How to remove icons from the top of the Android screen on the Xiaomi phone: instructions for MIUI 14 and 15

The top notification bar on Xiaomi smartphones is one of the most informative among Android devices, displaying not only the time and battery, but also active notification icons, Wi-Fi/mobile network connectivity indicators, VPN, NFC and even system update alerts. However, an excess of icons can be annoying: they take up space on the screen, distract from content and sometimes duplicate information (for example, 4G icon and signal level at the same time).

In this article, we’ll look at all the possible ways to hide icons from the top of the screen on Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO and Black Shark phones with MIUI 14 and MIUI 15 firmware. Importantly, not all icons can be removed completely — some (such as the charge indicator) are tied to the system limitations of Android.

Why there are extra icons on the top panel

Before you hide icons, you need to understand where they come from. In MIUI, the top panel is divided into three types of elements:

• 📱 System indicators: time, battery power, network signal strength, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. These icons are controlled by Android and are partially configured through Settings → Screen.
• 🔔 Application notifications: icons for new messages on WhatsApp, Telegram, missed calls, alerts from games, and you can turn them off individually for each application.
• ⚙️ Service icons: VPN, Do Not Disturb, NFC, location, synchronization, often duplicate information from the notification curtain.

The main reasons for filling the panel:

1. Active background processes: Applications (especially messengers and social networks) constantly keep a connection to the servers, which is displayed by icons in the status bar.
2. System services: For example, Mi Cloud or Google Play Services can display a sync icon even without active user actions.
3. Firmware errors: In some versions of MIUI (especially beta), icons may get stuck after updating or resetting settings.

Method 1: Disabling notifications from applications

The easiest way is to hide notification icons from specific programs, which won’t remove them completely (they’ll stay in the curtain), but will remove the display on the top panel.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Select the app you want to hide your notifications (like Viber or Instagram).
3. Go to the Notifications section.
4. Turn off the Display Notification icon switch (in some versions of MIUI, this item is called the Status Bar icons).

If you don’t have an option, try an alternative route:

1. Press your finger on the notification from the desired app in the curtain.
2. In the menu that appears, select Notification Settings.
3. Turn off the status bar icons.

Close all background applications

Reboot the phone.

Check if the icons have disappeared after receiving a new notification

Update the application to the latest version-->

⚠️ Warning: Turning off notification icons does not block the alerts themselves. They will still come in the curtain and onto the lock screen. To turn off notifications completely, use the Do Not Disturb section in the settings.

Method 2: Hiding system indicators through MIUI settings

MIUI allows you to hide some of the system icons without root rights, which works for indicators that are not critical for the phone (for example, NFC, Location, VPN).

Step-by-step:

1. Open Settings → Screen → Status panel and notification curtain.
2. Select Status Indicators (MIUI 15 may be called System Icons).
3. You'll see a list of hidden icons, disable the unnecessary ones (e.g., Airplane Mode, Synchronization, Alarm).
4. Save the changes and restart the phone.

List of indicators that can be hidden without additional manipulations:

• 📡 NFC (unless you use contactless payments)
• 🔒 VPN (active connection)
• 📍 Location (geolocation)
• 🔔 Alarm clock (set alarm clock)
• 🔄 Synchronization (communication with Mi Cloud/Google)

Unfortunately, battery charge, network signal level and time icons cannot be removed through standard settings – they are rigidly spelled out in the Android system interface. Additional methods will be required to hide them (see Methods 4 and 5).

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If they continue to appear after turning off the indicators, clear the system cache: Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three points (menu) → Show system → Settings → Clear the cache.

Method 3: Using the "Distractless" mode

MIUI 14/15 has a hidden feature called Destruction-Free (similar to Zen Mode in other firmware) that temporarily hides all notifications and some of the system indicators, which is useful if you want to focus on work or play.

How to turn on:

1. Open Settings → Special features → Mode without distractions.
2. Activate the switch and set the rules: Select the apps that will block notifications. Set a timer (15 minutes to 12 hours). Enable the option to Hide notification icons.

Confirm the activation of the regime.

Limitations of the method:

• ⏱️ Works only for a limited time (maximum 12 hours).
• 📵 Blocks not only icons, but also the sounds/vibrations of notifications.
• 🔄 After the timer is complete, all icons will return.

⚠️ Warning: In Deterrent mode, important alerts (such as low battery charge or missed calls) may not come in. Do not use it if you are waiting for an urgent message.

Method 4: Hiding icons through ADB (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work, you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) debugging, which hides even icons that are not available in the MIUI settings, including charge and network indicators, requires a computer and a USB- cable.

Step-by-step:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. Click on MIUI Version 7 times in a row until you become a developer!

USB debugging

• Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
• Turn on the debugging switch over USB.
• Connect the phone to your computer and execute the commands: adb shell settings put global icon_blacklist * This command hides all the icons on the top panel. To return them back, use: adb shell settings put global icon_blacklist "" For selective concealment (e.g., only battery icons), use: adb shells setting global icon_blacklist battery.

List of keys for selective concealment:

⚠️ Warning: Misuse of ADB can cause system failures. Before executing commands, back up your data via Settings → About Phone → Backup. If the status bar stopped updating after hiding the icons, follow the command: adb shell pm clear com.android.systemui This will reset the system interface settings without losing data.

Method 5: Install custom firmware (for power users)

If you need to completely redesign the notification bar, the only radical way is to install custom firmware (e.g. LineageOS, Pixel Experience or crDroid).

• 🎨 Set up the display of any system icons.
• 🔧 Remove unnecessary interface elements MIUI.
• 🔄 Return "pure" Android without branded improvements Xiaomi.

Cons of the method:

• ⚠️ Loss of warranty (if the phone is under warranty).
• 🔧 Risk of "bricking" (turning the phone into a "brick" if a firmware error occurs).
• 🔄 No updates over the air (you will have to update manually).

If you decide to take this step, follow the instructions:

1. Unlock the bootloader through the official Xiaomi website (requires a Mi Account and wait 7-30 days).
2. Install custom recovery (TWRP or OrangeFox).
3. Download compatible firmware for your model (check out the XDA Developers or 4PDA forum).
4. Sweeve the firmware through recovery, having previously made a backup.

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Custom firmware is the last resort, and 90 percent of the time, the problem of having extra icons can be solved with standard settings or ADB.

Method 6: Masking icons with themes and launchers

If you can't remove the icons, you can disguise them with some alternative launchers, which doesn't physically remove the icons, but makes them less visible.

Options:

• 🎨 Dark themes: In Settings → Screen → Dark theme, turn on night mode. On a black background, many icons become less catchy.
• 🖼️ Custom themes from the Mi Theme Store: Some themes (e.g., Pitch Black or Minimal UI) visually shorten the notification bar.

How to apply the custom theme:

1. Open the Themes app (default installed on all Xiaomi).
2. In the search, type the title of the theme (for example, Pure Black).
3. Download it and use it. Reboot the phone for full use.

For use with Nova Launcher:

1. Install a launcher from Google Play.
2. Press your finger on the main screen → Settings → Notification panel.
3. Enable the option to Hide the status bar (if available for your model).

Frequent problems and solutions

When trying to hide icons, users often encounter common mistakes.

If none of these methods helped, check:

• 🔄 System Updates: Some versions of MIUI patches patch icon bugs. Update through Settings → About Phone → System Update.
• 🧹 Cache Cleanup: Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → System Interface MIUI → Clear the cache.
• 🔧 Settings Reset: The last method is to reset to factory settings (don’t forget to do a backup!).

FAQ: Answers to popular questions