How to Change the Curtain on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide to Customizing the Interface

The interface of the MIUI shell, and now the new HyperOS, is famous for its flexibility, allowing users to adapt the smartphone to their habits. One of the key elements of interaction is the notification and control panel, which is often called the “curtain”. The standard appearance can seem boring or not functional enough, especially if you are used to other Android shells or just want to refresh the design. Changing the appearance and behavior of this element of the system is not just aesthetics, but a way to improve the usability of the gadget in everyday life.

In this article, we will take a look at how to change the curtain on Xiaomi using both built-in system tools and third-party utilities. You will learn to switch between different styles, adjust the size of icons, add useful widgets and even change the system fonts to achieve a unique visual effect. Understanding how the system UI works will help you avoid errors when installing informal themes.

It is worth noting that customization capabilities are directly dependent on the version of the installed operating system. Owners of devices based on MIUI 12, 13, 14 and fresh HyperOS have access to advanced functionality that was not available on older versions. We will look at current methods that work on modern smartphones of the brand, including models of the Redmi series, POCO and flagship Xiaomi lines.

Built-in curtain design styles in MIUI and HyperOS

The first thing to start with is to check the built-in features of the system. Xiaomi engineers have provided several options for displaying the quick access panel, which differ in the location of switches and brightness sliders. To find these settings, you need to go to the Settings menu → Notifications and Status bar → Control Center. Here the user is offered a choice between the “Classic” style and the “Version 9/10” style (or simply “New Style”).

The classic version is a single list, where notifications are mixed with quick-set buttons, which is common for pure Android users. The new style, introduced in the more recent versions of the shell, divides the screen into two logical parts: on the left are notifications from applications, and on the right are Wi-Fi switches, Bluetooth and volume sliders. The choice of the appropriate option depends on how often you use notifications and how important visual minimalism is to you.

⚠️ Attention: After switching the style of the control center, the location of widgets on the desktop may temporarily lose.

It's important to understand that changing style affects not only the look, but also the logic of interaction. In the new style, the swipe on the right only opens the settings, which allows you to get to the desired function faster without flipping through unnecessary notifications. If you want to change the curtain on Xiaomi to a more modern one, but the standard options do not suit you, you should pay attention to the topic of design.

Using the Themes app to change design

The safest and most effective way to change the look and feel of the interface is to use the official Themes app. Unlike third-party launchers, theme can replace system icons, sounds, wallpaper and, most importantly for us, the graphics of the control panel. To get started, open the app, go to the Profile tab and select the Topics section.

When searching for keywords such as “Control Center,” “Status Bar,” or “Notification.” When viewing the preview of a topic, look at the control center screenshots. Many authors create unique designs that change the color of brightness sliders, the shape of the switch buttons, and even animations of their appearance. After downloading a favorite topic, click “Apply” button.

The system will alert you that the following components will be changed:

• 🎨 Desktop wallpaper and lock screen
• 🔔 System application icons
• 🔊 Notification sounds and systems
• ⚙️ Control center schedule and status lines

If you're only interested in the curtain and you don't want to change the rest of the elements, you can partially roll back the changes after applying the theme. Go to the theme settings and select "Setting the theme" where you can deselect from "Wallpaper" or "Icons" and leave only the style of the system active. However, not all the themes support such a flexible setup, so finding the perfect option can take time.

Setting the size of icons and fonts

Visual perception of the curtain is highly dependent on the size of the interface elements. If standard switches seem too small or bulky to you, this can be corrected through the display settings. Go to Settings → Screen → Text size and display. Here you will find a slider that adjusts the scale of the entire interface, including the notification panel.

Changing the font size also affects how text notifications are displayed in the curtain. Large font can make text more readable, but reduce the number of visible notification lines. For users with good vision, it is recommended to zoom down to 85-90%, allowing more information to fit on the screen without losing readability.

Special attention should be paid to the feature feature “Enlarged Text” in the special features section, which can cause the controls in the curtain to become disproportionately large, occupying the entire screen, and use this mode with caution if your main goal is customization, not improving accessibility.

