Xiaomi smartphone owners often want to personalize their device’s interface, and the notification curtain (or control center) is one of the most visible areas of the screen. On the Redmi Note 10, the standard design may seem familiar, but sometimes you want to refresh the visual style or add functionality.
It is worth clarifying that “change the curtain” can be understood in two ways: either change its appearance (theme, icons, fonts) through the built-in system tools, or completely replace the functionality with the help of third-party applications. MIUI provides basic tools for customization, but for profound changes, additional solutions will be required. In this article, we will discuss all available ways to modify the interface of your smartphone.
Before you take action, you need to understand that interfering with system elements requires caution. Installing untested themes or applications incorrectly can lead to unstable system operation. However, following proven methods, you can safely transform the appearance of Control Center without risking data.
Standard settings of the MIUI control center
The first thing to start with is to explore the possibilities that the shell itself provides. MIUI. In the latest firmware versions for the Redmi Note 10, the company has introduced a new style of control center, reminiscent of iOS. Check if it is activated, as this already changes the perception of the curtain. → Notifications and status bar → Centre for control.
Here you can choose between Classic and New, and the new option splits notifications and switches into two separate tabs, making the curtains visually more voluminous and informative. The classic style retains the traditional look of Android, where all elements are on the same list, and the choice is solely based on your ergonomics preferences.
⚠️ Warning: Switching control center styles can change the location of brightness and sound sliders.Be prepared for the fact that muscle memory will take time to adapt to the new interface.
Also available on this menu is the customization of app icons in notifications, so you can allow or disallow icons, which affects the visual noise in the curtain, for minimalists, turning off icons will make the panel cleaner and more concise, and this is a simple but effective measure to change the perception of the interface.
Using themes to change design
The most effective way to dramatically change the look of the curtain is to install a third-party theme from the Theme app, and many authors create skins that completely redraw system elements, including the notification panel, volume sliders, and switch icons, a secure method that does not require root rights.
To find the right design, open the Themes app and search for queries like “Notification,” “Control Center,” or popular launchers. Notice the preview: often the theme description tells you what elements it changes. It only takes a couple of minutes to download and apply the theme.
☑️ Checking before setting the topic
Once the theme is installed, the system can suggest using all the components or selecting selectively, so to change the curtain, make sure that the list of components includes Notifications, Status Bar and System, and if the theme does not change the curtain, then the author has not included this component in his package, and you need to look for another option.
Also, after updating the MIUI system, custom themes may fly or not work correctly, in which case you will have to reuse the topic or search for an updated version in the directory.
Third-party curtain replacement applications
If built-in tools are not enough, specialized applications from Google Play come to the rescue, programs like Power Shade, Material Notification Shade or NSPanel allow you to completely replace the standard notification bar with a custom one, they intercept system notifications and display them in their design.
Installing such software requires a wide range of permissions, including access to notifications and over other windows. Once configured in the application, you need to turn on the Accessibility Service for the corresponding application, which will allow the new curtain to appear when swiping from above, overlapping the standard one.
Settings → Additional settings → Special features → Power Shade (or analogue) → EnableThe advantage of these apps is that they have a lot of flexibility in their settings, and you can change the transparency, you can change the location of the sliders, you can add widgets of weather, music and fast commands right into the curtain. AMOLED-screen, and properly configuring a dark theme in such applications can even save battery power.
⚠️ Warning: Third-party notification panels consume more battery life than standard ones.If you notice a quick discharge, try disabling the app or reducing the frequency of widget updates.
Why can't the third-party curtain work?
Configure widgets and fast switches
Visual change is not just about pictures, it's also about functional content. In MIUI, you can edit a set of quick switches in the curtain. Swipe down to open the control center, and find the edit button (usually in the form of a pencil or setting icon), and you can add new tiles or remove unnecessary ones.
Adding frequently used features like Screen Recording, Screenshot, or Read Mode makes the curtain more useful. You can also change the order of the buttons by bringing the most important ones to the first screen, which creates the feeling of a new interface without installing additional software.
For advanced users, you can install widgets directly into the notification area (depending on the version of MIUI and launcher), and widgets of music, pedometer or currency rate placed at the top of the screen significantly change the perception of the curtain, which turns it from a simple notification list into an information bar.
| Element | Where to set up | Impact on the view |
|---|---|---|
| Style of the centre | Settings → Notifications | Tab-sharing |
| Theme of the design | Annex Topics | Colors, icons, fonts |
| Switch panel | Editing in a curtain | Button set and order |
| Third-party software | Google Play Store | Complete interface replacement |
Compatibility issues and MIUI bugs
When the interface is actively customized, Redmi Note 10 users may encounter software conflicts, such as a custom theme that can be “go” after the system update: icons are shifted, text becomes unreadable or background disappears, in which case resetting the theme to a standard (“Classic” or “Default”) through the Theme app menu helps.
Third-party curtain replacement applications may conflict with MIUI memory optimization. The system can force the notification panel process to save power. To avoid this, you need to go to the replacement application settings, select Battery, and set No Limits mode.
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If you lose sound or vibration after installing the theme, check the sound profile settings. Some themes change the system sounds to their own, which may be quiet or absent.
Another common problem is desynchronizing the unread message counters. The curtain may not update the numbers on the app icons in real time. This is treated by restarting the replacement application or clearing its cache through Settings → Apps → All apps.
Alternative launchers and their impact
While the launcher primarily changes the desktop, some (e.g. Niagara Launcher, Smart Launcher) offer their own widgets and ways to interact with notifications.Installing an alternative launcher can indirectly affect how you interact with the curtain, offering alternative ways to access information.
However, it is worth noting that the launcher itself does not change the system curtain of Android notifications, it only provides tools for managing content. If your goal is a visual curtain, the launcher will not solve the problem completely, but in conjunction with a custom theme will give a great result.
For users who want full control, there is the option of installing custom firmware (Custom ROM) such as Pixel Experience or LineageOS. This is a complex process that requires unlocking the bootloader. In such firmware, the notification interface is often different from MIUI and can be changed more deeply.
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The safest and most stable way to change the curtain is to use official themes from the Xiaomi store. Third-party apps give more freedom, but require setting exceptions in the battery.
Return to factory interface settings
If the design experiments have led to unstable work or simply stopped liking it, you can always go back to the original state. To do this, remove the recently installed themes or apps to replace the curtain. In the Themes app, go to the profile and select My Themes, then apply the theme "Default".
If you’ve used a third-party app, remember to disable it in the Special Features section and remove the app itself. Once you reboot, the Redmi Note 10 will return to standard system behavior, ensuring that no background processes interfere with the interface.
As a last resort, if the interface is not working properly even after removing themes, you can reset the design settings. Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Reserve and Reset → Reset all settings. Note: this item only resets the system settings (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, registration), without deleting your personal photos and contacts.