How to Customize Your Xiaomi Mi 3 Phone ? BASIC

How to customize your Xiaomi Mi 3 phone ? BASIC

Customize or personalize your Mi 3 to make it look different from others. Here’s a list of suggestions to help you get started. a. Change the display language

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Language & input > Language. 2. Select the language you want.

b. Add additional input languages

You can add additional languages on both the Google keyboard and SwiftKey. Here’s how : i. Google keyboard

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Language & input. 2. Tap next to Google keyboard > Input languages. 3. Slide the Use system language switch to the left to turn it off. With this feature being turned off, you can turn on as many languages as you want below it.

4. On the virtual keyboard, you can tap the key to switch between the languages. ii. SwiftKey

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Language & input. 2. Tap next to SwiftKey > Languages 3. On the Languages screen, download and select the languages you want.

c. Turn on/off the keyboard clicks

The keyboard click sound on your Mi 3 is turned off by default. If you wish to turn it on, check out this post for more info. d. Change the ringtone

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Sound > Phone ringtone 2. Select a ringtone.

Related tutorial: How to set a song as your ringtone on Xiaomi Mi 3 ? e. Change the notification tone

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Sound > Default notification. 2. Select a tone.

Note: On the same Sound screen, you can also personalize the Messaged received and delivered tones.

Related tutorial: How to use a music file as notification sound on Mi 3 ? f. Turn on/off the dial pad touch tones, touch sounds, screen lock sound and haptic feedback

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Sound. 2. Scroll down to the System section. Here, you can toggle the features on/off.

g. Adjust the phone volumes

There are 2 ways to adjust the Mi 3 phone’s volumes :

1. Press the physical volume key, located on the right side of the phone, up or down. When a volume icon appears on the screen, tap it to get the sliders for ringtone and media volumes.

2. On your phone, tap Settings > General Settings > Sound > Volumes and drag the sliders to adjust the volume level for each sound.

h. Change the themes

Bored with the look and feel of your Mi 3 ? You can install a new theme for it.

 How to change your Mi 3 phone theme ? i. Change the wallpaper for home and lock screen

If you’re changing the theme of your Mi 3, you’re actually changing more than just the wallpapers. For example, the phone icons are changed as well to match the theme. If you only want to change the wallpapers (and nothing else), follow these steps:

1. On your phone, tap the Menu button, then select Wallpaper. 2. Next, you can select either Home screen or Lock screen. 3. Next, you can find, download and apply the wallpaper you like. Note: All downloaded wallpapers are viewable on the Local tab.

j. Change the display font size

1. On your phone, tap Settings > Display > Font size 2. Select the size you want.

Related tutorial: How to change the font on Xiaomi Mi 3 ? k. Change the screen timeout

You can set the length of inactivity time before turning off the device screen.

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Display > Sleep l. Change the screen transition effects

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Display > Default launcher > System launcher > Screen transition effects 2. Select the effects you want.

m. Change the toggle layout style

1. On your phone, tap Settings > Notifications 2. At the Toggle Layout Style section, select either Bar or Page. The default setting is Page.

n. Customize the quick settings buttons on the Toggle screen

Check out this post for more info. on how to customize the quick settings buttons on the Toggle screen. o. Lock your device

You can secure your Mi 3 with 3 different screen lock securities : Pattern, PIN and Password

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Security > Screen security > Screen lock. 2. Now, you should see the screen that let you draw an unlock pattern. If you don’t wish to use Pattern lock, tap Try other ways to unlock. 3. Here, you can choose either PIN or Password.

p. Customize the navigation buttons: Menu, Home, and Back

1. On your phone, tap Settings > Buttons 2. Here, you can customize the functions you want when long pressing the Menu, Home and Back buttons. You can also define the long press time in second.

q. Change the notification light

1. On your phone, tap Settings > Notification light. 2. Here, you can change the notification, call and message light colors.

r. Add and remove a home screen

To add and remove a home screen on your Mi 3:

1. To switch to Edit mode, you can place two fingers on any home screen and pinch them together. 2. To add a home screen, you can tap on the sign after the last or before the first home screen. 3. To remove a home screen, you can tap on an empty home screen. Note: Only an empty home screen can be deleted. s. Change the answer call gesture

1. On your phone, tap Phone > Menu button > Settings > Call settings > Answer gesture. 2. Choose either Vertical swipe or Horizontal swipe (default).

t. Change the phone name

To learn about the 2 ways to change your Mi 3 phone name, read this how-to. u. Change the dial pad tone

1. On your phone, tap Phone > Menu button > Settings > Dial pad touch tones > Tones 2. Select Piano keys

Note: The steps here were written for MIUI V5, based on Android 4.3 on a Mi 3 (MI 3W). If you’re having a different model of Mi 3 or other version of MIUI/Android, there’s a possibility that the steps and screenshots will be different.

(Click here for more Xiaomi Mi 3 tutorials, tips and tricks.) How to setup a new Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Ethan • 0 Comments The following are the screens you need to go through when you first turn on your new Xiaomi Mi 3:

1. If you’ve put in the SIM card that required a PIN to unlock, you should see the prompt to enter the PIN from the start. Enter the PIN, then hit OK. 2. Select a language, then tap Next.

3. On the Input method screen, pick one virtual keyboard, then hit Next. You can stick to the first option if you don’t know which one to choose. 4. On the Wi-Fi screen, tap the Wi-Fi network ID you want to connect to, and then enter the password to get connected. Once that’s done, tap Next to continue.

5. Next, you can sign in your existing Xiaomi account or create a new account. If you would like to do this later, tap Skip this step. If you wish to create a new account, tap Create an account, then follow the on screen instructions to get it done. The Xiaomi account is needed to access Mi Cloud, download themes and etc. 6. On the Data usage monitor screen, enter your monthly data plan limit, and then tap Next. You can also choose not to do anything, by tapping Setup later.

7. If Setup later is selected in Step 6, you’ll be given the option of whether you want to turn off the mobile data here. If you’ve subscribed a monthly mobile data plan, you can leave it on for now. This option can be easily turned off later on the notification panel. 8. On the Add an account screen, tap the accounts that you would like to sign in, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete them. Once you’ve all the sign-ins completed, tap Next.

9. On the Other service screen, you can leave all the options at their default settings, and tap Next. 10. That’s it. You can tap Start using MIUI to start using your phone.

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Ethan • 2 Comments

MIUI updates introduce new features and fixes. The easiest way to update a Mi 3 is by doing it wirelessly (or over the air). Here’s how :

By default, your Mi 3 will check for firmware (MIUI) updates automatically when it’s connected to Wi-Fi. And if there’s a new firmware, an Update available icon will appear on the notification bar.

If for some reason, your phone doesn’t detect the new update automatically. You can initiate the update manually by following the steps below : 1. Ensure your phone has Internet connection. 2. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Settings app. 3. Tap General settings > About phone. 4. Tap System update. 5. Your phone will check for an update now. If there’s one, it’ll be listed on the screen. See the exa mple below.

6. Next, you can tap the new update to read its description, then hit Update. 7. Next, you should see an Updater prompt to ask if you want to backup your phone before updati ng. Tap Backup and follow the on screen instructions to save your phone’s data and settings.

8. After the backup finishes, get back to the Update highlights screen and tap Update again. 9. On the same Updater prompt, tap Start update. 10. When the update finishes, you should see the Update complete and Update finished icons on t he notification bar.

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Ethan • 0 Comments

One way to personalize your Mi 3 phone is to change its theme. And you can switch between themes as often as you like.

1. On your phone, find and launch the Themes app. 2. Find and tap the thumbnail of the theme that you like. 3. On the Theme details screen, tap Download. Tip: The downloaded themes will appear on the Local tab. 4. When the download finishes, tap Apply to use this theme.

To switch between the downloaded themes :

1. On your phone, find and launch the Themes app. 2. Tap the Local tab. 3. Here, you’ll see all the themes that you’ve downloaded. Tap the thumbnail of the theme that you want to apply 4. Tap Apply.

Note: To download themes, you need to sign in to your Xiaomi account.

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Ethan • 0 Comments

The Toggles screen which can be accessed by dragging the status bar down from the top, allows you to turn on/off of certain features quickly. If you don’t like the default arrangement, it’s easy to customize. Here’s how :

1. On your Mi 3 phone, swipe the notification panel open from the top. 2. Tap Toggles > More. 3. On the Manage toggles screen, tap and hold next to an item below the “Active bar” and drag it to the area above the bar. The 11 items above the “Active bar” are the buttons that will be shown on the Toggle screen. 4. You can also use the same method: Tap and hold x next to the item you want to move and drag to the position you want within the “Active section”

This is an easy tutorial showing you how to capture a screenshot on a Xiaomi Mi 3. i. Press the Power button and Volume down button

Press the Power button and Volume down button at the same time for about 1 or 2 second. The screen will flash, and if your phone is not on silent or vibration mode, you’ll hear the shutter sound.

The created image is saved as a .PNG file in the DCIM/Screenshots folder.

ii. Use the Screenshot shortcut

1. Slide the notification panel open from the top of the screen. 2. Tap Toggles > Screenshot

The created image is saved as a .PNG file in the DCIM/Screenshots folder. How to scan QR codes with your Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

While many Android phones need a 3rd party app to read QR codes, Mi 3 uses its own Camera app to do so.

Here’s how:

1. On your phone, find and launch the Camera app. 2. Aim the camera lens at a QR code. When it finishes scanning the code, a See details button will appear on the screen 3. Next, you can tap the See details button to see the information extracted from the QR code.

How to access Mi-Recovery on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Your Mi 3 comes with the Mi-recovery that lets you do quite a few things such as resetting your phone to factory settings and rebooting your phone using either the latest or original firmware. To access Mi-Recovery on a Xiaomi Mi 3:

1. Power off your phone. 2. Press the Power and Volume Up buttons at the same time, and then release them when you see the Mi logo. 3. Now, you should be in the Mi-Recovery mode with a menu to let you choose a language. In this mode, you can use the Volume +/- keys to select up/down and Power key to confirm.

4. After the language menu, you’ll see the main menu that lets you execute all the functions from here.

5.How to factory reset a Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

There are a number of reasons why you might want to restore your Mi 3 phone to factory settings. This guide provides 2 methods to reset your Mi 3 to its original condition. i. Using Factory data reset option

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > General settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset. 2. Here, you can decide if you want to remove the downloaded apps and stored content.

3. Once you’re ready, tap Reset phone. 4. When you’re prompted for confirmation, tap Erase.

ii. Using Mi-Recovery

If your Mi 3 is so badly off that you can’t access the Settings app, you can follow the steps below to reset it to factory settings and erase all the data.

1. Power off your phone. 2. Press the Power and Volume Up buttons at the same time, and then release them when you see the Mi logo. 3. In the Mi-Recovery mode, pick English. 4. On the main menu, select Wipe & Reset.

5. On the Wipe and Reset menu, select Wipe all Data.

6. When you’re asked for confirmation, select Yes to start erasing the settings and data on your phone.

How to backup your Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Backing up your Mi 3 is important because it allows you to recover all of your personal data, apps and settings, if you ever need to restore your phone.

Xiaomi makes it easy by featuring the built-in Backup app on your phone. Here’s how to use the Backup app to do a backup and restore: i. To backup your Mi 3’s data and settings

1. On your phone, find and launch the Backup app.

2. Select the items you want to backup. By default, all items are selected. 3. Tap Back up.

4. When the backup completes, tap Done.

The generated backup files/folders are saved in MIUI/Backup/AllBackup/ folder. If your phone is connected to your PC, you can have them copied over to your computer.

ii To restore a backup

1. On your phone, find and launch the Backup app. 2. Tap the backup files that you want to restore.

3. Select the items you want to restore. 4. Tap Restore.

5. When the restore completes, tap Done.

What else can you do with the Backup app ?

1. You can tap the Lock button to encrypt your backup. But please note that, in order to encrypt the backups, you need to sign in with your Xiaomi account. 2. You can also automate the backups. On the Backup app, tap the Menu button > Automatic backup settings and slide the Automatic backup switch to the right. Here, you can customize a few things: backup frequency, time and items.

How to quickly turn your Xiaomi Mi 3 into a flashlight ?

Just like Redmi, you can quickly turn your Mi 3’s camera flash into a flashlight when you’re in the dark.

How to turn on your Mi 3’s flashlight ? i. Turn on the flashlight from the lock screen.

1. On your Mi 3’s lock screen, long tap the Home button to turn on the flashlight. 2. To turn it off, press the Power button. ii.Turn on the flashlight from the home screen 1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Torch app. Hint: By default, the Torch app is placed in the Tools folder.

How to place the Torch button on the notification panel ?

You can place the Torch button on the notification panel for quick and easy access to turn on/off the flashlight from anywhere on your phone.

1. On your Mi 3 phone, swipe the notification panel open from the top. 2. Tap Toggles > More. 3. Tap and hold next to Torch and drag it to the area above the “Active bar”.

4. By doing so, the Torch button will appear on the Toggles panel. You can now tap it to toggle the flashlight on/off.

How to make the flashlight brighter on your Mi 3 ?

If you find that the current flashlight isn’t bright enough, you can download the Super-Bright LED Flashlight app.

Apart from unlocking your phone’s true brightness, it also offers blinking effect. Cool !

How to setup screen saver on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

How about displaying your favorite photos while charging your Mi 3 phone ? Well, the Screensaver feature lets you do so. Here’s how to set it up :

1. On your phone, find and launch the Settings app. 2. Tap Display > Screensaver. 3. Slide the Screensaver during sleep switch to the right. 4. Tap Picture source to choose a photo album from which the photos will be displayed. 5. If you would like to only run the screensaver while you’re charging the phone, turn on Only while charging option. Else the screen saver will run 5 seconds after the screen turns off and, as well as, while it’s charging. Note: Running screensaver consumes additional battery power. 6. Last but not least, tap Duration to select a duration for how long you want to run the slideshow.

How to locate and remote control your lost Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

If you’ve lost your Xiaomi Mi 3, the Find Device function on Mi Cloud can locate, ring, lock and wipe your phone.

Turn on Find Device

In order for Find Device to work, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Sign in your Xiaomi account on your phone. 2. Make sure there’s an Internet connection using either Wi-Fi or mobile data on your phone. 3. Make sure the Find device option is enabled in the Mi Cloud settings on your phone. Once you complete the above, log into https://i.mi.com, and click the “x device connected” link to confirm the status of your phone is Online.

Next, you can go ahead to locate, ring, lock or wipe your phone. i. Find Device

1. On the Mi Cloud main page, click Find Device. 2. Next, you should see the phone’s approximate location on Google Maps. 3. Optionally, you can click Baidu in the upper left corner for Baidu map.

ii. Ring your device remotely

1. On the Find Device page, click Alarm. 2. On the Play Alarm prompt, click the Play button. 3. The phone will play the default alarm sound at the highest volume until you manually disable it on the phone.

iii. Lock you device remotely

1. On the Find Device page, click the Lock button. 2. Enter the 4-digit PIN that you want to lock your phone, then hit Lock. 3. On your phone, enter the 4-digit PIN you have set in Step 2 to unlock the phone. Upon successfully unlocking, the screen lock security will be set to None.

iv. Factory reset your device remotely

1. On the Find Device page, click the Wipe button. 2. On the Erase data prompt, click Erase data. When prompted for confirmation, click Delete. Note: This process will factory reset and erase data on your phone. Thus, your phone will lose contact with Mi Cloud.

How to add more apps to the bottom tray on Mi 3 ?

When you flip through the home screens on your Mi 3, the apps in the bottom tray left unmoved. The bottom tray is designed to let users access their favorite or frequent-used apps quickly.

By default, the bottom tray on your Mi 3 comes with only 4 apps (Phone, Contacts, Browser and Messaging). But the good news is that you can add more.

The bottom tray can actually have a maximum of 5 apps. To add one more, you just need to drag an app from the home screen to that area.

If 5 apps aren’t enough, then you can create a folder to group your most-used apps and put it in the bottom tray. Now, that should be enough for you.

How to reset a forgotten PIN/Pattern/Password on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Forgetting your password is frustrating, but luckily there’s a really easy way to reset the password. i. Reset a PIN lock

If you forget the 4-digit PIN that is used to unlock your phone, you can tap the Forgot password key on the lock screen. It brings you to a screen where you’ll be asked to enter your Google Account password.

If you don’t have your Google Account associated with your phone, you’ll be asked to enter your Xiaomi Account password instead. Upon successful authentication, the Screen security will set to None.

ii. Reset a Pattern/Password lock

After 5 wrong attempts, you should see the Forgot password button appears on the screen.

Tap the Forgot password button, then enter the password for the Google Account that you’ve signed in on your phone to reset the Screen security to None.

If you haven’t had your Google Account signed in, then you’ll be asked to key in your Xiaomi Account password, assuming you’ve signed in your Xiaomi account, to reset the Screen security to None.

iii. Reset your Screen Lock (Pattern/Password/PIN) using Find Device

Xiaomi’s Mi Cloud comes with a feature called Find Device, which lets you track and remotely set a PIN to lock your lost phone. Hence, making use of this feature, you can reset your forgotten PIN/Password/Pattern with a new PIN. Read this article to learn a little more about Mi Cloud.

Forgetting your password is frustrating, but luckily there’s a really easy way to reset the password. i. Reset a PIN lock

ii. Reset a Pattern/Password lock

After 5 wrong attempts, you should see the Forgot password button appears on the screen.

Tap the Forgot password button, then enter the password for the Google Account that you’ve signed in on your phone to reset the Screen security to None.

iii. Reset your Screen Lock (Pattern/Password/PIN) using Find Device

How to access an app’s info screen on Xiaomi Mi3 ?

You can easily force stop, uninstall an app or clear its data and cache from its App info screen.

Here are the 3 ways to access an app’s info screen on your Xiaomi Mi3: i. Access App info via the Settings

1. On your Mi 3 phone, find and launch the Settings app. 2. Tap General settings > Apps 3. On the All tab, find and tap the app you want to access its App info screen.

ii. Access App info from the notification panel

1. When you receive a notification from an app, you can pull the notification panel open. 2. Long tap the notification, then hit App info.

iii. Access app infor using the Menu button.

1. On your Mi 3, long press the Menu button to open the list of recently-used applications. 2. Long tap an application to open up its App info screen.

How to disable pre-installed apps (Bloatware) on Xiaomi phone ?

While you can’t uninstall the Bloatware (the additional apps that are added by the manufacturer or carriers) on your Xiaomi phone without root access, you can disable some of them. i. Disabling a pre-installed app

1. On your Xiaomi phone, find and tap the Settings app. 2. Tap Apps > All. 3. Find and tap the app you want to disable. 4. Tap the Disable button. 5. Now you should get a pop-up that says “If you disable a built-in app, other apps may misbehave.” Just select OK.

Note :

1. There are some system apps that can’t be disabled. 2. If you have quite a few unused apps to disable, try doing one app at a time. Once you have disabled an app, check if your phone is still working as it should before you go ahead with the next app. 3. There are some apps that need you to uninstall the updates first, before allowing you to disable them. ii. Enabling a disabled app

1. On your Xiaomi phone, find and tap the Settings app. 2. Tap Apps > All. 3. Scroll to the bottom of the list to see the disabled apps. 4. Tap the app you want to enable, and then hit the Enable button. How to hide files/folders in Explorer on Xiaomi device ?

Whether you want to hide a file or folder, you can follow the steps below to do that :

Tip: In Android, any files and folders with names preceded by a period are hidden.

1. On your Xiaomi device, find and launch the Explorer app. 2. Find and long tap the folder/file you want to hide to select it. For this tutorial, I’m taking pics folder as an example. 3. Tap More > Rename.

4. Enter a period before the folder name, then hit OK.

5. That’s it. You have successfully hidden this folder.

Note:

1. By default, the hidden files or folders are not shown on the Explorer app. 2. You also can’t search the hidden files and folders on the Explorer app.

To “unhide” a folder on your Xiaomi device, follow these steps:

1. On your Xiaomi device, find and launch the Explorer app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Show hidden files. 3. Find and long tap the folder/file you want to “unhide” to select it. 4. Tap More > Rename. 5. Remove a period before the folder name, then hit OK. 6. That’s it. You’ve successfully “unhide” this folder. CONTACTS AND COMMUNICATIONS How to set up a Hotmail/Live/Outlook account on Redmi/Mi 3 in MIUI V5 ?

To set up your Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com or MSN account on your Redmi/Mi 3, you can either do it automatically or manually. i. Setting up a Hotmail/Live/Outlook.com/MSN account automatically

1. On your phone, find and launch the Mail app. 2. If there isn’t an email account currently set up on the Mail app, you’ll see the Add an account screen. Else, tap the Menu button > Settings > Add account 3. On the Add an account screen, tap Exchange.

4. Next, you can fill in the information for the following fields: Email address, Password, Your name (optional) and Account name (optional), then hit Next. Note: If your account has the two-step verification turned on, you’ll need to enter the app password here. Find out how to generate a Microsoft’s app password here.

5. If you have the email address and password entered correctly, it’ll automatically configure the email server settings for you. 6. Customize the frequency of automatic mail fetches, then hit Done to complete the setup.

ii Setting up a Hotmail/Live/Outlook.com/MSN account manually

If for some reason, the above method doesn’t work for you, try configuring your account manually. Here’s how:

4. Enter the following fields: Email address, Password, Your name (Optional) and Account name (optional), then tap Manual setup. Note: If your account has the two-step verification turned on, you’ll need to enter the app password here. Find out how to generate a Microsoft’s app password here.

5. Select Exchange.

6. On the Account setup screen, fill in the following fields, then tap Next. 1. Domain/Username: \[email protected] (Enter your full email address) 2. Password: Leave it untouched. 3. Server: Use either m.hotmail.com or s.outlook.com 4. Use secure connection(SSL) : Enable 5. Port: 443

7. Customize the frequency of automatic mail fetches, then hit Done to complete the setup.

If neither of the above works for you (which is very unlikely) and you’ve given up trying, all I can suggest is download the Outlook app. Use this as your last option. How to set a ringtone for a particular contact on Mi 3 ?

To set a ringtone for a particular contact/contact group : i. Assigning a ringtone for a contact

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Find and tap the contact you want to assign a different ringtone. 3. Tap to select a new ringtone.

ii. Assigning a ringtone for a contact group

You can also assign a different ringtone to a contact group. When you do so, all the contacts in this particular group will have their ringtones changed to the one you’ve assigned to the group.

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Find and tap My groups.

3. Find and tap the group you want to set a different ringtone. 4. Tap the Group ringtone icon to select a new ringtone.

How to record calls on your Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

With the built-in call recording feature, you can record calls manually and automatically.

Here’s how: i. Record a call manually

1. While you’re talking on the phone, you can tap to bring up the call control panel. 2. Tap Record to start the call recording.

3. Tap the same button to stop the recording. 4. When it stops, you should see the Call recorded notification. Tap it to get to the Recordings screen that lists all the recordings sorted from latest to earliest.

5. Tap a filename to play it.

ii. Record a call automatically

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Phone app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings > Record settings 3. Slide the Record automatically switch to the right. 4. Now, you can select to record calls for all numbers or specific numbers using the Custom list option.

How to add/delete/transfer SIM contacts on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

These are the instructions on how to display, add, delete and export SIM card contacts on your Mi 3 phone. i. To display SIM card contacts on the contact list:

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings > Display preferences 3. Slide the Show SIM contacts switch to the right.

ii. To add a contact:

To add a contact to your SIM card, you must first do the steps in Section i:

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap + New contact. 3. Select SIM card.

4. Fill in the name and phone number, then hit OK.

iii. To delete a contact on SIM card:

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings > Display preferences. 3. Slide the Show SIM contacts switch to the right. 4. Tap Configure contact lists, then select SIM card.

5. Get back to the contacts list. 6. Now, you should see all the contacts that are saved in the SIM card. 7. Long tap a contact, then hit Delete. 8. On the confirmation prompt, hit Delete again.

iv. To transfer contacts from SIM card to Google Contacts/Xiaomi Contacts:

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Import/export. 3. Tap Import from SIM card.

4. On the Create contact under account prompt, select the account you want the contacts to be transferred/copied to.

5. Tap Select all or select the contacts you want to transfer, then hit Import. 6. When you see the “Contacts imported from SIM card” message appears on the screen, it means the contacts have been transferred successfully. How to speed up dialing frequent contacts on your Xiaomi phone ? our Xiaomi phone might not have the speed dial feature, but you can use the following unconventional methods to quickly call your favorite contacts.

To create a direct dial widget for a contact:

1. On your phone, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Find and long tap the contact you want to place on the home screen. 3. Select Place on Home screen.

4. Select Direct Dial, then hit OK.

Tip: If you have created a lot of direct dial widgets, you can use a folder to organize them on your home screen. ii. Add a contact to Favorite.

The favorite contacts are always listed first on the contact list. Therefore, you can add frequently called contacts to “Favorites” to have them listed ahead of others.

1. On your phone, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Find and tap a contact. 3. Tap to add to Favorite.

iii. Make a call from the call logs

On the Recent call log screen, you can tap an entry to make a call directly.

iv. Make a call from the Messaging app

While reading a message, you can tap to call the sender directly.

v. Use a 3rd party dialer with speed dial feature

If you can’t live without the speed-dial feature, you can download a 3rd party dialer such as ExDialer (trial version with 7 days trial period) that comes with the ability to place a call by pressing a reduced number of key. How to stop the screen from turning on when receiving a text message on your Xiaomi phone ?

Every time you get a text message on your Xiaomi phone, the screen comes on automatically. If this isn’t something you want, here’s how to disable it :

1. On your Xiaomi phone, find and launch the Messaging app. 2. Tap the Menu button, then Settings. 3. Slide the Wake screen switch to the left.

How to change the email signature on your Xiaomi phone ?

By default, every email you send from your Xiaomi phone includes the same signature “Sent via Xiaomi” which is about as boring as you can imagine.

If you don’t want your emails to say that, here’s how to change it:

1. On your Xiaomi device, find and launch the Email app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings, and tap an account. 3. Tap Signature. 4. Enter your signature text, then hit OK.

How to open a zipped email attachment on Xiaomi Mi 3?

Received a zipped email attachment and don’t know how to open it ? Here’s how:

Note: The steps below work for both the Gmail and Email apps. And the advantage of using this method is that you don’t need to install any additional 3rd party app.

1. Download/save the zipped attachment on your email. This zipped file will be saved to the Download folder.

2. Find and launch the Explorer app. 3. Go to the Download folder. 4. Here, you should see the ZIP file you’ve downloaded. Tap it, and you should see the options of either extract it here or extract it to a folder or storage you prefer.

How add, delete and manage contact groups on Xiaomi phone ?

Organize your friends, family, and officemates into groups so you can quickly send a message to everyone in the group. i. Creating a contact group

1. On your phone, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap My groups.

3. Tap . 4. Select the account you want the group to be created under.

5. Enter a group name, and then tap OK.

ii. Adding contacts to a group

1. On your phone, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap My groups. 3. Select a group, and then tap . 4. Select contacts to add, and then tap OK.

Note: If the group is created in Google Contacts, you can only add contacts in Google to this group. Same goes to groups in Xiaomi Contacts.

Note: You can’t group contacts that are stored in your SIM card. iii. Deleting a group

1. On your phone, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap My groups. 3. Tap the group you want to delete. 4. Tap More, then hit Delete. iv. Sending a message to group’s members

1. On your phone, find and launch the Contacts app. 2. Tap My groups. 3. Select a group. 4. Tap the Group SMS button . How to create a shortcut to a Gmail account on Xiaomi phone ?

If you wish to create a home screen shortcut directly to a particular Gmail account, you’ll need the Unread Badge app.

Apart from bringing you directly to a specific Gmail account with only a single tap, the app also displays the unread message count on the shortcut. Now, you know how many unread mails without launching the Gmail app.

1. On your phone, download the Unread Badge (for Gmail) from Google Play. 2. On the home screen, pinch your 2 fingers together to change to edit mode. 3. Tap Widgets. 4. Find and tap the Unread Badget widget.

5. If you have multiple Gmail accounts, select one, then hit Next.

6. Select a label, then hit Next (Note: The free version only lets you select the Primary label)

7. Select an icon.

8. Enter an appropriate display name and tap Finish.

9. Here’s how the shortcut looks like. Note: You can customize the look and feel of the shortcut in the app’s settings.

How to create a shortcut to a specific email account on Xiaomi phone ?

If you’re looking for a widget that lets you create a shortcut/an icon to a specific email account, you’ll be disappointed. There isn’t one on your Xiaomi phone.

That’s the bad news.

But the good news is that you can use a 3rd party email app such as K-9 Mail, AquaMail or Kaiten that features the email account shortcut widget.

Alternatively, you can make use of the Icon Changer app to make a home screen icon linking directly to an email account.

Here’s how:

1. On your Xiaomi phone, download the Icon Changer app from Google Play. 2. Launch the Icon Changer app, and then go to Shortcut.

3. Select an email account. Note: The accounts you see here may vary depending on the number of accounts you’ve configured on your Email app.

