How to make the Home button like iPhone in Xiaomi

Owning a Xiaomi smartphone often gives users a lot of flexibility in customizing the interface, allowing them to adapt the device to their personal preferences. Many owners who have switched from Android to iOS or vice versa often look for a way to recreate the usual navigation. In particular, the question of how to make the Home button like on the iPhone in Xiaomi remains one of the most popular in the enthusiastic communities.

However, it is worth noting that in modern versions of the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS, the physical or on-screen Home button in the classical sense of Apple is not by default. Android is originally built on a different control logic. However, there are effective ways to simulate the behavior of AssistiveTouch (floating button) or customize gestures as close as possible to the logic of the Cupertinian company.

In this guide, we’ll not only look at standard navigation customization methods, but also advanced ways to create a floating button that will perform the return, menu and call functions of Siri-like assents. You’ll learn to manage your Redmi or Poco as you like, using built-in system functions and proven third-party utilities.

Navigation Anatomy: How Android is Different from iOS

Before we start modifying the interface, we need to understand fundamental differences in the control architecture. While the iPhone has relied on a single physical button for years and then moved to a specific gesture bar, Android has historically used three-button navigation or its own swipes.

Trying to make the Home button like the iPhone in Xiaomi is essentially creating a layer of emulation. The standard Android navigation bar contains the Back, Home and App Menu buttons. In iOS, the logic is about returning to the home screen and controlling through the bottom edge.

⚠️ Note: Complete copying of iOS behavior at the system level without obtaining superuser rights (Root) is impossible.

It’s important to understand that the introduction of foreign interface elements can affect performance. If your Xiaomi is in the low-cost segment with a small amount of RAM, the use of heavy launchers can cause delays when switching tasks.

However, for most modern models, such as the Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi 14 or the Redmi Note series, these changes will pass unnoticed for performance.

Customization of standard gestures in MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi

iPhone

To activate this mode, you don't need to install additional software, just go to the system settings and select the appropriate item, which will ensure stable operation and no conflicts with other applications.

To switch, perform the following steps:

• 📱 Open the Settings app on your smartphone.
• 🔍 Go to the Additional or Desktop section (depending on version) MIUI).
• ⚙️ Find the item System Navigation.
• ✅ Select the option Full-screen gesture control.

Once activated, the lower bar will work in a similar way to the iPhone: a short swipe up returns to the desktop, a swipe with pause opens the multitasking menu, and this is the most native way to approach the iOS experience.

If standard gestures don't seem comfortable enough, you can adjust the sensitivity of the edges of the screen. In some versions of HyperOS, you can adjust the activation area, which is especially important for devices with curved edges of the display.

Creating a floating AssistiveTouch button on Xiaomi

If you're looking for a visual copy of a circular button that floats over all windows, you'll need a third-party app. Xiaomi's standard tools don't implement this functionality, but the Google Play store offers great solutions.

One of the most popular and lightweight tools is the Assistive Touch app from various developers (such as LuuTinh Developer), which creates a virtual layer that mimics the Home iPhone button, including lock menus, screenshots and volume control.

The installation and configuration process is as follows:

• 📥 Download the Assistive Touch app from the Play Store.
• 🔓 When you first start, the system will request permission to “Master over other windows».
• 🖱️ Give permission by finding your new app in the list.
• 🎨 Customize the appearance of the button by choosing the style of iOS.

An important point is to configure permissions in the MIUI shell itself. The system can aggressively "kill" background processes to save battery. To keep the button from disappearing, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find Assistive Touch, go to Battery and select No Limits.

⚠️ Note: Using third-party overlays (applications on top of the screen) may create conflicts with games or applications that use swipes from the edges of the screen.

This approach allows you to get the functionality almost identical to AssistiveTouch on iOS, you can configure single and double clicks, assigning them to run specific applications or system functions.

Using third-party launchers for complete transformation

For those who want to change not only the button but the entire desktop experience, there are powerful launchers that replace the standard MIUI shell with an interface that copies iOS 16/17.

The most famous solution is Launcher iOS 16 or its analogues, which change icons, widgets, control center and, of course, the logic of the bottom of the screen, and installing such a launcher is a radical but effective step.

Comparison of the capabilities of the standard shell and third-party launchers:

When using third-party launchers, it is worth considering that some Xiaomi system features may not work properly, for example, gestures for screenshots with three fingers or specific smart home swipes may not be available.

However, for users who care about visual style, this is the best option: Launchers allow you to customize even the animation of opening apps, making transitions smooth, like in the iPhone.

Customize Back Tap and additional features

One of the handy features of the iPhone is the Back Tap feature, which allows you to trigger certain actions by double or triple tapping. At Xiaomi, this feature is also built into the system, but is in hidden or additional settings.

To activate one-touch control, go to Settings → Additional Features → Special Features (or Shortcuts) where you can assign a double-tapping action to the back panel.

Available use cases:

• 📸 Quick camera launch.
• 🔦 Lighting up the flashlight.
• 📱 Screenshot of the screen.
• 🏠 Switching to the desktop (analogue of the Home button).

This feature works at the hardware level of the accelerometer and gyroscope, so it's available even without the need for third-party buttons.It's a great way to add physical interaction with a smartphone that's characteristic of the Apple ecosystem.

It is worth noting that sensor sensitivity can vary across models, and on protected cases, the function may work less consistently, requiring clearer taps.

Problem Solving and Frequent Errors

Users often face typical problems in customizing the interface, and understanding the causes of these problems will help avoid frustration and quickly restore the system to work.

The most common problem is the disappearance of the floating button after rebooting, which is due to the aggressive energy savings in MIUI, which is the manual setting of autostart and battery access rights for a particular application.

Another problem is desynchronization of gestures. If swipes are not working properly (for example, instead of going back, you open a menu), try recalibrating the screen or resetting the launcher settings. In rare cases, cleaning the cache of the System UI application helps.

⚠️ Warning: Do not install two different launchers with iOS features at the same time. This is guaranteed to lead to resource conflict and a cyclic interface reboot (bootloop).

If after installing a theme or launcher, the phone starts to work slowly, check for space in memory. Visual effects require resources, and a crowded drive is the main cause of lags.

Use the built-in optimization tool to diagnose the problem. Run a security scan to make sure that the downloaded data is available. APK-Button files do not contain malicious code.

💡

For maximum performance when using heavy iOS themes, turn off the window animations in the Developer Menu, which will speed up the interface response on older Redmi and Poco models.

💡

Using the built-in MIUI gestures in conjunction with the Back Tap feature gives the best balance between the functionality of the iPhone and the stability of Android.

Final recommendations on customization

Transforming Xiaomi’s interface into an iPhone style is a creative process that refreshes the experience of the device.You can combine methods: use system gestures for navigation, floating button for quick actions, and the theme icons for visual unity.

Don't be afraid to experiment with settings, but always remember to roll back changes. APK-System application files or backups through Google Mi Cloud before installing deep modifications.

By following these guidelines, you can create a unique environment that combines the best features of the two worlds, and your smartphone will become not just a tool, but a personalized gadget, sharpened to your style of use.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)