Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which are based on MIUI shells or the new HyperOS, provide users with a wide range of options for personalizing the interface. One of the most commonly used controls is the top of the screen, often called the “notification string” or “curtain.” However, many device owners confuse concepts, wanting to change the appearance of the system status bar or the order of elements in the quick access panel, which requires a clear understanding of the system architecture.
In this article, we will not only discuss standard methods for changing the appearance through built-in themes, but also the deeper ways to modify system elements available to advanced users. It is important to understand that the notification string is a dynamic interface that responds to user actions, and its change can affect the ergonomics of using the entire device.
Before you start taking action, you need to decide which part of the interface you want to change: the display area of time and battery charge (status bar) or the drop-down panel with control buttons (curtain), which will depend on the further algorithm of actions and the set of necessary tools for customization.
Differences between Status Bar and Notification Curtain
The first step to the desired result is the correct terminology, because the search for solutions for different elements of the system is radically different. The status bar is a narrow bar at the top of the screen, where the clock, signal level, battery charge and icons of active applications are displayed, and it is the appearance (clock location, font) that users most often want to change.
In turn, the notification curtain (or quick access bar) is a sliding menu that appears when swiping down from the top of the screen. It contains brightness sliders, Wi-Fi buttons, Bluetooth buttons, flashlight and a list of received messages. The change in the design of this area affects deeper layers of the interface and often requires the installation of third-party themes.
It is worth noting that the standard settings Xiaomi allows only minimal impact on these elements, for example, hiding the cutout under the camera. To fully replace the graphics or change the structure of the blocks will require the use of the theme or specialized software. Understanding this difference will save you time when searching for the right files for modification.
Standard display settings in MIUI and HyperOS
Let’s start with the basic features that the operating system itself provides without the need to install additional software. In most cases, users want to change the position of the clock or the format of the display date. To do this, go to the Settings menu → Wallpaper and personalization → Lock screen.
You can find options to change the style of the watch, although the functionality may be limited depending on the regional version of the firmware, in some cases, the system offers you to choose between analog and digital formats, and also change the font color if the chosen theme supports this, this is the safest way of modification, not requiring root rights.
☑️ Basic interface configuration
Also in Settings → Notifications and status bar, you can control the visibility of certain icons in the status bar. You can turn off the display of Internet speed, NFC icon or vibration, which visually “unloads” the notification string, this is especially true for devices with small screens, where every pixel counts.
Using design themes to change design
The most effective and legal way to radically change the appearance of the notification bar and curtain is to install themes from the official Themes store.Developers from around the world create designs that completely replace the system graphics, including icons, volume sliders and control panel design.
To find the right theme, open the Topics app and search for keywords such as “iOS style”, “Minimal”, “Clean status bar”. Once the theme is uploaded and applied, changes will affect all interface levels, including the status bar and notification menu, which allows you to achieve a unique look without risking damage to the system.
⚠️ Note: Some themes may not display correctly on different screen resolutions or Android versions. Before installing, carefully check the screenshots in the theme description to make sure that it is compatible with your Xiaomi model.
If the standard store doesn’t offer the right option, you can download themes from third-party sources in.mtz format. Installation may require the activation of developer mode or the use of special download apps that bypass regional restrictions. However, remember that installing themes from unverified sources can carry risks to data security.
Advanced customization through Magisk modules
With the help of the Magisk manager, you can install modules that are embedded in the system partition and change the interface at a deep level, and that's the only way to change the shape of the battery icons or the time font globally for the entire system.
A popular solution is the SystemUI Tuner module or specialized patches for the MIUI, editable XML-You can move the clock to the center, change the transparency of the background curtain or add additional indicators.
| Method of modification | Necessary rights | Risk of error | Flexibility of setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard settings | No. | Absent. | Low. |
| Design topics | No. | Minimum | Medium |
| Magisk modules | Root | High-pitched | Maximum |
| Editing by XML | Root + Knowledge | critical | Absolute. |
What is SystemUI?
Configure the display of specific notifications
Often, the phrase “change the notification string” means users wanting to control which apps can display information to the top of the screen, and HyperOS and recent versions of MIUI put a lot of emphasis on this for the sake of privacy and cleanliness.
Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Control Center, where you can customize the behavior of the curtain in detail, for example, turn on the notifications only on the lock screen, hiding their contents in the unlocked state, which helps to preserve privacy in public places.
Priority-based notifications are also available, and you can assign important messages (such as messengers or banks) to a separate category so that they are always visible first, while the promotional mailings are hidden in the Others folder, which makes the status bar more convenient and informative.
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Use the "Important Notifications" feature for contacts from the favorite list to avoid missing an urgent call, even if the "Do Not Disturb" mode is enabled.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
In customization, users often encounter artifacts such as missing icons, incorrect layering or a floating interface, most often due to a conflict between the installed theme and system fonts, such as resetting the theme to a standard one or cleaning the theme app cache.
Another common problem is the disappearance of the battery icon or time after installing the Magisk module. In this case, you need to boot into Safe Mode or use the terminal to remove the problem module. Always back up before making changes to system files via adb or root-access file managers.
⚠️ Note: If after installing the theme, the smartphone stopped responding to touches or the screen went out, try to perform a forced reboot by clamping the power button on the device. 10-15 It'll bring back the standard theme and restore access to the system.
To diagnose display problems, you can use the adb shell dumpsys windows command, which will display information about the current state of windows and interface layers, which will help you understand which process blocks the correct display of the notification line elements.
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Stability is more important than appearance, and if customization causes lags or heat, it's best to go back to standard settings.