How to Put a Dark Theme on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Modern OLED and AMOLED screens, which are equipped with almost all flagships and many budget Xiaomi, require a special approach to use in low light. Turning on dark mode not only changes the appearance of the interface, making it more stylish, but also significantly reduces the burden on the eyes when reading text or navigating in the evening. In addition, on displays with organic LED technology, black means a turned off pixel, which leads to real battery power savings.

With the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, developers have a flexible personalization system that allows you to adapt the appearance of the system to your preferences. The user can choose an all-black background for deep immersion or limit yourself to dark gray tones that look softer in bright daylight. It is important to understand that activation of this feature affects not only the desktop, but also system applications, settings menus, and supported third-party programs.

The color scheme switching process is as simple as possible and accessible to even inexperienced users, but it hides a number of nuances that should be considered to achieve the ideal result. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the activation methods available in current versions of firmware, and consider how to make a dark background work where it is not provided by the application developers by default.

The benefits of using a dark interface on AMOLED screens

Using a dark theme on Xiaomi smartphones with AMOLED matrices gives a noticeable increase in autonomy. When the pixel displays black, it physically turns off and does not consume energy, unlike LCD screens, where the backlight is constantly running throughout the area. This means that with active use of the smartphone in dark mode, you can extend the device’s life by 10-15%, which is especially true at the end of the day.

In addition to saving energy, the effects on vision health cannot be ignored. Blue light emitted by white backgrounds of interfaces suppresses melatonin production, disrupting circadian rhythms and impairing sleep quality. Dark theme minimizes this effect by reducing the overall brightness of the screen and reducing the contrast between the glowing display and the dark environment, making it more comfortable to use the gadget in bed.

• 🌑 Significant battery saving on displays OLED and AMOLED type.
• 👁️ Reducing eye strain and reducing the risk of digital overstrain.
• 🎨 Stylish appearance of the interface, emphasizing the depth of colors.
• 🔋 Reducing the heating of the device body during prolonged operation.

Not all apps look equally good in inverted mode, and some developers don’t optimize their products, which can cause artifacts or unreadable text, but both Android and Xiaomi’s shell can force darker tones even on such programs, although the outcome can sometimes be unpredictable.

⚠️ Note: Some budget models with IPS There will be no real energy saving from a dark topic, since the backlight technology there differs from the other. OLED. Visual comfort will remain at a high level.

Standard method of activation through system settings

The simplest and most reliable method of color switching is built directly into the smartphone settings menu, and it works on all current versions of MIUI and HyperOS without having to install additional software. First, unlock the device and find the Settings icon on your desktop, which usually looks like a gear.

In the menu that opens, you need to scroll down to the Screen or Screen and brightness section. Depending on the locale version and the regional features of the firmware, the names of the items may vary slightly, but the layout logic remains the same, and this is where the basic display controls, including refresh rate and color temperature, are located.

When you click on the Dark Theme section, you'll see the Dark Theme switch, activating this slider will instantly change the color of your desktop background, notification curtains, and system menus to black or dark gray, and automatically apply the changes to all supported applications, including standard Gallery, Contacts, and Explorer.

If you want a more subtle setup, click on the arrow next to the switch or on the text "Dark Theme Settings" where you can choose the time of automatic switching on, for example, from dusk to dawn or on a preset schedule, which will save you from having to manually switch modes during the day.

Using the “Themes” application for deep customization

The standard system solution can sometimes seem limited, especially if you want to keep not only the background but also the controls in specific applications dark. To do this, Xiaomi has a powerful built-in Theme app. It allows you to download and install specialized design packages that change icons, fonts and system colors deeper than a conventional setting.

Open the Themes app and search for “Dark” or “Black,” and you’ll see thousands of design choices created by both the official designers and the community, many of which offer not just black backgrounds, but unique color accents that blend perfectly with dark mode to create a harmonious visual experience.

When you install a new theme from the store, look at the description. Some packages require a paid subscription or may contain advertising. Once you install the theme, click the Apply button and the system will redraw the interface. If you don't like the result, you can return to the standard view in the user profile in the Topics section.

Setting up automatic schedule and modes

Manually switching between light and dark modes is quickly becoming a routine task that is easy to forget to complete in time. Fortunately, Xiaomi’s intelligent systems allow for automation. Automation is not only convenient, but also beneficial for eye health, as the transition is smooth and imperceptible to the user depending on the time of day.

In the dark theme settings (Settings -> Screen -> Dark theme), Schedule-by-Schedule is available. You can choose "Switch on at sunset and off at dawn." The smartphone will use geolocation data and built-in astronomical algorithms to determine the exact time of the light change in your area.

The alternative is to set a fixed time, for example, you can set the dark mode to turn on at 20:00 and off at 07:00, which is especially true for people with non-standard work schedules or for those who often change time zones and do not want to reconfigure geolocation services every time.

• 🕒 Starting by sunrise and sunset time (requires) GPS).
• ⏰ Fixed on and off time.
• 🌙 Synchronization with the “Do Not Disturb” mode».
• 🔋 Automatic turn on at low battery charge (savings).

⚠️ Attention: Use GPS When you're setting a sunset, you might slightly increase your battery consumption, although in practice, you might neglect that.

Forced dark theme for all applications

Many users are faced with a situation where the system theme is turned on, but individual applications (such as bank clients or older versions of social networks) remain white. This annoys and negates the whole point of using dark mode. MIUI and HyperOS have a hidden or additional feature that allows you to force a dark background even for unoptimized programs.

To access the advanced settings, go to Settings -> Advanced Settings (or Additional) -> Special Options. In the list, look for Increased Text Contrast or Color Inversion, but we are interested in the dark theme setting. In some firmware versions, it is placed in a separate Dark Theme menu inside the special features section, where there is an Enable switch for third-party applications.

Activating this feature causes the Android operating system to redraw the application interface, inverting bright colors into dark ones. This can cause some elements to look strange: photos can become negative, and blue links can become orange.

The path to hidden settings (may differ):


Settings -> About Phone -> 7 times press "Version MIUI" (for developer)




-> Additional settings -> Developers -> Dark theme (forced)

Be prepared for the fact that in some applications the text may become unreadable or disappear altogether, in which case it is better to add a specific application to exceptions if such an option is available in your firmware version, or temporarily disable the forced mode.

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If after enabling a forced theme in the application, the text has stopped showing, try changing the font to a standard one in the screen settings or increasing the font size - this often solves problems with layout.

Reading and protection of vision at night

Beyond the pure black and white inversion, Xiaomi smartphones offer a read mode that is often confused with a dark topic, although these are different tools. Reading mode stains the background of apps in shades of sepia or light yellow, mimicking e-book paper. This reduces the amount of blue spectrum that is most harmful to the eyes at night.

You can turn this on through the control center (curtain) or in the Screen -> Read Mode settings, where you can adjust the degree of "warmth" of the screen and even enable color restriction, making the image almost monochrome, ideal for those who like to read news or books from the phone before bedtime.

The combination of dark theme and reading mode has the maximum effect: dark background removes bright light, and warm shade reduces the aggressiveness of the blue spectrum. In HyperOS, these settings were combined into a more logical interface where you can quickly switch between use cases.

• 📖 Imitating a paper book to reduce fatigue.
• 🛡️ Blocking harmful blue radiation.
• 🎨 The ability to adjust the shade to your preferences.
• 📅 Automatic activation at a given time.

Fortunately, the system allows you to customize exceptions for certain apps so that the gallery or YouTube always works in full color.

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The combination of a dark theme (for contrast) and a reading mode (for color) is the best way to keep your eyesight when using your smartphone at night.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)