Navigation buttons on Xiaomi Redmi 7 — “Back”, “Home” and “Recent” — take up precious space on the screen and often annoy users accustomed to gesture control. This is especially true for owners of devices with a small display diagonal (5.84 inches on Redmi 7), where every pixel counts. Fortunately, the manufacturer and third-party developers offer several ways to hide or completely disable these elements of the interface.
In this article, we’ll look at three proven methods: standard MIUI settings, deep customization ADB commands, and third-party utilities like Nacho Notch or Full Screen Gestures. Each option has its own nuances, from ease of implementation to potential risks to system stability. For example, disabling buttons through ADB can lead to loss of gesture functionality in some versions of MIUI below 12.5 if additional settings are not performed.
Before you start, make sure your Redmi 7 has an up-to-date firmware version (at least MIUI 10) and the battery is at least 50% charged, which minimizes the risk of crashes during changes, and backups important data — some methods require rebooting the device.
1. Method: Standard MIUI settings (without root and ADB)
The safest and easiest way to do this is to use the built-in options. Xiaomi added gesture control support to MIUI 9, but not everyone knows that navigation buttons can be replaced with gestures, but also completely hidden.
- Open Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
- Select the full-screen gesture item.
- Activate Hide Navigation buttons (may be called Full-screen gestures depending on the version of MIUI).
- Confirm the changes and restart the device.
After the reboot, the buttons will disappear, and instead of them, the standard MIUI gestures will work:
- 🔙 Back - swipe from right to left from the edge of the screen.
- 🏠 Home - swipe up from the bottom edge.
- 📄 Recent - swipe up with a delay or diagonal swipe up-left.
Check out the MIUI version (Settings → About the phone)
Battery charge > 30%
Close all background applications
Make a backup copy of important data-->
⚠️ Note: In some regional firmware Redmi 7 (for example, for India or China), the option to hide the buttons may not be available. ADB third-party.
| Method | Root is required. | Risk of failure | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard settings of MIUI | ❌ No. | ⚠️ Low. | MIUI 9 and higher |
| ADB-team | ❌ No. | ⚠️⚠️ Medium. | Any version of Android |
| Third-party annexes | ✅ Sometimes. | ⚠️⚠️⚠️ High-pitched | Depends on the app. |
2. Method: Disabling buttons via ADB (for power users)
If standard settings don't work, you can use the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool, which allows you to customize the interface deeply, but requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge, and the advantage is that it works on any version of Android, including outdated ones.
Here's the step-by-step instruction:
- Download and install ADB Tools on PC.
- Turn on Redmi 7 Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and 7 times click on MIUI Version.
- Activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
- Connect your phone to your PC and execute: Adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*
- Reset the device.
After doing this, the navigation buttons will disappear, but it will become more difficult to control the smartphone – the MIUI gestures will stop working, and to return them, you will need additional adjustment through applications like Fluid Navigation Gestures or manually prescribing gestures through ADB.
What if the ADB does not recognize the device?
⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB This can cause data loss or a cyclical restart of the device. For example, settings put global. policy_control immersive.full=apps,-com.android.systemui Instead of * hides buttons only in apps, but leaves them on the home screen!
3. Method: Third-party applications for hiding buttons
If the first two methods do not work, you can use specialized utilities from Google Play.
- 📱 Nacho Notch – allows you to hide buttons and notches on the screen, but requires ADB activate certain functions.
- 👆 Full Screen Gestures – Replaces buttons with wide-set gestures (e.g. double-touch to return back).
- 🔄 Fluid Navigation Gestures – mimics the gestures of the iPhone X and supports Redmi 7 on Android 9 Pie.
Example of settings via Fluid NG:
- Install the app from Google Play.
- Grant permission for Special Features (in your phone settings).
- Select the gesture style (for example, Pill – the panel at the bottom of the screen).
- Activate the option to Hide the navigation bar.
The downside of this is that the application is always in the background, which can affect autonomy, and some utilities (such as Nacho Notch) require root rights to work fully on MIUI.
💡
Before installing third-party apps, check out Redmi 7 user reviews – some utilities are optimized only for pure Android smartphones and may conflict with the MIUI shell.
Possible problems and solutions
When switching off navigation buttons, Redmi 7 users often face the following difficulties:
- 🔄 Gestures don’t work after hiding buttons – this is a typical problem for the user. MIUI 10-11. Solution: Install Fluid NG or return the buttons through ADB, Adb shell settings put global settings policy_control null
- 📱 Black screen after reboot - occurs when you conflict with running applications. helps reset to factory settings (hold power). + Increased volume when switched on).
- 🔋 Increased battery consumption - typical for third-party applications. Turn off auto-start utility in Settings → Annexes → Auto-start.
If, after the manipulation, ADB or third-party programs smartphone stopped responding to touch, try to connect the mouse through OTG-Adapter and roll back changes. In extreme cases, flashing through Fastboot (instructions are on the forum) will help. 4PDA in the Redmi 7 theme).
5. Comparison of methods: which one to choose?
The choice of method depends on your goals and level of preparation:
| Criteria | Standard settings | ADB | Third-party annexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | ⭐ Very simple. | ⭐⭐⭐ Middle-Average | ⭐⭐ Easy. |
| PC required | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes. | ❌ No. |
| Impact on the battery | ❌ No. | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes (background work) |
| Compatibility with MIUI gestures | ✅ Complete. | ❌ Partial | ⚠️ Depends on the app. |
For most users, the best solution is standard MIUI settings. If they don't work, try ADB, but be prepared to manually adjust gestures. Third-party apps are suitable for those who want maximum customization and are not afraid of risks.
💡
On Redmi 7 with MIUI 12.5 and later, the navigation buttons can be hidden without losing the gesture functionality – this is enough for 90% of users.
6. Alternatives: What to do if nothing helps?
If none of the methods worked, consider the following options:
- 🔄 Firmware Update – Some Regional Versions MIUI Redmi 7 does not support button hiding. Install global or European firmware through MIUI bootloader.
- 🛠️ Custom firmware – LineageOS or Pixel Experience, for example, offer flexible interface settings but require unlocking the bootloader.
- 📱 Launcher usage – some shells (like Nova Launcher) allow you to hide the navigation bar in your settings.
Unlocking the bootloader on Xiaomi takes up to 72 hours (due to manufacturer policy) and erases all data from the device. If you are not ready for this, it is better to focus on standard methods or third-party utilities.