Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 smartphone often face the desire to personalize the device interface so that it looks unique and different from the standard MIUI shell. One of the most noticeable elements that is visible to the user constantly is the battery indicator located in the status bar. The standard design offered by the manufacturer can seem boring or not informative enough, especially if you are used to other visual styles.
Changing the appearance of a percentage of charge or the shape of a battery icon requires access to certain parts of the system that are hidden by default from the average user. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available modification methods, from simple settings in the menu to more complex manipulations using a computer and third-party software, you will learn how to activate hidden functions and safely implement changes to the system interface.
It is worth noting that deep customization of the Android shell always carries certain risks. Before you start installing modified applications or changing system files, you need to weigh the pros and cons. Changing system files without a backup can lead to a cyclic restart of the device (bootloop).
Standard Charge Display Settings in MIUI
Before we get to the complex methods, we should explore the capabilities that the operating system itself provides. The MIUI shell installed on the Redmi Note 8 has built-in options to control the display of battery information. However, the functionality of these settings is often limited by basic parameters, such as turning on or off the display of percentages.
To access the basics, you need to go to the device settings menu. The path is usually: Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Indicators. Here you will find the "Show battery percentage" switch. Activating this slider will change the display of the number inside or next to the battery icon.
Unfortunately, standard means to change the shape of the icon itself (for example, make it round or horizontal) or add charging animations. These elements are “sewn” in the system framework. However, checking these settings is the first necessary step before any intervention.
⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI The path to the status bar settings may be different. If you don't find "Indicators," try searching by settings by typing in "percentage" or "battery».
It's important to understand that standard settings only affect digital display. If you want to change your visual style drastically, you'll have to turn to third-party solutions. The standard Android interface doesn't provide for flexible graphics customization of status elements without obtaining superuser rights.
Activate hidden settings through the engineering menu
There is a method to unlock additional features without installing third-party applications, such as hidden developer menus and engineering settings that may contain options that are not available in normal mode. For the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8, activating these features requires a sequence of actions to turn on the developer mode.
First, activate the developer menu. Go to Settings → About the phone and find the MIUI version. Click on it quickly 7-10 times in a row until you notice that you have become a developer. Then a new section will appear in the settings menu “Additional” or “Extended settings”, where you can find the “Developers” item.
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If the MIUI version does not respond to clicks, make sure the device has the original firmware installed, not the custom build, where these restrictions can already be removed.
The developer menu should look for options related to debugging over USB or displaying information. Although there is no direct change of the battery icon here, activating certain diagnostic modes can change the behavior of the status bar. For example, enabling debugging mode sometimes allows third-party applications to gain deeper access to system resources.
- 📱 Press 7 times on "Version" MIUI» activate the developer mode.
- 🔧 Go to “Advanced Settings» → «For developers».
- ⚙️ Find and turn on "Debugging by" USB» for further interaction with the PC.
- 👀 Look for items related to the “Demo mode” or system state demonstration.
Hidden settings are a balancing act, and changing the parameters at random in the engineering menu can cause communication or display modules to work incorrectly, and always fix the initial values before changing them so that you can return to the factory settings.
Using applications to customize the status string
The safest and most popular way to change the look of a battery indicator is to use specialized applications from the Google Play Store.These programs do not require superuser rights (Root) and work by overlaying their own interface on top of the system or emulating standard elements.
One of the leaders in this category is the Battery Widget Reborn app or Custom Battery Indicator, which works by creating a widget or overlay that mimics a status bar with a redesigned design, and you can choose style, color, shape and even animation charging.
Once you install the application, you need to give it permission to display on top of other windows. Without this permission, the program will not be able to display its indicator over the system bar. In the application settings, select the desired template and place it in a convenient place on the screen.
⚠️ Note: Applications that use overlays may consume additional battery power. Constant rendering of graphics on top of the interface increases the load on the processor and the processor. GPU Your Redmi Note 8.
Some applications require special permissions through ADB-For example, in order to operate monitoring functions in the background, the system must be given the appropriate rights.
