Many Xiaomi smartphone users, when they first encounter the MIUI or HyperOS shell, notice the unusual behavior of apps that instead of a full screen are displayed in a reduced format on top of other programs. Xiaomi floating windows are a powerful multitasking tool that allows you to use several applications simultaneously without switching between them in standard mode. This feature radically changes the approach to working with a gadget, turning a smartphone into a desktop computer with open windows.
This feature is especially relevant for owners of devices with large screen sizes, where standard screen splitting may not be enough for comfortable navigation. MIUI offers flexible size and position settings, which makes the use of instant messengers, video players and browsers as convenient as possible. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to activate this mode, what limitations exist and how to fix possible errors in the interface.
Understanding the principles of floating windows will help you to significantly improve productivity when using a smartphone, you can watch videos while texting or keep a calculator open on top of a document without losing a second switching tabs, and it's not just a visual effect, it's a complete system for managing running processes.
The basic concept and advantages of the function
Floating window technology, often referred to as "Floating Windows" or "Freeform," represents an evolution of standard multitasking. Unlike splitting the screen, where the display is divided strictly in half or in a predetermined proportion, a floating window can be located anywhere on the screen and have an arbitrary size. The MIUI interface allows you to drag and drop such windows with your finger, tweak them with a pinch, and even fold them into a small icon while continuing to play media or waiting for a response in a chat.
The main advantage is the ability to control multiple streams of information simultaneously without losing context. For example, you can study the route map in the navigator while the messenger window is open, and on top of it all a timer or calculator is running. Android’s priority system in conjunction with the Xiaomi shell ensures that the active window will work smoothly and the background processes will not consume excess resources.
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Use floating windows for video calls: so you can flip through social media feeds or respond to messages while the interlocutor sees you in a small window.
Importantly, not all applications support this format equally well. Some programs can be forced to deploy to the full screen due to the nature of their layout, but most modern applications are adapted to flexible window management, and the user gets full control of the workspace, which is especially valuable when watching training videos or broadcasts, when you need to take notes in parallel.
Methods of activating the floating mode
The MIUI shell has several methods for putting an application in floating window mode, and the choice of the specific method depends on your firmware version and personal preferences. The most common method is using the menu of recent applications. To do this, you need to open the desired program, swipe from the bottom up to hold your finger to go to the menu of running tasks, and then click on the application icon at the top of the card.
The second way is to use the sidebar of the tools, if it's activated in the settings. You can pull the curtain from the side of the screen at any time, find the desired application in the list and drag it to the center of the display. The sidebar is the fastest way to run a calculator, voice recorder or messenger on top of any other program without interrupting current activities.
- 📱 Click on the icon in the recent task menu to select the display mode.
- 🖱️ Drag the application from the sidebar directly to the desktop.
- ⚙️ Use of special gestures in the menu "Multi-tasking" in the system settings.
- 📂 Running some system slits through a long tap on their icon.
The third option is available on some firmware versions, and is to use a special gesture: if you swipe from the corner of the screen to the center and hold it, you can fold the active application into floating mode. However, this method requires calibration and can conflict with system navigation, so it is more often used by experienced users who have customized special features for themselves.
Size and positioning management
Once the window is floating, the user can use the full range of geometry manipulations. The top of the floating window is usually a thin stripe or marker that allows you to move the window anywhere on the screen, allowing you to make room for the main content, leaving only the necessary part of the interface of the secondary application in view. Positioning is especially important on smartphones with camera cutouts, so that the interface is not overlapped by the technical elements of the display.
Size change is done in the standard way for touch screens: using two fingers (plugs), you can stretch or compress the window to the desired proportions. The minimum size is limited by system requirements to keep the application interface readable, and the maximum is usually about 70-80% of the screen area so that part of the main application is always visible. The MIUI system automatically attaches windows to the edges of the screen for convenience, creating a kind of grid.
