Modern smartphones, including the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, feature larger screens, but the user experience is often stolen. The standard Back, Home and Menu buttons occupy the bottom of the display, which can interfere with comfortable reading or watching videos horizontally. Users often wonder if these elements can be completely removed by freeing up precious pixels for content.
Fortunately, the Android operating system in conjunction with the MIUI shell offers several ways to solve this problem: you can not only switch to gesture control, but also completely hide the lower navigation bar, making it disappear when you touch, which allows you to achieve a “frameless” effect even on devices with a cutout in the screen.
In this article, we will take a look at all the navigation options available, including the standard system features, hidden settings for advanced users, and ways to hide the top black bar (bangs) for maximum immersion. Follow the instructions to adapt the interface of your Redmi Note 8 Pro to your own needs.
Standard switch to gesture management
Open the Settings menu and find the Additional (or Advanced Settings) section. In the settings list, select Full Screen Display. Here you will be offered two options: classic buttons and gesture control. Choose the second option, and the system will immediately apply the changes.
After switching, navigation will be carried out by swipes:
- 👈 A swipe from the left or right edge of the screen replaces the “Back” button».
- 🏠 Swipe from bottom up in the center returns to the desktop (analogue of the home button»).
- 📋 Swipe from the bottom up with a pause opens the menu of running applications.
Importantly, in this mode, the lower band can be completely hidden or replaced by a barely noticeable indicator that disappears in full-screen applications.This is a standard solution that suits most users who want to increase the usable area of the display without the risk of data loss.
Activation of the hidden navigation panel
If you don't like standard gestures, but you want to remove the buttons, there's a more radical method, which allows you to turn the bottom panel into a completely hidden element that only appears when you touch the bottom edge of the screen, a mode often called "tablet" because it's typical of devices without physical bezels on the bottom.
To enable this feature, you will need access to advanced system settings. On some versions of MIUI, the option may be hidden. Go to Settings → Additional → Full-screen display. If you see a Hide hints or Hidden Bar switch, activate it.
In some cases, activation requires additional actions:
- 🔍 Find the phrase “Navigation” in the settings search».
- ⚙️ Click on the gear icon in the corner of the navigation type selection screen.
- 👆 Choose the option “Hide the hints” or similar.
⚠️ Note: When using a fully hidden navigation bar, you may accidentally call the system menu in games or while watching videos if you accidentally touch the bottom edge of the screen.
Once activated, the bottom of the screen will become completely black or transparent, merging with the content. To call navigation, you will need to swipe up from the bottom of the display. This frees up maximum space, but requires getting used to blindly entering navigation commands.
☑️ Checking the navigation settings
Configure through the Engineering Menu and ADB
For Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro owners who want to gain full control of the interface, there are advanced methods. If standard settings do not allow you to hide items the way you need, you can use USB debugging and ADB commands (Android Debug Bridge).
First, activate the developer mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly click 7 times on the MIUI Version. After the message “You became a developer” appears, go back to the settings menu, find Additional → For developers and turn on the Debugging by USB item.
Connecting the phone to a PC with ADB installed, execute a command to change the density or hide elements. Example of commands to hide the bottom navigation bar:
adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*This command forces the system to fully immersive mode, hiding both the upper status bar and the lower navigation. To get it back, use the reset command:
adb shell settings delete global policy_controlUsing ADB commands provides flexibility, but requires caution. Incorrectly entering parameters can lead to unstable interface operation, and it is recommended to back up important data before making system changes of this level.
What if the ADB can’t see the phone?
Hiding the upper black stripe (Branks)
The Redmi Note 8 Pro features a screen with a notch for the front camera, which some users call a "bang." By default, a black bar can be displayed around the notch, hiding the status bar. If you want to use the entire matrix area, including the area around the camera, this feature can be turned off.
To set up, go to Settings → Additional → In-screen Cutout (or Screen with a Cutout). Here you will see a list of apps for which you can change the behavior of the top panel. You can choose to Hide the Notice (black bar) or Do Not Hide (status bar bends the camera).
There are several modes of operation of this function:
- 📱 Automatic: The system decides where to hide the cutout based on application compatibility.
- ✅ For all apps: Black bar disappears everywhere and the camera ends up inside the interface.
- ❌ For no reason: the cutout is always hidden by a black frame.
By removing the black bar, you get more tool space in games or a contact list. However, it is worth considering that in some applications, interface elements may overlap with the camera lens, which creates inconvenience. In such cases, it is better to return the notch hiding for a particular application through the settings menu.
Comparison of navigation methods
The best way to manage your smartphone depends on your habits and scenarios, and to help you decide, we have prepared a comparative table of basic methods for customizing the interface on Xiaomi.
| Method | Convenience with one hand | Useful area | Risk of error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic buttons | High. | Low. | Minimum |
| Full-screen gestures | Average. | Tall. | Low. |
| Hidden panel. | Low. | Maximum | Medium. |
| ADB team | Depends on the setting. | Maximum | High-pitched |
Classic buttons remain the most reliable option for those who do not like to memorize swipes. Full-screen gestures are the golden mean for modern smartphones. ADB-modifications of the lot of enthusiasts who are ready to put up with possible inconveniences for the sake of aesthetics and maximum image size.
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The optimal balance between convenience and screen size for the Redmi Note 8 Pro is the use of full-screen gestures with hints disabled.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Users often face similar problems during the setup process, and the following are answers to the most popular navigation and screen questions on the Redmi Note 8 Pro.
Can I return the buttons if I don’t like the gestures?
Why do games fold when they touch the edge after hiding the buttons?
Does hiding buttons affect battery consumption?
What to do if after ADB-Teams lost their interface?
⚠️ Note: Modification of system files or use ADB-The warranty can be cancelled if there is a software failure, and only use these methods if you understand the risks and are able to restore the device.
Customize the interface is a personal process. Experiment with different options to find one that will make using your Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro as comfortable as possible. Don’t be afraid to change the settings, because they can always be returned to the original state.
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Periodically clean the system interface cache (Settings → Applications → All Applications → System interface) if there are delays or animation glitches after the navigation type change.