Modern Xiaomi smartphones, which run on the shells of MIUI or the new HyperOS, offer users a huge opportunity to customize the interface. Often, the phrase “make a menu” gadget owners mean completely different actions, from banal hiding unnecessary icons to activating a hidden engineering menu or switching to one-handed control mode. Understanding these differences allows you to turn a standard launcher into a personalized tool that best suits your habits.
In this article, we will take a look at how to optimize your desktop, hide sensitive apps, and customize your navigation to make it convenient for you, and learn how to manage the visibility of items, create widget folders, and use hidden features that many people don’t even know about, so you can not just “make a menu”, but completely re-assemble the logic of interaction with the device.
Before you make any changes, it's important to realize that Xiaomi's firmware-based Android interface has a hierarchy, and there's an app menu (a list of all programs), a desktop (shortcuts) and a notification curtain. Each of these elements can be managed separately, creating a unique user experience. We'll go through all the key settings to make your smartphone truly yours.
Hiding applications and creating hidden space
One of the most built-in features for those who want to make the menu cleaner or cleaner is the ability to hide app icons. Unlike many other shells, MIUI offers a built-in mechanism for this, without requiring third-party launchers, which is the perfect way to remove rarely used system utilities or, conversely, hide personal photos and banking applications from prying eyes.
To activate this feature, you need to go to the security settings, the system will suggest creating a special password or using a fingerprint to access hidden objects, this provides an additional level of security, because it will not be possible to find a missing icon in the menu just so you can find it, and after setting up the application list, a special folder will appear in the application list, which is available only after you enter the code.
Where do the hidden apps go?
The process of concealment is as follows:
- 🔒 Open the Security app and go to the Hide apps section».
- 📱 Select programs that need to be removed from view, and activate the switch.
- 👆 For quick access to the hidden menu, swipe with two fingers from the edges of the screen inside in the Security app».
- 🔐 Set an access password so that no one else can see the hidden data.
It's worth noting that hiding apps doesn't remove them from the phone's memory. They keep running in the background, getting notifications (unless configured otherwise) and taking up storage space. It's just visual cloaking. If you decide to remove an app, it'll disappear from the hidden list, too, so be careful when cleaning the system.
💡
Hiding applications is a visual measure, not an uninstallation. Programs continue to consume battery and internet resources unless they are manually limited in battery settings.
Setting up the “One Hand” mode for a convenient menu
With the rise of smartphone screen diagonals, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Xiaomi to manage menus with two hands, especially in transport or when the other is busy. One-handed mode solves this problem by zooming in and moving content to the bottom of the screen, making all menu elements accessible to the thumb.
There are a number of ways to activate this mode, but the most convenient way is through a special area at the bottom of the screen. When you swipe through this area, the active window shrinks to the size of a small tablet that can be moved left or right, and this is especially true for the Redmi Note series and the Mi flagships with screens larger than 6.5 inches.
To enable and configure the mode, follow the following steps:
- 🖱️ Go to Settings. → Additionally. → One-handed mode.
- 📉 Select the size of the reduced window: 0.75, 0.8 or 0.9 from the original window.
- 👆 Activate the “Switch Area” option and adjust the swipe sensitivity.
- 📲 To exit the mode, simply touch the empty area outside the reduced window.
💡
Use one-hand mode not only for menus, but also for browsing the web or reading books while lying down – so the phone loads your wrist less and it is easier to hold.
It's important to understand that in this mode, some interface elements may not display correctly if the application is not adapted to change the resolution, but for standard system menus and most popular social networks, this method works flawlessly. It's a great way to "make menus" available even on huge screens.
Organization of the desktop and folders widgets
The standard Android menu may look boring, but Xiaomi lets you turn it into a dashboard. The key tool here is folders. In the latest versions of HyperOS and MIUI 14, folders have learned to display app widgets directly on the desktop without requiring you to open the program. This fundamentally changes the way we organize space.
You can create a folder, call it, like, "Social Network" or "Work," and inside, set up the icons to be large tiles or lists. In fact, some apps allow you to display widgets directly into the body of the folder, for example, in the "Weather" folder, you can display the current temperature, and in the "Music" folder, you can set up the track control buttons, which makes the menu live and functional.
The algorithm for creating a smart folder:
- Press the app icon and drag it to another icon to create a folder.
- Open the folder you created and click on the name to rename it.
- Use a folder size slider to change the number of icons you see.
- For some applications, a widget display is available: click on the icon inside the folder and select “Show the widget”.
Using widgets in folders reduces the number of actions you take to get information, so you don't have to open the weather app to find out the temperature, or run a habit tracker to mark the completion of a task, all of which are available directly from the home screen, making the interface more responsive and personalized.
Setting up the control panel and notification center
An important part of the interaction menu is the control panel (curtain). In newer versions of firmware, Xiaomi has separated notifications and switches, as is done in iOS. However, many users prefer the classic style of Android, where everything is in the same list. “Make the menu” notifications convenient by returning a familiar structure or adjusting a new one for yourself.
To change the style of the control panel, go to Settings → Notifications and Control Center → Control Center Style. There are two options available: “Old Version” (the Android classic) and “New Version” (divided into two parts). The choice depends on your habits: the new version is more convenient for controlling the media player and brightness, the old one for quick access to all toggles at once.
⚠️ Attention: When you switch to the New Version of Control Center, the logic of calling the menu changes. The swipe on the top right opens the switches, and the swipe on the left on the top or in the center opens the notification list.
You can also set up the order of the quick access buttons in this section, and you can take the features that you use most often, like flashlights, screenshots, screen recording, or mobile Internet, and it speeds up your phone and eliminates the need to go deep into the settings.
Navigation methods comparison: buttons, gestures and floating ball
Navigation is the skeleton of any menu. Xiaomi offers three basic controls: classic buttons, full-screen gestures, and a floating ball. Each has its own advantages and suits different use cases. Choosing the right way to navigate can greatly improve the speed of your smartphone.
Classic buttons (three dots or triangles, a circle and a square at the bottom of the screen) are common to most users. They are always visible and clear. Gestures allow you to use the entire screen area, hiding the bottom strip, but they are addictive. The floating ball (Assistive Touch) is a virtual button that you can move around the screen and adjust to perform complex actions with one touch.
Comparative table of navigation methods:
| Method | Advantages | Deficiencies | For whom? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buttons | Usually, always visible. | Take up screen space | Conservative users |
| Gestures | Maximum space, modern | You need to get used to it, there may be random swipes. | Minimalism lovers |
| Floating ball | Quick access to functions, convenient for one hand | Overlays some of the content | Users with large screens |
☑️ Setting up navigation
If you choose a floating ball, you can set it up to do things with a single, double click or long press, for example, double click can take a screenshot, and long press can trigger a voice assistant, which is a powerful tool for automating routine tasks.
Engineering menu and hidden interface settings
For advanced users who want to make the menu unique at a deep level, there is an engineering menu available, a hidden part of the system designed to test hardware and software components, where you can check the sensor performance, screen color calibration, and other parameters that affect the display of the interface.
Sign in to the engineering menu via a special code in the Phone app. Dial ##6484## (code may vary depending on model and region). Be careful: changing unknown parameters can lead to unstable system operation. There is no "reset everything" function, so change the settings only if you understand what they are responsible for.
⚠️ Attention: There's a Touchpanel test on the engineering menu. Don't press the Pass button until you make sure the sensor is working correctly in all zones.
And you can also change some interface settings that are not available on the regular menu through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), for example, you can change the pixel density (DPI), which makes the interface elements smaller or larger, or turn off animations to speed up work, which requires a connection to a computer and basic command-line knowledge.
How to change DPI through ADB?
Using these tools, you can fine-tune the display of fonts, indentations and element sizes. However, for most users, the standard scale settings in the Screen section are enough. The engineering menu is the territory of experimenters willing to be responsible for changes in the system.