The appearance of a red digit or a small envelope in the corner of an app icon is a standard behavior of a MIUI system or a new HyperOS, designed to prevent the user from missing important information. However, for many owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones, these visual markers become a source of irritation, creating a sense of clutter and constant digital noise. Notification indicators can accumulate even after reading messages, requiring additional actions to hide them.
In this article, we will discuss in detail all available methods that allow you to completely get rid of red dots and numbers on your desktop. You will learn how to configure notification display for each application separately, how to use hidden developer menu features, and how to reset system counters through an engineering menu or a computer program. ADB-Management of notifications in the shell from Xiaomi has its own features, which we will now look in detail.
Sometimes the problem is not the settings, but the software failure of the launcher cache, which causes the system to forget that the message has already been read. We will touch on these aspects, offering a comprehensive solution to the problem. Cleaning up the data of system applications often works wonders, returning the interface to its original purity without unnecessary.
Configure indicators through the system menu
The easiest and safest way to manage red dots is to use the built-in operating system settings. With modern versions of the MIUI 12, 13, 14 and HyperOS shell, developers have provided a flexible tool to control visual notifications. You do not need to be an IT expert to use this functionality, since all the necessary switches are publicly available.
To start, you need to go to your device's settings menu. Find the notification and status section. This is the master switch that controls how all apps behave. Global shutdown can be convenient if you want to clear your desktop completely, but most often you need a spot setting.
⚠️ Warning: Turning off the indicators completely can cause you to miss important calls or messages from loved ones if you don’t regularly check apps manually.
Once you log in, you'll see a list of all the programs installed. Scroll down to the messenger or social network you want. When you click on the app name, you'll be taken to the detailed settings where you can choose the display type: icon, number or no display at all. The changes take effect instantly without requiring the device to restart.
- 📱 Open Settings and select Notifications and Status bar.
- 🔍 Find the section Notification icons or Indicators on icons in the list.
- ✅ Switch the slider opposite the desired application to the position "Switched off".
It's worth noting that in some regions or firmware versions, the path to settings may be slightly different. If you don't find the right item, try searching for settings by typing "badge" or "badge" and the system will redirect you to the desired menu section.
Managing Notifications for Individual Applications
Oftentimes, it's not just notifications that are annoying, but they're redundant in specific applications that you rarely use. For example, games or news aggregators can generate hundreds of false notifications, causing a red icon to burn constantly. Granular adjustment allows you to leave important messages away from messengers, but remove visual noise from secondary programs.
Log in to the settings of the particular app that is causing problems. In the Xiaomi shell, you can do this not only through the system menu, but also by long-clicking on the app icon on the desktop. Select "About" or "Info" and then go to the notification section. Here you can prevent the app from showing pop-ups or sound signals, leaving only a quiet indicator, or remove it completely.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling notifications for banking applications or two-factor authentication services (2FA) You may be able to block your access to transaction confirmation.
You should pay special attention to messengers like Telegram or WhatsApp. The apps themselves have their own notification settings that take precedence over the system. Check if they tick the "Show Unread Count." If you can't remove the icon through the Android settings, it's likely that the lock is at the app level.
For system applications like Downloads or Security, settings can be hidden deeper, and in such cases, resetting notification settings for a particular package helps, not to delete your data, but to return the application to factory state, which often eliminates bugs with stuck icons.
- 🛠 Go to Settings. → Annexes → All applications.
- 📂 Select a problem application from the list.
- 🔔 Click Notifications and uncheck Allow Notifications or set up categories.
If after all the manipulations the icon continues to hang, try clearing the app cache, which often helps when the software message counter is out of sync with the real state of affairs in the chat.
☑️ Checking the application settings
Using a Developer Menu to Hide Icons
For advanced users who want to have full control of the interface, there is a developer menu, which is a hidden part of the system that contains engineering settings, and activating this menu requires you to execute a certain algorithm of actions, but it gives you access to parameters that are not available in the normal interface.
To activate the developer mode, go to Settings → Find the line "Version." MIUI" or "Version." OS" And you can quickly click on it 7 times in a row, and the system will tell you that you've become a developer, and then a new section, "Additional" or "Extended Settings," will appear in the main settings menu, where the developer menu is hidden.
Inside the developer menu, we're interested in the section that's related to the current window or rendering. Look for an option called Disable notification badges. However, beware: item names may vary depending on the Android and MIUI version. Some builds may not have this option, as manufacturers often change the structure of hidden menus.