The advantage of this is reversibility, and if you don't like the new style, you just have to uninstall the app or turn it off in the settings, and it's going to go back to its original form without having to flash it or reset it.
Modification of system files via ADB
For advanced users who want to change the system icon, rather than overlaying it with a widget, there is a method of modifying system resources. framework-res.apk or SystemUI.apk, It's a method that requires a computer and a set of tools to implement it. ADB (Android Debug Bridge).
The first step is to prepare the workspace. You need to download and install drivers for Xiaomi, as well as the SDK Platform Tools. After connecting your smartphone over USB and enabling debugging, check the connection with the adb device command. If the device is determined, you can start extracting the necessary files.
adb pull /system/framework/framework-res.apk ./framework-res.apk
adb pull /system/priv-app/SystemUI/SystemUI.apk ./SystemUI.apkThe files you get must be dekompilierated using the APKTool utility. Inside the unpacked folder structure, you need to find the directories. res/drawable or res/drawable-hdpi, where the images of the battery icons are stored. stat_sys_battery.png and similar to your own (by observing the size and format), you change the system graphics.
☑️ Checklist before modification APK
Once the graphics are replaced, the project is assembled back and signed, and then the modified file is loaded back into the system, which is the riskiest method, because an error in the file format or its size can cause the system interface to stop loading.
| Work segment | The necessary tool | Level of risk | Required rights |
|---|---|---|---|
| APK extraction | ADB (Android Debug Bridge) | Low. | USB debugging |
| Decompilation | APKTool, Java | Medium. | Access to the PC file system |
| Replacement of graphics | Graphic editor | Medium. | No. |
| Enter the system | ADB (Root or Recovery) | High-pitched | Root or unlocked boot loader |
It is important to keep the exact size of the images being replaced. If the original icon is 24x24 pixels, the new icon must be exactly the same. A change in resolution can cause the indicator to be distorted or completely disappear.
Installation of modified system applications
An alternative to manual file editing is to install pre-made modified versions of system applications, where enthusiasts create SystemUI or PowerManager assemblies with a redesigned battery and upload them to profile forums, requiring Root rights and an unlocked bootloader.
The installation process is as follows: found APK-The file is copied to the system partition /system/priv-app/. It is convenient to use file managers with support for Root, such as Root Explorer or Root Explorer. MT Manager: After copying, you must specify the correct access rights (usually rw-r).--r--) and reboot the device.
Where to find safe fashions?
The main advantage of this method is the ability to get a unique design that cannot be implemented by regular means. You can set the indicator in the form of a pie chart, a neon tube or even an animated character, but compatibility of such mods is not guaranteed.
When you update your MIUI firmware, any changes you make will be lost because the system partition is overwritten completely, you will either have to refuse the updates or repeat the modification procedure after each update, and the use of modified system applications can disrupt the Security function and block banking applications.
⚠️ Attention: Installation of third-party system APK-If an application has been updated through official channels, manually replacing it with a modified version without deleting the original will cause an installation error.
Possible problems and solutions
In the process of customization of the interface Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Users may encounter various technical problems, the most common being a black screen or endless download after replacing system files, in which case you need to go to Recovery mode and perform a factory reset (Wipe). Data/Factory Reset).
Another common problem is the quick discharge of the battery after installing widgets or mods, which is because custom interface elements may not properly optimize power consumption by constantly keeping the screen or processor active, the solution is to remove a newly installed application or roll back changes.
It is also possible that the battery icon disappears or displays it incorrectly (for example, it shows 0% when fully charged), this indicates a version conflict or damage to the resource file, in which case only the restoration of the original framework-res.apk file from a backup or flashing the device will help.
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The golden rule of modification: Never start installing a new mod or widget until you’ve made sure you have a working way to get the system back to its original state.
Remember that any changes in the system can affect the stability of the smartphone as a whole. Lags of the interface, spontaneous reboots or heating of the case can all be the result of improper operation of the modified system UI.