4. Choose a folder.

5. Change the default icon and enter an appropriate title for the shortcut.

6. That’s it. You should see the email account shortcut on your home screen.

How to reject a call with predefined message on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

If you find yourself too busy to pick up a call, you can reject it with a predefined message. i. Rejecting a call with a message:

1. When there’s an incoming call, you can tap and drag the lock image up to see a list of predefined messages. 2. Tap a message to send to the caller. 3. If you would like to send a new message, select Write your own.

ii. Customizing a pre-defined message:

1. On your phone, find and launch the Phone app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings > Call settings > Quick responses. 3. Tap the message you want to edit. 4. Enter a new message, then hit OK.

Media and Entertainment

How to play rmvb, avi, flv, mkv, mov and mp4 on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

If you’re frustrated that your Mi 3 doesn’t play certain format of video files, try one of the following 3rd party video players:

1. MX Player (My personal preference) 2. MoboPlayer 3. DicePlayer 4. Moliplayer (魔力视频播放器)

All of these players are able to play almost all types of video formats. Personally, I’ve tested avi, flv, mkv, mov, mp4, rmvb and avi files with these 4 players, and have no issues playing them.

They’re all free, so there’s really no excuse not to give them a try. How to hide an album from appearing in Mi 3’s Gallery ?

If you find that there are far too many unwanted albums showing up in the Gallery, you can hide them.

To hide an album in the Gallery

1. On your Mi 3, tap Gallery > Local images. 2. Long tap to select the album you want to hide, then hit Hidden album.

To “unhide” a hidden album

1. On your Mi 3, tap Gallery > Local images. 2. Tap the Menu button, then select Show hidden albums. 3. Long tap to select the hidden album you want to “unhide”, then hit Unhide album.

How to repeat and shuffle songs on Xiaomi device ?

When listening to music on your Xiaomi device, you might not want to listen to the songs in order. Here’s how you can repeat and shuffle songs: i. To play and shuffle all songs a. Method 1 If you can see “Touch to shuffle all” on the Music player’s main page, tap the screen to start playing the songs in shuffle mode.

b. Method 2

1. On the Music player, select the All Songs tab. 2. Tap Play all.

3. On the Playing screen, tap the screen to see the additional controls. 4. Tap to switch to (repeat current), then tap again to switch to (shuffle).

In relation to the above example:

 – Music player is set to repeat all the songs on your Xiaomi device.  – Music player is set to repeat the current song over and over.  – Music player is set to shuffle all the songs on your Xiaomi device. ii. To play and shuffle selected songs

1. On the Music player, select the All Songs tab. 2. Long tap a song to select it. Then, you can continue to tap next to the songs you want to select. 3. Tap to play the selected songs.

4. On the Playing screen, tap the screen to see the additional controls. 5. Tap to switch to (repeat current), then tap again to switch to (shuffle).

In relation to the above example:

 – Music player is set to repeat the selected songs.  – Music player is set to repeat the current song over and over.  – Music player is set to shuffle the selected songs. iii. To play and shuffle songs in all albums

1. On your Music player, tap Artist > All Albums.

2. Tap to play the songs in all the albums.

3. On the Playing screen, tap the screen to see the additional controls. 4. Tap to switch to (repeat current), then tap again to switch to (shuffle).

In relation to the above example:

 - Music player is set to repeat the songs in all the albums. Playing one album after another none stop.  - Music player is set to repeat the current song over and over.  - Music player is set to shuffle the songs in all the albums.

Tip: Instead of all albums, you can also select specific albums to play. iv. To play and shuffle songs in all folders

1. On your Music player, tap Playlists > Folders

2. Tap to play the songs in all the folders.

3. On the Playing screen, tap the screen to see the additional controls. 4. Tap to switch to (repeat current), then tap again to switch to (shuffle).

Tip: Instead of all folders, you can also select specific folders to play.

In relation to the above example:

 – Music player is set to repeat the songs in all the folders. Playing one folder after another none stop.  – Music player is set to repeat the current song over and over.  – Music player is set to shuffle the songs in all the folders. v. To play and shuffle songs in a playlist

1. On your Music player, select the Playlists tab. 2. Tap on the playlist you want. 3. Tap to play all the songs in the playlist.

4. On the Playing screen, tap the screen to see the additional controls. 5. Tap to switch to (repeat current), then tap again to switch to (shuffle).

In relation to the above example: – Music player is set to repeat the songs in the playlist. – Music player is set to repeat the current song over and over. – Music player is set to shuffle the songs in the playlist. vi. To play and shuffle songs of selected artists

1. On your Music player, select the Artists tab. 2. Long tap an artist, and then tap next to the artists you want to select. 3. Tap to play the songs.

4. On the Playing screen, tap the screen to see the additional controls.

5. Tap to switch to (repeat current), then tap again to switch to (shuffle).

In relation to the above example:

 – Music player is set to repeat the songs of the selected artists.  – Music player is set to repeat the current song over and over.  – Music player is set to shuffle the songs of the selected artists. vii. To skip songs by shaking your phone

You can shake to skip to the next song in both repeat and shuffle mode.

To enable shake to skip:

1. On your device, find and launch the Music player. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings. 3. Slide the Shake to skip switch to the right.

4. Now, you can shake your device to skip to the next song.

Web and Network

How to view Flash based websites on Xiaomi Mi 3 ? n order to view Flash content on your Mi 3, you’ll need to install the Flash player. Here’s how:

1. To allow your Mi 3 to install the Flash Player, which will be downloaded from the Adobe’s website, you’ll need to enable your phone to allow installation of apps from sources other than the Play Store. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > General settings > Security and slide the Unknown sources switch to the right to enable it. When you’re prompted for confirmation, tap OK.

2. Now, you can use the Browser to search for “archived flash player versions” and tap the 1st link on the results page.

3. On the “Archive” page, scroll down to Flash Player for Android 4.0 archives, then tap the first link to download the latest Flash player.

4. When the download finishes, you’ll be prompted to install the Flash Player. Follow the on screen instructions to install it. 5. When the installation finishes, you can access this URL on your Browser to confirm if the installation is successful. If you can see the animation on this page, it means the installation was successful.

How to connect Xiaomi Mi 3 to a Wi-Fi network ?

This guide will walk you through all 4 different ways to configure your Mi 3 to connect to your home or office Wi-Fi router. i. Connecting your Mi 3 to a visible Wi-Fi network ID

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > Quick settings > Wi-Fi 2. Tap the Wi-Fi network ID you want to connect. 3. Enter the password, then tap Connect.

4. If the password is correct, you’ll see the “Connected” status below the network ID.

ii. Connecting your Mi 3 to a hidden Wi-Fi network ID

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > Quick settings > Wi-Fi > Add network. 2. On the Add network screen, enter the Network SSID, select the appropriate Wi-Fi security and enter the password, then hit OK.

iii. Connecting your Mi 3 to a Wi-Fi router using WPS Button

Note: To use this method, your Wi-Fi router must support WPS Button.

1. Ensure your home/office router supports the WPS button feature. (Kindly refer to your router’s user manual for this step). 2. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > Quick settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced settings > Connect WPS

3. Press the physical WPS button on your router. (Kindly refer to your router’s user manual for the location of the button) 4. When you see the “Connected to Wi-Fi network” message, tap OK.

iv. Connecting your Mi 3 to a Wi-Fi router using WPS PIN Entry:

Note: To use this method, your Wi-Fi router must support WPS PIN Entry.

1. Ensure your home/office router supports the WPS PIN entry feature. (Kindly refer to your router’s user manual for this step). 2. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > Quick settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced settings > WPS Pin Entry 3. Next, you should see the Connect WPS screen with an 8-digit PIN.

4. Enter the same PIN on your router that supports the WPS PIN entry feature. Below is an example taken from a Cisco router.

