Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face a situation where a favorite app or game is not running on the whole screen, but with black stripes on the sides or top. This is due to differences in the aspect ratio: modern displays are stretched (20:9 or 21:9), while many programs, especially old or optimized for standard tablets, are designed for 16:9 proportions.
Fortunately, MIUI and the new HyperOS have powerful built-in tools that allow you to force the image to stretch. You don't need to have super-user rights (root) or install third-party launchers. All the necessary settings are hidden in the system menu, which by default may be inactive for ordinary users. In this article, we will discuss in detail how to activate hidden settings and configure the display of content.
Before we get to the complex manipulations, it's worth noting that not all games work properly in stretched mode. Some interfaces can float and control buttons can move out of the visible area. So it's important to understand what parameters you're changing and how this affects the resolution and scaling of elements. We'll look at both the standard methods and the use of the engineering menu for advanced users.
Activation of the hidden menu of additional settings
The main way to solve the problem is in a hidden partition of the system called "Additional settings", which is hidden from the eyes of the average user by default, to prevent accidental changes in critical display parameters, and to access it you will need to perform a certain sequence of actions in the "About Phone" section.
You need to go to Settings → About Phone. Here, find the line with the MIUI version (or HyperOS) and quickly click on it 7-10 times in a row. After the pop-up notification "You've become a developer" (or similar), go back to the main settings menu. Now go on the path Additional Settings → Advanced Settings. This is where the key switch is located.
Find the App’s aspect ratio (some firmware versions may call it “Fullscreen Mode”). Inside, you’ll see a list of all the programs installed, find the game you want in the list, and change the value from “Default” to “Fullscreen” (16:9 or 21:9, depending on the model), which will cause the system to ignore the standard app proportions and stretch it over the entire display matrix.
⚠️ Attention: Forced image stretching may cause interface elements (Menu or Back buttons) to be cropped off the edges of the screen. In such cases, it is recommended to temporarily return the standard aspect ratio.
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If you don’t find Advanced Settings, try searching by settings by entering the phrase “Relation” or “full screen.”
Customization of the cutout and bangs in MIUI and HyperOS
Modern Xiaomi smartphones often feature a screen cutout (bangs) for the front camera. In games, this can create discomfort, as the interface can be overlapped by the camera, or around the cutout will be displayed black stripes that mimic the top frame of the old smartphone.
To set up, go to Settings → Screen → Screen zoom (or “Neckout Control”). Here you will see three main ways the system behaves when running applications:
- 📱 Hide the cut: The black bar hides the camera, creating the illusion of a wide upper frame. This is useful for older games where the interface is pressed to the upper edge.
- 🔍 Show the cutout: Content is displayed under the camera, ideal for video and modern games that support full-screen.
- ⚙️ Individual: You can set the behavior for each specific game separately, which is the most convenient option.
Sometimes, when you update your firmware, the settings are reset and the games are not displayed correctly again, so you just need to recheck this section. It's also worth remembering that in "Hide the Notice" mode, the useful screen area decreases, which can be critical in shooters or strategies where every pixel of the view is important.
Use of a Game Turbo (Game Turbo)
The Game Turbo tool not only cleans the memory, but also allows you to control the display of content during the game. This application is part of the system security package MIUI Security and automatically recognizes installed games.
Run the game through the Game Turbo shortcut or add it manually through the accelerator settings. Additional features are available in the sidebar (swipe from the corner of the screen).--“reality” or change the display of notifications, which indirectly affects how the game occupies the screen space by blocking pop-ups.
Some firmware versions of Game Turbo add Auto Brightness Lock and Navigation buttons to create a full immersion effect. If the game still doesn't stretch, try looking for "Advanced" in the accelerator settings and checking the "Display Optimization" tick.
☑️ Optimization with Game Turbo
Engineering menu and DPI change
For advanced users who haven't been helped by standard methods, there's a more radical way to change the dot-per-inch density (DPI) -- a system parameter that tells applications how big interface elements they need to draw -- changing the DPI can make a game think it's running on a device with a different resolution.
To get into the engineering menu, open the Phone app and dial ##6484##. From the CIT menu that opens, select Version or Single-item test, then find the section associated with LCM or Display. However, a safer and more effective method is through the developer menu.
Go to Settings → Advanced Settings → For developers. Find Minimum Width (or “Smallest width”). Remember the original value (usually 360, 392 or 411 dpi) to be able to return everything. Try changing the value by 10-20 units in a higher or lower direction. For example, if there was 392, put 410. After applying the settings, the system and games interface will reconfigure.
| Parameter | Standard value | Change effect | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relationship of parties | By default. | Stretching the picture. | Low. |
| DPI (Denseness) | 392-420 | Changing the scale of UI | Medium. |
| Cutout mode | Automatically. | Hiding/opening the camera | Low. |
| Game Turbo | Included | Optimize resources | Absent. |
⚠️ Note: Do not set extreme values DPI (This can make the system interface unreadable, and you will have to reset your phone to factory settings.
What to do if the interface becomes unreadable?
Compatibility problems of old games and emulators
A special category are older games (the era of Android 4-6) and console emulators (PSP, Dendy, PS1). These applications often have a rigidly defined resolution that does not adapt to modern screens, in which case Xiaomi’s system settings may not work.
For emulators, the solution is usually inside the settings of the emulator itself. Look for the Display or Video section and change the rendering mode from "Stretch" to "Aspect Ratio" or vice versa.
If the game is very old and has no settings, you can try to run it in compatibility mode. To do this, in the application menu (long tap on the icon on the desktop), select Application Information → Compatibility (if available in your version of MIUI) and try to switch modes. In some cases, installing third-party launchers that can forcibly scale windows helps, but this requires additional permissions.
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Older games most often require customization within their own graphics menu, Xiaomi system settings here may be powerless.