How to set up a control center on Xiaomi: the complete guide

Xiaomi’s modern smartphones, powered by MIUI shells and the new HyperOS, offer users enhanced customization capabilities. One of the most important interaction zones is the “curtain” or, as the developers officially call it, Control Center, and it’s where the most commonly used brightness sliders, wireless module switches and widgets for quick access to smart home features are located.

But the standard layout of the elements may not be suitable for all device owners, with some lacking icon space, others wanting to bring music control to the main lock screen, and still others looking for a way to bring back the classic form of notifications, and the flexibility of the system allows you to solve these tasks without obtaining super-user rights (Root), using only built-in tools or specialized applications for theme.

In this article, we will discuss in detail how to make control center on Xiaomi as convenient as possible for you. We will consider the standard methods of setting up, working with themes, hidden developer functions and possible problems with displaying elements after operating system updates.

Differences between Old and New Control Center

Starting with MIUI 12.5, Xiaomi introduced a new curtain design that is visually and functionally different from the classic Android interface. In the old version, all switches and notifications were in one list, scrolled from top to bottom. The new approach divided these zones: on the left, there were notifications, and on the right, there was a dedicated unit for managing the functions of the phone and the smart home.

The new design looks more modern and resembles the iOS interface. Here, brightness and volume sliders have become larger, and module icons (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flight mode) have received animation and visual separation. For many users, this was a step forward in ergonomics, since large elements are easier to press with one hand.

⚠️ Note: Some global firmware versions may block the return to the classic curtain design completely, and in such cases, standard menu methods will not change the appearance of the device.

If you're more familiar with the old format, or if you want to make sure you're activating a new style, you can check it in the settings. The path to the option may vary depending on the version of the shell, but the logic remains the same: search for the section responsible for notifications and status bar.

How to change the style of the curtain through system settings

The easiest and safest way to change the look of the top panel is to use the built-in settings menu, which does not require installing third-party software and ensures stable operation of the system, but it is worth remembering that the list of options available depends on the version of MIUI or HyperOS installed on your device.

First, you need to go to the notification settings menu, which is usually not deep in the basic parameters of the system, and you need to find the item associated with Notifications and Status Bar or Control Center, and here is the key switch that separates the two interface styles.

To perform the setup, follow the algorithm:

• 🔍 Open the Settings app on your Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone.
• 📱 Go to Notifications and Status Bar (sometimes it may be simply called Notifications»).
• ⚙️ Find the "Control Center Style" or "Notification Format" item».
• 🔄 Choose the option: “New” or “Classic».

Once you have a style, the changes are instantaneous, so you can put the curtain down and check the result, and if the switch is missing, it means that your firmware version only supports one, currently relevant, interface design.

Using themes to customize the interface

When you don't have enough customization, the Themes app comes to the rescue, and it's a powerful tool that allows you to change not only icons and wallpaper, but also system fonts, sounds and, importantly for our topic, Control Center design. Many authors create themes that dramatically change the appearance of switches and sliders.

To find the right design, use a keyword search, type in the search bar “Control Center”, “Shade” or “Status Bar”. Note the preview of the topics: often screenshots show a changed look of the curtain, installing such a theme will affect the system elements of the interface.

The installation process looks like this:

• 🎨 Launch the “Themes” app on your device.
• 🔎 Enter the search for “Control Center” or “Stork».
• 👁️ View the preview, paying attention to screenshots of the lock screen and curtains.
• ⬇️ Download and apply your favorite theme by restarting your phone if necessary.

It is important to consider that third-party themes can affect text readability or element contrast. Some themes may not be optimized for your screen resolution, resulting in a "go" layout. Always check what critical switches like a flashlight or flight mode look like.

Setting up switches and widgets in the Control Center

The functionality of the Control Center is not only in its appearance, but also in the ease of arrangement of elements. You can adjust the order of buttons, add frequently used functions and remove unnecessary ones. This allows you to create a personalized quick access panel.

To edit a set of switches, you need to go to control mode, usually by long pressing on any free area of the panel or through a special edit button (often looks like a pencil or three dots), in which the icons begin to shake or are marked with minus icons.

The main options for setting up:

• ➕ Adding new buttons from the list available at the bottom of the screen.
• ❌ Remove rarely used features so as not to clutter up space.
• ↔️ Drag icons to change their order of succession.
• 👆 Customize action with short and long pressing (for example, a long press on Bluetooth opens the device menu).

Remember that some system buttons, such as brightness and volume, are fixed and cannot be removed or moved. Their position is determined by the logic of the Android operating system and the MIUI shell.

Hidden features and capabilities for advanced users

For those who want to go beyond standard settings, there are hidden menus and debugging options. Activating developer mode opens up access to options that can affect interface behavior, including curtain animation and response speed.

To activate the developer mode, you need to quickly click on the MIUI version number in the About Phone section several times, and then a new option will appear in the settings menu, "Advanced Settings" or "Additional", where you can find "For developers".

Within this menu, you should pay attention to the following parameters:

Changing the DPI scale can visually reduce or increase the size of all elements, including Control Center, and can be useful for very large-screen devices where the top buttons are difficult to reach with your thumb.

⚠️ Attention: Change of value DPI (The smallest width can cause some interface elements to become unreadable or "go" off the screen.

💡

Developer mode is a powerful tool, but it requires caution: Don't change settings that you don't know how to use to avoid unstable system performance.

The solution: Why the Control Center is not working

Users often experience a situation where the Control Center stops opening, freezes or displays incorrectly, which can be caused by errors in the SystemUI system process, conflict or crowded cache.

The first step should always be to reboot the device, which clears RAM and restarts all system services. If the problem persists, try clearing the Themes and Security app cache, as they control visual elements.

If the curtain does not respond to swipes:

• 📱 Check if Do Not Disturb or Game mode is enabled, which can block curtain call.
• 🧹 Clean the cache through the Security menu» → «Cleanup».
• 🔄 Remove the recently installed themes by returning to the standard.
• 🔋 Check for system updates as this may be a known bug of a particular version.

In rare cases, the problem is that system files are damaged after a failed update, which may require a factory reset, but make sure to back up important data before you do so.

💡

If the curtain is slow, try turning off animations in developer mode or reducing the number of widgets on the home screen, as they consume CPU resources.

Features of the Control Center in HyperOS

With the release of the HyperOS shell, which gradually replaces MIUI on new and updated devices, the Control Center has undergone visual changes. It has become more smooth, with improved background blur animation (blur effect) and redesigned logic for grouping smart home devices.

The new system puts smart home management in a separate, more visible area, allows device cards to display more information without having to go to an app, and improves the work with a media player, which now takes up less space when it is not active.

Key changes in the new version:

• 🎨 Finer lines and rounding of interface elements.
• 📱 Improved adaptability for foldable devices (Fold and Flip).
• 🔗 Deeper integration with Xiaomi HyperConnect ecosystem.
• ⚡ Optimized energy consumption when using widgets in the curtain.

Owners of older devices that have been upgraded to HyperOS should get used to the new logic of how elements are arranged, and while the basic features remain the same, the visual language has become stricter and more minimalist.