How to enable and configure gesture management on Xiaomi

Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have long since ceased to be just devices with three physical buttons at the bottom of the screen. The evolution of the MIUI interface has led to gesture management becoming the de facto standard, providing full immersion in content without unnecessary controls. Users often look for ways not only to enable basic navigation, but also to expand the functionality of the device with hidden or advanced settings.

In this article, we will discuss all aspects of gesture work in detail, from standard activation in the settings menu to the use of special codes to expand the capabilities, you will learn how to adapt the interface to your habits and make using a smartphone as comfortable and efficient as possible.

It is worth noting that the location of menu items may vary slightly depending on the version of the Android operating system and the shell MIUI or HyperOS. However, the general logic of action remains the same for most current models, whether it is a budget Redmi Note or flagship Xiaomi Mi.

Basic activation of full-screen mode

The first step to a modern interface is to eliminate the classic buttons. The standard activation method is available to every user without having to get root permissions or install third-party software. You need to open the main settings menu and find the section responsible for screen operation and system navigation.

Usually, the path is as follows: go to Settings, then select Additional (or Desktop in new versions) and find System Navigation, where you will be asked to choose between buttons and gestures.

Once switched to gesture mode, the screen will change instantly, with the usual Home, Back and Menu buttons disappearing, giving way to thin stripes or completely clean space, allowing applications to occupy the entire display area, which is especially important for devices with cutouts or holes under the camera.

⚠️ Attention: After switching to gestures, the habit of pressing the bottom of the screen may persist.

It is important to understand that full-screen mode on Xiaomi has its own behavior in different applications. Some programs may hide the status bar or, conversely, require additional space for controls. The system automatically adapts, but in rare cases, manual compatibility adjustment may be required.

Sensitivity setting and response zone

Many users are faced with a situation where gestures do not work correctly: either they do not work the first time, or, conversely, they cause random actions. Xiaomi’s system settings provide the ability to finely calibrate these parameters, although it is often hidden from the eyes of the average user.

Access to advanced sensitivity settings often requires activation of developer mode or use of special engineering codes. However, the standard menu also has useful options. Go to Settings → Additional → One-hand mode. You can reduce the size of the workspace, which indirectly affects the usability of gestures on large screens.

If you feel swipes are too tight to recognize, try changing the frequency of the sensor in Game Turbo mode or game settings. This increases the responsiveness of the screen, making your finger movements more instantaneous and accurate.

• 📱 Swipe from bottom up in the center - returns to the desktop.
• ⬅️ Swipe from left or right edge – performs the action “Back".
• ⏸ Swipe from bottom to top with a delay – opens the menu of running applications.
• 👇 Swipe downtown (in newer versions) – opens the search or notification bar.

And remember, the back gesture area is limited to the edges of the screen, and if you try to swipe from the middle of the display, the system will see it as an attempt to scroll through content rather than navigation, which protects against random transitions when reading texts or watching tapes.

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If the “Back” gestures conflict with the application sidebar, change the activation zone in the settings of the sidebar so that it does not overlap the edges of the screen.

Hidden functions and engineering codes

MIUI is famous for its hidden features that don’t appear in the standard menu. There are also secret combinations for gesture control that allow you to include features that are usually only available in test builds or other firmware versions.

One of the most useful hidden features is the ability to select the appearance of the strip indicator at the bottom of the screen. In some regions and versions of the software, this menu is hidden, but it can be activated through a special application "Settings" (not to be confused with the basic settings of the system), which is often hidden in the Tools folder.

You can use USB debugging and ADB commands to access hidden animation and gesture settings, but this requires a computer connection. A simpler way is to use the code in the Phone app. Enter the code ##6484## to log into the engineering menu, where you can find sensitivity tests in the Version Information or Touch section.

adb shell settings put global sysui_nav_bar "back,home,recent"

Using ADB commands, you can not only change the order of the buttons in hybrid mode, but also completely reassign the logical zones, for example, you can make a swipe in a particular corner perform a specific action, rather than a standard transition.

⚠️ Note: Making changes through the engineering menu or ADB This can cause the system to be unstable.

It is also possible to enable gesture control to call Google Assistant or Xiao AI (in Chinese versions) by long-term clamping of the screen angle.This feature is often hidden in the "Special features" section and requires separate activation.

One-handed management and special features

Modern smartphones are getting bigger and reaching the top corner of the screen is becoming physically difficult. One-handed mode on Xiaomi solves this problem by compressing the image to the size of a small rectangle that is easy to handle with your thumb.

There are several ways to activate this mode, the fastest is to swipe down the navigation bar (if it is on) or down the lower bar in gesture mode, and you can also set the mode to start with three taps on the Home button or a swipe in the corner of the screen if the corresponding option is included in the special features menu.

In the reduced screen mode, all gestures continue to work correctly, so you can swipe back, open the task menu, and switch between applications in a smaller window, creating a double layer of navigation that you need to get used to.

For people with disabilities, Android and MIUI offer an extended set of gestures. In Settings → Advanced Settings → Special features, you can find the Switch Access or Voice Access menu, which allows you to control your phone almost without touching using only voice or external switches.

• 🗣 Voice control allows you to open applications and scroll through pages.
• 👁 Eye control (on supported models) helps people with limited motor skills.
• ✋ “Shake” or “Tap” gestures on the palm of your hand can trigger a flashlight or camera.

A special feature is Quick Notes, which many Redmi and Xiaomi models have when the screen is off, you can draw a "W" or other predefined figure to instantly open a notebook, which is also a gesture that speeds things up.

Comparison of navigation methods

To better understand the benefits of gesture control, it’s worth comparing it to the classic button method. Each user chooses what they are familiar with, but statistics show a massive shift to gestures among new smartphone owners.

Buttons take up a useful screen area, which is especially noticeable on devices with an aspect ratio of 20:9. Gestures allow you to use every millimeter of the display to display content, whether it is a video, a game or a web page.

As you can see from the table, gesture control benefits in ergonomics and space use. The movement of the finger when swiping is more natural and resembles flipping pages in real life, which reduces cognitive load during prolonged use.

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Gestures save screen space and provide smoother and more natural navigation, but require a short period of adaptation for users accustomed to buttons.

Frequent problems and their solution

Despite the system's fine-tuning, users sometimes encounter bugs, such as gestures that may stop working in a particular application, or the navigation bar may disappear, most often solved by simply restarting the device or updating a problematic application.

If gestures are “stuck” or are delayed, check to see if the screen sensitivity mode (Gloves mode) is on, sometimes it conflicts with swipe recognition algorithms, and it is also worth clearing the cache of the SystemUI system application through the storage settings.

In rare cases, when you update your firmware, your navigation settings may get lost. In this situation, you need to retrace the Settings path → Additional → System Navigation and switch the switchboard. Sometimes it helps to reset all the settings to factory settings, but this is a last resort.

⚠️ Attention: If the gesture problem persists after resetting, the touchscreen or display plume may be damaged.

Another common problem is the conflict with protective glass, where cheap glass with thick edges can physically block the area of the side swipes, in which case only the replacement of the accessory or the calibration of the sensor will help.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions