Modern smartphones are full of features, but basic actions remain the most popular. Owners of the popular Redmi 9T model often look for quick ways to capture what is happening on the display. This can be a correspondence in the messenger, an error in the application or just a funny meme. Regardless of the reason, the ability to quickly take a screenshot is a skill that every Android user needs.
The MIUI shell interface on the device offers many options for doing this. Standard methods work consistently, but there are hidden opportunities that not everyone knows about. Understanding all the options available will allow you to save time and interact with the interface more effectively in all situations.
In this detailed guide, we will look at every screenshot method available, system settings, physical buttons and voice controls, and focus on editing the images and solving typical problems when trying to save the contents of the screen.
Using physical buttons for screenshots
The most common and reliable method familiar to every Xiaomi smartphone user is to use a key combination. On the side of the Redmi 9T case are power and volume buttons. To instantly create a picture, you need to press the on and down buttons at the same time.
It's important to keep the right timing when you press the buttons, and you don't need to press them too long, otherwise you might have a shutdown menu instead of a screenshot, or you might have Recovery mode, just a short but clear press of about one second, and the system would instantly react with the camera's signature shutter sound and vibration.
Once you've done the action successfully, you'll see a thumbnail at the top of the screen, which allows you to immediately edit or share a file. If the thumbnail doesn't show up, check if the device's memory is full, as this can block the storage of new files to the system folder.
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If the buttons are tight, try pressing them with your finger pads rather than your nails to avoid accidentally slipping and incomplete pressing.
This is a universal technique that works even when the touch screen is temporarily unresponsive to touch, but the constant use of mechanical buttons can cause them to wear out over time, so it is more convenient to use software alternatives for frequent screenshots.
Setting up and using the “Three Fingers” function
The MIUI 12 shell, which is mounted on the Redmi 9T out of the box, offers a handy gesture to capture screenshots, which allows you to capture the image with one hand movement, which is especially convenient when using a smartphone with one hand.
Follow the Settings → Additional Settings → Screenshot. Here you will find the Three Finger Screenshot switch. Once activated, just swipe three fingers from top to bottom across the screen at any given time, and the system recognizes the gesture and saves the image.
- 🖐️ The gesture works in most applications, including browsers and a gallery.
- ⚙️ The sensitivity of the gesture can be adjusted in special settings.
- 🚫 The feature can be disabled in some secure applications of banks.
☑️ Checking the gesture settings
It's worth noting that a gesture may not work if you're doing it too slowly or too fast, and you need to find the optimal rhythm of movement, and also make sure that there's no low-quality protective film on the screen that can distort the multi-touch signal and prevent three simultaneous touches from being recognized.
Control panel and screenshot menu
At the top of the Redmi 9T screen is a notification curtain that hides a powerful tool for working with the screen. Calling the swipe control panel from top to bottom, you'll find a screenshot icon there, a software way that doesn't require physical action with the body buttons.
There is also a floating menu in the system, which is triggered by a long press on the "Recent Apps" button (a square in the navigation bar) or a swipe from the corner of the screen if gesture control is enabled, and this menu often has an S button, which is designed specifically for taking pictures.
The use of software buttons has its advantages: it reduces the load on the physical mechanisms of the smartphone and allows you to take screenshots when the side buttons are busy or damaged, but this method requires two hands or a switch of context, which is not always convenient in dynamic situations.
In some versions of the firmware, the screenshot menu allows you to select the area to crop immediately, which eliminates the need to open the editor after creating the image. The functionality of the control panel is constantly updated, so you should periodically check for new tools in the editing section of the menu.
Voice control and Google Assistant
Modern technology allows you to control your smartphone without touching. The Xiaomi Redmi 9T has a built-in Google Assistant that understands voice commands. To take a screenshot with your voice, just say, "OK, Google, take a screenshot" or "Take a screenshot."
This feature requires that the smartphone be connected to the Internet, because voice requests are processed on servers, and the assistant settings should allow the actions of soomas, which is ideal when the user's hands are busy, for example, when cooking or working with documents.
Voice control can be particularly useful for people with disabilities or in situations where physical interaction with the screen is difficult. Recognition accuracy depends on the user's diction and the level of ambient noise. In a quiet room, the command is executed almost instantly.
⚠️ Note: When using voice commands in public, remember that the contents of your screen can be heard or seen by others if you do not use headphones.
Long screenshot and extended features
Often, one screen is not enough to capture a long correspondence or article in the browser. In such cases, the Redmi 9T has a scroll function. Immediately after you create a normal screenshot (by buttons or gesture) in the thumbnail, a button with two down arrows appears in the corner.
By pressing this button, you start Scrolling Mode. Your smartphone automatically takes pictures and glues them together in one long tape. The process continues until you touch the screen or reach the end of the page. It's an indispensable tool for saving checks, tickets and long dialogues.
There are limits to the length of the final image. If the tape is too long, the system may interrupt the process or suggest that the file be saved at a lower resolution, and the feature may not work properly in applications with dynamically loadable content, where new elements only appear when scrolling.
| Method | Speed. | Convenience | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons | Tall. | Average. | It always works. |
| Three fingers. | Tall. | High. | Requires customization |
| Voice. | Medium | High. | We need the Internet. |
| Menus. | Low. | Low. | Many steps. |
The Secret Menu of Engineering Tests
Editing and managing saved files
Once you've created a screenshot, the system offers basic editing tools, so you can cut edges, add text, draw arrows, or blur sensitive data, and these tools are built directly into the viewing interface and don't require third-party apps.
All images that are created are automatically saved in the gallery, and they're in a separate album called Screenshots, which makes it easier to search and sort, and you can set up automatic cleaning of this album or sync with Google Photos cloud storage if you need it.
The default format is PNG, which provides high quality without losing details. However, such files can take up more space than JPG. If you take hundreds of screenshots daily, it makes sense to periodically check the amount of space you occupy and clean up the unnecessary.
⚠️ Note: When sending screenshots through messengers, the image quality may be reduced due to automatic compression».
Solutions and malfunctions
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the screenshot is not created, the most common reason is the protection of content in applications, banking applications, incognito mode in the browser and some streaming services block the creation of screenshots for security purposes, in which case you will see a black screen instead of an image.
Another reason could be a lack of RAM: If you run a lot of heavy applications, the system may ignore the request to create a screenshot, close the extra programs from the menu of recent tasks and try again, and check for free space in the internal storage.
If the three-finger gesture stopped working, maybe the sensor calibration went wrong or there was a software failure. Rebooting the device often solves this problem. In extreme cases, you can reset the interface settings, but this will require re-personalizing the smartphone.
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If screenshots stopped being created after the system update, check the application access rights in the Privacy section of the settings.
In rare cases, the problem lies in the hardware of the buttons. If the volume button is triggered or has poor contact, the combination may not work, in which case switching to gestures or voice control will be the only way out before repair.