5. When you see the Connected to Wi-Fi network message, tap OK.

How to remove a Wi-Fi profile from a Mi 3 ?

Just in case you would like your phone to stop remembering and connecting to a Wi-Fi network – here are the steps:

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > Quick settings > Wi-Fi 2. Tap next to the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected. 3. Tap Forget network. 4. When you’re prompted for confirmation, tap OK. How to transfer data from your Xiaomi Mi 3 using Android beam ?

Unlike Redmi, Mi 3 comes with the NFC hardware and support Android Beam.

Android Beam allows you to share content – contacts, web page URLs, Youtube video URLs, pictures, video and more – with other people’s NFC enabled devices.

To transfer data using Android beam on your Mi 3:

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > General settings > More. 2. On the Wireless & networks screen, enable NFC and Android Beam.

3. Next, you can unlock the screen and turn on Android Beam on the other device. 4. To share your content, you first have to view that particular content on your phone. For example, viewing a webpage, YouTube video, map, picture or video that you would like to share. 5. Using Youtube video as an example, view the video you want to share on your Youtube app. 6. Then, tap your Mi 3 phone back-to-back with the other device. You should hear a notification tone (if your phone is not on silent mode) and feel a slight vibration. 7. When you see the “Touch to beam” message on your Mi 3, tap the screen to start sending the content across.

How to transfer data from your Xiaomi Mi 3 using Android beam ?

Unlike Redmi, Mi 3 comes with the NFC hardware and support Android Beam.

Android Beam allows you to share content – contacts, web page URLs, Youtube video URLs, pictures, video and more – with other people’s NFC enabled devices.

To transfer data using Android beam on your Mi 3:

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > General settings > More. 2. On the Wireless & networks screen, enable NFC and Android Beam.

How to transfer files via Bluetooth on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Want to transfer files such as photos or music via Bluetooth ? Here are the 2 examples of how to transfer a photo and a music file wirelessly via Bluetooth : i. Sending a photo via Bluetooth

1. On your phone, find and launch the Gallery app. 2. Go to the required folder and long tap the photo you want to send. 3. Tap the Send button.

4. Tap Bluetooth.

5. If you’ve yet to turn on Bluetooth, tap Turn on.

6. On the target device, turn on Bluetooth and the “discoverable” mode. 7. After a moment, your Mi 3 phone should be able to discover and list the target device in the Available devices section. Note: If your phone doesn’t discover the target device, kindly tap Scan for devices.

8. Tap the target device and the file will start sending. 9. On the target device, you’ll usually be prompted to accept the file. ii. Sending a music file via Bluetooth

1. On your phone, find and launch the Music app. 2. Long tap the song you want to send, then tap More. 3. Tap Send to…

4. Tap Bluetooth. 5. On the target device, turn on Bluetooth and the “discoverable” mode. 6. After a moment, your Mi 3 phone should be able to discover and list the target device in the Available devices section. Note: If your phone doesn’t discover the target device, kindly tap Scan for devices.

7. Tap the target device and the file will start sending. 8. On the target device, you’ll usually be prompted to accept the file.

With the above 2 examples, you should have an idea of how transferring files via Bluetooth works on your Mi 3. And now, you can do so for other file types.

How to find the MAC and IP addresses of your Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

You might need to know the MAC address of your Mi 3 phone if your home/office router is setup for MAC address filtering. Here are the 2 ways to find that information : i. Via the Wi-Fi settings

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced settings. 2. On this screen, you should see the MAC and IP addresses.

ii. Via the About phone option.

1. On your phone, tap Settings > General settings > About phone > Status 2. On this screen, you should see the MAC and IP addresses.

How to configure your Xiaomi Mi 3 to use a proxy server ?

You can configure your Mi 3 to use a proxy server for the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to.

Here’s how: 1. On your Mi 3 phone, tap Settings > General settings > Wi-Fi 2. Tap next to the Wi-Fi network ID you want to configure the proxy server. 3. Change the Proxy settings to Manual. 4. Enter the proxy server information (hostname and port number), then hit OK.

Note: As far as I know, this proxy server will only be used for web traffic (HTTP). Therefore, in a Wi-Fi environment that offers Internet access via a proxy server, you may find only your Browser works but not any other apps, even after you’ve configured the proxy settings as per above instructions. How to set up your Xiaomi Mi 3 as a portable Wi-Fi Router ?

You can use the Portable hotspot feature to share your Mi 3’s Internet connection with a maximum of 10 devices (tested personally) via Wi-Fi. When you turn on this feature, the phone will be using Wi-Fi to connect the devices and mobile network for Internet access. So charges may apply.

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > General settings > … More > Tethering & portable hotspot and tap Portable hotspot to turn it on.

2. Next, you can tap Set up portable hotspot to configure the Wi-Fi network ID, security type and password.

Note: Unlike Redmi, Mi 3’s Portable hotspot feature doesn’t allow clients to connect using WPS PIN/Button and unable to block unwanted clients from connecting. How to use the Data usage feature on your Xiaomi device ?

You can use Xiaomi’s built-in Data usage feature to track your mobile data usage to avoid additional charges on your bill. If you’ve zero idea on how to use Data usage, be sure to read the FAQ below for more information:

How to access the Data Usage feature ?

1. On your device, find and launch the Security app. 2. Tap Data usage.

How to create a home screen shortcut for Data usage ?

1. On the Security app, long tap Data usage, and then tap Create shortcut.

How to set mobile data limit ?

1. On the Security app, tap Data usage. 2. Tap , then select Mobile data limit. 3. Tap Peak data limit to enter your monthly mobile data limit. 4. Adjust the Data Usage Warning Level slider to set the usage warning level. When the device reaches this level, you will see a usage warning. 5. Tap Usage cycle reset date to set the date of the month where the data usage is reset to 0.

How to read the Data usage “meter” ?

Note: If you’re about to reach your data limit, the “water” will change to red.

How to prevent mobile data from turning off automatically when the usage exceeds the data limit ?

The mobile data connection will disable automatically when the usage exceeds the set data limit. If for some reason, you don’t wish your phone to behave in such a manner, follow these steps to turn this feature off :

Note: Additional charges may be incurred if you disable this feature.

1. On the Security app, tap Data usage. 2. Tap . 3. Slide the Restrict peak data usage switch to the left to turn it off.

How to restrict a downloaded app from using mobile data ?

1. On the Security app, tap Data usage. 2. Tap Restrict > Downloaded 3. Find the app you want to restrict the use of mobile data. 4. Tap the “Allow” button to change to “Disallow” in the Data column.

Tip: You can also toggle allow/disallow for Wi-Fi data for downloaded apps.

How to restrict a system (or stock) app from using mobile data ?

1. On the Security app, tap Data usage. 2. Tap Restrict > Apps. 3. Find the app you want to restrict the usage of mobile data. 4. Tap the “Allow” button to change to “Disallow” .

What’s the quickest way to check your daily data usage ?

1. On the Security app, tap Data usage. 2. Tap , then ensure you have Show data usage notifications turned on. 3. Now, you can open the notification panel from the top, then go to the Notifications screen to see today’s data usage, remaining data and monthly limit information.

How to track data usage per app ?

1. On the Security app, tap Data usage. 2. Tap Stats to see a list of apps that are sorted by their data usage. 3. You can select to see the list of either today, yesterday or this month.

Tip: Tap to choose to sort the apps by Data usage, Wi-Fi usage or Total usage. Why does the search bar disappear on your Xiaomi Mi3 ?

