How to set up gestures on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: from basic swipes to hidden chips MIUI

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 even in 2026 remains one of the most popular budget smartphones due to balanced performance and flexible firmware MIUI. But many users still do not use navigation gestures to the fullest – and in vain! Proper configuration of swipes not only speeds up the work with the smartphone, but also prolongs the life of physical buttons (if they still work).

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can customize gestures on the Redmi Note 9, from standard swipes to hidden MIUI 12/13/14 features that Xiaomi doesn’t advertise. You’ll learn how to turn off classic back/home/recent buttons, adjust gesture sensitivity, return a swipe for a screenshot, and even add a unique gesture to quickly launch Google Assistant without holding down the power button. Plus, a gesture table with different versions of MIUI and answers to frequent questions.

1.What gestures supports Redmi Note 9: a full list of features

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 (codenamed merlin) supports three types of navigation:

• 📱 Classic buttons (3 virtual buttons at the bottom of the screen)
• 👆 Gestures MIUI (swipe)
• 🔄 Android Gestures (full screen, like on Pixel)

But not everyone knows that MIUI 12 and newer have additional options:

• ⚡ Quick switching between swipe applications on the bottom panel left/right
• 📸 Gesture for screenshot (three-finger swipe down)
• 🔍 Swipe search call up from the bottom corner
• 🎵 Control of music swipes over a locked screen

And some of the gestures are in conflict, and if you swipe up to call the recent menu, for example, you have to make a gesture to return to the home screen with a delay, and that's what we're going to do in the next section.

2.How to enable gestures on Redmi Note 9: step-by-step instructions

To move from buttons to gestures, follow the following steps:

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select Full Screen Mode (in some versions of MIUI it is called Navigation Type).
3. Slip on MIUI Gestures (or Android Gestures if you want a full-screen version).
4. Confirm the selection and wait for the launcher to restart (10-15 seconds).

Once the gestures are activated, the navigation buttons will disappear, and instead, a thin white bar will appear at the bottom of the screen, which is an indicator of the swipe zone.

⚠️ Attention: If the screen starts to twitch when you scroll, the sensitivity of the sensor conflicts. → Special facilities → System speed.

3. Customization of sensitivity and speed of gestures

By default, gestures on the Redmi Note 9 are set to “medium” sensitivity, but this is not always convenient. For example, with a quick swipe up, the system may perceive it as clicking on “home” rather than calling the app menu.

To adjust the sensitivity:

1. Go to Settings → Additional settings → Gestures.
2. Choose the Sensitivity of the gestures.
3. Move the slider to High (if gestures are triggered once) or Low (if swipes are triggered by accident).

You can also adjust the animation speed when switching between applications:

• 🐢 Slow – convenient for older users
• 🏃 Standard - the best option
• ⚡ Fast – for experienced users (can cause lags on weak firmware)

💡

If the gestures are unstable after the sensitivity change, restart the smartphone. Sometimes the settings are applied only after the reboot.

4. Hidden MIUI gestures that 90% of users are unaware of

In addition to the standard swipes, MIUI 12/13/14 has hidden gestures that are not enabled by default.

⚠️ Attention: The gesture for Google Assistant may conflict with the call to the menu "recent apps." If after setting up the swipe up stops working, turn off the assistant gesture or reassign it to another action (for example, holding the power button).

5 Problem Solving: Gestures don't work or they trigger accidentally

If the gestures behave incorrectly after setting up, the reasons may be as follows:

• 📱 The old firmware is in MIUI Version 11.0.3: Signs are malfunctioning.
• 🛠️ Damaged sensor – if swipes are triggered in random places on the screen.
• 🔋 Energy saving – in the mode “Ultra saving” part of the gestures is turned off.
• 🎯 shell conflict – some launchers (Nova, Apex) block system gestures.

To diagnose the problem:

1. Check out the MIUI version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version.
2. Disable all third-party launchers (return to the standard MIUI Launcher).
3. Run the Sensor Test through the Engineering Menu (#4636###).
4. Reset your gesture settings in Settings → Additional → Gestures → Reset.

If the problem remains, try rolling back the MIUI update or resetting your smartphone to factory settings (pre-made a backup!).

💡

The most common cause of broken gestures is battery optimization conflict. Add the Settings app to auto-start exceptions.

6.Alternative control methods: gestures for one hand and accessibility

For users with disabilities or those who control a smartphone with one hand, MIUI has special settings:

• 👋 One-hand mode – reduces the size of the interface for easy access with your finger.
• 🔄 AssistiveBall gestures – a floating button with quick access to actions.
• 🎯 Touch accuracy – increases the pressing area for people with tremor.

To turn on AssistiveBall:

1. Go to Settings → Special Opportunities → AssistiveBall.
2. Activate the slider and set up actions for one/double touch.
3. Add gestures to the menu: Back, Home, Recent, Lock screen.

This solution is especially useful if the touch screen is damaged or the gestures are not triggered properly due to the protective glass.

7. How to roll back on navigation buttons if gestures don't like

If full-screen gestures are uncomfortable, you can return the classic buttons in 3 steps:

1. Open Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
2. Select Navigation buttons (or 3-button navigation in newer versions of MIUI).
3. Confirm the change and wait for the interface to reboot.

Then, at the bottom of the screen, three familiar buttons will appear again: Back (triangle), Home (circle) and Recent (square), which can be moved or swapped if desired:

• 🔄 B Settings → Display. → Navigation buttons select Order of buttons.
• 🎨 In the same menu, you can change the color of the buttons (transparent, white, black).

⚠️ Note: In some versions MIUI When you go back to the buttons, the gestures continue to work in parallel, and this can cause random triggers. To completely disable swipes, reset the gesture settings to Settings. → Additionally. → Gestures → Reset.

FAQ: Frequent questions about gesture settings on Redmi Note 9