The interface of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS provides users of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones with tremendous personalization opportunities. However, standard settings often hide the most popular features in the depth of the menu or do not give access to them at all. One of these zones is the Status Bar, a narrow bar at the top of the screen that tells us about time, battery level and notification activity. Many owners want to change its appearance, but face restrictions.
In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to set the status bar in Xiaomi without obtaining root rights and using them. You will learn how to change the format of the display of time, hide unnecessary icons or, conversely, add missing indicators of Internet speed. It is critical to understand that native means of the system can only change the format of the time and the position of the icons, for deeper customization will require third-party software. Let's dive into the details of the interface of your smartphone.
Standard time and date settings in MIUI
Let's start with the basic features that the operating system itself provides. The standard Xiaomi settings menu has a time-restriction option hidden in it. This is the first place to start if you don't like the 12-hour format or want to see seconds. To access these options, you need to go to Settings → Additional settings → Date and time. Here the interface may vary slightly depending on the firmware version, but the logic remains the same.
Inside this menu, you'll find a 24-hour format switch that will change the time mapping in the status bar from the usual AM/PM format to the standard format in our country, but if you want to see seconds or change the font, you can't do that with standard means, and the system tightly regulates the appearance of system fonts in this area.
⚠️ Warning: Changing the system font through the design theme may cause the time in the status bar to become unreadable or disappear altogether. Always check the font preview before installing.
Automatic synchronization is also available in this section, ensuring that your notifications and application logs have correct timestamps. Failures in this setting often lead to problems with messengers and banking applications, so it is recommended to keep this option on.
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If the time in the status bar gets lost after rebooting, check if the tick on Use Network Time is worth checking and try setting the time manually and then turning on automatic synchronization again.
Indicator management: battery, network and notifications
The next step in setting up is to manage visuals like charge indicator and notification icons. With modern versions of MIUI 14 and HyperOS, these elements are more flexible. To change the battery display, follow the Settings path → Notifications and Status bar → Battery indicator. Here you will see a selection of several visualization options.
- 🔋 Percentage inside: The digital charge value is displayed directly inside the battery icon.
- 📊 Percentage close: the figures are taken separately, which allows you to see the fullness of the scale more clearly.
- ⚪ Classic: only a graphic scale without numbers is displayed, which saves space.
- 📈 Graphics: a rare variant showing discharge dynamics (not available on all models).
Special attention should be paid to setting up notification icons. In the Settings menu → Notifications and status bar → The icons in the status bar can be selected as Show icons or Do not show. The first option is convenient if you want to visually estimate the number of missed events without opening the curtain. The second option makes the status bar clean and minimalist.
It is important to note that in some models AMOLED-With screens and a cutout for the camera ("hole") or bangs, the system automatically scratches part of the icons so as not to overlap them with the black area of the matrix. This is normal behavior, and you can not change the location of the icons manually in the standard menu.
Hiding notification icons and clean interface
Many users are wondering how to remove app icons from the top line so they don’t distract. Xiaomi’s standard firmware has a feature that allows you to completely disable the display of icons of running apps or active notifications. This is especially true for people who use the phone in “do not disturb” mode or just appreciate minimalism.
To turn off the icons, go to Settings → Notifications and status bar and find the button that displays the icons. Here you can adjust the behavior of the status bar when you lock the screen. Often, on a locked phone, the icons are visible and disappear after unlocking, or vice versa. Flexible setting allows you to adapt the behavior of the system to your habits.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling notification icons completely can cause you to miss an important message from the messenger or call if the phone is lying down screen.
Also worth mentioning is the Internet Speed Icon (KB/s), which is often confused with the 4G/5G indicator. Its inclusion is done separately in the Settings menu → Notifications and Status bar → Internet Speed. This tool is useful for monitoring the background activity of applications that may “eat” traffic.
☑️ Optimization of the status line
Using themes to change the style of the line
One of the most effective ways to change the look of the top panel is to use third-party themes from the Themes app. Unlike standard settings, themes can change the color of icons, the font of time, and even the shape of indicators. But there is an important caveat: most themes only change style, not functionality.
When choosing a topic, pay attention to the screenshots in the description. You should be interested in System Icons and Status Bar settings. Some author's themes offer unique designs, such as neon watches or minimalist dots instead of numbers. Setting this theme is the safest way to customize, without requiring complex manipulation.
However, if after installing the theme, the status bar has gone or disappeared, don't panic.Go back to the Themes app, go to profile and select the standard Classic or Default theme.This will return all system elements to the factory look. Remember that deep modification of system files through themes on new versions of HyperOS is limited by security policies.
Why do some topics not change the status bar?
Advanced configuration via Activity Launcher
For those who lack standard features, there is a hidden system settings menu that can be accessed through the Activity Launcher app or similar utilities. This method allows you to get to the deep Android settings that are usually hidden from the user. Be careful: changing unknown parameters can lead to unstable system operation.
Once you install the app, search for the word “Status” or “String” and you may find hidden activity that is responsible for specific interface elements, for example, there may be a separate switch to display an NFC icon or alarm clock that is not in the usual settings menu.
Activity Launcher simply opens hidden activities, but does not guarantee their stable operation on your firmware version. If after changing a certain setting, the phone begins to behave strangely, it is better to reset through the recovery menu or return the changed option back if possible.
| Parameter | Standard access | Activity Launcher | Risk of failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time format | There is. | No. | Low. |
| Hiding badges | There is. | Partially. | Low. |
| Icon color | No. | Maybe. | Medium. |
| System font | No. | Maybe. | High-pitched |
| Network speed | There is. | There is. | Low. |
| Battery (%) | There is. | There is. | Low. |
Radical measures: Root rights and Magisk modules
If you want to gain full control of the status bar, including changing the bar height, transparency, text color and completely removing any elements, you need Root rights. Obtaining superuser rights removes all software restrictions, but it is not warranty and can be dangerous for inexperienced users. The main tool here is the Magisk framework and the SystemUI Tuner module or specialized modules for LSPosed.
One of the most popular customization tools is the GravityBox module (requires LSPosed), which allows you to customize literally every pixel of the status bar. You can set your position for the clock (left, right, center), change the color of the icons depending on the topic, add a second row of icons or completely redraw the panel.
adb shell pm grant com.android.systemui android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGSThis team ADB (Android Debug Bridge may be required to activate some of the system tuner functions without full root access, although it works on modern Xiaomi, the use of such methods requires a connected debugger and installed ADB computer-based.
⚠️ Note: Modification of the system partition /system root rights can lead to a “bootloop” before any action, be sure to make a full backup of data and make sure you know how to enter Recovery mode.
For HyperOS users, root rights have become more difficult to obtain because of the unblocking of the bootloader through the official website, and without the unlocked bootloader, the installation of modified system files is impossible, so this method is only suitable for enthusiasts who are ready for complex technical procedures.
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Full status bar customization is only possible with Root rights, but it carries security risks and loss of warranty. For 95% of users, standard settings and themes are enough.