3 mistakes everyone makes with Xiaomi phones

Xiaomi has been going from strength to strength in recent years, its Xiaomi 12 Pro flagship for early 2022 being a particular eye-catcher - as we address in our 'Should I buy?' series about that very device. 

Good as the Chinese brand's flagship handsets can be, however, there are a few pitfalls that might catch you out if you're less familiar with the company's MIUI software and settings. 

Here are some tips to avoid making these common mistakes with Xiaomi phones...

Not adjusting Battery Saver

Xiaomi has some pretty heavyweight battery management functions within its MIUI software. If you're having issues with notification delays then you can alleviate this within specific apps' settings. 

Press-and-hold the app in question to raise a pop-up menu. Select 'App info' from this to go into settings. Here you'll find a variety of settings, from autostart to permission, data usage to battery saver. 

It's the last of these that we find particularly pertinent. Choosing 'No restrictions' will cause more battery drain, of course, but won't limit the app's function at any given time. It's worth tweaking this for your go-to set of major applications. 

Not disabling adverts

Ads appearing in your full paid-for handset's software? Tut tut. It's not only a Xiaomi thing, a bunch of other manufacturers do the same. 

However, it need not be a thorn in your side. To disable it swipe down from the top right, hit the settings cog symbol, then search out "Authorisation & revocation" within the search bar. Click this to open a variety of authorised apps. 

But don't go toggling off every one of them, as many are helpful. The one you're looking for is called MSA. Turn this toggle off, after which Xiaomi's system will ask you to wait for 10 seconds before you can hit the 'Revoke' button. Do this and, bish bash bosh, that should see the end of unwanted adverts.

Not using the correct charger

This might be obvious for some people, but not all. Xiaomi's devices come with some of the fastest-charging technology in the business. The Xiaomi 12 Pro, for example, features 120W - which can fill the handset from zero to full in just 18 minutes. 

Don't use the 120W capable plug that comes in the box? Well, you won't get that kind of super-fast recharging speed. For those of us with lots of plugs around the house it can be all too easy to forget which one you're reaching for, so we'd always suggest ensuring you're going to the right one for the fastest possible top-up speeds.