What is the touch assistant in Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro: the complete guide

Introduction: why you need a touch assistant in a smartphone

Xiaomi’s current smartphones come with a variety of features that make it easier to interact with the device, including a touch assistant that often goes unnoticed by users. In the Redmi 9 Pro, the tool is integrated into MIUI and is designed to make navigation easier, especially when physical buttons are inaccessible or uncomfortable.

Touch Assistant is a virtual button panel that appears on the screen by gesture or pressing. It duplicates the functions of hardware keys (for example, Back, Home, Recent), and also adds quick access to frequently used options. For owners of Redmi 9 Pro, this is especially true: the smartphone has a large display (6.67 inches), and reaching the top elements of the interface with one hand is inconvenient.

But not everyone knows how to turn this feature on, configure or disable it, and in this article we will discuss in detail what the touch assistant in Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro is, how it works, and why it should be used even for those who are used to classic buttons.

What is a sensory assistant and what does it look like?

The touch assistant (or Assistive Ball in the English version of MIUI) is a floating icon on the screen that, when you click on it, opens a quick-action menu. In Redmi 9 Pro, it is presented as a translucent mug that can be moved around the edges of the display.

By default, the panel includes three main buttons:

• 🔙 Back – returns to the previous screen (analogue of the physical button).
• 🏠 Home - Goes to the main screen.
• 📄 Recent – Opens a list of recent apps.

However, the functionality is not limited to this. You can add additional elements to the settings, such as:

• 🔍 Search – Quick Call of the Search Line.
• 🔧 Settings – instant access to the control panel.
• 📱 Screen menu – expanded list of actions (screenshot, screen lock, etc.).
• 🔄 Screen rotation – forced change of orientation.

It’s important to note that the touch assistant doesn’t replace navigation gestures (if enabled), but complements them, making it a versatile tool for users with different preferences.

How to turn on the touch assistant on Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro

You can activate the function through the standard MIUI settings. Here is the step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the Settings app (cog icon).
2. Go to Special Features (or Additional Settings → Special Features in some firmware versions).
3. Select Touch Assistant (can be called Assistive Ball or Floating Panel).
4. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.

Once turned on, a translucent circle will appear on the screen (in the lower right corner by default), which can be dragged around the edges of the display, but not in the center - this is done to avoid accidental pressing.

If the icon does not appear, make sure that:

• 🔄 You have the latest version installed. MIUI (Updates can add new functions).
• 📱 The display settings do not activate the "For the visually impaired" mode (it can block floating elements).
• 🔧 No conflicts with other overlay applications (e.g. Blue Light Filter or Game Turbo).

💡

If the touch assistant disappears after the reboot, try resetting the special features settings in Settings → Special. features → Reset.

Customization and customization of the sensory assistant

You can change the standard set of buttons in the assistant to suit your needs.

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Touch Assistant.
2. Click on Setting up the menu (or Edit icons).
3. Add or remove items by dragging them between Active and Inactive sections.
4. Click Ready to save the changes.

You can also set up:

A unique feature of the Redmi 9 Pro: in this model, the touch assistant supports quick actions when holding an icon (for example, a long press on Home opens the Google voice assistant).

When a sensory assistant is really useful

Many Redmi 9 Pro users underestimate this feature, considering it unnecessary, but there are situations where it becomes indispensable:

⚠️ Attention: Touch assistant may conflict with some games or apps that use overlays (e.g. Facebook Messenger with chat heads.

Examples where the function will be useful:

• 🎮 Game mode: if the game does not work gestures or navigation buttons, the assistant will quickly return to the main screen.
• 📱 One hand: for owners of smartphones with a large screen (like the Redmi 9 Pro) to reach the top edge of the display is difficult.
• 🔧 Faulty buttons: If the physical keys fail, the virtual bar will be a temporary replacement.
• 👨💻 Multi-window: Quick access to recent apps makes multitasking easier.

It's also useful for people with disabilities who have a hard time pressing small physical buttons, and MIUI has separate settings to adapt the interface to these situations.

💡

The Touch Assistant does not consume an additional battery, as it is integrated into the MIUI system process and is not a separate application.

Common problems and their solution

Despite its simplicity, Redmi 9 Pro users sometimes have difficulty with the touch assistant.

Problem 1: The assistant icon doesn’t appear after turning on.

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 📱 Check if another app is blocking it (like Second Space or Parallel Apps).
• 🔧 Update. MIUI last-minute.

Problem 2: The assistant interferes with games or applications.

• 🎮 Enable the option in the assistant settings to "Hide in full-screen applications".
• 🔙 Temporarily turn it off via the notification panel (if the appropriate switch is added).

Problem 3: Some buttons (such as “Recent”) are not working.

• 🔧 Reconfigure the menu in Settings → Special opportunities → Touch assistant → Setting up the menu.
• 📱 Check if the assistant is in conflict with navigation gestures (turn off gestures in Settings). → Display. → Navigation buttons).

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI So the sensor assistant is not working properly, so try resetting the special settings. → Special opportunities → Reset and select the appropriate item. This won't affect your data, but it will return all the parameters of availability to the factory.

Alternatives to the touch assistant in Xiaomi Redmi 9 Pro

If a standard tool doesn’t suit you, you can consider alternative management options:

1. Navigation gestures

MIUI has a built-in gesture system that completely replaces the buttons.

1. Go to Settings → Display → Navigation buttons.
2. Select Gesture Mode (or Full Screen Gestures).
3. Check out the usage tips (bottom-up swipe for Home, swipe and retention for Recent, etc.).

Third-party annexes

Google Play has analogues with advanced functionality, for example:

• 📱 Floating Touch – customizable floating panel with macro support.
• 🎛️ Assistive Touch – an alternative with additional gestures.
• 🔧 EasyTouch – includes fast action for system functions.

3.Voice assistant

You can use Google Assistant or XiaoAI (XiaoAI built-in assistant) to control without hands, for example, the phrase "OK, Google, go back" will perform the corresponding action.

But third-party solutions have downsides: they can consume more battery and require additional permissions, and the standard touch assistant is more reliable.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions