Xiaomi smartphone owners often strive to fully personalize their device, and the look of the keyboard is not the last thing to do. The standard white or dark input interface can seem boring, especially if you have installed a bright live theme on the entire desktop. Fortunately, the Android operating system, especially in the shell of MIUI and the new HyperOS, provides ample opportunities to change the visual style of the keyboard without the need for root rights.
There are several basic ways to get the desired result, from the built-in features of Google Keyboard to installing specialized themes in the system application Themes. The choice of the specific method depends on which keyboard you use by default and how deep you are willing to dive into the system settings. In some cases, you will need to install third-party apps from the Play Market to achieve the perfect result.
It's important to understand that color change is not just an aesthetic whim, but also a way to reduce the visual load on the eyes or, conversely, make the interface more contrasting. Customization of the input interface allows you to create a single style for the entire smartphone, matching the colors of the buttons with wallpaper and icons. Below we will discuss in detail all available methods, their pros and nuances of implementation.
Use of built-in Google Keyboard themes
The easiest and safest way to change the look and feel is to use the functionality of the most popular keyboard in the world. If your Xiaomi has Gboard installed, you already have access to a huge style library. To start, open the keyboard settings by clicking on the gear in the top toolbar, or go to Settings of your smartphone, then to the Additional section and select Language and Type.
In the settings menu, find Theme, where you will be asked to choose from a variety of preset options, from classic black and white diagrams to bright gradients and thematic designs in the style of Material You. Material You is a modern Google approach that automatically selects the colors of the buttons to the dominant color of your wallpaper, creating a harmonious visual range.
⚠️ Note: Some topics in the Google Store may be paid or contain ads. Carefully look at the price icon or the Ads mark before installing to avoid accidental charge-offs.
Once you've chosen your favorite design, the system will suggest you adjust the brightness of the keyboard, so you can make the background completely transparent so you can see the wallpaper, or you can darken it for better character readability, and the changes are instantaneous, and you can see the result immediately in any application that requires text input.
If you don't have a standard set of themes, there's a + or a Create Your Theme button on the same menu, and this tool allows you to manually select the color of each key, the color of the characters, and even add a background image, and this level of detail allows you to create a unique design that you can't find in ready-made solutions.
Configure via the Themes app in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi’s ecosystem offers its own, deeper level of customization through the Themes system app. Here you can find special themes that change not only wallpaper and icons, but also completely redraw the system keyboard (usually Sogou or SwiftKey, adapted for Xiaomi). To find such designs, open the Themes app and enter the search query “keyboard” or “keyboard”.
In the search results, you will see hundreds of options, from anime stylistics to rigorous business designs. Before downloading, be sure to pay attention to compatibility: some themes are only for certain models or versions of Android. Once you download and apply the theme, the style of the keyboard will change globally throughout the system.
Why is the topic not fully applied?
It is worth noting that the use of third-party themes from the Xiaomi store can lead to incorrect display of some characters in specific applications. The system keyboard in such themes is often a modified version of the standard engine, so there may be problems with autocorrection or support for rare languages.
To return to the standard look, just open the Themes app again, go to the user profile (human icon) and select Themes. There, click on Default or delete the active theme. This action will return the standard white or dark style adopted in your version of the firmware.
Use of third-party keyboards: Kika, Facemoji and others
If you don't like the built-in capabilities of Google and Xiaomi, specialized keyboard applications come to the rescue, with Kika Keyboard, Facemoji and TouchPal leading the niche. These apps offer not just a color change, but a full-fledged transformation of the input interface from the emoji, GIF-Animation and thousands of ready skins.
Once you install such an app from Google Play Market, you will need to activate it in the system. Go to Settings → Additional → Language and Enter → Keyboard Management and turn on the switch opposite the installed program. Then select the new application under the Current Keyboard.
☑️ Security check of the third-party keyboard
The main advantage of these solutions is the incredible variety: you can set a theme with a live background where cats run around the screen, or make the keyboard completely transparent with glass effect, but keep in mind the privacy: third-party keyboards have access to everything you type, including passwords and card data, if you do not use secure input mode.
⚠️ Note: When installing a third-party keyboard, Xiaomi will issue a warning that the app may collect input information.This is a standard Android security measure. Use only proven applications with millions of installations.
Material You Mode and Dynamic Colors
Starting with Android 12 and current versions of MIUI 14/HyperOS, the concept of dynamic design has been introduced.This means that the system’s color gamut, including the Gboard keyboard, can automatically adapt to the colors of your current wallpaper.
To activate this mode, make sure you have the latest version of Google Keyboard installed. Then go to the phone's settings, Wallpaper and Personalization section (or similar in your firmware version). Select new wallpapers, and the system will suggest applying the color palette extracted from the image to the interface elements.
Technically, this works through the Color Extraction mechanism. The algorithm analyzes the image, finds the dominant colors and generates a palette, which is then transmitted to compatible applications. Gboard supports this feature natively, so when you change the wallpaper, the keyboard color will change automatically.
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For the best dynamic color-selection effect, use wallpaper with bright, rich gradients or abstract images. Photos with lots of small details can give faded results.
If the automation is not working properly, you can try resetting the theme app and Google Keyboard. Sometimes the accumulated temporary files interfere with the correct application of new styles. You can do this in the Applications section → All apps → Select the right one → Clear the cache.
Comparison of popular personalization methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right way, we have compiled a comparison table of the main methods of changing the color of the keyboard to Xiaomi, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your security, performance and visual style needs.
| Method | Difficulty | Security | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gboard (Inline themes) | Low. | Tall. | Average. |
| Annex "Themes" (MIUI) | Medium | Tall. | High. |
| Third-party keyboards (Kika, etc.) | Low. | Medium | Very high. |
| Material You (auto) | Low. | Tall. | Depends on the wallpaper. |
As you can see from the table, for most users, the optimal balance is the use of built-in Gboard themes or Xiaomi theme store, which provide a sufficient level of security and do not require the installation of additional software that can consume battery resources.
Third-party keyboards should only be considered if you are critically interested in specific features, such as gesture control with special effects or access to huge sticker libraries that are not available in standard solutions.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Users can face a variety of difficulties in setting up, one of the most common is that the keyboard doesn’t change color or doesn’t display correctly after installing the theme, often because the theme you choose isn’t optimized for your Android version or screen resolution.
Another problem is the keyboard crashes when you type, which can happen when you use heavy third-party animation skins, and if you notice that your smartphone is slowing down when you type, try going back to standard design or choosing a lighter static background.
⚠️ Warning: If after installing a new theme or keyboard, the phone starts to behave unstable (reboots, warms up), immediately remove the last app or theme installed through Safe Mode.
Also worth mentioning is the color desynchronization problem, which is that one app has a keyboard of one color and another, and that's normal for Android if different apps use different themes, or if one of them is forced to run in dark mode, ignoring system settings.
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Stability is more important than beautiful but heavy design, and if the keyboard is lagging, return the standard settings.
You can use debugging mode to diagnose problems, but for ordinary users, it will be enough to check for system updates. Often Xiaomi fixes compatibility bugs in those in security patches that come regularly.