How to increase the battery indicator on Xiaomi Redmi 8: from simple themes to deep settings

Battery indicator on Xiaomi Redmi 8 — It's a small but important interface detail that's sometimes lost in the background of other icons, especially in bright sunlight or on high-resolution screens where small elements become barely visible. Smartphone owners often complain that the standard icon size is in the same size. 18-20 The pixels are too small for comfortable perception, especially if the vision is not perfect.

Fortunately, MIUI offers several ways to increase the indicator, from basic theme settings to manually editing system files through ADB. In this article, we will discuss all working methods, including those that do not require root rights. It is important to understand that not all solutions are equally safe: some can cause interface failures if executed incorrectly, so we will start with the simplest options and gradually move on to more complex ones.

⚠️ Note: Modifying system files through ADB editing framework-res.apk may disrupt MIUI. Before experimenting, back up the data in Settings → Additionally. → Backup and reset.

1.Using the built-in MIUI themes

The safest and fastest way to resize the battery indicator is to set one of the official MIUI themes, where the icons are enlarged by default.

Xiaomi's theme store has customized statusbar packages, including large charge indicators, such as "Big Status Bar" or "Bold Icons" themes that increase all the top bar elements by 20-30%.

• 📱 Open the Themes app (icon with brush on desktop).
• 🔍 Enter the big status bar or large battery icon.
• 🎨 Choose your favorite theme and click Apply.
• 🔄 Restart your smartphone if the changes don’t show up immediately.

The downside of this is that there's a limited selection of themes with really big indicators, and many "enlarged" themes only change the fonts or color scheme, leaving the icons unchanged. To make sure you don't make a mistake, read user reviews in the theme description before installing.

Configuring through the "Laboratory" MIUI" (lip-service)

MIUI hides a number of experimental features in the Lab menu, where you can fine-tune the display of system elements, which works on MIUI 11-14 firmware and does not require superuser rights.

To get to the lab:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5-7 times on the line MIUI version until the notification appears "You became a developer!".
3. Go back to the basic settings and open a new section Additional → For developers → MIUI Lab.

In the lab, look for the option "Setting up statusbar" (the name may vary depending on the firmware version).

• 🔋 Battery icon size (80 to 120% of standard).
• 🎨 Color of filling (can be contrasted for better visibility).
• 📏 The thickness of the frame (useful for models with AMOLED-screen).

⚠️ Note: On some versions MIUI 12.5+ There may be no option to adjust the size of the icons. In this case, try updating the firmware to the latest stable version through Settings. → Updating the system.

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If MIUI Lab doesn’t have the right options, try changing your smartphone region to India or Europe to Settings → Additional → Region. Sometimes this reveals hidden features.

3. Installation of a third-party launcher with statusbar customization

If standard methods don't work, you can use alternative launchers that allow you to deeply customize the appearance of the system.

• 🚀 Nova Launcher (with Nova TeslaUnread plugin for statusbar).
• 🎭 Action Launcher (built-in support for customization of icons).
• 🔧 Lawnchair (open project with flexible settings).

For example, on Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Go to Settings Nova → Notification Panel → Statusbar.
3. Activate the option to “Show Battery Indicator” and select the Large or Extra Large size.
4. Apply the changes and restart the launcher.

The advantage of this method is the ability to adjust not only the size, but also the display style (percentage indicator, round / rectangular icon, color schemes).However, third-party launchers can slightly increase battery consumption (by 3-5%) due to background activity.

4. Editing system files via ADB (for advanced)

If you want to dramatically increase the battery indicator to 150-200% of the standard size, you will need to manually edit system files, which requires ADB connectivity and basic command line knowledge.

Before we start:

Install the drivers. ADB PC-only|Put the debugging on. USB In Settings → For developers|Download the archive with modified files|Create a backup of framework-res.apk-->

Instructions:

1. Connect Redmi 8 to your PC and open the ADB terminal.
2. Enter the command to copy the original file: adb pull /system/framework/framework-res.apk
3. Open up. framework-res.apk In APKTool and find the file res/drawable/stat_sys_battery.xml.
4. Change the size settings (e.g. android:width=48dp instead of the standard 24dp).
5. Collect the file back and run it by command: adb push framework-res.apk /system/framework/adb reboot

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect editing framework-res.apk If the smartphone does not turn on after rebooting, reflash the firmware through Fastboot.

5. Modified firmware (castom ROM)

For those willing to take drastic measures, there are custom firmware based on MIUI or Android, where the battery indicator is increased by default. Popular options for Redmi 8:

• 🔄 MIUI EU (European assembly with extended settings).
• 🐉 LineageOS (Pure Android with Substratum for Themes).
• 🔥 Pixel Experience (like Google Pixel with large icons).

Installation of custom firmware requires:

1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (waiting 7-15 days).
2. Installation of custom TWRP Recovery.
3. Firmware ZIP-archive TWRP → Install.

In firmware like Pixel Experience, the default battery indicator is 30-40% larger than in standard MIUI. In addition, additional display styles are available here (for example, “circular indicator” or “text percentage” in statusbar).

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Custom firmware is the most powerful customization tool, but it deprives you of official security updates and can void the warranty.

Applications for statusbar customization

If you don't want to mess with ADB or firmware, you can use specialized applications that run on top of the system and don't require root rights, but they have limitations:

• 📱 StatusBar Customizer (color, size, position of icons).
• 🔋 Battery Percentage (add a percentage indicator next to the standard icon).
• 🎨 Super Status Bar (complete statusbar redrawing with themes support).

For example, in StatusBar Customizer:

1. Install the application and provide access to the Overlay on top of other applications.
2. Select "Battery Icon" from the settings menu.
3. Set the Size slider to 120-150%.
4. Apply the changes and restart the application.

The disadvantage of such programs is that they can conflict with some games or banking applications (due to overlaying on top of the system). MIUI settings are sometimes reset.

7. Alternative methods: widgets and notifications

If you can not enlarge the icon itself, you can go a workaround - bring the information about the charge to a more noticeable place:

• 📊 Battery Widget Reborn (for example, Battery Widget Reborn).
• 🔔 Permanent notification with percentage charge (configured in Settings) → Notifications → Additionally).
• 🔄 Double-touch gesture to call a panel with a large indicator (c Settings) → Lock screen).

Widgets are convenient because they can be placed anywhere on the screen and adjust the size manually (up to 4×2 cells). For example, Battery Widget Reborn has styles available:

• 📱 Percentage circular indicator.
• 📊 Histogram with forecast of working time.
• 🔋 Minimalist stripe at the top of the screen.

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Widgets do not replace the system indicator, but allow you to control the battery charge without unlocking the screen.

FAQ: Frequent questions about increasing the battery indicator