Owning a modern smartphone like the Xiaomi Mi 10S implies wanting to clean the screen of unnecessary interface elements as much as possible. Standard navigation keys located at the bottom of the display take up useful space and can interfere with immersion in content or game. Many users are eager to remove these buttons to free up the viewing area and make control more modern.
The MIUI operating system, which is installed on the device out of the box, offers flexible tools to change the way you navigate. Instead of the usual three buttons, you can use intuitive gestures, which makes interaction with your smartphone more smooth. However, the transition process can have its nuances, especially if you previously used devices with a physical home button.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods to hide the classic control panel, you will learn not only about the standard settings of the system, but also how to fix situations when the buttons do not disappear or work incorrectly after changes.
The advantages of switching to full-screen management
Removing static buttons at the bottom of the screen gives the user Xiaomi 10S There are a few tangible benefits, and first of all, it's an increase in the usable area of the display, and the full screen mode allows apps and games to take up the entire available surface, which is especially important for the user. AMOLED-screen with a diagonal of 6.67 inches.
In addition, gesture control is often considered more ergonomic, with thumbs making fewer movements because swipes are performed from any part of the screen, not just from the bottom corner, which reduces the strain on the hand with prolonged use of a smartphone with one hand.
And the visual side is also worth noting: the absence of a black bar with buttons makes the interface cleaner and more modern, and the wallpaper and content on social media look more presentable when nothing overlaps the bottom of the image.
Standard method of disabling through MIUI settings
The easiest and safest way to remove the buttons on Xiaomi 10S is to use the built-in system settings, which do not require installing third-party software or obtaining superuser rights, just go to the settings menu, which is always available on the desktop.
Find and open the Settings section, then scroll down to the optional section, and here you are interested in Full Screen Mode, and that's where the switch between classic navigation and gesture control is made.
In the window that opens, you'll see two options: "Buttons" and "Gesturals." To remove the buttons, you have to choose the second option. The system will instantly apply the changes, and the bottom panel will disappear. Now the navigation is done by swiping: return by swiping from the edge of the screen, exit to the desktop by swiping from the bottom up.
☑️ Checking the navigation settings
Importantly, when you turn on the gestures, you get a thin bar at the bottom of the screen, which shows you the area to call the menu of recent apps, and if it bothers you, you can find a Hide the Indicator switch on the same menu, which completely removes the visual markers.
Setting sensitivity and gesture direction
Once you have managed to remove the buttons, it can take a little bit of time to get used to it. MIUI allows you to fine-tune the behavior of the new navigation system. The full-screen menu often has additional options, such as swipe direction for returns.
By default, the return is swiped from the left or right edge, but some users prefer swipe strictly from the side edge, changing this parameter can significantly improve the comfort of using the device.
You should also pay attention to the speed of animation. If the transitions between applications seem too slow, you can change the overall animation speed in the For Developers section, although this is already a more advanced setup. For most users, standard settings are enough.
| Action. | Gesture. | Implementation zone |
|---|---|---|
| Home. | Swipe up. | The bottom of the screen |
| Back up. | Swipe left/right | Left or right edge |
| Recent | Swipe up and hold | Center of the bottom of the screen |
| Google Assistant | Swipe from corner diagonally | Lower corner |
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If you make a mistake when you make gestures, try to increase your finger speed, and the system responds to the swipe dynamics, not just the direction of the swipe.
Use of third-party launchers for customization
If you don't like standard MIUI features, or if you want a unique interface, you can install a third-party launcher. Apps like Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher allow you to completely change the look of the desktop and how you navigate.
When you install a launcher, it replaces the standard shell, and the new launcher often has its own menus to control the navigation bar, which allows you not only to remove the buttons, but also to replace them with floating ones or completely reassign their functions.
⚠️ Warning: Installing a third-party launcher may cause some system features to work unstable, such as notification curtain or recent app menus, if the launcher is not optimized for your version of Android.
To activate a third-party launcher, go to Settings -> Applications -> Application Management. Find the Default App and select the installed launcher in the Desktop category. After that, the interface will change, and you can configure navigation through the launcher's menu itself.
Hiding elements through the developer mode
For advanced users, it is possible to hide the navigation bar through a hidden developer menu. This method does not always guarantee complete stability, but allows you to access functions hidden from the average user. To activate this mode, you need to quickly click on the build number in the About Phone section 7 times.
Once activated, a new section will appear in the settings menu called “Developers For” and you’ll need to find a navigation item inside it, and it can be called differently on different versions of Android and MIUI, such as “Enable Navigation Bar” or “Alternate navigation.”
Disabling the navigation bar here can make it impossible to control the phone without connecting the mouse or using voice commands, so before making changes, make sure you know how to reset or return everything.
How to reset the developer settings?
Problem Solving: The buttons don’t disappear or glitches
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after switching to gestures, the buttons do not remove or behave unpredictably, this can be caused by a conflict of programs or an error in the system process of SystemUI. First of all, try to just restart the device.
If the reboot didn't work, check to see if an app that compulsorily displays the navigation bar is running. Some old programs or games may require buttons and block the transition to gestures. Close all background apps and check the interface.
The problem may also be the theme of the design, and some third-party themes for MIUI have their own navigation elements that overlap the system settings, so try temporarily returning the standard theme in the Themes app to see if the buttons disappear.
⚠️ Note: Do not attempt to remove the navigation system applications through ADB It could cause the interface to be completely inoperable and require the phone to be flashed over.
Impact of System Updates on Navigation
Xiaomi regularly releases updates for MIUI and HyperOS. With each major update, the algorithms of the interface may change. The way buttons were removed in MIUI 12 may differ from the methods in MIUI 14 or later.
Often, when you update your navigation settings, they reset to standard ones. So if you flash your phone or upgraded over the air, check the full-screen partition again, and it may have returned the default buttons for compatibility.
New firmware versions also include the "App Launch Accelerated" feature or other optimizations that can visually change the behavior of the bottom of the screen. 10S.
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Regular system updates are the best way to ensure stable gestures and no bugs with the interface.