How to set up gesture management on Xiaomi: The Complete Guide

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones offer users a huge arsenal of features that are hidden in the depths of the menu. One of the most popular features is gesture control, which allows you to interact with the interface faster without resorting to standard navigation buttons or physical pressure on the screen. Device owners often do not even suspect that their gadget can take screenshots by tapping or automatically answer calls with a touch to the ear.

Activating these features requires careful attention, as the menu layout may vary depending on the version of the MIUI shell or the new HyperOS. In this article, we will discuss in detail where to look for the necessary switches and how to adapt them to your habits.

Consider that some gestures may conflict with actions in third-party applications, so before changing the settings globally, it is recommended to understand the logic of each control.

Basic navigation and screen cutout hiding

The first thing you need to do is start with gesture control instead of the traditional buttons, which frees up the useful area of the display and makes the interaction with the content more natural. To activate, you need to go to Settings, then select Additional and find Navigation in the system, and here you will be asked to choose between three buttons or swipes.

Once you have gesture navigation enabled, the control is reduced to simple movements: swipe from the bottom up returns to the desktop, swipe with a delay opens the menu of running applications, and swipes from the edges of the screen act as a back button. However, devices with a cutout in the screen (bangs or holes) often have a problem with visual status display.

To hide the camera's notch and make the top bar a solid black bar, in the same navigation menu, find the Hiding the Notch option. This is especially true for models with wide bangs that visually break the status bar. Using this setting makes the interface more seamless and aesthetic.

⚠️ Warning: Hiding the cutout may cause notification indicators or time to be incompletely displayed or overlap with some application interface elements.

Also available in this section is a customization of edge sensitivity, so if your finger slips or your screen reacts to random touches near the frame, try changing this setting, which is critical for users who wear high-sided covers.

Gestures for creating screenshots and recording screen

One of the most useful features in Xiaomi’s arsenal is the ability to take screenshots without using volume buttons. The standard method (Loudness down + Power) is not always convenient, especially with one hand. The system offers an alternative, triple tapping on the screen. To activate this option, go to Settings → Additional → Screenshot and turn on the switchboard Triple Touch.

In addition to taking a quick snapshot, you can also set up the capture area, so you can choose whether you're going to take a snapshot of the whole screen or just a part of it, so you can save a particular correspondence or a piece of article without any extra interface elements, and you can also have a long screenshot that automatically scrolls down the page.

For content creators, screen recording is important, and it's also activated through the control center (swipe down to the right), but it can be added to the quick action menu, and recording allows you to capture actions on the screen along with sound, which is useful for creating instructions or saving moments from games.

It's important to note that triple-touch sensitivity can be adjusted, so if your smartphone reacts too often to random impacts or ignores your attempts, go to the sensitivity settings in the same menu, which will help you find a balance between convenience and avoiding false positives.

One-handed control and floating window

As smartphones get bigger, reaching the top corner of the screen with one hand becomes physically difficult. MIUI and HyperOS have a convenient one-handed mode. To activate it, you need to swipe your finger from the bottom corner of the screen (from the frame itself) diagonally to the center. The screen will shrink to a corner, allowing you to comfortably reach to the top elements.

This mode is especially useful when typing or navigating in the settings menu when the second hand is busy. To exit the mode, just touch the darkened area or swipe the opposite way. Switch sensitivity and swipe direction is located in the Settings menu → Additional → One-handed mode.

Another powerful feature is a floating window, which allows you to open the application in a small window on top of another, and it is activated by swiping up from the bottom of the latency screen (in gesture mode) or through the menu of recent applications, you can drag and drop this window, change its size or roll into the sidebar.

Using floating windows makes your smartphone a powerful multitasking tool, so you can watch videos in a small window while you're texting in your messenger, or copy text from your browser into notes, which makes your device much more productive.

Special Opportunities and Fast Teams

The Special Options section contains features that can be useful not only for people with disabilities, but also for ordinary users. For example, the Quick Commands feature allows you to assign actions for long-term pressing of volume buttons. You can set the phone so that when you press a button it takes a screenshot, launches Google Assistant or turns on a flashlight.

To access these settings, go to Settings → Additional → Special Features. Here you will find the Physical or Control tab where the button settings are located. This is a great way to create your own hotkeys for frequently used features.

It also has zoom in, and triple tapping zooms in on the screen at any point you touch the display, which can be useful for looking at small details in a photo or reading text in apps without built-in zoom.

And don't forget voice control. While Google Assistant and Alice work great, Xiaomi's built-in commands also have their advantages, especially in terms of system settings management, and can be activated by pressing the power button or by voice command.

Gestures in the camera and gallery

The camera app on Xiaomi smartphones is also rich in gesture control. A standard swipe left or right on the viewfinder switches shooting modes (Photo, Video, Portrait). However, there are less obvious features, such as raising your palm in front of the front camera triggers a countdown timer for a group selfie.

In the photo viewing mode (Gallery), the controls are also optimized. Double finger tap zooms in. Two fingers up or down allows you to quickly jump between shooting dates or albums if you're in grid viewing mode.

Special attention should be paid to the Magic Eraser and editing function, which in new versions of the software, some actions, such as turning a photo or applying a filter, can be performed by swiping in the editing menu, which makes processing images quick and intuitive.

⚠️ Attention: The palm control function in the camera may accidentally work if you hold the phone unstable or your hand is close to the lens while setting up the frame.

Stabilization is important for video, and although it's not really a gesture, switching stabilization modes is often done by swiping in the video settings menu, make sure you use the right gestures to lock the exposure (long-term tapping on the screen) before recording.

Third-party applications and automation

If you don't have the built-in capabilities, GetApps or Google Play offer solutions to expand functionality. Apps like Gesture Control or MacroDroid allow you to create complex scenarios, for example, shaking a phone can include a flashlight, and holding a "C" on a turned-off screen can open the camera.

Automating with MacroDroid or Tasker takes time to set up, but the result is worth it. You can program the phone to perform a sequence of actions in one gesture, which turns the smartphone into a truly personalized tool.

But remember battery consumption: Constant monitoring of a motion sensor or accelerometer by third-party applications can increase energy consumption, and use these tools rationally, activating only the necessary functions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Proper gesture settings on Xiaomi allows you to speed up work with your smartphone by 30%, eliminating unnecessary clicks and making control more intuitive.