How to turn off the T9 on Xiaomi: the complete guide to setup

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are equipped with advanced predictive typing systems, often referred to as “T9” from old memory. However, many users are faced with intrusive keyboard behavior that constantly “corrects” words in its own way, changes the register of letters or offers inappropriate options, which is especially annoying when printing quickly or using specific terms, slang and proper names.

Owners of Redmi and Poco devices often look for a way to completely deactivate this feature to gain full control of the text input. In the Android operating system, which runs the MIUI or HyperOS shell, these processes are not the responsibility of the system module, but a specific keyboard application, most often the standard Gboard from Google, but other options may occur.

The process of disabling autocorrection and predictive dialing does not require root rights or complex engineering menus. All the necessary switches are hidden in the depth of the settings of the input application itself. Understanding the structure of the menu will allow you to quickly find the right switch and regain comfort when communicating in messengers or working with documents.

Understand in terms: T9, autocorrection and predictive set

Before you get into the settings, it is important to clearly understand the difference between the features that users often combine under the common name "T9." The classic T9 (Text on 9 keys) is a technology that allowed you to print messages on button phones, where one digital key corresponded to several letters.

What we see on a smartphone display is more accurately called predictive input and autocorrection. Predictive input analyzes the frequency of word usage and the context of the phrase, suggesting options for continuation over the keyboard. Autocorrect automatically replaces the entered word with the one that the algorithm believes is correct, even if you did not ask for it.

Aggressive autocorrection is the most common cause of discomfort, which can ignore your communication style, change word endings, or “correct” technical jargon into literary norms, and disabling these features will give you full control, causing the keyboard to type exactly what you press without further ado.

⚠️ Warning: Disabling the predictive set completely can reduce the speed of printing, as you will have to manually type each word in its entirety, without the help of prompts.

Search and log in to the Gboard keyboard settings

The vast majority of Xiaomi smartphones have the default Gboard keyboard installed. To get to its deep settings, you don't have to look for the app icon in the general menu. The easiest way to call the keyboard is in any input field, such as in browser search or in notes.

On the toolbar above the rows of letters, you need to find the gear icon. If it's not on the visible part of the panel, click on the four-square icon or the arrow to the right to expand the additional menu, and that's where the Settings login is hidden.

An alternative route is through the phone's system menu. You need to go to Settings → Additional Settings → Language and input. Here, under Current Keyboard or Keyboard Management, you can select the active application and go to its configuration. This method is universal and works even if the settings icon on the keyboard itself is hidden.

The settings interface may vary slightly depending on the Android version and the MIUI shell. However, the logic of the partitioning remains the same: all the functions associated with text correction are grouped in a separate block, which we will discuss in detail.

Disabling autocorrection and smart input

Once you log into the Gboard settings menu, we're interested in a section that's usually called "Text correction" or "Input settings," and that's where the keyboard behavior controls are, and the first and most important switch is Autocorrection.

When active, this parameter causes the keyboard to instantly replace the word with the first sentence in the dictionary immediately after entering a space or punctuation mark, and disabling this feature means that the word will remain the way you typed it, even if the system considers it to be incorrect.

Auto-Capitalization is often next to auto-correction, and it automatically capitalizes the first letter of a sentence, which is convenient for many users, but it can interfere with logins, passwords, or specific codes, and you can also deactivate it from the same menu.

Also worth noting is the "Current Tips" item, which, if it's on, will highlight the words with a red wavy line to indicate the error, and by removing that tick, you'll get rid of visual noise on the screen, which is especially true for people with poor eyesight or when using dark themes.

Set up a predictive set and hints

If autocorrection is responsible for word replacement, the predictive set offers options for the continuation of the phrase. In the Gboard settings, this parameter can be called "Quote sentence" or "Show a line of predictions."

Disabling this feature will remove the three-word bar above the keyboard, and the screen will be cleaner, so you can see more context in a correspondence or document, but you will lose the ability to quickly select frequently used words with one tap.

This section often hides the dynamic key setting, which changes the key display depending on the context (for example, offers emoticons or numbers). For those who appreciate minimalism and stability of the layout, this option is better translated into an inactive state.

Some versions of Xiaomi firmware allow you to adjust the aggressiveness of predictions. You can leave the hints on, but you can prevent the automatic insertion of a word when you press the space, leaving only a manual selection from the list.

Comparison of standard keyboard and third-party solutions

Xiaomi’s native keyboard or standard Gboard may not always meet the needs of advanced users, and it’s sometimes easier to install an alternative app that initially offers more flexible settings or a minimalist approach.

Below is a table comparing the capabilities of popular Android text input solutions so you can choose the best option for your Redmi or Poco.

Third-party keyboards like SwiftKey often have smarter learning algorithms, but may require more device resources. Google’s standard solution is the middle ground for most Xiaomi owners.

If you decide to change the keyboard, remember to go to Settings → Additional settings → Language and input and switch the default input method to the newly installed application after installation.

Problem Solving: When the settings are not saved

Sometimes users are faced with a situation when after rebooting the Xiaomi smartphone all settings are reset, and the T9 again begins to “furious”, this may be due to the operation of the MIUI optimization system, which aggressively unloads the background processes.

To get the result, you need to go to the application settings, find your keyboard in the list, and prevent it from being cleaned or restricted from background activity, and check if the Power Saving mode is on, which can block dictionaries.

⚠️ Warning: Installing keyboards from unknown sources can be dangerous.Third-party text-entry apps have access to everything you type, including passwords and map data. Use only proven apps from Google Play.

Another cause of "glutty" behavior can be a crowded dictionary cache, and in the keyboard application settings, find "Clear Data" or "Reset Dictionary," which will return the program to the factory settings, and you will have to reconfigure it, but the input errors should disappear.

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Expert advice: If you type in multiple languages often, make sure that the keyboard settings turn off the Auto-Switching Language feature, which often mistakenly changes layout when you type mixed text.

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