Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face visual discomfort due to the presence of a cutout in the screen, the so-called “bangs”. The company’s engineers have provided flexible software tools to adapt the interface to the individual preferences of the user. Proper display setting allows not only to hide the black area, but also to change the color of the indicators for a perfect merger with the case.
MIUI and the more recent HyperOS provide access to hidden sections where you can control the behavior of the status bar, especially for models with a drop-shaped cutout or a wide U-cut that can overlap some of the usable space or simply cornen your eyes when viewing dark content.
In this article, we will discuss how to activate the cover of the notch, how to adjust the color of the notification indicators, and what to do if the standard methods do not work. You will learn how to make the interface as clean and aesthetic as possible using the built-in features of the operating system without obtaining root rights.
Access to the engineering menu and hidden settings
The first and most effective way to manage the cutout is to use a special code to log into the engineering menu, which works on most MediaTek and Qualcomm devices, allowing you to access deep system settings. To start, open the standard Phone app and type in the combination ##6484##.
If the direct command didn’t work, your firmware may be blocking direct access. In this case, you first need to activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About the phone and quickly click 7-10 times on the MIUI version or OS version field. Once you see the “You became a developer” label, go back to the settings menu, select Additional → For developers and find the item “Enable mobile data when Wi-Fi is turned off” (the name may vary) to unlock the login to the engineering menu through the code.
Once you successfully log into the CIT (Customer Integration Test) menu, you'll need to find the section associated with the display, usually called Common Testing or Version Information, but different versions of the firmware may have different navigation options. Look for Top secret report or just Version, where the cutout control option is often hidden.
⚠️ Warning: Be extremely careful in the engineering menu. Changing unknown parameters, such as sensor calibration or processor frequency, can lead to unstable operation of the device.
If you find the right partition, you'll see the cutout status switch, and you can choose Hide, Show or Automatic mode, and the Hide mode colorizes the area around the cutout black, visually removing it, but reducing the usable area of the screen.
Configure via the standard MIUI and HyperOS menu
A safer and easier way for the average user is to use the standard system settings. In modern versions of the Xiaomi shell, the cutout control options are brought to an accessible place that does not require code entry. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Hiding the cutout.
Here you'll see a list of all the apps installed. The system allows you to set individual behaviors for each program. For example, in a browser or YouTube, the cutout can be hidden in a black bar so that it doesn't overlap video content, and in messengers it can remain visible to increase the usable area.
At the top of the screen is a Hide the Notch slider, which, if you activate it globally, will show a black bar in all apps at once, but flexible customization for each application is considered a more rational approach, since it preserves maximum workspace where the cutout does not interfere.
It is worth noting that the HyperOS shell logic remained the same, but the location of the interface elements changed. If you do not find a point in the specified place, use the search by settings, entering the request “cut” or “bangs”.
Change in the color of the notification indicators
One of the most annoying features of many Xiaomi models is the bright green or blue color of the notification indicator, which contrasts with the black notch. Fortunately, this problem is easily solved through the same notch hiding menu. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Hiding the notch.
At the top of the screen, next to the concealment switch, you'll see a colored circle or icon that represents the current color of the indicator, and if you click on it, you can choose between white, black or gray, and if you choose black, it makes the indicator almost invisible against the black background of the cutout.
This feature is especially useful for drop-neck models, where the indicator is directly above the “drop”, and the color change allows you to achieve a monolithic effect when the front camera and sensors merge with the upper frame of the screen.
- 🎨 White is the standard color, visible on dark themes, but contrasts with black notch.
- ⚫ Black color is ideal for hiding the indicator, making it invisible when the screen is turned off or on a black background.
- ⚪ Gray is a compromise, less noticeable than white, but still distinguishable.
It is important to understand that color change only affects the software indicator in the status bar. If your device has a physical LED indicator (LED), its color is specified hardware and not subject to change.
Compatibility issues in apps and games
Despite the settings, some applications may ignore the system rules of display. 3D-In games or specialized software that is forcibly stretched across the entire screen, in such cases, the cutout can overlap important interface elements, control buttons or bullet counters.
To solve this problem, you need to manually add the problem application to the exception list or, conversely, force it to include a hidden application. Go to the Hiding the Notice menu, find the desired application in the list and switch the switch to the opposite position of the global setting.
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If the app doesn’t appear in the cutout settings list, try clearing its cache or updating to the latest version via Google Play.
Sometimes it helps to change the aspect ratio for a particular application. From the Settings menu → Screen → Application format, you can choose Full Screen or Original mode. The Original mode will add black fields on the sides, which is guaranteed to remove the notch from the work area, but reduce the diagonal of the image.
⚠️ Attention: In some games, when actively hiding the cutout, the control center may shift. Check the location of the joystick and the shooting buttons after changing the settings.
Also worth mentioning is the Game Turbo feature, which has its own display settings inside it, and if you run a game through the acceleration panel, it may be the game settings that are prioritized over the system settings.
Comparison of cutout adjustment methods
Users often wonder which method of setting is most effective: through an engineering menu or a standard interface. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, which depend on the specific model of the smartphone and the firmware version.
The engineering menu provides deeper access and allows you to change options that may not be available on the regular menu. However, this method is risky and requires care. The standard menu is safe, but may not work on some custom builds or older versions of Android.
| Parameter | Engineering menu | Standard menu | Third-party annexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Low (risk of failure) | Tall. | Medium |
| Difficulty | Tall. | Low. | Medium |
| Efficiency | Maximum | Standard. | Depends on the software. |
| Availability | Not all models. | MIUI 10 and higher | Requires installation |
As you can see from the table, for most users, the best choice is the standard settings menu, which provides a balance between functionality and security, allowing you to quickly configure the device without risking damage to the system.
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Use the engineering menu only if the standard settings do not give the desired result or are absent in your firmware version.
Use of third-party tools and launchers
If Xiaomi’s built-in tools don’t work, third-party solutions come to the rescue. There are many apps on the Google Play store, such as “Hide Notch,” that emulate a black bar on top of the system interface.
These applications work by putting a black layer at the top of the screen, and they don't change the system files, they just cover the cutout, and it's a universal technique that works even on devices where the manufacturer has blocked the ability to hide the cutout.
- 📱 Hide Notch is a simple application with a minimalist interface and low battery consumption.
- 🎨 Notch Remover – allows you not only to hide, but also to change the shape and color of the area around the cutout.
- 🛠️ Display Cutout Enabler is a more advanced tool that requires activation through the ADB, but full control.
Some advanced tools may require a computer connection and USB debugging. The command to activate rights via ADB is as follows:
adb shell pm grant com.example.hide_notch android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGSUsing third-party launchers like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher can also change the display of the top panel, but they rarely affect the system status bar, so completely remove the cutout with them is not always possible.