How to make the Home button on Xiaomi as on iPhone: virtual button and gestures

Xiaomi owners who have switched from iPhones often experience the discomfort of not having the usual physical or virtual home button, which is the central navigation element on iOS, and in MIUI, it is the gesture or navigation button bar at the bottom of the screen. But what if you want to return the button as on the iPhone — round, with haptic feedback, or at least visually identical?

In fact, Xiaomi smartphones can emulate the Home button in two ways: by setting up a virtual button in MIUI or by using third-party apps that mimic the iOS interface. However, it is important to understand that there is no full replacement of the hardware button — no solution will give the same tactile returns as on an iPhone with the Taptic Engine.

In this article, we will discuss all working methods, including hidden MIUI settings, circumventing manufacturer restrictions and nuances that are not written in standard instructions, and explain why some “life hacks” from the Internet can harm your smartphone.

Why Xiaomi doesn’t have an iPhone button: technical limitations

To start with, there can't be a physical home button on Xiaomi, and here's why. Unlike the iPhone (where the button is integrated into the display or is a mechanical element), Xiaomi smartphones use full-screen displays without cutting out the hardware buttons, and even if you see a round icon on the screen, it's a software emulation, not a physical element.

Here are the key technical differences:

• 📱 iPhone (since 2017): The Home button is either mechanical (up to iPhone 8) or touch-sensitive with the Taptic Engine (starting with iPhone X.
• 🤖 Xiaomi (all models): instead of a button, gestures or a navigation bar (three dots at the bottom of the screen) are used. MIUI.

This means that any attempts to “return the button” are reduced to:

1. Configure a virtual button in system parameters.
2. Installation of third-party launchers with an imitation of the iOS interface.
3. Use of specialized applications to create custom controls.

⚠️ Note: Some “instructions” on the Internet offer to disassemble the smartphone and install the physical button yourself. This is impossible without breaking the display and motherboard – Xiaomi does not provide such modifications.

Method 1: Virtual Home button in MIUI settings

The easiest and safest method is to activate the virtual Home button through standard MIUI settings. It won’t be identical to the iPhone, but it will perform the same function: return to the home screen with a single click.

How to turn on:

1. Open Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
2. Select the option With buttons (if you have gestures, switch to this mode).
3. At the bottom of the screen, a panel will appear with three buttons: “Back”, “Home” (round) and “Recent”.

The home button is more like the iPhone:

• 🎨 Change its appearance: in Settings → Select themes with round icons (e.g. iOS-like themes from the store) MIUI).
• 🔄 Set up the vibration: in Settings → Sound and vibration → Vibration when touching, turn on the option to simulate a tactile response.

Advantages of this method:

• ✅ Does not require the installation of third-party applications.
• ✅ It works on all Xiaomi models (from Redmi Note 8 to Xiaomi 14).
• ✅ It does not affect productivity.

Disadvantages:

• ❌ The button is not circular, but square with the icon “house».
• ❌ No animation like on iPhone (like smooth scaling when pressed).

Activate "With buttons" mode in display settings |Select a theme with round icons |Enable vibration when touching |Check the swipe up gesture (if necessary)

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⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F5) post-refresh MIUI 14 Home button may disappear from the navigation bar, in which case resetting the screen settings in Settings will help → System system → Resetting settings → Reset the display settings.

Method 2: Side of launchers with imitation iOS

If the standard virtual button doesn't suit you, you can install a launcher that completely copies the iOS interface, including the Home button.

How to install and configure (in the example of iLauncher):

1. Download the launcher from Google Play.
2. When you first start, select the iOS style.
3. In the launcher settings, find the Navigation Bar section and activate the iPhone-style Home Button option.
4. Adjust the color, size and position of the button.

Pros of launchers:

• 🎨 Visually, the button is as close to the iPhone as possible (including animations).
• 🔧 You can configure additional functions (for example, calling a Siri-like assistant for a long press).

Cons:

• ⚠️ Launchers consume additional RAM (lags are possible on weak smartphones).
• ⚠️ Some features (such as a swipe-up gesture to return home) may conflict with system gestures. MIUI.

💡

Before installing the launcher, back up your current desktop. To do this, go to Settings → Applications → Default Launcher and remember the current option to return it later.

Method 3: Applications for creating a custom button

If you only want a button, not a full iOS simulation, you can use apps to create floating widgets, which let you place a circular button on top of any interface and assign it a home action.

The best applications for this task:

• 🔘 Floating Touch: creates a floating button with a customizable look, and you can choose a round shape, color, and even add an iPhone icon.
• 🔘 Assistive Touch: Simulates the AssistiveTouch button from iOS, including the Quick Action menu.
• 🔘 Button Mapper: allows you to reassign hardware buttons (such as the lock button) to the Home action».

Instructions for Floating Touch:

1. Install the app from Google Play.


2. Launch and select "Add a button".




3. In the external settings, select:




- Shape: Circle




Color: Black (or white for light theme)




Size: 50-60 pixels (like on iPhone)




4. assign the action: "Home" (Home).




5. Activate the display button over all windows.

Warnings:

• ⚠️ A floating button can interfere with games or full-screen applications (such as TikTok or YouTube).
• ⚠️ Some apps (like Button Mapper) require permissions for special features, which may not be secure.

Comparison of methods: what to choose?

To determine the best option, compare all methods according to the key criteria:

💡

If you want to be as close as possible to an iPhone, go for a launcher, if you want a button that's not too much to change, a floating button through Floating Touch, and if you want a minimalist, you can use a standard virtual button in MIUI.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even with the right setup, users often face problems, and here are the most common errors and solutions:

• 🔄 The Home button does not work after the update MIUI: Reset your navigation settings in Settings → System system → Resetting settings → Reset the display settings.
• 🚫 Launcher brakes smartphone: Turn off animations in the launcher settings or select the lighter option (e.g. X) OS Launcher instead of iLauncher).
• 📱 Floating button disappears in some apps: In the app settings (like Floating Touch) enable the option to Show over all windows».
• 🔋 Battery goes down quickly after launcher installation: Limit background launcher activity in Settings → Annexes → Permits → Auto-start.

⚠️ Some “instructions” on the Internet advise to disable system applications MIUI (For example, com.miui.home for launchers, this can lead to loss of functionality (e.g., stop working gestures or notifications.

Alternative solutions: gestures instead of buttons

If your goal is not so much a button as a convenient navigation, consider MIUI gestures. They can be even more convenient than the button on the iPhone:

• 👆 Swipe up: return to the home screen (similar to the home button»).
• 👆➡️ Swipe up and hold: Opening up a list of recent apps.
• 👈 Swipe from right to left: backup.

How to turn on:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
2. Choose Gestures.
3. Set up the sensitivity of swipes (average value is recommended).

Benefits of gestures:

• ✅ Faster than pressing a button.
• ✅ Frees up space on the screen (no navigation bar).
• ✅ It works in all applications, including games.

💡

If gestures seem uncomfortable, try to reduce sensitivity in the settings. For example, MIUI 14 has an option to swipe upwards to prevent accidental positives.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions