How to Set a Dark Theme on Xiaomi: A Step-by-Step Guide

In today’s world, smartphone screens have become a major source of visual information, and the brightness of the display often causes eye discomfort, especially in the evening. POCO People often wonder how to put the interface into a gentler mode, known as a dark theme, which is not just an aesthetic preference, but also a way to reduce the burden on vision and, in case of a darker theme, to make it easier to see. OLED-screens, significantly save battery power.

The MIUI shell and its successor HyperOS provide users with flexible tools to personalize the appearance of the system. However, the standard switch to Night Mode often only changes the background of settings and some menus, leaving many system elements light. To achieve a full immersion in black, a number of additional actions are necessary, which we will discuss in detail in this article.

In this guide, we will not only look at basic activation techniques, but also the hidden features that allow you to force dark tones where the developers did not foresee them, you will learn how to set up automatic switching on a schedule and which system settings should be changed for the ideal result.

Basic activation of night mode in settings

The most obvious and affordable way to change the color scheme of the interface is to use the built-in system tools. First, you need to go to the main settings menu of your device. Find Settings and select the Screen section. This is where the basic display management options are concentrated.

Inside the menu, you'll see the option Dark Mode. When you activate the slider, you'll notice a change: the menu background will turn black and the text will turn white. However, if you want a dark theme to apply to more apps and interface elements, click on the mode name, not just turn it on. This will open up advanced settings.

You can choose from the Advanced Dark Mode option, which forcefully redesigns the interfaces of many apps that don't officially support the night theme, and inverts colors or selects appropriate dark shades to make your phone more comfortable.

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Extended dark mode may not display colors correctly in some older apps, so use it selectively.

• 🌙 Click on the name "Dark Mode" to access details.
• 📱 Activate "Extended Dark Mode" for all applications.
• ⏳ Set the timer of automatic switching on time.
• 🎨 Select individual apps for a forced dark theme.

Setting up an automatic schedule and timers

Manually switching theme every night can be inconvenient, so Xiaomi has implemented a smart schedule. In the dark theme settings menu, you will find the option to turn on schedule, which allows the system to determine when to change the color palette based on the time of sunrise and sunset or the hours you set.

Automation is especially useful for eye health. If you're used to using your phone late at night, the sudden shift from a bright screen to a dark room causes stress on your vision. Automatically turning on a dark theme at dusk solves this problem without you being involved.

Also worth considering is integration with Do Not Disturb mode, which in some firmware versions, turning on a silent profile can automatically activate a dark theme, creating a complex environment for relaxation, removing unnecessary notifications and reducing the brightness of the interface.

Use of design themes and thematicization of the system

Standard black isn't the only option. Themes store on Xiaomi devices offers thousands of design options that completely change the look of the system. To find them, open the Themes app and search for "Dark" or "Black."

When choosing a theme, look at the description: some only change the icons, others completely redraw the menu, notification curtain and settings. To install, click Download and then Apply. After that, the phone can reboot the interface.

If you notice glitches or missing items after installing the theme, it’s best to go back to standard design. Go to the theme profile and select Reset or simply delete the theme.

⚠️ Note: Download themes only from the official store. Third-party sources may contain malicious code that will steal your personal data.

• 🎨 Open the "Themes" app on the desktop.
• 🔍 Type "Dark Mode" or "Black" into the search".
• 📥 Download your favorite package and use it.
• ✅ Check the compatibility of interface elements.

Hidden functions and debugging through ADB

For advanced users who want to gain full control of the system, there is a method of forced inclusion of a dark theme through debugging. USB. This way you can activate hidden flags that are not available in the regular menu. ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

First, activate Developer Mode. Go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on MIUI Version (or OS Version). After that, a new section will appear in the settings menu Additional → For Developers. Enable USB Debugging there.

Connect your phone to your computer and type the following command in the ADB terminal to force the dark theme to be turned on at the system level:

adb shell cmd overlay enable --android android.theme.customization.darken_enabled

This command activates an overlay that forces the system to use dark resources where possible, especially for older versions of Android where the native dark theme was unstable.

Dark theme in specific applications and services

Even with the system theme on, some apps can ignore settings and stay light, often with social media and instant messengers, and in such cases, you need to look inside the application itself for settings.

For example, on Telegram or Viber, the theme is included in a separate chat settings menu. On YouTube and Google apps, the setting is often in the General or Appearance section. Some apps offer three options: Light, Dark and System-like.

If the app doesn’t have its own setup but supports a dark theme, it should respond to a system request. Make sure the phone settings in the Advanced Dark Mode section select the app you want to darken.

The Effect of Dark Theme on Autonomy and Eye Health

Using dark tones isn’t just a matter of aesthetics: On smartphones with AMOLED or OLED screens (which is typical of most Xiaomi and Redmi flagships), black means the pixel is completely off, resulting in a real reduction in power consumption.

Studies show that when brightness 100% Using a dark topic can save you up to 40-60% battery-charge OLED-On the displays. IPS-The savings on screens (which are often found in budget models) will be less noticeable, since the backlight works constantly, but the reduction in eye load will remain.

In addition, the blue light emitted by white pixels inhibits the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Using a dark theme in the evening helps to preserve circadian rhythms and easier to fall asleep after using the gadget.

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To maximize battery savings on OLED-Use not just a dark theme, but a wallpaper with pure black (#000000000).

Frequent problems and ways to solve them

Sometimes, after updating your firmware or installing a new theme, your settings may get lost. If the dark theme stops working or doesn't work properly, try clearing the theme app cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find "Themes" and select Clear Cache.

It happens that in some system menus (for example, in Contacts or Calculator), the background remains white. This can be a bug of a particular version of MIUI. In this case, resetting the design settings to standard themes through the store, and then re-activating the dark mode.

If you use third-party launchers, they can override theme system settings. Check the launcher settings and make sure they don't have a forced light theme.

⚠️ Warning: If after enabling the advanced dark mode, the text in the applications became unreadable (merged with the background), immediately disable this function for a specific application in the dark theme settings.

• 🔄 Clear the cache of the "Themes" application in case of failures.
• 🎨 Reset the topic to standard if artifacts appear.
• 📱 Check the settings of third-party launchers.
• 🛠 Turn off the extended mode for problem applications.

Questions and Answers (FAQ)