The number symbol on the keyboard Xiaomi: where to look and how to turn on

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the standard set of characters on the virtual keyboard seems insufficient for specific tasks, especially when filling out complex forms, entering technical data or navigating a menu that requires a number symbol (grating) designated as #. At first glance, it may seem that this sign has disappeared or moved into deep system settings, causing confusion among users accustomed to the standard layout.

But in the MIUI operating shell and the new HyperOS, the character logic is designed to keep the main input screen from cluttering. The number symbol is still there, it's just hidden at an extra level or available through input mode switching. Understanding the structure of the Gboard keyboard or the standard Mi keyboard allows you to find the necessary signs in seconds without resorting to third-party applications.

In this article, we will discuss in detail where exactly on the keyboard of the Xiaomi phone the desired sign is hiding, how to change the settings for its permanent display and what alternative ways of entering are available. You will learn about the intricacies of working with a digital block and learn how to quickly switch between modes, which will significantly speed up your work with text and numbers.

The main location of the symbol of the lattice in numerical mode

The most obvious and frequently used way to find the # character is to digitally switch the keyboard. On Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, the default is pre-installed Gboard keyboard or modification, which has a clear layout switching structure. When you are in the input field, the bottom row of the keys contains a switch to numbers and characters, usually marked as?123 or arrow down.

Once you press this button, the basic alphabetic layout is replaced by a set of digits from 0 to 9. It is in this mode that the grid you want is usually located in the lower right or upper right corner (depending on the version of the shell), which often coexists with an asterisk * and plus +, forming a group of basic mathematical and telephone characters, a standard position for landline telephone users.

But there's a caveat: if you just press one of the numbers, the keyboard can automatically suggest the predicted characters at the top. MIUI The number symbol may appear temporarily, but for guaranteed input, you better use the main digital block. If you can't see the grid right away, you may have activated the digit mode only, without additional characters, which is solved by pressing a button. =\\< or similar, opening the second page of the characters.

• 📱 Press the?123 button in the lower left corner of the keyboard to go to the numbers.
• 🔢 Look for the # symbol in the lower right corner of the numerical bar.
• 🔄 If there is no sign, click the click on the second page of the characters (usually next to the return button).
• ⌨️ Use a long press on the number 0 or 1, sometimes there are hidden additional options.

Second page of characters and hidden menus

Modern virtual keyboards have limited space, so developers hide less-used characters on additional pages, and if you don't find a number symbol in the main numerical mode, you need to move to the next layer of nesting. On the Gboard keyboard in the shell of Xiaomi, a button is responsible for this, often having the form of an arrow or a sign. =\\<, left-handed.

The second page contains various special signs, currencies and mathematical operators, where the # symbol can be placed in the top row or grouped with other punctuation marks. It is important to note that in some MIUI design themes icons can be replaced or hidden, so the visual perception may differ from the standard. This section also often contains paragraph symbols, copyright and other specific signs.

For those who use technical notations frequently, there is an option to access an even deeper character menu. A long press on some keys opens a pop-up with alternatives. For example, a long press on a question mark or a dot can give you additional punctuation options. Although the grille is rare, it is useful for finding similar characters in meaning or visual design.

⚠️ Note: Do not confuse the # (grating) symbol with the sign number symbol №. They have different Unicode encoding and can be displayed differently in different applications or when sending messages to other countries. №, which is in the currency symbol section or on the second page of the characters.

Setting up the Gboard keyboard for quick access

The standard input settings on Xiaomi smartphones allow you to customize the keyboard to your needs. If you are constantly looking for where the number symbol is, it would be more logical to set up quick access to it. In the Gboard application, which is the default system, you can include an additional character bar above the digital row.

This requires you to go to the keyboard settings, usually by long comma tapping or through the Settings -> System -> Language and input menu. In the Preferences or Keyboard Settings section, you can find the option "Show the Character Bar" and activating this feature will add a row of frequently used characters, including a grille, over the numbers, eliminating the need to switch pages.

You should also look at the Character Suggestion feature, which when you turn it on, when you type text, the keyboard itself offers appropriate signs above the main keystring. For example, when you type the word "number" or "number"1," a # option may appear above the keyboard. This is an intelligent function that learns from your input habits.

