Xiaomi’s current Android smartphones and MIUI or HyperOS shells provide users with the most personalized experience. One of the most sought-after requests among device owners is to change the visual style, particularly the color of text elements. Standard black font can seem boring, and in certain situations, such as reading in the dark, it can be too contrasting and tiring for the eyes. That’s why many people are looking for ways to change the color of Xiaomi’s Android font to adapt the screen to their preferences.
It's important to understand that the built-in features don't always allow you to choose an arbitrary color for the entire text at once, as you might in old custom firmware. However, the Redmi and Poco ecosystem offers a range of flexible tools, from changing the global theme to using special availability modes. In this article, we'll detail all the legal and secure methods that will help you make the interface unique without having to obtain superuser rights or flash the device.
Before we start to take action, it's worth noting that visual changes can be displayed differently on different types of matrixes. On AMOLED screens, black is energy-saving, whereas on IPS panels, the difference is less noticeable. The choice of method depends on whether you want to change the color only in the system menus, in all applications at once or only in use cases such as reading books or browsing the web.
Using the “Themes” app to change the style of text
The easiest and most official way to radically change the appearance of fonts, including their color, is to use the built-in Themes app. The MIUI Themes store contains thousands of free and paid designs that replace not only wallpaper and icons, but also system fonts. Some themes are designed specifically to change the color gamut of text, making it, for example, white, gray or even gradient depending on the background.
To get started, open the standard Themes app on your smartphone. In the search box, type in queries like font, font, or color text. You'll see a lot of results where the preview shows the change in the appearance of system elements. Pay attention to the ratings and downloads, since quality topics are usually highly rated by the community.
Once you have selected the appropriate option, click Download and then Apply. The system will alert you that not only the fonts will be changed, but possibly other interface elements, such as the control panel and the lock screen. This is normal behavior, because the theme is a complex change package. If you liked only the font, after application, you can go to the theme settings and choose to use only this component.
It is worth considering that some themes may not display correctly in certain applications that use their own fonts, such as Telegram or WhatsApp. In such cases, the system settings do not override the settings of the application itself. It is also important to check the compatibility of the theme with your version of Android to avoid visual bugs or “squares” instead of letters.
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Before installing a new theme, take a screenshot of the current desktop to quickly return all icons to their places if they have moved after applying the theme.
Setting up reading mode and color temperature
If your goal is not so much decorative as functional, and you want to change the color of the font to reduce the load on the eyes, then you will do well with reading mode. Xiaomi smartphones have an advanced vision protection system that allows you not only to change the color temperature of the screen, but also to simulate the texture of paper, which visually changes the perception of text.
To activate this feature, go to the Settings menu, then select the Screen (or Display) section. Find Read Mode. Here you can turn on the standard mode, which makes the background yellowish and the text softer. However, for a deeper setting, click on the gear or read Mode Settings.
In the advanced settings, you can have a color temperature slider, and by shifting it to warmer colors, you make the white background creamy, and the black text dark gray or brown, and it creates an e-book effect, and you can set the schedule for turning this mode on or activating it in certain applications, such as only in a browser or a reader.
- 📱 Text mode: completely rebuilds the color gamut of the interface into shades of gray, making the text look like newspaper printing.
- 🎨 Color scheme: allows you to choose one of several colors that change the balance of white and black.
- ⏰ Planner: Automatically turning on soft tones in the evening to preserve circadian rhythms.
The use of reading mode is especially important for owners of devices with PWM-modulation of the screen, as the decrease in brightness through software dimming (black) often causes flickering, noticeable to sensitive eyes. Changing the background color to a warm hue allows you to keep the brightness of the backlight higher, maintaining comfort perception.
Impact on the battery
Using Color Inversion for Unique Effect
One of the most radical ways to change font color on Xiaomi is to use the color inversion function, which turns black text into white and white backgrounds into black throughout the system, originally designed for people with visual impairments, but it is also used by enthusiasts to create a unique "night" interface style where the dark theme works incorrectly.
To activate the inversion, you need to go to the special features menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI, but it usually looks like this: Settings → Advanced Settings → Special. → Vision → Color Inversion. In some versions of the firmware, this item may be immediately in the Additional section.
