How to enable Developer Options on Xiaomi and Redmi phones
To enable Developer Options on a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO phone, open Settings > About phone > Detailed info and specs and tap OS version (called MIUI version on older phones) repeatedly, usually seven times, until the phone confirms that developer mode is on. The new menu then appears under Settings > Additional settings > Developer options.
This guide covers the steps for HyperOS and MIUI phones and tablets, where to find the menu afterwards, how to turn on USB debugging, which developer options are worth knowing, and how to switch the menu off again.
How to enable Developer Options on Xiaomi and Redmi phones
Xiaomi hides Developer Options behind the version number entry, not the Android build number that Google Pixel phones use. The steps are the same on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices because they all run Xiaomi's own system, HyperOS on current models and MIUI on older ones.
- Open Settings.
- Tap About phone (About tablet on a Xiaomi Pad).
- Open Detailed info and specs (on some older MIUI builds the version entry sits directly on the About phone page).
- Tap OS version or MIUI version several times in a row. After a few taps the phone counts down the remaining taps; Android's own process uses seven.
- Confirm with your lock screen PIN, pattern or password if the phone asks for it.
You only do this once. The menu stays available until you turn it off or until the system hides it again (see the troubleshooting section below).
Where to find Developer Options on a Xiaomi phone
On Xiaomi phones Developer Options are not in the System section like on stock Android: they sit under Settings > Additional settings > Developer options. Xiaomi's own support page uses this location to confirm that the unlock worked.
If you cannot spot the entry, scroll to the bottom of Additional settings, or type "developer" into the search field at the top of the Settings app. The master switch at the top of the Developer options page turns the whole menu on or off. Google notes that with this switch off, most developer settings stop working, so leave it on while you use any of them.
How to turn on USB debugging on Redmi and Xiaomi devices
USB debugging lets a computer talk to the phone through Android Debug Bridge (adb), as described in Google's Developer options documentation. You need it for tools like adb, Android Studio, screen mirroring apps and many backup or debloat utilities.
- Go to Settings > Additional settings > Developer options.
- Turn on USB debugging and accept the warning.
- Connect the phone to the computer with a USB cable.
- When the phone shows the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt with the computer's key fingerprint, tap Allow. Only allow computers you own.
The prompt appears for every new computer. If you want to remove access for all computers you approved earlier, use Revoke USB debugging authorizations in the same menu. Turn USB debugging off when you are done, as an unlocked phone with debugging on gives a connected computer far more access than normal file transfer.
Useful Developer Options on Xiaomi phones
Most entries in the Xiaomi Developer options menu are for app developers, but a handful are useful for everyday users. The menu mixes Google's standard Android options with a few Xiaomi additions such as Mi Unlock status.
| Option | What it does | Who it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Window, Transition and Animator animation scale | Changes animation speed; a lower value makes animations faster | Anyone who wants the phone to feel snappier |
| Stay awake | Keeps the screen on while the phone is charging | Dashboards, navigation, testing |
| USB debugging | Allows adb connections from a computer | Developers, power users, backup tools |
| Background process limit | Caps how many processes may run in the background | Testing; can break notifications if set low |
| Don't keep activities | Closes every app screen as soon as you leave it | App testing only; not for daily use |
| OEM unlocking and Mi Unlock status | First steps toward unlocking the bootloader | Advanced users who plan to flash custom software |
Change one setting at a time and note the original value, so you can undo it if the phone starts to misbehave. Bootloader unlocking follows Xiaomi's own rules and weakens device security, so read Xiaomi's official unlock instructions before you touch the last row.
Developer Options missing or disappeared on Xiaomi
If Developer Options vanish from Additional settings, the most common cause on Xiaomi phones is the optimization feature in the Security app. Xiaomi's support page states that running optimization in the Security app hides the developer options entry.
To get the menu back, repeat the taps on OS version or MIUI version under About phone. Your earlier settings may have been reset, so check USB debugging and any animation scales again. If the taps do nothing at all, make sure you are tapping the OS or MIUI version entry, not the Android version entry.
How to disable Developer Options on Xiaomi
To turn Developer Options off on a Xiaomi or Redmi phone, open Settings > Additional settings > Developer options and switch off the toggle at the top of the page. Xiaomi documents this as the way to hide the menu again.
Switching the menu off disables the developer settings that depend on it, including USB debugging. If you want to start fresh, set changed values such as the animation scales back to 1x before you turn the master switch off.
