Xiaomi’s current smartphones, which are powered by MIUI and HyperOS shells, offer users a classic way of navigating with three buttons at the bottom of the screen by default. However, in recent years, the industry has shifted to gesture control, which frees up useful display space and makes interaction with the device smoother. Many smartphone owners are wondering how to remove buttons on a Xiaomi phone to get a user experience similar to an iPhone or a pure Android.
Disabling the physical or software navigation bar not only improves ergonomics, but also allows applications to work in full screen mode without black bars at the edges. Navigating gestures becomes the de facto standard, and eliminating buttons is the first step to fully mastering the capabilities of your operating system. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods for hiding buttons, adjusting their behavior and solving possible interface problems.
The process of changing the way you navigate takes literally a few seconds, but it dramatically changes the experience of using a gadget. You no longer need to reach for the bottom of the screen to go back or to go to the desktop. Completely hiding the buttons activates hidden areas of the screen, increasing the useful area of display of content by 10-15%. Let's look at how to do this on different versions of the firmware.
Transition to gesture management in MIUI and HyperOS
Xiaomi
Settings
Additional functions
Once you log in, look for Full-screen display (some versions may simply call it Navigation) and the system will offer you a choice between three main options: classic buttons, button gestures, and full gesture control. To remove the buttons, you need to select Full-screen gestures. When activated, the bottom panel will disappear instantly.
⚠️ Attention: When you first switch to gestures, the system can show training animations. Don't ignore them, as the location of swipe zones may be different from the patterns you used to have in other OSs.
If you’re using an older version of MIUI (like MIUI 11 or 12 on older devices), the path may be slightly different. Then try Settings → Advanced Settings → Full-screen. The interface may look different, but the logic remains the same: swipe instead of the button control.
☑️ Checking before switching to gestures
Once you activate the gestures, the old buttons will stop showing, and the navigation will be done by swipes from the edges of the screen, and the swipe from the bottom up in the center will return you to the desktop, and the swipe from the side faces into the screen will replace the back button. This requires some getting used to, but after a couple of days you will notice that the fingers themselves find the desired areas.
Setting sensitivity and button position
Even if you’re not ready to give up the buttons completely, Android and the MIUI shell allow you to flexibly customize their behavior. The full-screen display menu often offers the option to hide hints or change the transparency of the panel, which allows you to visually “dissolve” the buttons, leaving them functional, but less noticeable against the wallpaper.
For users who prefer buttons but want to change their order (for example, to the back button was on the right, like in the iPhone), there is a special setting. In the same menu Full-screen display or Additional features, find the item Order of buttons. Here you can choose mirror display, which is especially true for those who are transplanted from Apple devices.
You should also look at the edge sensitivity settings, because gestures are tied to swipes from the borders, random taps can get in the way. In the navigation menu, you can find the edge sensitivity slider, and adjusting this setting helps you avoid false positives when you hold your phone with one hand.
| Setup parameter | Classic buttons | Full-screen gestures | Hybrid mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupied screen area | ~4-5% (lower band) | 0% (full screen) | ~2% (thin line) |
| Speed of access | High (mechanical pressing) | Medium (swipe required) | Tall. |
| Ergonomics (one hand) | Low (must stretch) | High (swipe from any edge) | Medium |
| Compatibility with games | Frequent occasional pressing | Maximum (no zones) | Depends on the game. |
Remember that the visual style of buttons can also change depending on the theme chosen in the Themes app. Some custom themes hide buttons or make them minimalist, which is an alternative way to change the interface without deep system settings.
Using third-party launchers to hide navigation
If Xiaomi’s system settings don’t work, or you want to customize the bottom panel completely, third-party launchers come to the rescue. Apps like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair or Microsoft Launcher let you change not only the desktop, but also the navigation bar behavior if you have the appropriate access rights or plugins.
However, it is worth noting the difference: the launcher controls the desktop, but can not always block the Android navigation system bar.To completely hide the buttons through the launcher, you often need to use special plugins such as Jellyfish (for Nova Launcher) or use the application of the application. ADB-This is a more advanced level of customization that requires caution.
Installing a third-party launcher can give you the ability to create your own navigation bar anywhere on the screen, making it floaty or completely transparent, especially on Xiaomi Pad tablets or smartphones with very elongated screens, where reaching the bottom is physically difficult.
⚠️ Note: Installing third-party launchers on HyperOS may require additional permission in the “Special Features” menu.
For users who aren’t afraid to experiment, there are launchers with built-in “Immersive Mode” that force the system navigation to be hidden in all applications, and be prepared for the fact that in some banking or anti-cheat games, this mode can cause conflicts or incorrect display of the interface.
Hiding buttons through ADB-Teams for Advanced Users
For those who want to get the perfect result and remove any reminders of the existence of buttons, including thin bars-indicators, you can use the toolkit Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method requires connecting a smartphone to a computer and having basic knowledge of working with the command line, it allows you to change hidden system flags that are not available in the usual menu.
Before you start, you need to turn on the developer mode. → About the phone and seven times quickly click on the build number (MIUI version OS Version. Then you'll see the Addition to the Developer menu, and inside that, activate the Debugging Toggle. USB.
adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*The command above will completely hide the status bar and navigation bar in all applications. If you want to remove only the bottom buttons, leaving the top status bar, use a modified command:
adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.navigation=*To return everything as it was, use the reset command: adb shell settings delete global. policy_control. This method is the most radical and effective, but requires a PC at hand.It is ideal for creating media centers or kiosks based on a Xiaomi smartphone, where the interface should be as clean as possible.
Solving problems with the disappearance or hanging of buttons
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the buttons disappear by themselves or stop responding to clicks, this can be caused by a system process failure of SystemUI or a conflict with a newly installed application. If the navigation stops working, the first thing you should do is try to restart the device, which solves the problem of temporary software glitches in 80% of cases.
If the reboot didn’t work, check to see if Do Not Disturb or special features like Enlarge or One-handed mode are enabled, which can overlap the bottom of the screen. Also go to Settings → Advanced Settings → Special features and check which services are active. Disabling suspicious services can make buttons work again.
In rare cases, the problem is that system files are damaged after a failed update. If the buttons blink or behave randomly, try resetting the interface. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, search the System Interface (or System UI) list, and select Clear Data. This will not delete your personal files, but will return the appearance settings to the factory ones.
The Impact of One Hand on Navigation
One-handed mode, which often confuses users, is particularly noteworthy: When activated, the screen shrinks and shifts to a corner, and the bottom part may overlap or become inaccessible. Navigation buttons in this mode may behave differently or disappear to avoid interfering with the management of the reduced interface.
To turn off this mode if it is switched on accidentally (usually by triple swiping from the bottom edge or pressing a special button in the status bar), simply swipe from the edge of the screen in the opposite direction or tap the area outside the compressed window. Check the settings in the Additional Features → Mode with one hand to change the activation method or disable it completely.
Understanding the difference between full-screen gestures and one-handed mode is critical. The first is a permanent navigation method, the second is a temporary tool for making large screens easier to use, and confusion between the two often leads to the misconception that buttons are broken or gone.