Touch Assistant in Xiaomi Redmi 9: features, configuration and problem solving

The touch assistant in Xiaomi Redmi 9 is one of those features that often go unnoticed, but can greatly simplify the interaction with a smartphone. MIUI, It allows you to control your device with gestures without having to use physical buttons or standard taps on the screen, and it is especially useful for users with disabilities, and in situations where one hand is busy or the screen is contaminated.

Many Redmi 9 owners are unaware of the option, as it is disabled by default. Meanwhile, the touch assistant can replace virtual navigation buttons, add quick actions for frequently used functions (such as returning to the home screen or calling a voice assistant), and even simulate clicks in games. In this article, we will discuss in detail what this feature is, how to activate it, customize it to your needs and fix possible problems.

What is a sensory assistant and why do you need it?

Touch Assistant (in some versions) MIUI It's called the floating button, or the Assistive Touch, which is a virtual control that appears on top of all applications, and it's basically a translucent circle or dot that you can move around the edges of the screen, and you tap it and you open a menu with quick actions: Back to the main screen, calling a list of recent apps, locking the screen and other.

The main advantages of the function:

• 🔄 Replacing hardware buttons is useful if physical navigation keys or touch areas fail.
• ⚡ Quick action access – no need to reach for the top of the screen (for example, for swipe down for notification bar).
• 🎮 Comfort in games – you can assign gestures to simulate taps or swipes without blocking the game interface.
• 👆 Adaptation under one hand – all controls are concentrated in one point, which simplifies the work with large screens.

At Xiaomi Redmi. 9 sensory assistant is implemented taking into account the features MIUI 12/13 (It supports customization: you can change the size, transparency, set of actions and even add your own gestures, for example, double tapping on the assistant can open Google Assistant, and a long tap can start a screenshot.

How to turn on the touch assistant on Redmi 9

The function can be activated through standard settings. MIUI. Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Special Features section (in some versions – Additional settings → Special features).
3. Select Touch Assistant (or Floating Button).
4. Activate the slider at the top of the screen.

Once turned on, a semi-transparent 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 clicks while working with applications.

Check out the MIUI version (Settings → About the phone)

Update the firmware to the latest version

Close all background applications

Make a backup of settings (Settings) → Additionally. → Backup)-->

If the item “Touch Assistant” is not on the menu, it can mean:

• 📱 You have an outdated version. MIUI (Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system).
• 🔧 The function is disabled at the regional settings level (solved by changing the region to India or the Global version in the developer settings).
• 🛠️ The phone has custom firmware without the support of special features.

💡

If the touch assistant doesn’t appear after turning on, restart the phone – sometimes the feature is only activated after the reboot.

Setting up a sensory assistant: personalization to your needs

The basic assistant configuration includes 5 actions: Back, Home, Recent, Lock and Screenshot, but it can be completely redesigned for you.

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → Touch Assistant.
2. Click on the icon settings (or floating button settings).
3. In the Actions section, select which functions will be available when:

Available actions (the list may vary depending on the version) MIUI):

You can also set up:

• 🎨 Change the size and transparency of the icon (useful if it interferes with games or videos).
• 🔄 Select the default position (left or right edge of the screen).
• 🔒 Block the movement of the icon (to avoid accidental shifts).
• 🤖 Add voice commands (in conjunction with Google Assistant or Xiao) AI).

Unique feature MIUI Redmi 9: The touch assistant can simulate navigation gestures (swipes), which is useful in games with support for touch control (for example, the touch assistant can simulate navigation gestures, PUBG To do this, in the assistant settings, you need to activate the “Gests” option and configure touch zones.

Problems with the sensory assistant and their solutions

Despite the convenience, Redmi 9 users sometimes experience a feature malfunction, and let’s look at the most common ones and how to fix them.

⚠️ Warning: If the touch assistant disappears after locking the screen, check the power saving settings. Some modes (e.g., Ultra-Economic) may turn off background processes, including special features.

Problem 1: The assistant icon does not appear after switching on.

• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes the function is activated only after a reboot.
• 📱 Check if special features are disabled in the security settings (Preferred Applications section).
• 🛠️ Reset the special features settings to factory (Settings) → Special opportunities → Reset).

