Personalizing a smartphone interface is not just a way to stand out, but also an opportunity to make interaction with the device more comfortable and intuitive. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often wonder how to change the background of the keyboard to suit the mood or overall theme of the system design. Standard input settings offer a wide range of options, but the process of activating them can be hidden in the depth of the menu, especially on different versions of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS.
Changing the visual style of input involves several aspects, from choosing preset themes to downloading your own images from the gallery. It is important to understand that the appearance of the buttons depends on the keyboard application used, since Xiaomi system solutions and third-party products like Gboard have fundamentally different algorithms for working with the themes. In this article, we will discuss all the available methods so that you can easily customize the input screen for yourself.
Before we get into the changes, it’s worth noting that keyboard background customization doesn’t require root rights and is available on all of the brand’s current smartphone models.You can use both built-in system resources and advanced third-party app features that often offer more flexible transparency, brightness and animation settings. Let’s take a look at the basic tools to implement your idea.
Using Xiaomi’s built-in themes for the keyboard
The easiest and safest way to change the look of the input screen is to use the standard Themes app. In the MIUI and HyperOS shell, this tool is deeply integrated into the system, allowing you to change not only the desktop wallpaper, but also controls, including fonts and keyboard. To get started, you will need to open the Themes app and go to the search section.
In the search bar, type in the query "keyboard" or "keyboard" to filter out the results. The system will offer a huge catalog of free and paid options created by both official designers and independent authors. You can sort them by popularity, date of addition or user rating, which helps you quickly find quality content.
- 🎨 Open the Themes app on the home screen or in the Tools folder».
- 🔍 Enter the search “keyboard” and select your favorite design from the list.
- ⬇️ Click the Download button and then Apply to activate the new style.
- ✅ Check the result in any application with a text field, such as in messages.
It is worth considering that some themes can only be adapted to the standard Miui Keyboard. If you use a third-party solution, such as SwiftKey or Gboard, applying the theme through the system menu may not give the expected effect, in which case you need to make the settings directly inside the input application itself.
⚠️ Note: When downloading themes from unverified sources or third-party app stores, there is a risk of downloading malicious code. Use only the official Xiaomi Themes app to ensure data security.
Once you apply the theme, the system will automatically reconfigure the visual elements, and if the changes don't take effect instantly, try restarting the device or force the application you're typing into to close the interface cache and display a new background.
Setting up the standard MIUI keyboard
The standard input app on Xiaomi smartphones provides a flexible enough setting for basic customization. To change the background in this particular application, you need to go to its internal settings, this can be done through the system settings menu or by calling the keyboard in any input field.
Click on the gear icon or four-square icon on the keyboard toolbar to open the menu. Here you are interested in the section related to the look or themes. Depending on the version of the MIUI shell, this item may be called "Themes", "Design" or "Design".
Inside the design menu, you'll see a few tabs. The first one usually contains pre-made color schemes and gradients. The second tab is often devoted to background images. Here you can select a picture from a gallery, make a photo with a camera or use built-in abstract patterns. Once you select an image, the system will suggest you adjust it to stretch, center or blur.
Transparency is an important parameter, and transparency slider allows you to make the background of the keyboard translucent so that you can see through the desktop wallpaper or the interface of the active application, which creates a depth effect and makes the interface less congested.
- 🖼️ Select the "Fon" or "Wallpaper" option in the keyboard settings menu.
- 📂 Click “Select from Gallery” and specify the desired image.
- 🔧 Adjust the brightness and transparency of the background with sliders for better readability.
- 💾 Save the changes by clicking the OK or Apply button».
If standard functionality seems limited, you can expand the possibilities by connecting additional plugins or updating the application through the GetApps store. Often new customization features are added with software updates.
How to install a picture in Gboard (Google Keyboard)
Many users prefer to replace the standard input app on Google's Gboard due to its predictable performance and excellent support for Russian.The background setting process here is different from system solutions and has its own nuances. First, make sure that Gboard is installed and selected as the default input method.
To start settings, call the keyboard in any app and click on the settings icon (cog) in the top bar. If there is no icon, press and hold the comma or space until the quick access menu appears, and select Settings. Next, go to the Topics section.