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To keep characters from disappearing after the first use, turn on the “Delayed Hiding of the Character Bar” feature in the advanced Gboard settings. This will give you more time to choose the desired sign.

Another useful life hack for Xiaomi owners is the use of macros or text substitutions, and in the dictionary settings, you can create a rule that when you enter a certain combination (for example, "num"), you automatically insert a number symbol or a whole phrase with it, which is especially useful when you often fill out the same types of forms or work with technical documents.

Use of voice input and dictation

And remember, modern Xiaomi smartphones have powerful speech recognition systems, and if you're in a situation where it's not easy to search for a character with your hands, or the keyboard is not working properly, you can use voice input. Press the microphone icon on the keyboard and clearly say "Grid" or "Number symbol."

Google Voice Typing, which is integrated into MIUI, is smart enough to understand context. If you dictate a phone number or technical code, it often sets the necessary separators itself, but to guarantee the result, you better use the "Grid symbol" command, and then the sign will appear in the text box, and you can continue to type manually.

Voice input is particularly effective when you need to type in a long sequence of characters that includes grilles, such as hash tags or access codes. Instead of switching the layout ten times, it is easier to dictate, "Grid, five, six, grille, seven," which saves time and reduces the risk of tap error on the small buttons on the screen.

• 🎙️ Press and hold the microphone icon on the keyboard.
• 🗣️ Say the command "Grate symbol" or simply "Grates».
• ✅ Check the text that appears and continue entering.
• 🌐 Make sure you choose the correct recognition language for accuracy.

Table of the arrangement of symbols in different modes

To organize information about the location of the number sign and associated characters on the Xiaomi keyboard, it is convenient to use the pivot table. It will help you quickly navigate which menu to look for the desired sign depending on your current task and the version of the shell.

As you can see from the table, the most stable place for a number symbol is digital mode. However, if you're working with text, switching there can be inconvenient, so the best solution is to set up the sentence bar or use the second page of characters, where the grille often coexists with other technical signs.

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The fastest way to find the # symbol on Xiaomi is to go to Number Mode (£123), where it is located in the lower right corner by default on all versions of MIUI.

Solving Problems With No Symbol

There are times when the number symbol is physically missing from the keyboard or not entered when you press it, which may be due to a keyboard application error, third-party design conflict, or Android system failures, and the first step in this situation should be to clear the Gboard or MIUI Keyboard app cache.

To do this, go to Settings -> Apps -> All apps, find your keyboard and select Clear Cache. Don't worry, this won't delete your dictionary, but will reset temporary files that could have caused the interface glitch.

If the problem persists, check if you have a third-party theme installed that changes fonts or layout.Some custom themes can hide certain characters or replace them with unreadable glyphs. Go back to the standard Xiaomi theme and check for a character. It's also worth making sure the system has the latest security updates and keyboard patches installed through Google Play.

⚠️ Note: If you use third-party keyboards (e.g. SwiftKey or Yandex.Key), the character arrangement may differ from the one described above. In such cases, look for layout settings inside the keyboard application itself, not in the phone settings.

Alternative methods of input and copying

In extreme cases, if none of the above methods work or the keyboard is unpredictable, you can use the clipboard. You can copy the number symbol from this article or any other source and paste it in the right place. It's a temporary solution, but it allows you to do it right now.

Just highlight this symbol: #, click Copy, and then in the input field on your phone select "Enter." The MIUI operating system has a handy clipboard that stores the copy history, so that the symbol will remain available even after the reboot, unless you clear the manually buffer.

Also for programmers or IT-And the people who work with Xiaomi phones can actually type the character through the code, knowing that the symbol code is in the grid. ASCII Unicode is universal, it can be inserted through special terminal emulator applications if you use your phone for debugging or remote server management.

To sum up, finding a number symbol on a Xiaomi keyboard is a matter of knowing basic navigation through the input interface. Standard digital location, the ability to customize the quick access panel and voice input give the user all the tools they need. Competently adjusting the keyboard to fit your habits will allow you to forget about searching for signs and focus on the content of the input text.