Owning a modern Xiaomi smartphone involves comfortable management, which depends primarily on the interface. Many users, when switching from other brands or updating the firmware, face the need to change the way they navigate. The standard scheme can be uncomfortable, and the gestures of control – unusual after many years of using classic buttons.
Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the more recent HyperOS offer a lot of customization options, so you can not only switch between gestures and three buttons, but also change their location, as well as as assign additional functions for long-term pressing, which allows you to adapt the gadget to the individual needs and ergonomics of one hand.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods of changing buttons, we will touch on both the built-in system settings available to each owner, and advanced ways to reassign through third-party utilities for maximum control over the device.
Basic Navigation: Switching Between Gestures and Buttons
The first step to changing the bottom of the screen is system settings, which are standardized in modern Xiaomi firmware versions, but may vary slightly depending on the Android version.
To navigate to the menu, open Settings and find the Desktop section, and that's where System Navigation is hidden. When you click on it, you'll see two main options: gesture management and button use. The second option will instantly return the classic three buttons at the bottom of the screen.
⚠️ Attention: When you switch to gestures, the buttons will disappear completely, and the control will be carried out by swipes. If you are used to tactile response or have motor characteristics, it is better to leave the button option.
Once you choose the type of navigation, the system will suggest that you hide the hints or change the way they look, and this is an important point for those who want to maximize their immersion in content without unnecessary interface elements, and the changes will take effect immediately without requiring a device to restart.
Configure the location and additional functions of the buttons
Once you have activated the three buttons, you often want to change the order. The standard layout in Xiaomi usually involves a back button on the left, a home button on the center and a menu on the right, but for left-handers or users who have switched from Samsung devices, this can be inconvenient.
The System Navigation menu also has the option of Order of the Buttons, and the Switch allows you to instantly invert the location, with the Return button on the right and the App menu on the left, a simple but crucial setting for ergonomics.
In addition, the central home button often has hidden potential. In some versions of the shell, the option is available for additional functions, which allows you to assign an action for a long press, this can be the launch of the voice assistant Google Assistant or Mi AI, or call the control panel.
- 📱 Inversion: Changes the back and me buttons in places for the convenience of the left hand.
- 🏠 Home: The central button always returns to the home screen with a short press.
- ⚡ Actions: Long press can be reassigned to start the camera or translator.
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If standard settings do not allow you to assign the desired action to a long tap, use the macro application to create complex automation scenarios.
Using third-party applications for reassignment
The MIUI functionality is sometimes limited, especially if you want to assign specific applications or macros to the navigation buttons, and for these cases, there are specialized utilities that require certain access rights.
One of the most popular solutions is the Button Mapper app, which allows you to reassign single, double and long-press on any of the three navigation buttons, so you can double-click on Menu to open WhatsApp, and long-click on Back to include a flashlight.
These applications often require special permissions through ADB (Android Debug Bridge) or accessibility support services, so that the program can intercept system commands before they are executed by the shell.
adb shell pm grant com.flar2.homebutton android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGSIt is important to understand that using third-party software can increase battery consumption, since the application must constantly hang in the background and monitor user actions, but for advanced users this opens up huge opportunities for customization.
☑️ Preparation for the Button Mapper installation
Comparison of Navigation Management Methods
The choice between standard settings and third-party solutions is not always obvious. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages that should be considered before making changes to the system. Below is a table to help determine the best option.
| Parameter | System settings | Third-party annexes | ADB-script |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Low. | Medium | Tall. |
| Security | Tall. | Medium | Depends on the code. |
| Flexibility | Minimum | Tall. | Maximum |
| Impact on the battery | Absent. | Minor. | Absent. |
If you just need to swap buttons, there are more than enough system tools, but if you want to turn the Home button into a fingerprint scanner (on devices without a scanner) or run complex scripts, you can't do without third-party software.
Risks of using ADB
Problems with response and calibration of the sensor layer
Sometimes users want to change buttons not because they don’t like the way they look, but because the lower areas of the screen are no longer responsive to pressing, which may be due to software failure or sensor contamination in the navigation bar.
First of all, check whether the In-pocket mode is on or the protective film does not cover the edge of the display. It is also worth checking the sensitivity settings in the section Advanced settings → Gloves mode.
If the buttons work again, try resetting the navigation settings, which can be used to temporarily switch to gestures, reboot the smartphone, and then return the buttons back, and this will restart the SystemUI process for rendering the interface.
⚠️ Attention: If the bottom of the screen is no longer fully responsive even after resetting, the problem may be physical (the train, touchscreen.
Hiding the navigation bar for a full screen
Special attention should be paid to the issue of completely hiding the buttons for immersion mode (full immersion), some users want to remove even a thin bar-indicator that remains when using gestures, so that the content occupies 100% of the area.
In standard Xiaomi settings, you can’t completely remove the bar without using special themes or system modifications, but you can visually minimize its impact by choosing a dark theme, which will make the indicator less visible against a black background.
There are also apps that create floating buttons on top of any window, which allows you to completely disable system navigation and use custom buttons that you can move around the screen, change their transparency and size, a popular method among gamers.
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Complete hiding of system elements without root-rights is possible only visually (through themes) or by switching to full-screen applications.