In the theme list that opens, scroll down to the My Themes block or immediately click on the big plus (+) with the caption "My Themes" or "Create a New Theme." This action will open access to your personal files. The system will prompt you to select an image from the gallery, Google Photos or take a picture.
☑️ Checking before changing the topic
Once you select the image, the editor will open, and you can adjust the color of the buttons to contrast with the background, or you can change the color of the text, and you can also adjust the transparency of the keys and the background separately, so you can create a unique design, where, for example, the buttons are translucent, and the background is bright and rich.
⚠️ Warning: Too colorful or contrasting backgrounds can reduce typing speed and increase the number of typos. It is recommended to choose images with low detail in the area of the letters or use strong blurring.
Once you have finished setting up, give the theme a name and save it. You can now quickly switch between saved themes in the Themes menu. Gboard also allows you to set different themes for the light and dark theme of the system, which ensures comfort of use at any time of the day.
Third-party applications for deep customization
If Gboard’s built-in features aren’t enough, Google Play apps will come to the rescue, with programs like Facemoji Keyboard, Kika Keyboard, or TouchPal offering extreme levels of personalization, including live wallpaper, GIF-background animation and even sound effects when pressed.
Installing these applications requires careful attention to the permissions requested. The keyboard has access to everything you type, so only trusted developers with a good reputation can trust passwords and personal data. Once installed and activated in the system, the process of changing the background usually occurs through the central menu of the application.
Within these programs, you often find ready-made themes for holidays, movies or games. You can download the whole theme or take only the background from one package and the layout from another. Some applications allow you to create your own themes from scratch, downloading any images and adjusting the position of each key.
| Annex | Type of background | Animation. | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gboard | Statics, photo | No. | Tall. |
| Facemoji | Photo, GIF, video | Yes. | Medium |
| Miui Keyboard | Statics, topics | Limited. | Tall. |
| TouchPal | Photos, effects | Yes. | Medium |
Third-party solutions are especially relevant for gamers or visual effects enthusiasts who find standard minimalism boring. However, it is worth remembering about battery consumption: complex animated backgrounds can drain the smartphone battery faster.
Solving problems with background display
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the selected background is not applied or displayed incorrectly (for example, black bars are visible or the image is stretched). Often the reason lies in the app cache. To fix this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find your keyboard and select Clear Cache.
Another common problem is the conflict of topics: If you use a global theme of the system design, it can force the keyboard settings to be reset, in which case, try resetting the system theme to a standard one ("Classic" or "No Theme") in the Themes app, and then reset the input background.
Why is the background reset after resetting?
Also check the image format. Although current systems support most formats, older versions of Android may not work properly with WEBP or HEIC formats. Convert the image to a standard JPEG or PNG before installing.
- 🔄 Clear the keyboard app cache through Android settings.
- 🎨 Reset the system theme to the standard one to remove conflicts.
- 📸 Convert the image into a format JPG for maximum compatibility.
- 📱 Make sure the keyboard app has all the necessary permissions.
If nothing works, try removing keyboard updates or, conversely, updating it to the latest version through the app store. Developers regularly release patches that fix graphics display errors.
The impact of the system theme on the appearance of the input
The MIUI and HyperOS shells are built to have all the interface elements tend to be the same style, and if you install a theme that completely changes icons and wallpaper, it often automatically tightens its keyboard style, which can disrupt your personal settings.
To avoid unwanted changes, when installing a new system theme, read the description carefully. The theme store often indicates which components are affected by the package: Wallpaper, Icons, System, Keyboard. If you want to keep your input background, choose themes where the Keyboard component is not active or marked as Standard.
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Save the original background image in a separate folder "Wallpaper" or "Backup", so that in the case of resetting or changing the topic, you do not lose your favorite file and quickly restore it.
New firmware versions have introduced Adaptive Colors, which adjusts the interface colors to the dominant wallpaper color, which can change the keyboard's shade to make it darker or lighter, and you can turn it off in Settings → Wallpaper and Personalization → Adaptive Colors.
Understanding the relationship between system settings and applications allows you to keep the device as you want. Experiment with combinations, but always have the ability to quickly roll back to standard settings.
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Global MIUI themes take precedence over local keyboard settings. To save your personal background, choose themes without the Keyboard component or disable its use when you install it.