is an option that, as its name suggests, allows us to duplicate applications, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook to make use of two accounts within the same phone. We can find it in the Applications section in Settings.
Once activated we will only have to indicate to the assistant which applications we want to duplicate in the MIUI launcher. MIUI will automatically generate two instances of all the applications that we have indicated: one with our original account and the other with an "empty" or "free" account. Especially useful if we have a Dual SIM phone.