Once you turn on the Color Inversion slider, the smartphone screen will instantly change the palette, all colors will be opposite: red will turn to turquoise, green will turn to purple, and black text will turn white. This creates a very contrasting image that can be useful when reading in complete darkness, but is not suitable for viewing photos or videos.
☑️ Check before inversion is enabled
It's important to know that there are two types of inversion: classic and color correction. Classical inversion changes all colors to opposites, making the interface look like photo negative. Color correction inversion (often called "color reversal for visually impaired people") changes only brightness characteristics, leaving colors more natural, but changing black text to white and vice versa.
⚠️ Note: When color inversion is enabled, screenshots will be saved in the inverted form. If you plan to take screenshots to send to friends, remember to temporarily disable this feature, otherwise the recipient will see the negative.
Comparison of font modification methods
The right method depends on your specific goals: whether you want to simply diversify your appearance, reduce eye strain or create a specific visual style. Below is a table that will help you determine the optimal solution by comparing the main characteristics of each method.
| Method | Impact on the battery | Difficulty setting up | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annex “Themes” | Neutrally. | Low. | High (systemic) |
| Reading mode | Positive (AMOLED) | Low. | Selective |
| Color inversion | High (AMOLED) | Medium | Full (full screen) |
| Third-party launchers | Neutrally. | Tall. | Only the desktop. |
As you can see from the table, standard MIUI tools offer the most balanced approach: using themes does not require sacrificing functionality, while color inversion, while providing maximum contrast, can make daytime phone use uncomfortable due to unnatural color reproduction.
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For daily use, the themes from the official store are best suited, as they guarantee the stability of the system and the absence of visual artifacts.
Use of third-party launchers and applications
If you don’t have the built-in capabilities and want to change the font color only on your desktop or app menu, third-party launchers will come to the rescue. Apps like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher allow you to flexibly customize the appearance of shortcuts, including the color and style of signatures under icons.
Once you have installed the launcher from Google Play and assigned it as your primary launcher, go to its settings. Find the section that's responsible for desktop design or font style. Here you can select any color from the palette, resize, add shadow or contour, which allows you to make app signatures readable on any, even the brightest wallpaper.
However, it is worth remembering that the launcher changes the appearance of only the home screen and the application menu. Inside the phone settings, in the browser or social networks, the font will remain the standard system. For global text color change, you can use special “overlayer” apps in all applications without root rights, but their effectiveness on new versions of Android (11, 12, 13, 14) is severely limited by Google’s security policies.
- 🚀 Nova Launcher: the leader in the number of settings, allows you to change the color of the signatures of icons individually for each folder.
- 🌈 Substratum: Powerful theme engine, but requires careful customization and may not work on the latest versions MIUI without further manipulation.
- 👓 High-contrast text mode: it is in special possibilities, makes the text bolder and more contrasting, but does not change its color radically.
When using third-party software, always check the permissions you give the app. Launcher requires access to contacts (for call widgets), location (for weather widgets), and management over other windows.
Fine tuning through the engineering menu and ADB (for advanced)
For users who are not afraid of the command line and want maximum control, there is the possibility of changing system parameters through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which allows you to activate hidden flags or change values in the system databases that are responsible for rendering fonts.
To start, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and click 7 times in a row on the MIUI Version (or OS Version). After the message “You became a developer”, go back to the main settings menu, find the Additional → For developers section and turn on debugging on USB.
By connecting the phone to a computer, you can use ADB commands to change system properties, for example, some contrast or inversion parameters can be activated by commands such as:
adb shell settings put secure accessibility_display_inversion_enabled 1However, changing the color of the font (RGB values) through ADB in the standard Android build without root rights is almost impossible, since these values are “sewn” in system resources (framework-res.apk). To actually change the color at the code level, you need to modify the system file build.prop or use Magisk modules, which is already a firmware procedure and carries risks.
⚠️ Note: Any manipulations through ADB or changing system files can cause the phone to run unstable, a bootloop (cyclic reboot) or a loss of warranty.