Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the desire to change the standard interface for more comfortable use. On the Redmi Note 8 T, like many other devices running the MIUI shell, three virtual navigation buttons are activated by default. They occupy a useful display area, which is especially noticeable on the 6.3-inch screen. By removing them, you free up space for content and get a more modern experience with the gadget.
The switch to gesture control is not just a fashion nod, it’s a real convenience. Swipes allow you to switch between apps faster and return to the menu without aiming at small icons. However, the process of turning off buttons can raise questions for those who have not previously encountered deep settings of the Android system. In this article, we will detail each step necessary to change the type of navigation.
It's worth noting that removing the controls completely requires activating a hidden feature in the Developer Menu, which may seem tricky for a beginner, but following our instructions, you'll get through the task in a few minutes, and we'll also look at situations where the buttons have gone missing on their own, and explain how to get everything back into place without losing data.
Distinctions in navigation buttons and gestures on MIUI
The MIUI interface on the Redmi Note 8 T offers two basic controls: the classic method uses three static buttons at the bottom of the screen: Back, Home, and App Menu, a technique that is common to many users who are switching from older smartphones and provides a clear visual indication of what they can do at any given time.
The alternative is a gesture system that hides buttons, freeing the bottom of the screen, and in this mode, navigation is done by swipes: short swipes from the bottom up to return to the desktop, holding your finger to open the multitasking menu, and swipes from the edge of the screen to go back. Full-screen gestures make interaction with the interface smoother and more intuitive.
Choosing between these methods is a matter of taste, but gestures have technical advantages: the lack of static elements allows applications that support stretching to use every pixel of the IPS matrix. In addition, the risk of accidental pressing (so-called “mis-touch”) when a finger touches a button in your pocket or when the device is uncomfortable gripped.
⚠️ Attention: Switching to gestures may require a short habituation, and early days you may instinctively look for buttons at the bottom of the screen, especially in stressful situations or when in a hurry.
It's important to understand that turning off the buttons doesn't remove their functionality completely, it only changes the way the commands are activated. The system still processes the same signals, but interprets them through finger movements on the touchscreen. It's a software change that doesn't affect the performance of the hardware components of your smartphone.
Preparing the smartphone to change settings
Before you start modifying system settings, make sure the device is ready for changes. While the standard switching procedure is safe, having hidden settings requires care. Make sure the Redmi Note 8 T battery is at least 30-40%. Sudden power outages when changing system files or registry settings can lead to unpredictable interface behavior.
It is also recommended to close all heavy applications running in the background, which will free up RAM and ensure smooth operation of the system during the application of new parameters. If you have a third-party launcher installed, it is better to temporarily switch to standard to avoid conflicts of display of controls.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Another important thing is to remember the current location of the buttons, and in the MIUI settings, you can choose the order "back" on the left or right, and once you activate the gestures, this setting can reset or become inactive, so if you decide to go back to the buttons, you have to reset the order, remember which pattern you used to use.
Activation of the “Developers” menu
To access the navigation button concealment feature, it's not enough to switch the switchboard in normal settings. We'll need access to an advanced engineer menu. First, go to your device's basic Settings and select About Phone, and here's all the technical information about the model and version of the software.
In the menu that opens, find the MIUI version line. You need to quickly click on it 7 times in a row. You don't need to do it in a frantic rhythm, at a fairly confident pace. After 5-6 presses, the system will warn you that you have become a developer, and after the seventh one, a message will appear about the successful activation of the mode.
Settings → About Phone → (7 times on Version MIUI)Now go back to the main settings menu and scroll down to the bottom, and a new item has appeared, Additional Settings (or just Advanced Settings in newer versions of the shell), and you'll find a Developer Menu inside, and be careful, changing unfamiliar settings here can disrupt the system, so only change what's in the instructions.
What to do if the menu does not appear?
Search and activate the hidden navigation function
Inside the Developer Menu, there's a huge list of settings, debugging features and tests. To avoid wandering by hand, search by settings or scrolle through the list carefully. We're interested in the navigation parameter. It can be called differently in different versions of MIUI, but most often it's "Hide navigation elements" or "Turn on navigation bar" (in an inversible sense).
Find the navigation bar on/off. In some builds, it may be hidden under the name "Enable navigation bar." If the switch is active (green), the buttons will be displayed. If it is turned off, they will disappear, and the control will move to gestures or disappear completely if the gestures are not set separately.
When you change that, the screen can blink and the bottom panel will disappear. That's a normal system reaction. Now your Redmi Note 8 T has gone into control mode with no visible buttons. If you see that the buttons are gone but the gestures are not working, then you need to activate the gesture mode in the standard menu.
⚠️ Note: Do not disable other unknown items in the developer menu, such as Disable HW overlays or force 4x MSAA», If you don't understand their purpose, it can lead to increased battery consumption or interface lags.
Set up full-screen gestures instead of buttons
Just removing the buttons is not enough, you need to learn how to control the smartphone without them. Once you activate the hidden function or the standard switch in the settings, the system will suggest learning to gesture. Even if you do not follow the training, remember the basic movements. Return to the main screen is a short swipe from the bottom of the screen up, similar to pressing the center button.
To swipe back (left or right button function), swipe from left or right edge of the screen to center. The swipe length is not critical, the main thing is to start moving from the very edge of the display. This action works in almost any application and browser, allowing you to quickly navigate through the history of views or close windows.
To open the menu of running apps (multi-tasking), swipe from the bottom up and hold your finger at the middle of the screen for a split second, and you get a spring effect, and you open a list of windows, and you swipe apps left or right to close them, and that replaces the Menu button or the square.
| Action. | Gesture. | Analogue of a button |
|---|---|---|
| Home. | Swipe from bottom up (short) | Circle/House |
| Back up. | Swipe from left/right edge | Triangle/Arrow |
| Appendix menu | Swipe from bottom up (hold) | Square. |
| Google Assistant | Swipe from the lower corner diagonally | Long press (optional) |
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For a more accurate hit, try starting the Back swipe just above the bottom corner of the screen, about the bottom quarter of the display, so as not to confuse the system with a desktop return.
What to do if the buttons are gone or not returned
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where buttons disappear without their knowledge, which can be due to a failure in the launcher System Launcher or conflict with the installed customization application. The first thing you try is to just restart the device, 80% of the time it returns standard navigation.
If the reboot didn't work, check the theme settings. Some third-party themes for MIUI force you to change your navigation style or hide the interface elements. Go to the Themes app, select a standard theme "Classic" or "Default" and apply it. This will reset the visual modifications.
In extreme cases, if the buttons are missing after installing some software, try to start the phone in safe mode. To do this, press the turn off button, and when the menu appears, keep your finger on the "Switch off" (or "Reset", depending on the version) for a long time until the prompt to go to safe mode appears. If this mode is a button, the problem is in the third-party application.
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The fastest way to return buttons is to reset your launcher settings through the Apps menu → All Apps → System Launcher → Clear → All Data.
Possible problems and solutions
Despite the simplicity of the procedure, there may be nuances. For example, in some applications (banks, games), gestures may conflict with internal navigation. In such cases, the system itself temporarily returns buttons or suggests adjusting the sensitivity of the edges of the screen. It is also worth considering that on the Redmi Note 8 T with its screen resolution, sometimes the lower gesture bar can overlap the interface elements in older applications.
If you notice that after switching off the buttons, the phone starts to slow down or twitch, try to reduce the animation in the same developer menu. Find the items "Scale of window animation", "Scale of transition animation" and set a value of 0.5x or Off. This will visually speed up the response of the system.
Keep in mind that completely hiding the buttons through the engineering menu is an advanced setup: If you plan to sell the phone or transfer it to another user, it's better to return standard navigation. The new owner may not be aware of the gestures and decides that the touch screen is faulty.