The search bar disappears and when you try the Search option from the home screen’s menu it doesn’t work.

If this sounds like something you’re experiencing, try to ensure that you didn’t remove the Google Search app by accident. On your phone, find the Google search app using Play Store. If you can see the Install button, means this app isn’t on your phone. So, go ahead to install it.

When the installation completes, you can place the Google Search widget back to the home screen.

And the Search option on the Home screen’s menu should work by now too.

Have you had a similar issue with your Mi 3 ? How did you solve it ? Share it in the comments. Note: Factory resetting a Mi 3 with the Erase apps option turned on, might remove some of the Google related apps. How to reduce data usage when using Browser on Xiaomi device ? f you browse the Internet quite frequently using your mobile data connection, you might want to consider disabling the “automatic image loading” to save some data.

1. On your device, find and launch the Browser app. 2. Tap the Menu button, then select Reduce data usage.

3. Now, the Browser will stop loading the images automatically. If you want to see them, you’ll need to tap the “blank” images to load them manually.

The Reduce data usage feature only works for mobile data connection. If you want to disable automatic image loading even when you’re on Wi-Fi, follow these steps:

1. On your device, find and launch the Browser app. 2. Tap the Menu button > Settings > Bandwidth management > Preload images and then select Never.

Apps

How to uninstall multiple apps at once on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Just like its little brother – Redmi, Mi 3 runs on MIUI V5 which features a trick to let you uninstall multiple apps quickly and easily. Here’s how:

1. On your Mi 3, tap the Menu button, then select Edit Home screen. 2. Tap the apps you want to uninstall to put them to the taskbar. 3. Use 2 fingers to pinch the apps together on the taskbar.

4. Tap and hold the “combined” icon, then drag it to the Bin icon at the top of the screen. 5. When you’re prompted to confirm the deletion, tap Uninstall.

How to uninstall an app on Xiaomi Mi 3 ? All 4 methods

Maybe many of your apps installed on your Mi 3 are no longer useful already and you would want them to be removed. Follow this guide to learn the 4 ways to get rid of them from your phone. i. Uninstall an app from the Home screen

1. On your Mi 3, long tap and drag the app icon that you want to uninstall to the Bin icon at the top of the screen. 2. When you’re prompted to confirm the deletion, tap Uninstall.

ii. Uninstall an app from the App info screen

1. On your Mi 3, tap Settings > General settings > Apps > Downloaded. 2. Find and tap the app you want to uninstall. 3. Tap the Uninstall button. 4. When you’re prompted to confirm the deletion, tap OK.

iii. Uninstall an app via the Google Play app

1. On your Mi 3, find and launch the Play Store app. 2. Tap the Menu button in the upper left corner and select My apps. 3. Find and tap the app you want to uninstall. 4. Tap Uninstall. 5. When you’re prompted to confirm the deletion, tap OK.

iv. Uninstall an app via the recent app tray

1. To quickly uninstall a recently used app, follow these steps: 2. On your Mi 3, long tap the Menu button to see the recent app tray. 3. Long tap the app you would like to uninstall to open its App info screen.

4. On the App info screen, tap Uninstall. 5. When you’re prompted to confirm the deletion, tap OK.

If you want to learn a faster way to uninstall multiple apps, click here for the step-by-step instructions. How to zip and unzip files and folders on Mi 3 ?

You can zip and unzip files and folders on Mi 3 using the Explorer app. Here’s how: i. To create a zip file on a Mi 3

1. On your phone, find and launch the Explorer app. 2. Using Explorer, browse to the folder that contains the files you want to zip. 3. Long tap to select the files you want to zip.

4. Tap More, then select Compress.

5. Give the ZIP file an appropriate name, then hit OK

Note: You can also use the steps above to create a ZIP file for folders. ii. To extract a zipped file on a Mi 3

1. On your phone, find and launch the Explorer app. 2. Using Explorer, browse to the folder that contains the zipped file. 3. Tap the zipped file, then select either Extract to here; or Extract to…

Note: You can also extract a RAR file using the steps above. How to save contacts to phone storage on Xiaomi Redmi ?

Have you been wondering why there isn’t an option to save a contact to the phone storage when you’re creating a new contact ?

The reason is simple: That’s because you’ve signed in with your Xiaomi account on your phone. In my test, I could see the save-to-phone option when I didn’t sign in with my Xiaomi account. I could create as many contacts as I like and have them stored on my Redmi.

But as soon as I signed in with my Xiaomi account, the contacts on my phone auto-synced to Xiaomi contacts and the save-to-phone option disappeared.

So, what if you turn the auto-sync function off ? In that case, the contacts created in Xiaomi account is stored locally on the phone and ready to be sync in future.

Is this how it works on your Redmi ? Let me know in the comments. How to add custom fonts on your Xiaomi phone using iFont ?

To add custom fonts on your Xiaomi phone using iFont:

1. On your phone, download iFont from Google Play. 2. Launch the iFont app. 3. On the Online tab, find and tap the font you would like to install. 4. Tap Download.

5. Tap Set. 6. On the Setting font prompt, tap OK.

7. When you see the prompt below, tap OK. The Themes app will now be launched automatically. 8. Tap Category > Component > Font.

9. Go to Local tab, find and tap the font you’ve install using iFont. 10. Tap Apply and reload the phone to see the changes.

How to solve contacts not displayed in Whatsapp on your Xiaomi phone ?

If your contacts do no appear in the Select contact list, it’s most likely due to the Security app denying WhatsApp from accessing your contact list.

Here’s what you can do:

1. On your phone, find and launch the Security app. 2. Tap Permission > Manage App Permission > Contacts 3. Find Whatsapp and ensure the permission is Allow. If not, just change it to Allow.

4. Now, you can refresh the contact list in your WhatsApp. How to change the default market to Google Play on your Xiaomi device ?

You probably have both the Google Play and Xiaomi Market apps on your Xiaomi devices. Whenever you perform an action that requires to download an app, you’ll get the “Complete action using” prompt to ask you for a selection.

For example, when I tap the Candy Crush invite on Facebook (I know you hate it), I’ll be prompted to choose either Google Play or Xiaomi Market to download the Candy Crush app. I can select Google Play since I prefer to get the app from there. And to avoid getting similar prompt when I perform the same action again in the future, I can tick the Remember this choice option. By doing so, I’m actually setting Google Play as the default app for this action.

I hope you’re clear so far.

Now, what if you’ve picked the wrong app as the default ? No worries, you can always “clear default” and make a selection again.

So let’s say, I accidentally chose Xiaomi Market as the default market app for my example, I would need to get to the App info screen of Xiaomi market and then tap Clear defaults. Once I do that, I’ll see the “Complete action using” prompt, the next time I tap on the Candy Crush invite. And, there’s no reason for me to pick the wrong one this time !

How to secure your Xiaomi (Mi Cloud) account with Xiaomi Authenticator ?

Back in May, Xiaomi rolled out 2-step verification to Mi Cloud, its cloud-based service for storing and syncing photos, messages, contacts and notes.This adds a nice boost to security for the service.

With this new implementation, you’ll need to enter the verification code which will be sent to your mobile number, after entering your username and password on Mi Cloud.

While 2-Step verification using SMS text message is easy, you can get a bit worried about the SMS charges especially if you need to travel abroad quite frequently.

If that is the case, you can use the Xiaomi Authenticator app to generate the verification codes for you. Alright, that’s the good news.

