Modern Xiaomi smartphones offer users a variety of visual effects designed to improve interaction with the device. However, it often happens that the excessive glow of buttons, screen or notification indicators begins to annoy, especially in the dark. The question of how to turn off the Xiaomi backlight becomes relevant for those who want to minimize the interface or want to save battery power.
MIUI and the new HyperOS have a deep menu structure that hides different design options. Standard settings don't always give you direct access to control lights, so you have to resort to more subtle configuration methods. In this article, we'll look at all the possible ways to control your gadget's light signals.
Understanding how the system lighting works will help you not only remove the excess glow, but also adjust the device to your individual needs. We will consider the standard shell facilities, as well as discuss issues related to the hardware features of different models.
Control of navigation buttons illumination
One of the first features users want to give up is the navigation touch buttons, which on older Xiaomi smartphones were placed under the screen and glowed in the dark, which often interfered with comfortable use, and in modern firmware, this setting has become more flexible.
To start with, check if your model supports software disabling this feature. Go to Settings and find the Additional section. This is where the settings for navigational elements of the system are often hidden. If your phone has physical or touch buttons under the display, the option may be called "Button Illumination".
In some cases, especially on Android 10 and higher devices, navigation buttons have already been replaced by on-screen gestures. In this mode, the buttons are technically absent because they are controlled by swipes across the screen. Switching to gestures is the most radical but effective way to get rid of the glowing elements from the bottom.
If the standard path doesn't work, you should pay attention to the design topic. Some third-party themes available in Themes can force you to turn off or change the backlight style, ignoring system constraints. This is a workaround that is often used by power users.
⚠️ Note: On some Redmi budget models, the button highlighting is hardware and does not have a software switch. In such cases, a complete shutdown is only possible if you have root rights and edit system files.
It is also worth mentioning that the brightness of the buttons can depend on the overall brightness level of the screen or light sensor. Try changing the automatic brightness settings to see if this affects the intensity of the navigation bar.
Setting up the notification indicator and screen
Many users confuse button lighting with a flashing LED notification indicator or a "Raise to Activate" function. These elements also create light signals that may be undesirable in certain situations, and they are controlled in different sections of the menu.
To turn off the light indication of events, go to Settings → Notifications and status bar. Here you will find the item Light indication. Turning off this setting will stop making the LED flash when missed calls or messages. This is especially true for those who use the phone as an alarm clock or just do not like blinking lights at night.
The Always On Display (AOD) feature is a feature that allows you to display time and notifications on the screen off. Although it's beautiful, it consumes battery and creates constant lighting. You can turn off AOD through Settings → Wallpaper and personalization → Always On Display.
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If you want to keep the notifications functionality but remove the light, try installing monochrome wallpaper for AOD – this will reduce the visibility of glow in the dark.
There's also a "Screenlight at Notifications" setting that briefly turns on the display when a new message arrives, usually in the same notification section, and turning it off will make the phone less intrusive.
It is important to distinguish between software and hardware. If the LED flashes red or yellow even when it is off, it can signal a low battery charge or charging problem, and it cannot be turned off programmatically.
Using the Engineering Menu for Diagnostics
To get a little more customized and validated, there's an engineering menu, which is a hidden part of the system for developers and service centers, but it's accessible to the general public, and you can test the backlights and buttons.
To enter the engineering menu, open the Phone app and dial ##6484##. The screen will show a list of tests. Find a item associated with Backlight or LED. Here you can force the backlight to turn on or off to check if it's working.
☑️ Checking the lighting in the engineering menu
It's safe to use the engineering menu if you're just running tests, but changing hidden settings elsewhere in this menu can cause the device to function in an unstable way. Be careful not to change values you're not sure about.
Some users are looking for the option to permanently turn off the backlight here, and it's worth noting that the engineering menu is primarily diagnostic, and a permanent shutdown through it is usually not maintained after a reboot unless you make changes to the system configs, which requires superuser rights.
If the test shows that the backlight is not evenly lit or has a yellowish hue, this may indicate a degradation of the matrix or plume, in which case software methods will not help, and repair will be required.
Third-party applications and automation
When regular funds are scarce, Google Play apps come to the rescue, allowing you to flexibly manage screen and button highlights to create complex scenarios, and a popular tool is the Button Mapper or analogues.
These apps can reassign button actions or force the backlights to go out at certain times, for example, you can set up a Night profile that automatically lowers the brightness and turns off the lights from 23:00 to 07:00.
- 🌙 Screen Dimmer – allows you to darken the screen below the minimum level set by the system, which effectively removes excess backlight.
- 🔘 Button Mapper – Controls the behavior of physical and touch buttons, including the ability to ignore their backlight in some scenarios.
- ⚙️ Tasker is a powerful automation tool that can change system settings, including brightness and screen condition, according to a schedule or event.
Using third-party software requires permissions. Be careful when installing applications that request access to system settings or data. Only choose high-ranking, proven programs.
Automating with Tasker can be challenging for beginners, but it opens up endless possibilities. You can create a script that turns off the backlight when the phone is down, or only turns it on when the navigator is running.
Comparison of methods of turning off backlights
There are pros and cons to different methods, and to make it easier for you to choose the right one, we have prepared a comparison table that will help you evaluate the effectiveness of each method depending on your model and firmware version.
| Method | Efficiency | Difficulty | Impact on the guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| System settings | Medium | Low. | No. |
| Engineering menu | High (diagnosis) | Medium | No. |
| Third-party annexes | Tall. | Medium | No. |
| Root rights and fashion | Maximum | Tall. | Yeah (guarantee meeting) |
As you can see from the table, standard settings are the safest way, but it doesn't work on all devices. Getting root rights gives you complete control, but it's risky and can lead to denial of warranty service.
For most users, the best solution is a combination of system settings and competent customization of theme, which allows you to achieve the desired visual style without the risk of damaging the software.
Keep in mind that completely shutting down all light signals can cause you to miss an important call or message.Always keep at least one visual or audible notification channel active.
Problems with lighting after the update
Often, users find that after updating MIUI or HyperOS backlight settings are reset or start to work incorrectly, a common problem associated with changing the structure of system files in new versions.
If the backlight is acting weird after the update (blinks, doesn't go out), try resetting the design settings. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Restore and Reset and select resetting the interface settings. This won't delete your personal data, but will return the visual settings to factory settings.
⚠️ Warning: Before any reset, be sure to back up important data in the cloud or on your computer to avoid accidental loss of information.
The problem can also be in the cache of the Themes app. Cleaning the cache through the application management menu often solves the problem of incorrect use of backlight styles. Find Themes app in the installed list and click "Clear Data".
In rare cases, the backlight bug is associated with a particular firmware version, in which case you should wait for the patch to come out or, if you are an advanced user, roll back to the previous stable version of the software.
Hardware features and repairs
Hardware malfunctions can also be ruled out: if the backlights are dim, flickering or stained, it can be a physical damage to the display or plume, especially for phones after falls or moisture.
In the models with LCD-The screens use a separate backlighting board, and its failure causes the phone to be completely out of sight (the screen is black, but the phone is ringing). OLED-In the screens that are now put on the flagships of Xiaomi, each pixel glows independently, and the concept of “screen illumination” there works differently.
If you notice that the bottom of the screen is brighter than the top (the flashlight effect), it's a matrix defect. It's not software-based to fix this, you need to replace the display module.
Why can the lights warm up?
To extend the life of the backlight, it is not recommended to keep the brightness at maximum all the time. Using automatic adjustment helps reduce the heat load on the components of the smartphone.
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Regular firmware updates and the use of original charging accessories help to avoid software and hardware failures in the operation of the backlight.