Owners of Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro smartphones often face a situation where, after updating the system or resetting the settings, Chinese suddenly appears in the list of available input languages. This is the standard behavior for global versions of MIUI and HyperOS firmware, which initially include support for all regions for versatility. However, for a Russian-speaking user, the presence of characters on the keyboard is not only not practical, but also creates inconvenience when printing quickly.
Accidental switching to Chinese layout can occur with fast typing, which leads to the appearance of incomprehensible characters instead of the usual letters. Removing this extra element will greatly simplify interaction with the device and eliminate random errors. In this article, we will discuss in detail the process of cleaning the list of input languages, and also consider the settings of the Gboard keyboard itself, which is installed on the Android system on the basis of MIUI.
Why there are extra languages on the smartphone
The main reason for the unnecessary layouts is Xiaomi’s global strategy. Smartphones shipped to different countries often have a single software base, which means that the firmware initially contains packages of languages for the whole world, including Chinese, Arabic, Hindi and others. When it first launches or after a major update, the system can automatically activate additional languages, considering them potentially useful.
In addition, some users may accidentally add layouts during device setup. MIUI sometimes suggests selecting additional languages when you first activate your smartphone. If you click Next without looking, Chinese or any other language may enter the active list. System updates can also return previously deleted default settings if the configuration file has been corrupted or replaced.
Not only does having a lot of active languages interfere with printing, but it can also slightly affect the speed of the input system, since the processor has to keep dictionaries for all selected languages in RAM. While the powerful Snapdragon 732G processor installed in the Redmi Note 10 Pro has minimal impact, the cleanliness of the list is still important for usability.
How to turn off Chinese through Gboard settings
The easiest and most effective way to remove Chinese is to use the built-in Gboard keyboard settings, which don't require superuser rights or third-party software installations, but you need to go to the language management menu, where you can selectively disable unnecessary layouts.
To start, open any application that requires text input, such as Messages or Notes. When the keyboard appears, look for a gear icon or a globe icon in the top row. If there is no gear, press the space or press and hold the comma to call the context menu. In the window that opens, select Settings.
Next, follow the path: Settings → System → Language and input → Screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages. Here you will see a list of all active languages. Find the list "Chinese" (or Chinese). Click on it to open the submenu, and select the option "Delete" or simply turn off the slider opposite a specific dialect (simplified or traditional).
☑️ Checking the keyboard settings
Once you do this, Chinese will disappear from the list of available Globe keys. If you have multiple Chinese dialects, make sure you remove all of them to avoid confusion in the future. Now, when switching languages, you will only see Russian and English (US), if you have any.
Managing Languages through the Android System Menu
If you can't get the language out of the keyboard, you can use the deeper Android system settings. In Redmi Note 10 Pro, the language menu and input can be a little hidden depending on the version of MIUI, which allows you to manage the list of languages at the operating system level, rather than a specific application.
Go to the main settings menu on your smartphone. Find the "Additional settings" section or "Language and input" section immediately. In some firmware versions, this item is in the "Advanced settings" category. Select "Languages and input", then click on "Keyboard management" or "Screen keyboard".
In the list that opens, select Gboard. There's a Languages button that takes you to the corresponding Google keyboard menu. Also, in this section, you can find "Physical Keyboard" if you have an external accessory connected to your phone, but it's not relevant for the touch screen. It's important to check if Chinese is activated in the "Preferred Languages" section of the phone itself, although this affects the interface rather than the input of text.
⚠️ Warning: Don't confuse deleting the keyboard language with changing the system's interface language. If you change the system's language to Chinese, it's very difficult to get it back without knowing the characters.
Using the system menu is especially useful if you have multiple third-party keyboards installed, you can turn off Chinese for all active input methods at once, or remove unnecessary keyboards, leaving only Gboard, which will simplify navigation and eliminate conflicts between applications.
Switching languages and hot keys
Once you've removed Chinese, you should set up a convenient way to switch between the remaining layouts. Gboard has flexible language switching key behavior settings, which avoids random layout changes when you just wanted to put a dot or comma.
In the keyboard settings menu, find the "Preferences" section. You can set the language switch button to work here. You can choose "Do not show", "Show language menus", "Switch languages" or "Space" options. For most users, the best option is "Switch languages" or swipe by space.
Secrets of Swipe Configuration in Gboard
You also need to pay attention to autocorrect and word prediction. When you delete Chinese, the dictionaries are updated and the system stops offering characters as correction options. This makes the printing process more predictable. If you use voice input, check the Google voice input settings, as there may also be extra language packets activated.
For those who often type in multiple languages, it's helpful to know that Gboard allows you to type in two languages at once without switching, for example, you can use Russian and English layouts at the same time, but if you don't need one of these languages, you better delete it so that the dictionary doesn't try to guess a word in a foreign language.
Problems with removal and their solution
Sometimes users experience a situation where Chinese is returned after a reboot or update, which can be caused by synchronizing settings through a Google account. If your other device (tablet or old phone) has a Chinese layout, it can automatically pull up to the cloud and restore to the Redmi Note 10 Pro.
To solve this problem, check your sync settings. Go to your Google account settings on your phone and make sure that your device's settings are synced, try to delete the language on all devices associated with your account, and clean up the Gboard app's data can also help.
To clean up the data, go to Settings → Apps → All apps → Gboard → Memory → Clean. Select “Clear all data.” After that, the keyboard will return to the factory settings, and you will have to re-select only the desired languages, this is guaranteed to remove any “tails” from previous configurations.
| Action. | The way is on the menu | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Language removal | Gboard → Languages → Chinese → Delete | Language disappears from the input list |
| Resetting settings | Apps → Gboard → Memory → Clean | Return to the factory keyboard parameters |
| Auto-switching off | Gboard → Preferences → Switch button | Blocking Accidental Language Change |
| System verification | Settings → Language and input | Control of system language packages |
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If Chinese is persistently coming back, try to temporarily shut down the internet the first time you set up your keyboard after resetting, which will prevent any unnecessary language packs from downloading from the Google cloud.
Alternative keyboards and their configuration
If the standard Gboard keyboard seems too difficult to set up or continues to cause problems, you might want to consider installing an alternative typing app. There are a variety of options available in the Play Market, such as Yandex Keyboard, SwiftKey or TouchPal. They have their own dictionaries and language management mechanisms.
When you install a new keyboard, MIUI will ask permission to use it. Once activated, the new keyboard will become the main one, and Gboard's settings will no longer affect text input. In third-party applications, the process of deleting languages is usually even easier: it is often on the main screen of keyboard settings.
But remember, third-party keyboards can ask for more permissions to access data than standard keyboards, and password and banking security are important, and Google's standard keyboard is considered one of the most secure, so it's better to learn how to configure it properly than to change it to a less-tested one.
⚠️ Note: When installing keyboards from unknown developers, carefully read reviews and check access rights. Some applications may collect data you enter, including passwords.
If you do decide to change the keyboard, be sure to delete the Gboard or turn it off in the settings so that the system does not offer it accidentally. In Redmi Note 10 Pro, this is done through the Keyboard Management menu, where you need to uncheck the unnecessary application.
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Gboard’s complete data reset is the most radical, but also the most reliable way to get rid of the “sticky” languages that come back after normal deletions.