Problem 2: Helper interferes with games or videos.

• 🎮 Reduce the size of the icon and set transparency by 30-50%.
• 🔧 In the assistant settings, activate the option “Hide in full-screen applications».
• 🖥️ For games, use the “Game Space” mode (Settings) → Special opportunities → Game space that automatically hides virtual buttons.

Problem 3: The assistant gestures are delayed.

• 📵 Check if your phone is overloaded with background processes (close unnecessary apps in the menu of recent ones).
• 🔋 Activate the performance mode in the battery settings (Settings) → Battery → Performance mode).
• 🔄 Update the firmware - in older versions MIUI There were bugs with the response of the sensory assistant.

💡

If the sensor assistant stopped working after the update MIUI, Try to clear the cache of the Settings app (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Settings → Clear the cache).

Touch Assistant vs. Navigation Gestures: Which is Better

Many users of Xiaomi Redmi 9 are wondering whether to use a touch assistant, if you are not a user of the device. MIUI already have built-in navigation gestures (swipes from the bottom edge of the screen)? the answer depends on your habits and use cases.

Advantages of the sensory assistant:

• 👆 Universality – works in any application, even if it blocks system gestures (for example, in some banking apps).
• 🎯 Accuracy – does not require wide swipes, which is convenient on large screens.
• 🔧 Customization – you can assign any action, including launching apps or voice assistant.

Advantages of navigation gestures:

• 🖥️ Minimalism – no additional elements on the screen.
• ⚡ Speed – Swipes are often faster than clicking a virtual button.
• 📱 Modernity – gestures match the trends of the latest versions of Android.

The best solution is a combination of these.

• In everyday tasks (scrolling tape, messengers) – gestures of navigation.
• In games or applications with non-standard control – touch assistant.
• For quick access to functions (screenshots, lock) – double / long presses on the assistant.

Hidden features of the touch assistant on Redmi 9

In addition to the basic features, the Xiaomi Redmi 9 touch assistant hides a few useful features that few people know about.

1. Simulating physical buttons

If your phone’s power or volume button breaks, the assistant can replace them:

1. In the assistant settings, select Long Press.
2. Set the “Screen Lock” action (replace the power button).
3. For volume, add the actions "Loudness" +» and "Loudness -" on a double press.

2. Quick launch of Google Assistant

You can configure the voice assistant call without holding the home button:

1. In the assistant settings, select Double Press.
2. Set up the action "Voice Assistant."
3. Now the double tap icon will activate Google Assistant or Xiao AI (depending on the region).

3. Multimedia management

The assistant can become a remote for the player:

• 🎵 Set up a single tap – “Play/pause».
• 🔊 On Double Press – “Next Track».
• 🔇 On Long Press - "Previous Track».

4. Screenshots and screen recording

You can capture the screen or start recording without using physical buttons:

1. In the assistant settings, add the action "Screenshot" to one of the clicks.
2. To record the screen, assign “Screen Recording” (pre-enable this function in Settings). → Additionally. → Screen recording).

Touch assistant and performance: does it affect the battery?

One of the common questions is, does the touch assistant discharge the battery faster? The answer is yes, but not much. According to tests, the virtual button consumes about 1-3% of the charge per hour when it is used actively (constant pressing), while if the assistant is just hanging on the screen without interaction, the consumption is minimal — comparable to the background consumption of any system process.

To minimize the impact on autonomy:

• 🔋 Turn off the assistant when you don’t need it (for example, at night).
• 📉 Reduce the transparency of the icon – this will reduce the load on the GPU rendering.
• 🛠️ In battery settings (Settings) → Battery → Consumption management) add “Special features” to the list of optimized consumption applications.

By comparison, navigation gestures consume even less power because they don’t require additional elements to be displayed on the screen, but the difference is not critical – in practice, the touch assistant will not cause a noticeable reduction in the Redmi 9’s running time.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone starts to warm up after activating the assistant, check if it conflicts with other features (for example, Screen Enlargement or Color Correction). → Special opportunities.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the touch assistant at Redmi 9