Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO smartphones often face the urge to personalize the interface by removing visual “excesses” like a cutout for the front camera. This area, commonly referred to as “bangs” or Notch, can look unaesthetic in dark topics or distract from content. Fortunately, the MIUI (and its successors HyperOS) software shell provides built-in tools to manage this element without the need for superuser rights.
The process of changing the display configuration affects the system files framework-res.apk, but for basic masking, standard developer settings or special themes are enough. It is important to understand that complete physical removal of the cutout is not programmatic, but you can effectively hide it by expanding the black area of the status bar. This creates the illusion of no cutout, especially when using a dark theme design.
In this guide, we’ll look at all the current techniques, from the regular settings in the About Phone menu to more advanced ways through the engineering menu, learn how to change the shape of the black bar, hide it completely or, conversely, make it more noticeable for symmetry. MIUI allows you to flexibly adjust this setting on most models released after 2018.
Staffing Masksetting in MIUI and HyperOS
The safest and easiest way to change the look of the top of the screen is to use the built-in “Netout Hiding” feature, which appeared in MIUI 10 and has been greatly improved in subsequent versions. It allows the user to choose from three preset display modes without requiring third-party software. To access these settings, you need to open the Settings menu and go to the About Phone section.
When you're in the About Phone section, you'll find a line with the MIUI version or the OS version and quickly click on it 7-10 times in a row, and this action activates the hidden Advanced Settings menu that appears at the top of the screen (usually next to the Back button or in the drop-down list of three points).
⚠️ Note: If the menu does not appear after multiple clicks, try to click on the version name first (for example, MIUI 14), then quickly tap the build number. Some Redmi models require pre-enabled "Developer Mode».
Once the hidden menu is activated, a window with three options will open. The first option is Default (or Standard), which leaves everything as it is, with a black semicircle or drop repeating the shape of the matrix. The second option is Hide the notch, which adds a black bar across the width of the screen, visually hiding the camera. The third option is Extended, which allows you to choose the degree of concealment.
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The cutout concealment function does not affect the operation of proximity and lighting sensors, as it is a software masking of pixels, and not a physical change in the screen.
- 🔹 Standard: The cutout remains visible, the status bar flows around the camera.
- 🔹 Hide the cutout: The top strip turns completely black, hiding the camera.
- 🔹 Extended: Allows you to manually adjust the width of the black zone (not available on all models).
Using design themes to change bangs
If standard settings aren't enough or they're missing from your firmware version, the Themes app comes to the rescue. The MIUI theme store contains thousands of designs, many of which include system icons and status bar styles that can drastically change the look of the top of the screen. Some themes force the status bar to black, effectively masking the cutout.
To find the right design, type keywords like “No Notch”, “Hide Notch” or “Black Status” in the search for the Themes app. When installing the theme, pay attention to the preview: if the top bar of the phone is completely black and the camera hides the camera, then the theme contains the modifier you need.
What to do if the topic is not fully applied?
It is important to note that third-party themes can affect not only the cutout, but also other interface elements, such as the control panel and the settings menu. If you only need to change the bangs, after applying the theme, you can try to return the original style of the icons through Settings → Themes → Profile → Icon Style, although this does not work in all versions of MIUI.
- 🎨 Look for themes marked “System” or “Global” for better compatibility.
- 🎨 Check user reviews: often write, whether the theme hides the cutout really.
- 🎨 Use official themes from Xiaomi to minimize interface bugs.
Customization via Engineering Menu and ADB (for Advanced)
For users who want to have full control over the display of interface elements, there is the option of using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands or engineering menus, which allows you to change parameters that are not available in normal mode, including accurate calibration of color production around the cutout or forced hiding of elements.
Before you start any manipulations, you need to activate debugging via USB. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on the MIUI version. Then, in the menu “Advanced Settings” (or “Additional”), turn on the Debugging by USB. Connect your smartphone to your PC and start the command line with administrator rights.
adb shell wm overscan 0,0,0,-50This command (example, values can vary) can move the image by hiding the top, but this method is considered outdated and does not work on Android 10+ without root rights. A more relevant way for new versions is to use commands to change the configuration of config.xml through root access or specialized modules Magisk if the device is unlocked.
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Before using ADB commands, make sure to make a full backup of the data, as erroneous input can lead to unstable system operation or bootloop.
There is also a method through the engineering menu called by code ##6484## (or similar for your model).In the "Single test" section, you can find the "Display" or "Color" option, where gamma settings or test modes are sometimes available, but direct change of the cutout shape from here is extremely rare and depends on the processor model (Snapdragon or MediaTek).
Compatibility issues on different Xiaomi models
Note that the implementation of the notch hiding function is directly dependent on the processor model and the Android version. On devices with MediaTek processors (for example, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi 10), the hiding menu is often built in by default. On devices with Snapdragon (for example, Xiaomi Mi 9, POCO F3) this feature may not be available in the stock firmware and require themes to be installed.
In addition, global firmware versions (Global ROM) may differ from China ROM. In Chinese versions of MIUI, functionality is often richer and appears earlier. If you own a global version and the feature is not, installing a Chinese theme through the Themes app (India or China region) often solves the problem.
Below is a method compatibility table for popular series of devices:
| Series of devices | Type of cutout | Staff cover-up | Recommended method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redmi Note 8/9/10 | Point/Drop | There are (mostly) | Settings → About the phone |
| Xiaomi Mi 9/10/11 | Drop/Separate hole | Often absent | Topics (No Notch) |
| POCO F3/X3/N3 | Point-point | There is. | Settings → About the phone |
| Old models (Mi 8) | Broad bangs | There is. | Advanced settings |
Owners of broad bang devices (like the iPhone X or Mi 8) are the luckiest: for them, the concealment function works most correctly, since the area of the black zone is large and does not overlap important notifications. In the case of small dot cutouts, the black stripe can take up too much useful space.
The impact of changing bangs on the work of applications
When changing the notch display settings, it is important to remember that it is compatible with applications. Some programs, especially video players and full-screen games, may not properly scale when the cloaking is enabled, for example, a video may be cropped from above, hiding time or status indicators.
Android has a Safe Area mechanism, but it doesn't work perfectly in all applications. If you notice that text or buttons are missing in important programs (banks, navigators) after hiding your bangs, it's recommended that you return the standard display mode, especially for maps where the top bar contains critical information.
⚠️ Attention: In games with high support FPS and HDR turning on a black bar can reduce performance or cause micro-freezes, as the system has to render the interface differently.
Also worth mentioning are sensors. In some models (especially older ones like the Xiaomi Mi 8 or Redmi Note 7), the proximity sensor is located at the top of the bangs. If you use a black-framed security glass or an incorrectly tuned theme, the sensor can overlap and the screen won't go out during a conversation. Make sure the area around the camera and the dynamic conversation speaker stays clean.
- 📱 Check the approximation sensor after changing the topic.
- 📱 In YouTube and Netflix, a black stripe can eat part of a frame.
- 📱 Game Turbo can ignore system settings.
Frequent errors and ways to fix them
Users often find themselves in a situation where, after applying a theme or setting up a cutout, the interface becomes unstable: icons disappear, the status bar becomes transparent where it should be black, or artifacts appear, most often solved by cleaning the cache of the Themes and System UI application.
To do this, go to the Settings. → Annexes → All apps, find "Themes," click "Clean" and select "Clean All." Do the same for the "System" app. UI» (System UI). After restarting the device settings should return to the factory or apply correctly.
☑️ Diagnostics of interface problems
Another common problem is the time and black bar desynchronization. If time is going away or overlaid on a cutout, try changing the system font to standard. Third-party fonts often conflict with modified status bar themes, causing visual glitches.
If nothing works, the only radical solution is to reset all settings to factory settings. Before that, be sure to save important data. Often the problem lies in the conflict of several installed themes or residual files from remote modifications.