⚠️ Warning: Changing the settings in the developer menu can lead to unstable system operation.
If you find the right option, activate it and restart the device. Once turned on, all message icons must disappear from all icons at once. This is a radical method that works at the graphics display level, ignoring the requests of applications to display markers.
- 🚀 Press 7 times on the version MIUI in the section About the telephone.
- ⚙️ Go to the Supplementary → For developers.
- 🔍 Find the option related to Notification Badges or display icons.
It’s important to understand that in newer versions of HyperOS, some of the developer menu items have been removed or moved. If you haven’t found the right switch, don’t despair – there are alternative ways to solve the problem, which will be discussed below.
What to do if the developer menu is empty?
Comparison of methods for deleting indicators
There are many ways to deal with intrusive icons, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages: some require root rights, others work on standard firmware. Below is a table that will help you choose the best option for your situation.
| Method | Difficulty | Efficiency | Risk of data loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| System settings | Low. | Tall. | No. |
| Application settings | Low. | Medium | No. |
| Developer menu | Medium | Tall. | Minimum |
| Third-party launcher | Medium | Maximum | No. |
| ADB team | Tall. | Maximum | Medium. |
As you can see from the table, standard settings are the safest and easiest way. However, if you want full control and standard methods don't help, you'll have to resort to more sophisticated tools. Third-party launchers like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair allow you to completely ignore system icons, replacing them with their own display rules.
Using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) requires a computer connection and basic command line knowledge, which allows you to send commands directly to the system, forcibly hiding interface elements, a powerful tool in the hands of an experienced user, but it requires caution.
- 💻 Connect the phone to the PC with debugging enabled USB.
- 💻 Enter the command to hide icons (requires knowledge of the exact syntax for your version of Android).
- ✅ Check the result on the smartphone screen.
Choose a method based on your skills and willingness to risk the stability of your device, and for most users, the first two items from the table will suffice.
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Use third-party themes. Some themes in the Themes store have built-in icon styles that don't display red dots by default, even if the system setting is active.
Resetting counters and cleaning the launcher cache
There are times when you've read all the messages, but the red number "1" or "99+" is still on the icon. This is a classic example of desynchronization of data, the system believes that the notification is not read, although the application is already clean, in which case the forced reset of the launcher counters helps.
The launcher is an application that handles the desktop, icons and menus, and it stores information about which icons are to be displayed, and to reset its state, you need to clear the data of this system component, and don't worry, your apps and files won't get hurt, but the order of the icons on the desktop may get lost.
Find the system component in the application list. Depending on the version of MIUI, it can be called System Launcher, Mi Launcher or Start. Go to its properties and select Clear Data or Reset Settings. After that, the desktop will restart, and all icons should disappear.
⚠️ Warning: After resetting the launcher data, you will have to re-arrange the widgets and folders on the desktop, as they will return to the factory location.
If the launcher reset didn't work, the problem could be in the cache of a particular app. Try clearing the cache of Google Play Services or the messenger itself. Sometimes background processes block the notification status update.
- 🗑 Go to Settings. → Annexes.
- 🔍 Find a System Launcher (or analogue).
- 🧹 Press Clear Clear. → All data.
This method is especially effective after a firmware update, when old configuration files may conflict with new interface display rules.
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Clearing the launcher data is the most effective solution for “stuck” icons that do not disappear after reading the messages.
Radical measures: third-party launchers and ADB
If Xiaomi’s standard tools don’t work, third-party solutions come to the rescue. Installing an alternative launcher is the most reliable way to completely change the look of the interface. Launchers like Nova Launcher, Microsoft Launcher or Smart Launcher have their own icon display engines that often ignore the MIUI system settings.
Once you install a third-party launcher, you'll have access to advanced notification icon settings, you can choose the color, size, font of numbers, or disable them for any application, and it's a great way to refresh your phone's design if you're bored with the standard interface.
For those who are not afraid of the command line, there is a method through ADB. Connecting the phone to a computer, you can execute a command that forcibly hides the notification badges at the system level. The example of the command can look like pm disable-user --user 0 com.android.badge (the name of the package may differ).
- 📥 Download. APK-third-party launcher file from a verified source.
- 🏠 Click the Home button and select the new default launcher.
- ⚙️ Go to the new launcher settings and turn off notification icons.
Using third-party software gives you maximum flexibility, but it is worth remembering the consumption of resources. Some heavy launchers can use up the battery faster on older models of smartphones.