The man at the bottom of the screen Xiaomi: what it is and how to remove it forever

Why does a little guy appear on the screen of Xiaomi and what does it mean?

Many Xiaomi smartphone owners on the MIUI 12-14 firmware version are confronted with a mysterious symbol, a little man at the bottom of the screen, which appears next to the navigation bar. This interface element raises a lot of questions: whether it is a bug of the system, or a hidden feature that was accidentally activated. In fact, everything is simpler – a visual representation of the gesture navigation mode that Xiaomi has integrated into its shells instead of the classic “Back”, “Home” and “Recent” buttons.

A human (sometimes called a wand or navigation icon) signals that a full-screen gesture mode is on, and in this mode the bottom panel is hidden, and the smartphone is controlled by swipes from the bottom edge of the screen, for example, a swipe upwards returns to the main screen, and a swipe diagonally opens a list of recent applications, and the human symbol itself is a hint to the user showing where to start the gesture.

The problem is that not everyone likes this visual element, some find it distracting, some find it superfluous, and some models (like the Redmi Note 10 Pro or the POCO X3 Pro) may even have a human appearance using classic navigation buttons, which looks like a system glitch, and in this article we will look at all the ways to remove this symbol, from standard settings to hidden tricks for experienced users.

Method 1: Disconnecting through gesture navigation settings

The most obvious and safe method is to change the navigation type in the settings menu, which works on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 12 firmware and later.

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Display section.
3. Select Full-screen Display (on some models it may be called Navigation buttons or Navigation Type).
4. In the menu you will see three options: 🔄 Navigation buttons (classic 3 buttons at the bottom of the screen) 👆 Gestures MIUI (full-screen mode with a man) 🖐️ Android Gestures (full screen mode without prompts)

Navigation buttons

Android gestures

If you prefer gestures but want to remove only the hint, select Android Gestures. In this mode, navigation works the same way, but without visual prompts. Note: some models (such as Xiaomi 12T) may need to reboot the device after the change of mode to take effect.

Check the version of MIUI in Settings → About the phone

Close all applications (swipe up and hold)

Connect the charger if the battery charge is below 20%

Take a screenshot of the current settings (in case of rollbacks)-->

Method 2: Hiding a man through the developer settings

If the standard method didn't work (e.g., the person stays even when choosing classic buttons), you'll have to use the developer mode, which is more complicated but effective at eliminating interface glitches. Importantly, the wrong actions on the developer menu can cause malfunctions in the smartphone, so follow the instructions carefully.

First, activate the developer mode:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the MIUI version and tap it 7 times in a row. You will be notified of becoming a developer!
3. Return to the main settings menu and open a new section Additional settings → Developer settings.

After that, the person should disappear. If you don't find an option, try searching for the settings for the word "navigation" or "gesture." On some firmware (for example, MIUI 13 for POCO F3), this option may be hidden, in which case the next method will help.

Method 3: Use of MIUI themes and visual styles

Few people know, but the person at the bottom of the screen is part of the system theme, and it can be removed by using an alternative style of design, which doesn't turn off gesture navigation, but simply hides the visual cue, which is suitable for those who want to save gestures but get rid of distractions.

Here's how to do it:

1. Open the Themes app (brush icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the section My themes → Style icons.
3. Select any theme marked Minimalist or No Navigation Bar (such as Pure Black or Transparent).
4. Apply the theme and restart the device.

If there is no suitable topic, you can use third-party repositories, for example, MIUI Theme Editor (requires registration in Xiaomi Account). APK-forum-theme XDA Developers, but it is risky (possible viruses or incompatibility).

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If you have people left after changing the theme, try clearing the cache of the Themes app in Settings → Applications → Application Management → Themes → Clear the cache.

Method 4: Removing a man through ADB (for advanced)

If none of the previous methods worked, the radical way is to disable the hint via ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which requires connecting the smartphone to the computer and executing commands in the terminal, which is suitable for advanced users and works on all versions of MIUI, including MIUI 14.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB Tools.
• 📱 Smartphone with enabled debugging USB (It is included in the Developer’s Parameters).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission on your phone screen.
2. Open the command prompt (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) in the folder with adb.exe.
3. Enter the command to check the connection: Adb devices must appear serial number of your device.
4. Use the command to disable the gesture prompt: adb shell settings put global force_fsg_nav_bar 0
5. Reboot your smartphone: adb reboot

Important: This command turns off ALL visual gesture cues, including the bar at the bottom of the screen. If you only want a bar without a man, use instead:

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

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ADB-The best way to remove a man is to take care of it, but the wrong command can disrupt the interface. Always back up the data before using it. ADB!

Method 5: Reset the interface settings (if nothing helps)

In rare cases, the person at the bottom of the screen appears due to a failure in the settings of the MIUI shell. This can happen after a firmware update, installing a custom Recovery or conflicting themes. If previous methods did not work, try resetting the interface settings without losing data.

For this:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Click on the three dots in the top right corner and select Reset Settings.
3. In the menu that appears, select Reset interface settings (not to be confused with Reset to factory!).
4. Confirm the action and wait for the device to restart.

After resetting, all visual settings (wallpaper, themes, icon layout) will return to standard, but application data and files will remain intact. The person should disappear, as the reset will return the navigation settings to factory values.

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If you've returned after you've reset, check if you've installed third-party launchers (like Nova Launcher or POCO Launcher) that may conflict with system navigation. Try to temporarily disable them.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When you try to remove a little man, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and the ways to solve them:

⚠️ Warning: If all navigation buttons are missing after the man is turned off, don't panic. → Display. → Full-screen display → Navigation buttons. If the screen doesn't respond to touch, connect your smartphone to your PC and use it. ADB-command: adb shell cmd overlay enable com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural

Mistake 1: The human is back after the reboot

• 🔄 Reason: Resetting temporary settings or conflicting themes.
• 🛠️ Solution: Apply the command ADB Repeat or disable automatic theme updates in Settings → Topics → Settings of topics.

Error 2: No Full-screen Display option in Settings

• 🔍 Reason: An outdated version MIUI (below 12) or custom firmware.
• 🛠️ Solution: Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Update the system or use it ADB.

Error 3: ADB can't see the device

• 🔌 Reason: Drivers are not installed or debugging is not included USB.
• 🛠️ Solution: Install Mi PC Suite from Xiaomi’s official website or check if debugging is included in Developer Settings.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions