While we are on the topic of new and happening, with the help of the MIUI 9, this phone has got some exceptional features. However, there is more than what just meets the eye and today we will be talking about some amazing hidden features that you must try if you are using this phone. Rest assured, these tips will definitely improve your experience and will add a host of new features to your phone.
1. Share Wi-Fi Password Using QR Code
A phone today is incomplete without the use of the internet and thankfully we have both cellular data as well as Wi-Fi access on the Redmi 5. To access the internet through Wi-Fi all you need to do is key in the password and start your online journey. It’s all good until your friend asks you for the Wi-Fi password. If you have a sharp memory you would be able to share it instantly, but, if your memory is as poor as me then that’s a problem, this becomes all the more painful if you are using a connection that is owned by someone else. In that case, finding the password and sharing it is a long tedious process. However, Xiaomi has made it really simple and with another Xiaomi phone, you can share the password by simply scanning a QR code. All you need to do is access your Wi-Fi settings and access the network whose password you want to share. The phone will generate a QR code that can be scanned by another user to get access to that Wi-Fi network. Head over to Settings>Wi-Fi>Connected networks. Select the network you wish to share the key for and it will show the QR Code for it.
2. Double-tap to Turn-on the Display
While using a phone we turn on the screen or the display at least 100 times in a day and doing it the old-fashioned way, using the hardware key is not very ergonomic. With your new phone, you can set a custom shortcut to turn the display on without having to reach out for that power button. Just enable the feature to turn on the display by tapping twice on the screen and you are good to go. You can set a custom gesture to turn-off the display as well. Head over to Settings>Display>Double tap screen to wake and toggle the switch on.
3. Second Space for Personal Apps
Having a dual-SIM phone is great, but, not being able to use multiple WhatsApp accounts on that phone is a wastage of resources. With the Redmi 5, you do not have to limit yourself to using just one account of popular apps. Enable the dual-apps functionality on your phone and you can have two separate WhatsApp, Facebook or any other supported app running in parallel. However, there are a number of limitations with the secondary account including the inability to access the phonebook on the phone, but, you can have a separate contacts library for that second account and have conversations with just a few selected people. It’s just like having a separate professional and private account Head over to Settings>Second space and tap on the Turn on Second space button to enable it. Once done, all you need to do is select the apps that you want to run in this second space.
4. Web Apps to the Rescue
Another amazing feature that you can enable on your new phone is Web Apps. Using this feature, you do not need to install each and every application on your phone. All you need is the remote client that is installed on your phone and the rest of the data is stored on a remote server which can be accessed without any hiccups while using a Web App. This offers considerable saving in form of storage space and Web Apps are relatively faster as compared to native apps as most of the processing is offloaded to a remote server. Head over to Settings>Additional settings>Privacy>Web apps and toggle the switch on.
5. Disable Navigation Keys for Apps
The new 18:9 widescreen aspect ratio on the Redmi 5 is amazing and it’s something we’re seeing on budget devices from this brand for the first time. Due to this new aspect ratio, the navigation keys are now a part of the UI itself. Therefore, if you like watching videos or playing games on your phone, the navigation buttons at the bottom can be a real problem at times. However, there is a simple fix for this. All you need to do is disable the navigation buttons for selected apps such as the video player or games. This way you would be able to enjoy the contents on the entire screen without getting interrupted by accidental touches. To bring them back, just double-tap at the bottom of the screen and the navigation buttons will show up so that you can do the needful. Head over to Settings>Additional settings>Button and gestures shortcuts>Automatically disable navigation buttons and select the app for which you want this feature to work.
6. Get a Custom One-handed Mode
For phones with bigger displays, especially the ones with an 18:9 aspect ratio, the one-handed mode is definitely a boon. However, the problem arises when you cannot control the size of the screen with one hand. With the Redmi 5, you have not just the option of reducing the screen size for easy use, but, you can also choose between three screen sizes for the perfect one-handed screen. This way, you can choose the best screen size as per your need and can enable that with just a simple gesture. You can swipe from left to right to enable the one-handed mode on the right side of the screen and vice-versa. Head over to Settings>Additional settings>One-handed mode and select the screen size you want for this mode.
Bonus Trick: Keep Cellular Data Always Active
How annoying is it when your music streaming app stops playing or when your MMORPG times you out of the server when you move out from a Wi-Fi zone? Trust me it is very frustrating and to counter that there is a nifty little trick that you can always use. You can simply turn on the cellular data always on feature and now whenever you will walk out of a Wi-Fi zone, your phone will continue doing what it was over the internet without any latency. There is a downside to this feature and it could result in a slightly more battery power consumption, but, rest assured your internet connection will never break. Head over to Settings>Additional settings>Developer options>Cellular data always active and toggle the switch on.
