Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face situations where the standard interface of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS does not fully meet their information needs. Status Bar is a narrow bar at the top of the screen, which is the main source of operational information about the device, which is where time, battery level, network status and the presence of new messages are displayed.
However, factory settings often hide useful features or, conversely, overload the interface with unnecessary elements. Competent setting of the status bar allows not only to improve the visual perception of information, but also to extend the battery life, getting rid of unnecessary animations. In this article, we will discuss all the available ways to customize the upper bar, from standard menus to the use of third-party utilities.
You'll learn how to turn on real-time Internet speed display, change the style of displaying battery percentages, or hide the software cutout under the camera on modern models, and understanding these settings is essential for any user who wants to make the most of their gadget.
Basic setting of battery and time indicators
The simplest level of personalization is available in the standard system settings menu, where the user can control the display of key parameters such as time and battery charge. To access these functions, you need to go to the Settings section, then select the Notifications item and the status bar (the path may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI), which is where the switch responsible for displaying the percentage of charge inside or next to the battery icon is located.
Many users don't know that the display style can also be changed, with some regions and firmware versions offering a 12-hour or 24-hour format option, as well as the ability to display seconds. This seems like a trifle, but for those who use a smartphone for timing or precise planning, every second in plain sight matters.
⚠️ Note: In some global firmware versions, the second display or time style selection functions may be blocked by developers, in which case the change is only possible through special themes or third-party applications.
Also, this section often hides the "Show Charge When Locked" setting, which if it's active, will light up when the cable is connected, showing the current percentage even if the phone has been turned off or is in sleep mode, a useful overnight charging option that allows you to quickly assess status without unlocking the device.
Managing Internet Speed and Network Indicators
One of the most popular features for Xiaomi users is to display the current data rate. This option allows you to see in real time what application is consuming traffic in the background. To activate it, go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Internet speed and move the slider to the active position. Now in the corner of the screen will appear a value in Kb / s or MB / s.
In addition to speed, the status bar displays the type of connection: 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi or H+. Newer versions of the shell have the ability to detail these icons, for example, you can configure the display of the number of connected devices when operating in access point mode, which helps control who is using your Internet traffic.
It's important to note that constant speed monitoring can have a small impact on the processor's power consumption, as the system has to update the data on the screen more often, and if you're looking for maximum autonomy, it's best to turn it off when it's not needed.
Working with screen cutout (Notch) and banging
Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones often feature screens with a cutout for the front camera. The software shell allows you to control how the status bar interacts with this cutout. From the menu Advanced Settings → Full-screen mode (or the notch in the screen), you can choose one of three options for the behavior of the interface.
The first option is "Hide the cutout." In this case, the status bar goes below the camera level, and the black areas on the sides of the lens become part of the status bar. This creates the illusion of a wider frame, but hides some of the useful space of the screen. The second option is "No restrictions." The status string goes right through the cutout, bends the camera, which allows you to use the display area as efficiently as possible, but the icons can be placed very close to the lens.
What is the Third Eye or Mini-Network?
The third option is often called Application Compatibility, which forcefully omits the status bar only in applications that are not optimized for cut-out screens, preventing the camera from overlapping the interface. For most users, the best choice is the No Limits mode, as it provides the most modern and seamless interface.
Configure notification indicators and application icons
The status bar is also the main alert center. MIUI offers flexible settings to manage how apps report new events. In the Notifications and Status bar section → Notifications you can choose whether icons will be displayed directly in the status bar or only in the notification curtain.
There are two main display modes: Show icons and Do not show icons. In the first case, the app icon (such as Telegram or WhatsApp) will appear to the right of time; in the second case, only a small color dot or number will indicate the event, which makes the interface cleaner and more minimalistic.
- 🔔 Notification Point: A small color indicator indicating the presence of an unread message does not clutter the screen.
- 📱 Application icon: Fully-fledged icon that allows you to instantly understand which application the notification came from without even opening the curtain.
- 🔢 Counter: The number next to the icon showing the exact number of unread events (not available for all launchers).
Choosing between a dot and an icon is a matter of taste, but if you have a lot of apps that are constantly sending notifications, the Dot mode will help keep the status bar neat and readable. You can always swipe down to see the details.
Hidden settings and engineering menu
For advanced users who lack standard options, there are hidden settings, which can be accessed through the engineering menu or special activation apps. One popular way is to use the code ##6484## (not working on all models) or install the utility MIUI Hidden Settings Activity Launcher.
In hidden settings, you can often find options to change the font size in the status bar, which is especially true for people with visual impairment, and there may be the possibility of forced display of the NFC icon or VPN, even when these features are simply enabled in the background, but are not active right now.
💡
Before making changes to the engineering menu, be sure to back up the data. Incorrect settings can lead to unstable operation of the system or a "bootloop".
Keep in mind that hidden settings don’t protect against user error, changing parameters related to pixel density (DPI) or system fonts can make the interface unreadable, and use these tools with caution and only if you understand what a particular parameter is responsible for.
Use of third-party applications for customization
If the system isn't enough, Google Play apps come to the rescue, and programs like Material Status Bar or Super Status Bar allow you to completely redraw the top bar, change the color of icons, add new widgets (weather, currency rates, quotes) right into the status bar.
However, the use of such applications has its limitations. Deep integration often requires Root rights or an ADB connection. Without root rights, functionality can be limited only to displaying on top of the standard interface, which sometimes leads to time or battery power dissynchronization.
| Annex | I need a Root. | Opportunities | Impact on the battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material Status Bar | Preferably. | Change of colors, fonts, icons | Average. |
| Good Lock (Samsung) | No. | It doesn't work for Xiaomi. | Low. |
| SystemUI Tuner | Yes. | Full control over system elements | Low. |
| Custom StatusBar | No. | Adding widgets, calendar | High. |
When choosing a third-party solution, pay attention to the reviews and date of the last update. Apps that have not been updated in several years may not work correctly on new versions of Android 13 or 14, causing conflicts with the system interface.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Sometimes users encounter bugs when the status bar stops updating, icons disappear or time is displayed incorrectly. Often this is due to overflow of the cache of the System UI system application. To solve the problem, you can try to clear the cache of this component through the Apps menu → All applications → System UI → Memory → Clear the cache.
Another common cause is a conflict of topics: If you have set a third-party theme and then the status bar is gone, try returning a standard theme or restarting the device in Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, all third-party modifications are disabled, allowing you to diagnose the source of the problem.
☑️ Diagnostics of status line problems
If the problems persist after all the manipulations, it may be a hardware malfunction of the display plume (although this is rare for software glitches) or damage to system files after a failed update, in which case a complete reset or flashing of the device may be necessary.
💡
Properly configured the status bar balances between informativeness and cleanliness of the interface, allowing you to stay up to date without being distracted from the main thing.