Modern smartphones, especially models from Chinese giant Xiaomi, offer users not just phone calls, but full-fledged mobile workstations. One of the key features that fundamentally changes the way multitasking is done is pop-ups, which many owners of Redmi and Poco devices encounter accidentally or purposefully look for ways to activate them to improve productivity.
In the Android operating system, which uses the shell MIUI or the new HyperOS, this functionality is implemented deep enough, but not always obvious to the beginner. Floating windows allow you to run applications on top of other programs, creating the effect of a desktop interface. This can be a messenger, a calculator or a video player that remains active while you flip through the news feed or work with documents.
But the term pop-ups can be misleading, as it encompasses two fundamentally different things: it’s a useful tool for advanced users, and it’s also a invasive ad or system notification that you want to get rid of. Understanding the difference between these types of windows is critical to making your Redmi comfortable.
Types of pop-up windows in the Xiaomi ecosystem
The first thing you need to do to manage the interface properly is to categorize what you see on the screen. There are three basic types of floating elements in Xiaomi smartphones. System floating windows are a legitimate multitasking tool built into by developers, and they allow you to run applications in thumbnails, drag and drop them around the screen and resize them.
The second type is notifications and banners, which can come from apps you have installed, like an email client or messenger, and these windows usually appear at the top of the screen and disappear after a few seconds if you don't click on them, and their behavior is customized in the notification section of a particular application.
The third type is adware, which is often confused with system functions, which can appear when you unlock your screen or when you use your browser, and it's important to be able to distinguish them, because the methods of dealing with them are radically different from the way you configure useful functionality.
- 📱 Floating apps: full-fledged mini-windows of programs that can move your finger.
- 🔔 Top Notification Bar: Short Messages Dropping Down from Top of Screen.
- 🚫 Advertising pop-ups: Intrusive offers often requiring disabling in security settings.
⚠️ Note: If a pop-up appears suddenly while playing or watching a video and suggests "clean up the virus" or "win the iPhone," in no case do not follow the links inside it.
By understanding the types, you can more accurately determine which feature you need to configure, and then we will look at how to activate the useful floating window mode to improve efficiency.
How to enable floating windows (Floating Windows)
Known as Floating Windows or Floating Windows, it is part of the MIUI and HyperOS interface. It doesn't require superuser rights or third-party software to activate it. It's done through standard system settings. First, make sure your smartphone is updated to the latest available version of the software.
The main activation method is related to the recent app menu, where when you swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger (or press the menu button), you open a list of running programs. Each app icon usually displays a small horizontal bar or icon, and this control is responsible for the additional actions with the window.
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If you don’t see a floating window icon, try updating the Security app and System Framework components through the GetApps or Mi Store app.
To run the app in floating mode, click on the icon and select the option "Floating window." After that, the program will open in a small rectangle that can be moved throughout the display, which is especially convenient for video calls or watching videos from YouTube in parallel with correspondence.
- 🖱️ Two-finger swipe: In some versions of the firmware, you can simply swipe two fingers from the corner of the screen inside to activate the sidebar.
- ⚙️ Special Options Settings: Check if the Sidebar option is included in the Special Options menu.
- 🔄 Control gestures: learn gestures to resize the window (pull the corner) and fold (pull down).
Using this mode turns your Redmi into a powerful multitasking tool, so you can respond to Telegram messages while you watch a movie, or keep your calculator open while you work with spreadsheets.
Setting up the sidebar for quick access
To make it even more convenient to control floating windows, Xiaomi smartphones have a Sidebar, a narrow strip hidden behind the screen that leaves when you swipe from the edge, and it serves as quick access to select apps in floating window mode.
To configure this tool, go to Settings, then select Additional (or "Advanced Settings") and find Floating Windows or Sidebar. Here you will see the activation switch of the function. Once the slider is turned on, the system will prompt you to select the applications that will be displayed in the panel.
Path to setup: Settings → Additional → Floating Windows → SidebarYou can list the apps you use most, like messengers, notes, calculators, and video players, and then you set up, just swipe from the edge of the screen at any time, and you can access those apps and run them on top of the current app.
☑️ Setting up the sidebar
This feature is especially useful for gamers. You can add a toolbar to record the screen or change the brightness without leaving the game, but it is worth remembering that too many active floating windows can consume RAM.
Windows management: sizes, fixing and groups
When a floating window is launched, you have a wide range of controls. The floating window interface typically has three basic control buttons at the bottom: roll, turn full screen and close. But there are more subtle settings.
Pulling the bottom right or left corner of the window can change the size of the window, allowing you to tailor the interface to a specific task: make the window narrow for texting or wide for viewing a map, and you can drag and drop windows to any part of the screen without overlapping important elements of the main application.
| Action. | Gesture or button | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Change of size | Pull the corner | The window gets bigger or smaller. |
| Relocation | Drag over the top of the line | The window moves across the screen. |
| Curtailment | Pull down or press-- | The window turns into a small round icon. |
| Screen splitting | Select "Share-Screen" | The screen is divided into two equal parts |
One of the most powerful features is the ability to create groups of windows, so you can put a bunch of floating apps in a pile and switch between them with a single touch, and this allows you to organize the workflow by project: for example, one group for work (mail, documents), another for recreation (social networks, videos).
The Developer's Secret Menu
Keep in mind that pins allow it to stay on top of others even when switching tasks, which is useful if you want an instruction or video to be always in front of your eyes.
The problem of advertising pop-ups and their blocking
The topic of unwanted advertising deserves special attention, as users often complain that their Redmis themselves open windows with suggestions to install games or clear memory, which is the work of MSA (MIUI System Ads) and other advertising modules built into the shell.
To get rid of this, you need to do a number of things: first, turn off personalized ads in your Mi Account settings. Second, find the msa app in your installed program list and turn off recommendations. The path to it is often hidden: Settings → Passwords and security → Access to personal data.
⚠️ Note: When you turn off the msa service, the system may ask you to wait 10 seconds before confirming several times.This is an artificial delay, just wait for the timer to end and press "Cancel" again.
Also check the permissions for the Security and Download app, which are often responsible for pop-up banners. If the ads continue to appear, install an ad blocker or change the ad blocker. DNS-server in Wi-Fi and mobile network settings to an address blocking trackers (e.g. dns.adguard.com).
- 🛑 Shutdown MSA: The main way to remove system advertising.
- 🔍 Checking installed apps: Remove suspicious programs you didn’t install.
- 🌐 Shift. DNS: Effective method of blocking advertising at the network level.
Fighting advertising windows is an important step in setting up any Xiaomi smartphone.A clean interface is not only more visually pleasing, but also saves battery power and traffic.
The Impact of Floating Windows on Performance and Battery
Multiple active windows inevitably affect device resources. RAM is the first resource to be consumed. If you have a model with 4GB of memory or less, running three heavy applications in floating mode at the same time can lead to them being uploaded from memory or slowing down the system.
The processor also gets an extra load. Even if the application is rolled up into a small window, it continues to consume CPU cycles to render images and update content. This directly affects autonomy. Active use of floating windows can reduce battery life by 15-20% compared to conventional use.
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For devices with less than 6GB of storage, it is recommended to keep no more than two floating windows open at the same time to avoid lag.
However, the current Snapdragon and MediaTek processors used in Redmi are powerful enough to handle this task. 4K-In such cases, the system itself can suggest closing the background processes.
Watch the heating of the case. If you notice that the phone has become hot using floating windows, it is better to close the unnecessary applications. Prolonged overheating is harmful to the lithium polymer battery and can lead to its degradation.