How to Make Navigation Buttons Pop Up on Xiaomi Smartphones: A Complete Guide

Why are navigation buttons more convenient than standard ones?

The floating navigation buttons on Xiaomi are an alternative to classic touch keys or gestures that combine the advantages of both approaches. They only appear when needed, don’t occupy space on the screen all the time, and allow you to switch between tasks faster, especially for devices with camera cutouts or curved screens, where traditional buttons can interfere.

In MIUI 12-14, the feature is implemented through Full Screen Gestures, but many users do not know that it can be adapted to their needs. For example, on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ or POCO F4, pop-up buttons work differently than on the flagship Xiaomi 13 Ultra. In this article, we will analyze all the nuances from basic activation to fine-tuning transparency and location.

It's important to understand that on some models (like the Black Shark 5 Pro), pop-up buttons are blocked by the manufacturer due to game mode, which will require a workaround through ADB or third-party apps, but about everything in order.

Which Xiaomi models support pop-up buttons?

The feature is available on most devices with MIUI 12 and later, but there are exceptions. Below is the compatibility table for the popular series:

If your model is not listed, check the MIUI version in settings (Settings → About Phone → MIUI version). The function requires at least MIUI 12.0.3 or later to work. On older firmwares, floating buttons are either missing or work with bugs (for example, disappear after a reboot).

Step-by-step instructions: how to turn on pop-up buttons

Activation of the function takes less than a minute, but the path to settings varies depending on the shell. Consider the universal method for MIUI and separately for POCO Launcher.

Method 1: Using standard MIUI settings

This method works on most Xiaomi, Redmi and Black Shark devices (except for game modes):

1. Open the Settings → Display.
2. Select Full Screen Display (or Full Screen Display).
3. Stick to Full-screen gestures style.
4. In the list of options, select Floating buttons (or Floating navigation bar).
5. Confirm the selection and restart the device (recommended).

Once activated, a translucent panel will appear on the screen with three buttons: Back, Home and Recent, which can be moved around the screen with your finger.

Method 2: For POCO Launcher

On POCO smartphones, the path is slightly different due to the customized shell:

1. Click the empty area on the home screen → select Launcher Settings.
2. Go to the additional settings → Gestures.
3. Activate the option of floating navigation panel.
4. Set up the transparency and button size in the same menu.

Check out the MIUI version (should be 12+)

Make a backup copy of settings

Close all background applications

Connect the charger (recommended)-->

Fine tuning: transparency, size and location

By default, floating buttons are standard, but they can be customized to suit your preferences, such as reducing the size to save space or making them completely transparent for a minimalist interface.

How to Change the Appearance of the Buttons

Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen Display → Floating Panel Configuration. The following options are available here:

• 🎨 Transparency: from 0% (beforehand 100% (It's completely opaque. Optimal value — 30-50%, So the buttons don’t distract, but remain noticeable.
• 📏 Size: Three preliminary values (small, medium, large) or custom size through the slider.
• 🔄 Position: left/right position (relevant to left-handers) or free movement.
• 🖼️ Icon style: classic arrows, circles or minimalist lines (not available on all models).

On the Xiaomi 13 Pro and later, there is an optional Appearance Animation that allows buttons to smoothly manifest when you touch the screen.This reduces visual noise, but can add a delay of 0.1-0.3 seconds when navigating.

Hidden settings through ADB

For advanced users, additional options are available that are not displayed in the GUI, such as changing the color of buttons or turning off the vibration of buttons.

1. Activate Developer Mode (Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version → Tap 7 times).
2. Enable USB debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=* This will disable forced display of buttons in some applications.

Problem Solving: buttons don’t appear or bug

If the floating buttons fail after activation, the reasons can range from firmware bugs to conflicts with third-party launchers.

Problem 1: Buttons disappear after rebooting

This is a common bug on the Redmi Note 9/10 with custom firmware.

• 🔄 Switch to standard launcher MIUI (Turn off the Nova Launcher or POCO Launcher).
• 📥 Update your firmware to the latest stable version via Settings → Update of the PO.
• 🛠️ Reset the launcher settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the data.

Problem 2: Buttons do not respond to touch

If the buttons are visible but not working, it's a conflict with the gestures or the safety glass.

1. Disable all third-party navigation apps (e.g. Fluid Navigation Gestures).
2. Make sure the security glass doesn’t block the edges of the screen (especially for the Xiaomi Mix 4 with a subscreen camera).
3. Calibrate the sensor: Settings → Display → Calibration of touches.

💡

If the buttons are unstable in a particular application (for example, in PUBG Mobile), add it to the game mode exceptions: Settings → Special Features → Game mode → Exceptions.

Problem 3: Buttons are displayed on top of the keyboard

This is a well-known bug in MIUI 13 that is fixed as follows:

1. Open Settings → System → Language and input → Current keyboard.
2. Select Gboard or Xiaomi Keyboard (third-party keyboards may conflict).
3. In the keyboard settings, turn off the option Floating Mode.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi Pad 5/6 floating buttons may conflict with multiwindow mode. If the split screen stops working after activation of the function, return the standard gestures via Settings → Display. → Full-screen display.

Alternative methods: third-party applications

If you don't like the built-in floating buttons, you can use third-party solutions, which offer more customization options, but require additional permissions.

Top.-3 floating-button applications

To install any of these applications:

1. Download APK from the official website (avoid third-party sources).
2. Allow installation from unknown sources: Settings → Applications → Special Access → Install unknown applications.
3. Launch the application and provide access to Special Features.
4. If necessary, perform ADB-circumvention MIUI: adb shell pm grant com.xyz.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS (Replace com.xyz with an app package).

⚠️ Note: Apps like Fluid Navigation Gestures may conflict with banking applications (like SberBank Online or Tinkoff.

Comparison: Floating buttons vs gestures vs classic buttons

Which way to navigate is better? It depends on your habits and your smartphone model.

Floating buttons are a middle ground for those who aren’t ready to fully switch to gestures but want to make room on the screen, and they are especially useful on devices with large screens (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi K60 Pro), where reaching the top of the display with one hand is difficult.

Gestures, in turn, will be suitable for experienced users who appreciate speed and minimalism, and classic buttons remain relevant for those who are used to traditional navigation or use a smartphone in gloves (for example, in the cold).

💡

On Xiaomi AMOLED-Floating buttons consume less power than a classic navigation bar, as only the icon pixels are highlighted, not the entire bottom of the display.

FAQ: Frequent questions about floating buttons on Xiaomi