MIUI 11 common issues and how to solve them

Ever since Xiaomi’s first handsets, their custom Android skin, MIUI, has been a hit or miss. In late October 2019, Xiaomi started pushing MIUI 11, intended to initially stick to Android 9 Pie while Android 10 iterations were expected in the first quarter of 2020.

Some people completely avoid Xiaomi/Redmi devices because of MIUI, while others learn to live with it after some tweaking (learning how to debloat MIUI can improve the experience significantly).

And the same hit-or-miss approach can be seen with the latest iteration of MIUI. Xiaomi pilled up features to MIUI 11 which, as a result, brought a lot of issues to their users around the world.

We decided to list common MIUI 11 issues here, the ones we can find online, and share them with you, our readers. Also, we made sure to offer some applicable solutions, too. You can read in detail about various reported issues below.

Table of contents:

1. Battery drains faster than on MIUI 10
2. Battery calibration issues
3. Picture-in-Picture mode (PiP) issues
4. Lags and stutters
5. Apps crashing or freezing
6. Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Hotspot issues
7. AOD and pulsating notifications issues
8. Dark mode bugs
9. Camera issues
10. Game Turbo Mode crashes apps
11. GPS issues
12. Can’t install Netflix from the Play Store and Widevine is L3
13. Google Assistant won’t start on Mi 9
14. The fingerprint reader is inconsistent
15. Google Pay not working
16. Important troubleshooting steps for MIUI 11

1. Battery drains faster than on MIUI 10

This is probably the most commonly-reported bug on MIUI 11, no matter what iteration or Android version (Android 9 or Android 10). We read through a bunch of reports about battery drainage from users who updated from MIUI 10 to still-mint MIUI 11.

Now, before we move to some steps that should help you reduce battery drainage, especially when the device is idle (overnight), we must suggest something.

Namely, for this and similar MIUI 11 issues, it’s advised to reset your device to factory settings after you install a major update. Especially if Android versions are different.

Follow these steps to reduce battery draining on MIUI 11:

• Turn off Wi-Fi and Mobile Data overnight.
• Disable Face Unlock.
• Disable unused apps from starting automatically. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Manage apps and individually disable Autostart on apps.
• Use manual brightness settings, it will save you a lot of battery.

2. Battery calibration issues

Even though this issue isn’t exactly ROM-dependant, meaning it doesn’t have to be caused by the transition to MIUI 11, it does appear for some users on MIUI 11 exclusively. What’s exactly the problem?

Well, it seems that the battery percentage is changing erratically. Instead of gradually depleting, users state that the battery suddenly drops (e.g. from 70% to 50% in a matter of minutes). This points towards false readings, as the battery is seemingly not calibrated.

Battery calibration is not something hard to do, although it is a process. You can learn how to calibrate your battery with ease by following the steps in this article.

3. Picture-in-Picture mode (PiP) issues

There seems to be an issue with PiP mode as well. Based on reports, users who switch to Picture-in-Picture mode (on YouTube, VLC, or other supported apps) and then try to open Recent apps experienced crashes or black screens. It seems that this is, to this day, not fully addressed.

You can try clearing the app’s cache and ensuring that all necessary permissions are granted but, other than that, we can only wait for developers to address this.

Besides that and worth mentioning, it seems that the XS screen setting makes for quite a convoluted mess. You can navigate to Developer options and reduce DPI if you want to set text size and Font weight to XS.

4. Lags and stutters

Animation lags and small transition UI stutters were somewhat always of an issue on MIUI ROMs. Nothing that grave but still noticeable and rather peculiar, especially if we consider the hardware capabilities Xiaomi/Redmi devices have these days.

The problem makes the overall experience bad as even the most regular transitions on the home screens or opening recent apps are slow. We can safely blame the lack of optimization for this, especially on Android 10 versions of MIUI 11.

There are some things that you can do to mitigate this to some extent. An example is lowering the animation scale in Developer options. Not much, as only the developer can resolve the problem fully. Have in mind that Chinese ROM performs worse than the Global one.

5. Apps crashing or freezing

Another quite catastrophic issue for those affected. As stated by users on various forums, certain third-party apps (system apps, like App Vault, too) keep crashing on MIUI 11, leading to a crash prompt and/or black screen. This especially appears to be the case when users minimize the app and try to get back to it from the Recent screen.

This is, again, hard to tackle with any troubleshooting step or workaround except with the factory reset. You can reinstall affected apps and give them a go, although we don’t believe this will address the issue. So, back up your data and reset the device to factory settings. If that doesn’t help, wait for updates. Alternatively, you can downgrade to MIUI 10.

6. Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Hotspot issues

MIUI 11 issues with connectivity are not that widespread, although the Hotspot’s inability to share connection succeeded in the same issue from MIUI 10. Some users said that the wireless speeds dropped significantly, others that they are unable to utilize mobile data and it even seems that VoLTE (and Wi-Fi Calling, for some) is missing.

Here are some troubleshooting steps to try to resolve connectivity issues, including Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Hotspot problems on MIUI 11:

• Enable Airplane mode and disable it after a minute.
• Reset APN.
• Reboot your phone and router.
• Reset Network Settings.
• Reset the device to factory settings.

For other things, you can just wait for updates.

7. AOD and pulsating notifications issues

Xiaomi made another breakthrough in 2019 by adding more than a few devices with AMOLED displays into their lineup. And what’s an AMOLED-equipped device without an Always-on display feature?

Thus, they decided to add AOD to MIUI 11, and, based on reports, they did a good job. Mostly. There are still things to work on, starting from brightness issues and the overall usability of AOD on MIUI 11. They are still new to it but things like missing notifications are something users won’t tolerate.

Also, due to a lack of notification LEDs on contemporary devices, Xiaomi implemented pulsating notifications when the screen is off. They are also hit or miss since the brightness is too low for them to be of any use in light conditions.

Again, these are issues on the developer side. Update your device and hope that the next MIUI 11 iteration will address the problem. The community is quite vocal about these shortcomings so we can expect results soon enough.

8. Dark mode bugs

If there’s one thing that was (and still is) globally trending when it comes to feature additions in Android 10, that’s Dark mode. Xiaomi incorporated it in MIUI 11 with a wider approach than on MIUI 10, making most of the system apps compatible with it.

However, there are some problems with the Dark mode on MIUI 11 for users that upgraded to it from MIUI 10, where it was working as intended. They can’t enable it or, in some instances, disable its scheduling.

And again, it saddens us but the factory reset is your best bet to resolve this. Alternatively, there seems to be a way for rooted devices to enable VoLTE (as explained on XDA), but we don’t recommend it if you don’t know your way around unlocking the bootloader or rooting.

9. Camera issues

Camera software seems to be one of the gravest problems on Xiaomi devices packed with capable lenses made by Sony or Samsung. It seems that some nifty additions to the Camera app were not enough to overlook stutters and overall general slow processing speeds, oversaturation, or preposterous audio recording quality.

Some of these are yet to be addressed by Xiaomi while others are minor bugs that should be gone before the official Android 10-based MIUI 11 hits the majority of supported devices. For the time being, try clearing the camera cache.

10. Game Turbo Mode crashes apps

One of the most advertised MIUI 11 features must be the Game Turbo 2.0  mode which optimizes background processes and provides an overlay with a plethora of interesting options. However, some users experienced issues with third-party apps working in the background while the Turbo Mode was on.

If you are having issues with the Game Turbo mode, we recommend adding affected apps to Memory exceptions and disabling Performance optimization. That should resolve the problem until they tweak the Game Turbo in the upcoming patches.

Follow these steps to disable Performance optimization and add affected apps to the Memory exceptions list:

1. Open Settings and then Special features.
2. Open the Game Turbo mode.
3. Tap on the shield-like icon to open Settings.
4. Once there, open toggle Performance optimization off.
5. Then tap on the Memory exceptions and add apps you don’t want to limit while gaming (Facebook and WhatsApp are usually affected).