☑️ Setting up the ideal workspace
⚠️ Note: When the window is reduced to a minimum size, some elements of the application interface may become unreadable or hidden, since the layout of the program does not always have time to adapt to a very small area.
There's also a quick switch between full screen and floating mode, and double tapping on the top bar of the window, or selecting the appropriate item in the context menu, allows you to instantly deploy the app, which is convenient when you need to quickly familiarize yourself with the details, and then bring it back, and the flexibility of the control makes working with multiple tasks intuitive even for beginners.
Comparison of application display modes
To better understand when floating windows are best and when standard split screens are best, consider a mode comparison table. Each has its own use cases, and knowing how they differ will help optimize workflow on a Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO smartphone.
| Characteristics | Floating window | Screen splitting | Full screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area occupied | Arbitrary (part of the screen) | 50% or fixed share | 100% display |
| Number of windows | Several times at once | Maximum two. | One active |
| Mobility | High (can be moved) | Low (fixed) | Absent. |
| Script | Background tasks, chats | Comparison of data, copying | Watching videos, playing games |
And you can see from the table that floating mode is a winner in scenarios where you have to have access to three or more apps at once. For example, you can chat in two different instant messengers and watch video at the same time. Splitting the screen here is no longer a good thing, because it's limited to two active zones. However, for serious work with text or tables where you need every pixel line, you better still use a full screen or a classic split screen.
While modern Xiaomi smartphone processors are powerful, running multiple active windows can speed up battery drain. Floating windows continue to consume RAM and CPU time even if they are folded into a corner, so don’t keep a dozen of them open if they’re not in use right now.
Setting up the sidebar and shortcuts
To make multitasking more comfortable, it’s critical to set up the sidebar correctly. This is the repository of your favorite apps that you plan to run in floating mode most often. To get into the settings, go to Settings → Special Features → Sidebar. Here you can turn on the feature and select a list of displayed apps.
In the sidebar control menu, you can not only add or remove shortcuts, but also sort them by frequency of use. It makes sense to put messengers, calculators, voice recorders, translators and notes there. These utilities are most often needed on the fly on top of other programs. Customization of the list takes a couple of minutes, but greatly speeds up access to functions in the future.
The Secret Function of the Side Panel
You can also activate app-specific shortcuts in the panel settings, for example, you can set the browser to automatically display translator shortcuts and a notebook when you open the browser, and this context-sensitive menu helps you keep only tools that are relevant to the current task, without cluttering the interface with unnecessary elements.
Possible problems and solutions
Despite the system's fine-tuning, users may be faced with the nuances of floating windows, and one of the common problems is that they can't change the size of the window or move it. This is often due to the fact that the application itself does not support zooming or has strict requirements for screen orientation. → Screen. → Orientation.
Another common situation is spontaneous closing of a floating window or a main application, which is due to a lack of RAM. If you run a heavy application (for example, a game) and several floating windows, the system can begin aggressively clearing the memory by closing the background processes, in which case memory optimization requires closing of unnecessary programs.
- 🔄 Rebooting the device often solves problems with the freeze window interface.
- 🚫 Disabling energy savings for the right applications prevents them from unloading.
- 📉 Reducing the number of animations on the developer menu speeds up response.
- 🛡️ Permissions Checker: Some apps don’t have the right to display on top of others.
⚠️ Note: If the floating window overrides important system controls (such as the Back button or status bar), try moving it to the opposite corner or temporarily rolling it into minimum mode.
In rare cases, you can see the sound being out of sync, with audio playing and video in a floating window frozen, and this is treated by restarting a particular application. It's also worth remembering that on older smartphones with less powerful processors, using multiple floating windows can lead to noticeable heating of the case and a decrease in the overall responsiveness of the MIUI interface.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can a floating window be made transparent?
Why does the keyboard block the floating window?
Does the floating window remain in condition after resetting?
Do floating windows work in games?
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Floating windows on Xiaomi are not just a visual feature, but a full-fledged tool to improve efficiency, allowing you to turn your smartphone into a multifunctional workstation.