How to remove navigation buttons and switch to gestures in Xiaomi: full instructions

Xiaomi’s current smartphones offer two main ways to navigate: classic virtual buttons (Back, Home, Recent) and intuitive gestures, which save screen space, make the interface minimalist and speed up interaction with the device. However, not all users know how to activate this mode correctly — especially on new versions of MIUI 14/15, where the settings have changed.

In this article, you will find step-by-step instructions for all current Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO models, including nuances for different versions of the firmware. We will also discuss how to return the buttons if gestures seem uncomfortable, and give tips on how to optimize control. Importantly, on some budget models (for example, Redmi 9A or POCO C31), gesture function may be limited, we will also talk about this.

Before you start, make sure your smartphone is updated to the latest version of MIUI. This guarantees access to all navigation features. Check the version in the Settings menu → About Phone → MIUI version. If the update is available, install it.

Why You Should Switch to Gestures: 5 Key Benefits

Gesture control is not just a trend, but a practical solution for everyday use, which is why many Xiaomi users are switching to this format:

• 📱 More screen area: The button panel disappears, which is especially valuable on compact devices (for example, Xiaomi 13 mini or Redmi Note 12).
• ⚡ Quick access to features: Swipe up to return to the home screen is intuitive and faster than clicking on the Home button.
• 🔄 Easy switching between applications: horizontal swipe on the lower edge replaces the recent button, saving time.
• 🎮 Best gaming experience: the absence of virtual buttons eliminates random clicks during gameplay (relevant to the gameplay) POCO F5 or black shark).
• 🔋 Saving battery power: disabling the backlight of virtual buttons (on the AMOLED-screens reduce energy consumption by 2-5%.

But gestures have downsides, too: For example, it can be uncomfortable to go back in some apps (like Chrome or Instagram) where swiping from right to left conflicts with navigation on content, and users with thumbs sometimes accidentally activate gestures while holding their phone, which we'll discuss in the problem solving section.

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If you drop your phone frequently, gestures can be dangerous: random swipes when dropped sometimes lead to unwanted actions (such as closing the app), in which case it is better to leave the classic buttons or use a case with high sides.

Supported models: what Xiaomi gestures work on

The gesture control feature is available on most Xiaomi smartphones released after 2018, but there are nuances depending on the processor, MIUI version and firmware region.

Important: On devices with a Snapdragon 4xx processor (such as the Redmi 9C or POCO M3), Android full-screen gestures may not work smoothly due to performance limitations. If your model is not listed in the table, check for the feature manually using the instructions in the next section.

⚠️ Attention: On smartphones with Global ROM (European/Indian firmware sometimes lacks the option "Full screen gestures" due to regional restrictions. MIUI China or Xiaomi.EU.

Step-by-step: how to turn on gestures on Xiaomi

The gesture activation process takes less than a minute, but the paths to settings vary depending on the version of MIUI. We will look at two main scenarios: MIUI 12/13 and MIUI 14/15.

Method 1: MIUI 14/15 (current for Xiaomi 13, Redmi Note 12 and later)

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Screen section.
3. Select the Full Screen Display option.
4. Slip it on the navigation style.
5. Choose one of the options: 👉 Gestures MIUI — Xiaomi classic swipes (recommended for beginners). 👉 Full-screen gestures – a buttonless mode, like on iPhone or Pixel.

Confirm the choice and wait for the application of settings (the phone can briefly "hang").

Check the location of the swipes (see section below)|Close all important apps|Check battery (minimum 20%)|Take a screenshot of the current screen settings-->

Method 2: MIUI 12/13 (for Xiaomi 11, Redmi Note 10, POCO X3, etc.)

On older versions of firmware, the path to settings is different:

1. Go to Settings. → Additional settings.
2. Select a full-screen display.
3. Click Full Screen Style.
4. Activate the option of full-screen gestures or MIUI gestures.
5. If a compatibility warning appears, confirm the action.

Once activated, the virtual buttons will disappear on the screen, and a thin white bar will appear at the bottom, which is the sign zone indicator. To return the buttons, repeat the steps and select the navigation button option.

How to use gestures: decoding swipes

Once you've turned on the gestures, it's important to remember the basic combinations so you don't get lost in the interface. There are two types of gestures available in MIUI: standard (MIUI Gestures) and full-screen (Android Gestures), and we'll take a look at both.

1. MIUI gestures (recommended for beginners)

• 🏠 On the main screen: swipe up from the bottom edge (analogue of the Home button).
• 🔙 Back: swipe from right to left on the bottom edge (or left to right if left-handed mode is enabled).
• 📄 Recent apps: swipe up and hold (or two quick swipes up on the top) MIUI 15).
• 🔍 Search: Swipe down the main screen (analogue of a gesture on iOS).

Full-screen gestures (Android 10+)

• 🏠 On the main screen: swipe up from the bottom edge and release.
• 🔙 Back: swipe from right to left on any edge of the screen (zone) ~5 mm from the edge).
• 📄 Recent applications: swipe up and hold (or slow swipe diagonally up and down).
• ⚡ Quick Switch: Horizontal Swipe on the Lower Edge to Switch Between the Last Two Apps.

Tip: To practice, open Settings → Screen → Full-screen display → Gesture demo. There's interactive animation available that shows all the combinations.

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On Xiaomi with curved screens (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Mix Fold 3), the Back swipe zones are located closer to the edges to avoid false positives when holding the phone.

Sensitivity settings and additional chips

By default, gestures in MIUI are set to "medium" sensitivity, but you can adjust it to your preferences, which is especially useful if you have:

• 🧤 thumbs or hands.
• 🎮 Play mobile games frequently (to avoid random swipes).
• 📱 You use a high-sided case.

To change the sensitivity:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Full-screen display.
2. Select Sign Sensitivity (on MIUI 15, this option may be called Additional Settings).
3. Move the slider to the Low, Medium or High position.
4. For fine-tuning, tap on User and adjust swipe zones manually.

Additional gesture capabilities:

• 🔄 Turn off the sound: Turn the phone down to turn off the media sound (includes in Settings) → Sound).
• 📷 Camera gesture: Double-press the power button to quickly open the camera (works even on a locked screen).
• 🔍 Gesture Search: Swipe down the home screen to call a search (similar to Spotlight on iPhone).

⚠️ Attention: POCO F4 GT And other gamers' gestures are disabled by default in Game Turbo mode. To activate them, go to Settings. → Special facilities → Gestures in games.

Common problems and their solution

Even after you have the right gestures, you can have difficulties, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

If after switching to gestures you notice that some applications (for example, banking or instant messengers) began to work incorrectly, try:

1. Clear the app cache in Settings → Apps → [Name] → Storage.
2. Update the app to the latest version on Google Play.
3. Return navigation buttons temporarily and check if the problem persists.

Critical case: If after you turn on your gestures, the phone stopped responding to touch (for example, due to a failure in System UI), perform a forced reboot. To do this, press the power button and increase volume for 10-15 seconds. After the reboot, the gestures should work normally.

How to return the navigation buttons back

If the gesture control seems uncomfortable, you can return the classic buttons at any time.

1. Open Settings → Screen → Full-screen display.
2. Choose the Navigation Style.
3. Slip the navigation button option.
4. Confirm the change – Back, Home and Recent buttons will appear at the bottom of the screen.

Some models (such as the Redmi Note 11) also have the option of Custom button order, which allows you to swap the back and recent places if you prefer this arrangement.

If after returning the buttons they became transparent or disappeared, check the theme settings:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Navigation button style.
2. Choose Colored or Dark depending on your topic.
3. Turn off the auto-opening option if it is active.

FAQ: Frequent questions about gestures on Xiaomi