Google introduced a new feature in Android 11 to help users easily control their smart home devices with their smartphones. The feature, called Device Controls, added home automation shortcuts to the power menu, allowing users to easily access all connected smart home devices in one place. But while Google intended for device controls to appear in the power menu on all devices running Android 11, some manufacturers, like Xiaomi, put it in a different location on their respective Android skins. So if you have a Xiaomi device running Android 11, here is how to access the device control feature on your phone:
To access device controls on a Xiaomi device running MIUI 12 based on Android 11, you must first activate the new Control Center on the phone. For this you will need to go to the device settings, tap on the Display option and then select the Control and Notification Center option. Here, tap on the toggle next to the ‘Use New Control Center’ option.
Once that’s enabled, go back to your home screen and open the new Control Center. As you can see in the screenshot, you will see the new Device Controls section in Control Center under the Quick Set Buttons. Here’s a short excerpt (via Reddit user u / budgetgameri3) of how the new device control feature works in MIUI 12:
Miui 12.1.1.0 on Mi note 10 lite has Google Home controls in the control center. by Xiaomi
It should be noted that this implementation of Device Controls in MIUI 12 is by no means new. Xiaomi first announced it in September of last year, but many users are only now beginning to know about it. This is not surprising, as many OEMs don’t do a job of educating all of the new features in their latest software releases. Hope this article has made you aware of its existence, as we certainly think it is a useful feature.
