How to change the keyboard layout on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Changing the input language is one of the most basic but critical operations when you first launch a new smartphone or tablet. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco devices often face the need to quickly adjust the keyboard after purchase, since only English or Chinese can be active by default. The MIUI or HyperOS shell interface has its own features that distinguish the configuration process from “pure” Android.

Modern virtual keyboards don't just offer a choice between the Russian and English alphabets; they're complex tools for text prediction, voice input, even translation on the fly. The right typer configuration dramatically improves the speed of typing and reduces the number of typos. In this article, we'll take a look at the nuances of layout switching.

Many users confuse the language of the operating system itself with the language of text input. These are different settings, although they are often in adjacent menus. If your phone's menu is in Russian, but it prints in Latin, or vice versa, you can go here. We'll look at the regular Gboard tools that are preinstalled on most devices, and touch on third-party solutions.

Standard methods of switching to Gboard

Most Xiaomi smartphones have Google’s Gboard keyboard installed by default, a de facto standard for the Android ecosystem that provides high recognition accuracy and integration with the company’s services, and you can switch between languages in several ways, and the choice of method depends on your personal preferences and device model.

The most obvious and quick way is to use a button on the keyboard panel, which usually looks like a picture of the globe or has an acronym for the current language (for example, RU or EN), and a short tap on this element instantly changes the layout to the next one on the list, and if you have three languages connected, one tap will switch from Russian to English, the second to Chinese, the third to Russian again.

There's also an alternative method for those who are more comfortable with gestures, which is that many versions of MIUI have a swipe on the left or right space key, which doesn't require a finger to be removed from the print area, which makes it faster, but it needs to be pre-activated in the settings, which we'll talk about in the next sections.

It's important to note that if there's no language change button, it doesn't mean that the function is broken, often because there's only one language pack active in the system, the input system just doesn't see an alternative to switch, and to fix this, you need to add a second language to the settings, as detailed below.

Adding and removing languages in settings

For a keyboard to offer a choice between different alphabets, the corresponding language packs must be downloaded and activated on the system.The process of adding a new language to Xiaomi is unified, but the path to settings may vary slightly depending on the version of Android.

To get into the language management menu, you need to open the settings of the keyboard application itself, and you can do this in two ways: through the general settings of the smartphone or directly from the print interface. The second option is faster: call the keyboard in any input field, click on the settings icon (cogs), and select Languages, and here you will see a list of all the layouts available.

In the menu that opens, click Add Keyboard (usually blue plus or button at the bottom of the list). You will see a catalog of all supported languages. Find the desired one, for example, Russian, and select the layout option (usually recommended "Russian - PC" or "Russian - phone"). Once added, the language will appear in the active list.

Removing unwanted languages is done in a similar way. In the list of active keyboards, click on the basket icon or select Delete next to the language name. This is useful if you accidentally added extra layouts or want to simplify the switching process by leaving only two main languages.

Customization of gestures and additional functions

Modern keyboards on Xiaomi allow you not only to type, but also to control cursor, emoji and translation using swipes. These features significantly expand the possibilities of text input.

In the Preferences or Keyboard Settings section, you can find a space behavior item, and you can activate the "Cursor Route" function, which turns the bottom of the keyboard into a touchpad: you can swipe across the space, and the cursor will move through the text, allowing you to edit errors accurately without having to aim at small letters.

⚠️ Warning: Activating too many gesture controls can lead to accidental positives, especially on smaller screens of Redmi or Poco smartphones.If you notice the cursor running away or the language switching on its own, turn off swipes in the settings.

This section also features a setup of emoji and stickers, so you can take the emoji button to the main screen of the keyboard or hide it to make room. For multitasking enthusiasts, the floating keyboard feature is useful, which allows you to move the input window across the screen, which is convenient when using a tablet or smartphone in horizontal mode.

Use of third-party keyboards on MIUI and HyperOS

The Xiaomi or Gboard standard keyboard is not for everyone, and some users prefer more functional solutions such as Yandex Keyboard, SwiftKey or Hacker’s Keyboard. Installing a third-party input application on MIUI and HyperOS requires several security steps as the system seeks to protect user data.

After downloading and installing the application from Google Play, the system will immediately request permission to activate the new keyboard when it first starts, and you will be prompted to go to the Language and Input settings, where you will find the "Keyboard Management" or "Current Keyboard" option and switch the switch toggle against the new application to the "On" position.

The system will issue a warning that a third-party keyboard can access all the text you type, including passwords. This is a standard Android warning, and if you downloaded the application from an official store, you should not be afraid. Once confirmed, you need to choose a new application as your primary method of input.

Solving Language Switching Problems

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the language does not switch, the button is missing or the keyboard is not behaving correctly, this can be caused by a software failure, an application conflict or an error in updating the system, and in most cases, the problem can be solved independently without going to the service center.

The first thing you need to do is check if the game-only or do-not-disturb mode is on with special input settings. Sometimes third-party launchers or optimization apps block the system keyboards. Try rebooting the device, which solves 90% of the MIUI time glitches.

If the problem persists, try clearing the keyboard cache. Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, search in the Gboard list (or your keyboard), select Memory and click Clear Cache. Importantly: don't confuse it with the Clear Data button, as this will reset all your dictionaries and settings to factory.

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If the language change button is gone after the system update, try to force the keyboard application to stop in the application settings and then run it again.

In rare cases, resetting keyboard settings to factory settings helps, which will remove all learned words and personalization, but return stability, and it is also worth checking for updates for the keyboard app itself in the Google Play store, as developers often release patches to fix bugs.

Features of working with the Chinese version of firmware

Owners of devices imported from China or re-imprinted to the Chinese version of ROM may face the lack of a Russian default layout or the presence of only a pinyin, in which cases standard methods may not work immediately after the device is turned on.

Often Chinese firmware preinstalled keyboard Sogou or Baidu, which do not have Russian, the solution is one — install Gboard or Yandex Keyboard through the browser or APK-file, as Google Play may not be installed. After installation, follow the instructions for activating the third-party keyboard described above.

Another feature is that you can randomly activate Chinese characters instead of letters. If you see strange characters instead of "hello," check if the input mode inside the language itself has switched, and the language change button can display not only RU/EN, but also the input method indicator (such as Pinyin or Woubi), switch it before the Latin alphabet or Cyrillic alphabet appears.

⚠️ Note: When using Chinese keyboards, be careful with network access permissions. Some of them can transmit input data to the developer's servers.

Customizing input to Xiaomi is flexible and allows you to adapt the device to any needs. Whether you need a quick set of messages, professional text work or just easy access to emojis, standard tools of the system cope with this, the main thing is to activate the desired functions in the menu correctly.

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Proper keyboard settings include not only adding languages, but also disabling unnecessary features that can interfere with fast typing.