FAQ
Is it safe to enable Developer Options on a Redmi phone?
Yes. Enabling the menu changes nothing by itself; only the individual settings you change have an effect. Leave settings you do not understand at their defaults.
Does enabling Developer Options void the Xiaomi warranty?
Developer Options is a standard Android menu, and turning it on is not the same as modifying the phone. Unlocking the bootloader and flashing custom software can affect warranty coverage, so check Xiaomi's warranty terms for your region before you go that far.
Do the same steps work on POCO phones and Xiaomi Pad tablets?
Yes. POCO phones and Xiaomi Pad tablets run the same HyperOS or MIUI system, and Xiaomi's instructions cover both phones and tablets.
Related: our Xiaomi Mi4c review, fixing the "App not installed" error on Android, whether APKPure is safe to use
Once upon a time you could install Debloater and get rid of all the junkware on the phone, but not if you upgrade to Nougat which I mistakenly allowed on my Samsung J5 a couple of days ago. Apparently Google blocked the backdoor which enabled users to remove all the duplicate Samsung junk and the app doesn’t work anymore.
Samsung has now placed users in a Catch-22 situation as well. Either enable all updates including ads, bloatware and all the other useless junk they want to load up your device with over wi-fi, or allow updates using your mobile data package. My workaround for that one is to enable the wi-fi option and then upgrade my data package to 20GB so that I never have to use wi-fi anymore. But it pisses me off that Samsung intends to force users to accept what it wants them to have by fair means or foul.
But as soon as my current contract ends, this f*cking phone is going to dumped in a bucket of water (it’s not waterproof) and then consigned to the trashbin. The next phone will be a stock Android model. Not a lot of choice there and only Nokia and Moto models qualify at the moment, but all future Lenovo phones are going to be stock Android as well. The K8 and K8 Plus are due out in March 2018 I believe and will cost around €180 to €200 apparently.
How much did you buy your redmi 4 for?
I cannot remember, in the 150 ballpark.
Hey Martin
Go for the European Rom, it’s debloated and has much more features
These guys took the development roms from China and release it in a global context.
https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/7-9-21-22.41658/
I have it on my MI MAX Prime and trust me, everything goes better. Xiaomi as company has a terrible support for overseas customers.
Good luck!
P.D my first phone was a MI4C too! Beautiful Phone
Thanks I will take a look. One thing that I dislike is that the ROM that I’m on lacks in terms of security updates. Anyway, not my primary phone so not that much of a concern.
You should definitely use the .eu ROM over the original one. It’s made of the newest china dev version, thus having the newest patches possible while still having an original fully working MIUI.
And I hope you got it from a proper vendor that did not put on a bad version, some do it. If in doubt, ask on the xiaomi reddit.
You got the one with LTE B20 I imagine? Another thing would be using the newest google camera app with HDR+ as it makes a bit better photos (the RN4 ships with three(!) different cameras btw, if you are very lucky a Sony, but most likely an Omnivision or Samsung (they are crap)) – see reddit.
Thanks will take a look!
Here’s an interesting titbit for you concerning your new device Martin: http://blog.thijsbroenink.com/2016/09/xiaomis-analytics-app-reverse-engineered/
The title has “Xiaomi” misspelled as “Xiamoi”
Thanks!
Interesting, Martin do you know when the new MIUI9 will be released?
I don’t know unfortunately.
Apparently there is “no more than 3 threads in reply”, so I can’t reply directly to ilev, but Android Security Updates get released even for marshmallow (if manufacturers desires so) and even for lollipop (f.e. https://www.androidheadlines.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/galaxy-j3-2016-update-may-2017-galaxy-club-2.jpg ).
Martin, An Android 6.01 in 10.2017 ? What about those missing hundreds of security updates in the last 2 years ?
Or you can apply to unlock the bootloader and install something much better, like AOSP, Lineage, Remix or other nearly stock Android. Redmi 4x makes a very nice 100euro introductory device for a crapple refugee. I’m absolutely not a fan of Google and Droid, but at this point Timmy made me a passionate hater of everything Cupertino related. Not to mention that IMHO Android 7.1 already looks better than iOS 7+ and you can root the crap out of it with magisk.
and by doing that lose your warranty and risk bricking your phone
This isn’t a shitty Samsung phone where you lose warranty just because you use other software.