The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is something like Android TV packed into a small HDMI stick. A very simple way to turn a “dumb” TV into a Smart TVor to bring Android TV to a TV that has another system that is no longer supported, such as an old version of Tizen.
With a price of 34.99 euros, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has Android TV with hardly any changes, so many of the tricks of Android TV or its brother the Mi Box TV are valid. Here we select 15 tips and tricks to get the most out of your Xiaomi Mi TV Stick.
take a screenshot
Sooner or later, you will need to take a screenshot on TV for some reason. The good news is that the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick allows you to take screenshots with the easiest method: by pressing two remote control buttons at the same time.
You must simultaneously press the power button and the volume down button. The instructions are simple, although it is necessary to get the hang of it because sometimes it will turn off or the volume will be lowered if you have not synchronized the beats correctly. If all went well, a preview of the capture is shown.
Send and receive files
After taking a screenshot, the image stays saved in the internal storage of the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, which has 8 GB in total, to be distributed between the system, applications, and personal data such as screenshots. If you want to take them with you, you must send them from the TV to the mobile.
There are several ways to send and receive files from the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick to mobile, although possibly the easiest is to use Send Files to TV. It is a very simple application that you must install both on the Mi TV Stick and on your mobile. Then, in one of them you choose To receive and in the other Sendchoosing the files and the device to send it to.
Sort favorite apps
The Android TV interface can be a bit overwhelming at first. At the top, for example, it shows a row of favorite apps that may not interest you much or you prefer them to be arranged in another way.
If you select an app and do a long press, a context menu appears. In it, you can choose to remove from favorites to remove an app from there or Move to change the order of the application in the favorites row.
Sort the apps in the full list
You can also sort apps in the app drawer equivalent, i.e. the full list of installed apps. After clicking on Applications to the left of the favorites row, select an app and make a long press to open the context menu.
Among the available options, you will find again Move, with the difference that this time you can move the application both from left to right and from top to bottom. Of course, you have to go one by one, so you will need some patience.
sort the channels
The same applies to channels. It is quite possible that at some point your Xiaomi Mi TV Stick home screen will be at the top of things, and the truth is that the device is not overpowered. If you want something lighter to go, it never hurts to remove the channels that do not interest you.
The way to do it is quite simple. Select one of the channels and scroll left until the button is displayed Move. With it, you can change the order of the channel up or down, but also if you move further to the left you will see the button – with which you can remove a channel from the home screen.
Uninstall apps easily
On Android TV you have several ways to uninstall apps. You can do it from the Applications section of the settings, from Google Play, or, perhaps the easiest way, from the full list of applications.
First, open the full list of apps. Then select the app you want to uninstall and long-press the button on your controller. In the menu that opens, choose to uninstall.
Keep your apps up to date
In the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, just like in the mobile, it is important that you keep the applications updated, even from time to time. This ensures that they will fix bugs and have the latest features active. Also, while the applications are updated the stick is a bit slow so it’s better if you do it manually to have a little more control over it.
The apps will automatically update themselves, but you can do this manually by opening Google Play and scrolling to your profile picture in the top bar. Pull down the menu and go to Manage apps and games then enter updates.
Don’t forget about security updates
When the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has a system update available, you will know about it, as it keeps showing up on the home screen. Again, it is important that you take the trouble to install these security updates which can fix bugs as catastrophic as WebView.
You do not need to install them as they come to you, especially since from the moment you press the button until the TV is operational again several minutes will pass. It’s a better idea to leave it updated when we’re done watching TV.
Set the screensaver
If you leave the playback stopped on the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick for a long time, the screen saver will be activated. By default, jump every 15 minutes of inactivity although you are free to change the configuration by entering the section Device Preferences – Screensaver.
From here you can choose the screensaver you prefer, how long it takes to wake up, and how long it takes for the device to go to sleep after being idle for a long period. In addition, it is possible to start the screensaver directly, without having to wait.
Manually adjust the resolution
By default, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick automatically sets the resolution according to the TV you have connected it to, although you can change this from the settings. You will get it by entering the settings, in the section Screen– Screen resolution.
From here you can adjust resolution and Hz (note that the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick supports Full HD at most), as well as color depth and color space, although the default setting is recommended in the vast majority of cases.
Force close apps
Just like on mobile, if an app goes rogue on the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, it may you need to force close. This is especially common when an app is not working properly and no matter how many times you exit and reopen it, it shows up the same as it was.
Force closing an application is very similar to how it is done on mobile. Enter the settings and choose the Applications section. Find the app you want to force close, press the button and choose force stop in the displayed menu.
Use it as a Chromecast
The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick doubles functions as Chromecast, so you can send content to broadcast from any application that supports broadcasting in Chromecast, which are today many. This will help you broadcast content to TV both from your mobile and from a PC, for example using the integrated function of Google Chrome.
Bluetooth controller or keyboard
The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has only two connectors: one is the HDMI to connect to the TV and the other is a MicroUSB to connect the power. Although it does not have a USB port to connect peripherals, you can connect accessories via Bluetooth.
To do this, go to the settings and enter the section controls and accessories. Then press add accessory and it will start searching for Bluetooth devices that are visible nearby. You can use this to connect gamepads, keyboards, keyboard and mouse combos, and the like.
Access Recovery mode
A trick for the most advanced users or those who have encountered a serious error with their Xiaomi Mi TV Stick. Yes, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has Recovery Mode, a special menu with troubleshooting menus.
To enter the Recovery mode of the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick you need to turn it off completely and press the OK button and the back button at the same time while you plug it into power again. If all went well, you’ll see the menu after a few seconds, with options to wipe the cache or data partition, which will restore it as newly purchased. That is, you will lose all your data.
Use the mobile as a remote control
The remote control of the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick barely has a few buttons, so typing text to log in or similar situations becomes quite heavy. Fortunately, there is an easy way to use mobile as remote control that no longer requires you to install anything.
There are two ways to do this: from the Google Home app and from the mobile quick settings, which is probably the easiest. Tap on the “TV remote” setting and then pair the TV very easily. From that moment you can use the mobile to move through the menus and write more easily.