11. GPS issues

GPS on Android handsets has such widespread use these days that many third-party apps depend on it. Luckily, on Android 10, you can limit access to Location Services. However, MIUI 11 seemingly has an issue with third-party apps with GPS readings that are not precise at all. Especially with Google Maps which barely works for some users.

If you are experiencing issues with GPS and Google Maps (or any other Location-dependent app), make sure to enable Assisted GPS and give Location permissions to affected apps. Also, you can test hardware in CIT by typing the *#*#6484#*#* code in the dialer.

12. Can’t install Netflix from the Play Store and Widevine is L3

Some users stated that they are unable to download and install Netflix via the Play Store for some reason. If you are using Chinese ROM, Netflix won’t be available for download. You can, of course, download an APK from any APK-aggregating website.

Netflix, like some other streaming services, uses various levels of Widevine DRM to limit the streaming quality to 480p or 720p on certain devices. If you have Widevine L1, you can stream 1080p, while the L3 allows only HD streaming (720p). MIUI 11 Global officially supports L3 but make sure that your bootloader is locked.

13. Google Assistant won’t start on Mi 9

Xiaomi’s flagship, Mi 9, comes with a dedicated AI button. This physical button worked great for users on MIUI 10, but it seems it stopped summoning Google Assistant on MIUI 11.

The best way to address this is to update your firmware. That should resolve the problem completely. But, beforehand, make sure to navigate to Settings > Apps > Manage apps > Default apps. Once there, ensure that Google’s services are set under the Voice assistant and Assist & voice input settings.

14. The fingerprint reader is inconsistent

The under-the-display fingerprint readers can be found on more than a few AMOLED devices Xiaomi presented in 2019. Based on the community’s feedback, they are hardly comparable in speeds to back-mounted fingerprint scanners and are not as precise. On the other hand, they are certainly an innovation in the evergrowing market.

Now, it seems that the already lackluster precision and speeds become even worse after an update to MIUI 11.

If that’s the case for you, check these instructions to improve fingerprint readings:

• Remove the protective tempered glass (or make sure you are using a supported one).
• Add fingerprints for a single finger multiple times.
• Remove and add fingerprints again.
• Disable the always-on fingerprint icon.
• Reset the device to factory settings.

15. Google Pay not working

Google Pay, like the aforementioned Netflix app, has certain security requirements to work. Some users stated that adding the card and configuring it is a walk in the park but, for no apparent reason, terminals won’t accept payments with MIUI 11-powered devices.

First of all, make sure to use the HCE wallet option. Alternatively, clear the app’s cache and data to resolve possible issues.

16. Important troubleshooting steps for MIUI 11

Enable access to Developer options

1. Open Settings and then My device.
2. Select All specs and tap 7 times on the Build number.
3. Then navigate to Additional Settings > Developer options.

Reset Network settings

1. Open Settings.
2. Choose Connection & sharing.
3. Scroll down and open “Reset WLAN, mobile networks, and Bluetooth“.
4. Tap Reset settings.

Wipe cache partition

1. Power off your device.
2. Press and hold the Power button + Volume Up until the MI welcome screen appears. Let go of the Power button and keep holding the Volume Up button.
3. Once you get into Recovery mode, use the Volume buttons to get to the Wipe Cache Partition option. Press the Power button to confirm the selection.

Reset the device to factory settings

1. Backup all important data to Google Drive, your PC, or external storage.
2. Open Settings.
3. Choose My device.
4. Open Backup & reset.
5. Choose Erase all data (factory reset).
6. Tap Erase all data and confirm the selection when prompted.

With that said, we can (at least for the time being), conclude this article. Thank you for reading and make sure to add more MIUI 11 bugs or issues we forgot to mention in the comments section below. We’ll make sure to add them to the list and try and help you in solving them.