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To fine-tune the size of the elements without affecting other applications, use Developer Mode. Enable Smallest width, but change the values gradually so as not to disrupt the layout of the system windows.

Also worth mentioning is the effect of dark theme on curtain perception: Turning on Dark Mode doesn't just invert colors, it also changes the contrast between sliders and icons. In some themes, going dark activates a completely different set of graphic elements, which actually gives you a "second" curtain design.

Adding and editing widgets in the control center

Modern versions of the shell allow you not only to change the graphics, but also to fill the curtain with useful functionality. In the control center (especially in the new style), you can place widgets for quick access to music, weather, pedometer or control of a smart home. To edit a set of widgets, lower the curtain down and click on the edit button (usually a pencil icon or three dots in the corner).

In the menu that opens, you'll see two lists: "Available Widgets" and "Active Widgets." By dragging items between lists, you form your own personal toolkit. For example, avid athletes will find it useful to display a widget "Sport" or "Steps", and music fans - a widget of Mi Music control or a third-party player.

Here is a list of popular widgets worth adding to improve usability:

• 🎵 Music player (for quick track switching)
• 🌤 Weather (to see temperature without opening the app)
• 🏃 Sport (real-time monitoring of activity)
• 🏠 Smart home (control of lights and sockets Mi Home)

Some widgets require additional permissions to operate, such as a weather widget that requests geolocation access, and a pedometer widget that requires permission to track physical activity, and without these permissions, the widget may display incorrect data or remain empty.

Comparison of capabilities of different versions of MIUI

The functionality of the curtain setting varies significantly depending on the firmware version. If you own an older device, some features may not be available, and new models may have exclusive chips. Below is a table comparing the customization capabilities of different versions of the shell.

HyperOS users may notice that animations are smoother and interactions with widgets are more responsive. However, paradoxically, the ability to install third-party themes from the global directory in some regions for HyperOS has been limited, and this is done for security and experience unification purposes, but for customization enthusiasts this can be a barrier.

⚠️ Note: When updating the firmware with MIUI 14 to HyperOS, your theme settings may be reset to factory settings. Take screenshots of your favorite settings in advance or save theme files to your device memory.

Advanced Customization through Third Party Apps

For those who don't have the standard tools, there are specialized applications that allow you to change the curtain on Xiaomi beyond recognition. One of the most popular solutions is the Control Center app iOS 15 or its counterparts, which emulate the iPhone interface. These programs create a layer on top of the system interface, intercepting the swipe down.

Installing these apps requires care. You will need to provide broad permissions, including "Above Other Windows" and access to notification history. Without these permissions, the app will not be able to display information correctly or respond to your touches. The setup process usually takes no more than 5-10 minutes.

The main advantages of using third-party curtain launchers:

• 🚀 Complete freedom of design (color, shape, transparency)
• 🛠 Ability to add your own macro buttons
• 🎨 Animations not available in standard firmware
• 📱 Emulation of interfaces of other brands (Samsung, iPhone)

But there's a downside to this: Third-party applications consume more battery power because they're constantly active in the background, and they can conflict with system security updates, which can stop the curtain from calling or working with errors after another MIUI update.

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Third-party applications give you maximum design freedom, but they require constant permissions and can reduce device autonomy. Use them if standard features are really lacking.

Frequent problems and ways to solve them

In the process of experimenting with design, users often face typical problems, for example, after applying the theme, the curtain can become translucent so that the text will no longer read against a bright background, in which case it will help to turn off the Contrast Enhancer function in special features settings or change the wallpaper to darker ones.

Another common problem is the control center crashes when trying to change settings, which often happens when the theme app cache conflicts with the system interface. The solution is simple: clear the theme app cache through the application management menu (Settings → Apps → All Apps → Themes → Clean) and restart the device.

If the curtain has stopped dropping completely, check to see if Do Not Disturb or Game Mode is on, which can block pop-ups, and make sure that the screen settings do not activate the "Work with gloves" mode, which sometimes makes the sensor less sensitive to short swipes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)