The bad news ? In order to use Xiaomi Authenticator, you’ll need to activate it. As of right now, its activation page is only available in Chinese. So it’s impossible for non-Chinese readers to do that.

Knowing such a problem exists, I’ve documented the steps I took to activate this service recently based on the guide drafted by “meredithhan” from MIUI forum.

If you can’t wait for Xiaomi to offer this service in English, here’s how I did it.

1. On your computer, access https://account.xiaomi.com/ on your web browser. 2. Click on Simplified Chinese.

3. Now, you can sign in using your Xiaomi username and password.

4. On the Login protection field, click Activate.

5. Click Activate now.

6. Click Get a verification code. The verification code will be sent to your mobile phone. Once you get it, you’ve to enter the code here, then click Next.

7. Next, you are given 2 options to download the Xiaomi Authenticator app. For this tutorial, I’ll choose option 1: Scan the QR code to download. Tip: If you’re using a Xiaomi phone, you can launch the Camera app to scan the QR code, and then follow by downloading the app.

8. Once you’ve downloaded the apk file, you can install it on your device. 9. After the installation completes, you can launch the Xiaomi Authenticator app to set it up. 10. Tap Continue.

11. Draw a pattern.

12. Draw the same pattern again, then tap Confirm.

13. Tap Activate Now to launch the viewfinder. You’re now ready to scan the QR code to activate the Xiaomi Authenticator app. Let’s get back to the browser to get the QR code.

14. Back to the browser, tap Next after you’ve completed the Xiaomi Authenticator app installation. 15. Next, you’ll see the QR code that is used to activate the Xiaomi Authenticator.

16. Bring your device’s viewfinder over the QR code to scan it. Once activated, you should see a random 6-digit verification code appears on the app.

17. Enter this number on your browser, then click Next.

18. That’s it. You’ve successfully activated the Xiaomi Authenticator for 2-step verification. On this page, you are given 2 backup solutions to overcome the problem of losing your phone and thus can’t receive the verification codes. 1. Add a backup phone number to receive the verification code. 2. A list of 10 backup (static) verification codes, you can use in the event you lose your phone. 19. If you’ve done everything you need to do, click Complete.

How to sign Mi Cloud using Xiaomi Authenticator ?

Signing in Mi Cloud or any other Xiaomi services using Xiaomi Authenticator is easy. Here’s how:

1. Go to https://i.mi.com (or any other Xiaomi services) 2. Enter your usual username and password, then hit Enter. 3. Now, you should get the 2-step verification prompt. 4. Launch the Xiaomi Authenticator on your mobile device to get the verification code.

5. Enter the verification code on the 2-step verification prompt, then hit Confirm.

How to update software using MiPhone Manager on Xiaomi phone ?

MIUI updates bring new features and fixes that let you do more with your Xiaomi device. You can update your device wirelessly or using MiPhone Manager.

If you want to update with MiPhone Manager, follow these steps:

1. Connect your Xiaomi phone to your computer using the USB cable. 2. Launch the MiPhone Manager. 3. When there’s a new software update available, you’ll see a red dot on the System Update icon.

4. Click the System update icon, and the MiPhone Manager will start searching for the new update.

5. When found, click Update to begin.

6. When the update completes, your phone will reload.

How to delete and move multiple apps at once on Xiaomi Mi 3 ?

Xiaomi’s Mi 3 running MIUI v5 comes with a feature that allows you to delete or move multiple apps at the same time.

1. Tap and hold an empty area or pinch you fingers together on a home screen to switch to Edit mode. 2. Find and tap the apps you want to move/delete to put them on the temporary tray at the bottom of the screen .

3. Use 2 fingers to pinch these apps together on the temporary tray.

4. To delete, tap and drag them to the Trash icon, then hit Uninstall. 5. To move, flick left/right to the home screen you want, then tap the “Combined” icon to place all the apps to the home screen. How to create shortcuts for photos, videos and files on Xiaomi phone ?

If you want to create a shortcut to open a video, PDF file or an image directly on your home screen, here’s how :

1. On your Xiaomi device, download ES File Explorer from Google Play. 2. Launch the ES File Explorer. 3. Using the ES File Explorer, find and long tap the file you want to create a shortcut. 4. Tap More, then hit Add to desktop. 5. That’s it. You’ve just created a shortcut for this particular file on your home screen.

How to show dual clock of different cities on Xiaomi phone’s home screen ?

If you’re a frequent traveler or you always work with someone in other countries, you’ll wish that your phone can tell you the times of different countries directly from its home screen.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a widget on your Xiaomi device that lets you do so. In that case, you need to download a 3rd party app such as World Clock & Widget.

1. Download World Clock & Widget from Google Play. 2. Launch the World Clock & Widget and add the cities you want, and customize the widget color. 3. Now, place the widget on your home screen. This app comes with 3 different sizes of widgets : 4 x 1, 2 x 1 and 1 x 1

Do you know of any other methods or apps that allow you to show multiple clocks on your home screen ? Let us know in the comments. How to manually install Google Play Store on your Xiaomi device ?

Oops! So you deleted the Play Store app by accident ? Here’s how to get it back on your device: i. Enabling the installation of external apk files

1. On your Xiaomi device, tap Settings > General settings > Security and slide the Unknown sources switch to the right. 2. When you get a warning dialog, tap OK.

ii. Downloading Google Play Store apk

1. Using your device’s Browser app, access this thread over at XDA forum to download the latest Google Play Store apk file. Note: This thread gets updated regularly with the latest Google Play Store version.

iii. Installing Google Play Store

1. Once the download finishes, open the notification panel and tap the Download complete notification to start the installation.

2. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation. How to display notifications on Xiaomi phone’s lock screen ?

If you wish to view the notifications on your lock screen, here are a few suggestions you can try: i. Opening the notification panel on the lock screen

On the lock screen, you can drag the status bar downwards to open the notification panel if you’ve got the following setups:

1. The Screen Lock security is set to None. 2. Enable this feature by going to Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings and slide the Enable on lock screen switch to the right.

ii. Using a third party to display notifications on the lock screen

There are quite a few apps such as Floatify, Slidelock and NiLS that let you display notifications on your lock screen. a. Floatify

According to this thread over at en.miui forum. Floatify does work well with MIUI, but not without some drawbacks. Firstly, you need a Pro (Paid) version and secondly, it only supports Android 4.3+. Hence, at the time of writing this article, you can only install Floatify on your Mi 3, but not Redmi. b. Slidelock

Slidelock is free, and worked well in my brief test. It comes with its own swipe screen. Therefore, if you didn’t disable the built-in swipe screen on your Xiaomi device, you’ll force to swipe twice to unlock.

C. NILS

Read this article to find out how I got it to work.

Do you have a better way to show notifications on your lock screen ? Let us know in the comments. How to get NiLS Lockscreen to work on your Xiaomi phone ?

The following steps were tested on my Mi 3 running MIUI 5 based on Android 4.4.2

1. On your Xiaomi phone, download NiLS from Google Play. 2. Launch the NiLS app, and then flip through the Let’s Get Started screens. From these screens, you’ll learn how to enable NiLS to access the notifications (This is necessary) and manage the notifications. 3. On the NiLS app, tap to see the sidebar menu expand from the left, giving you the options such as Global Settings, Notifications Panel, Interaction, Widget Settings, App Specific Settings and etc. Here, you can select App Specific Settings to customize the notifications for each app.

4. Get back to your home screen, find and launch the Setting app. Then, go to Apps > All > NiLS and slide the Show popup windows switch to the right.

5. Now, you should see the new notifications on your lock screen.