The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick it’s kind of like Android TV tucked into a little HDMI stick. A very simple way to turn a “dumb” TV on Smart TV, or to bring Android TV to a TV that has another system that is no longer supported, such as an old version of Tizen.
Priced at 34.99 euros, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has Android TV with hardly any changes, so many of the Android TV tricks or his brother’s Mi Box TV they 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 do screenshots with the easiest method: pressing two buttons on the remote control at the same time.
You must press the power button and volume down. 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 displayed.
Send and receive files
After taking a screenshot, the image remains saved to 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 TV to mobile.
There are several ways to send and receive files from the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick to a mobile, although possibly the simplest is using 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 Receive and in the other Send, choosing the files and the device to which you will send it.
Sort your 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, which may not interest you very much or you prefer that they are ordered in another way.
If you select an application and do a long press, a context menu appears. In it you can choose Remove from favorites, to remove an application 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 the applications in the equivalent of the application drawer, that is, the complete list of installed applications. 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 is full of things, and the truth is that the device does not have enough power. If you want something lighter to go, it never hurts remove the channels that don’t 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 various 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 apps.
First, open the full list of applications. Then select the application you want to uninstall and long press the button on the controller. In the menu that opens, choose Uninstall.
Keep your apps up to date
In the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, as in the mobile, it is important that you keep the applications updated, even from time to time. This ensures that they will correct errors and have the latest features active. What’s more, while the applications are updated the stick is a little slow, so it is better if you do it manually to have some more control over it.
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The applications will update automatically by themselves, but you can do it manually by opening Google Play and scrolling to your profile photo, in the top bar. Pull down the menu and enter Manage apps and games, and then enter Upgrades.
Don’t forget about security updates
When the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has a system update available, you will find out, as it does not stop showing on the home screen. Again, it is important that you take the trouble to install these security updates, which can correct such catastrophic mistakes like the one in WebView.
You do not need to install them as they arrive, especially since you press the button until the TV is operational again several minutes will pass. It’s a better idea to leave it updating when we’ve finished 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, it jumps 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 which you prefer, how long it takes to wake up, and how long it will take for the device to go to sleep after being inactive 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 configures the resolution according to the TV you have connected it to, although you can change this from the settings. You will achieve 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 the color depth and color space, although the default settings are recommended in the vast majority of cases.
Close apps by force
As on mobile, if an application becomes rebellious on the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, it is possible that you need to force its closure. This is especially common when an application does not work well and no matter how much you exit and reopen it, it appears as it was.
Forcing an application to close is very similar to how it is done on a mobile phone. Enter the settings and choose the Applications section. Find the application you want to force close, press the button and choose Force stop in the menu that is displayed.
Use it like a Chromecast
The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick doubles features like Chromecast, so you can send content to stream from any app that supports streaming on Chromecast, which are today so many. This will help you broadcast content to TV both from your mobile phone 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 current. 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 in the vicinity. You can use this to connect controllers, keyboards, keyboard and mouse combos, and the like.
Access Recovery mode
A tip for more 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, the special menu with menus for troubleshooting.
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 in again. If everything went well, you will see the menu after a few seconds, with options to clear the cache or data partition, which will restore it as just purchased. That is, you will lose all your data.
Use your 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 tedious. Luckily, there is an easy way to use the mobile as a remote control, with the official application Android TV Remote.
All you have to do is install the application on your mobile and pair the remote with the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, by entering a code that appears printed on the screen. From that moment you can use your mobile to move through the menus or write more easily.
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The news
Xiaomi Mi TV Stick: 15 tips and tricks to get the most out of it
was originally published in
Engadget Android
for
Ivan Ramirez
.
