Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones sometimes face an unpleasant situation when the touch screen stops responding to light touches. This can manifest as a delay in printing, skipping presses in games or having to press hard on the glass to activate the action. The problem is especially relevant when using protective glasses or films that create an additional physical barrier between the finger and the matrix.
Fortunately, MIUI and the newer HyperOS provide users with a range of tools to fine-tune input, including software calibration methods available in the standard settings menu, and more advanced methods through the engineering menu. It's important to understand that sensor failure doesn't always mean a display breakage. Often, it's a software failure or a miscalibration that can be fixed by itself without going to the service center.
In this guide, we will look at all the ways to improve screen responsiveness. We will discuss the regular shell functions, hidden codes for entering the engineering menu and methods for resetting calibration parameters. You will learn how to properly set the device to wear protective accessories and what to do if standard methods do not help. Follow the instructions carefully so that you do not change unnecessary parameters in the system settings.
Reasons for the decrease in sensitivity of touch screen
Before you start setting up, you need to understand the nature of the problem. Most often, the decrease in sensitivity of the touchscreen is due to physical factors. A glued protective glass, especially if it is thick or poor quality, can shield the signal from the finger. In this case, the software increase in sensitivity is a standard solution provided by the developers to compensate for the thickness of the glass.
However, if there are no protective films, software conflicts or screen contamination may cause the problem. Fat spots, dust and moisture interfere with capacitive sensors that respond to the electrical charge of the human body, and static charges or non-original chargers that create strong electromagnetic interference during operation can also affect the display.
⚠️ Warning: If the screen stops responding to touches after a device falls or moisture is ingested, software methods may not help, and in such cases, there is a high probability of physical damage to the plume or digitizer, which requires replacement of hardware components.
Sometimes the problem is overheating the processor or the display itself. At high temperatures, the system can artificially limit the performance and frequency of the sensor to protect the components, in which case you should let the smartphone cool down and check the touchscreen under normal temperature conditions.
Use of glove mode
One of the easiest and safest ways to increase screen sensitivity on Xiaomi smartphones is to activate a special mode, which is originally designed to use the device in the winter when the user is wearing gloves, but this mode also works effectively as a signal amplifier for thick protective glasses.
To activate this function, you have to go to the system settings menu. The path may vary slightly depending on the version of the MIUI firmware, but the logic remains the same. You have to find the section responsible for additional functions or special features. There is a switch that hides, which is my touch processing algorithm, making the sensor more susceptible to weak signals.
Once you turn on this option, you'll notice that the screen starts to respond to lighter touches, which can lead to occasional taps if you're used to just leaning your fingers on the display when reading, so it's recommended to only turn on when you really need to, such as when wearing a tight protective glass.
- 📱 Go to your smartphone settings.
- 🔍 Find the Additional Features or Advanced Settings section.
- 🧤 Activate the switch Mode of work in gloves.
- ✅ Check the responsiveness of the screen by performing a few quick swipes.
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If you can't find "Gloves Mode" in the standard menu, search by settings. Just type the word "Glove" in the search bar at the top of the settings screen, and the system will suggest the desired item.
Screen calibration through CIT engineering menu
A deeper method of tuning is the use of the CIT (Customer Information Test) engineering menu, which is a hidden part of the system designed to diagnose hardware components, where you can perform a full calibration of the touchscreen, redefining the boundaries and sensitivity of the active zones, a technique that often helps when the sensor is floating or reacting with a delay.
A special menu is used to enter the engineering menu. USSD-Type in the Phone app the combination ##6484##. If the code didn't work, try the alternative ##4636##, although the former is the main one for Xiaomi's diagnostics. Once you enter the code, you will open a list of tests where you need to select Touchpanel or Touchpanel. TP.
In the window that opens, you'll be asked to swipe along certain lines or paint over the entire screen, which allows the system to read the coordinates and the force of the press. Once you pass the test, the system may suggest that you keep the new calibration parameters, which is an action that overwrites the old data and can significantly improve responsiveness.
☑️ Checking the touchscreen in CIT
⚠️ Warning: In the engineering menu, you are not advised to touch items whose purpose you do not know. Changing the display settings, refresh rates or sensors without understanding the consequences can lead to incorrect display of the image or inoperability of the touchscreen.
Resetting calibration through hidden codes
If the CIT calibration didn't work, you can try forced touchscreen resetting. In the Android system that runs MIUI, there's a hidden command that cleans the sensor calibration data, and when it does that, the next time you restart, the system recalibrates the screen, reading factory settings or creating a new profile.
To do this, you'll need the Phone app again. Type in the code ##2664##. The screen should show a message that the touchscreen test has started or calibrated, and in some firmware versions, this code can immediately start testing, in others, only reset.
Once you have the code, be sure to restart the device. The first run after the reset may take a little longer, because the system will poll the sensor. Don't rush to load the phone with games right away, give it a couple of minutes to stabilize the parameters.
| Code. | Function | The result |
|---|---|---|
| ##6484## | Entrance to the CIT menu | Opens a full list of hardware tests |
| ##2664## | Touchscreen test | Screen reaction check is started |
| ##4636## | Test menu | General menu of Android diagnostics |
| ##7780## | Resetting settings | Reset system settings (requires caution) |
What do I do if the codes don't work?
Setting the frequency of the survey and animations
Screen sensitivity is not just a response to touch, it's also a speed of rendering. If the phone is slow, it creates the illusion of a bad touchscreen. Increased polling frequency and disabling extra animation can make interaction with the device more enjoyable and responsive, and this is especially true for models with screens of 120 Hz and above.
In the Developer Menu (which needs to be activated by repeatedly clicking on the build number in the About Phone section), you can find animation settings: Reducing the animation of windows, transitions and animator duration to 0.5x or Off visually speeds up the system response. The phone begins to seem more "live" and instantly responds to commands.
Also pay attention to the screen refresh rate settings. In Settings → Screen, make sure you choose the maximum value (for example, 90 Hz or 120 Hz) rather than Auto or 60 Hz. High refresh rate provides a smoother picture and reduces input lag, which is critical for games and fast printing.
- 🚀 Activate Developer Mode by pressing Version 7 times MIUI.
- ⚙️ Go to the Advanced Settings → For developers.
- 📉 Find the "Scale of Animation" items and set the value 0.5x.
- 🖥️ In the screen settings, select Forced High Update Frequency.
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Reducing the scale of animation does not increase the physical sensitivity of the sensor, but significantly speeds up the visual response of the interface, creating a sense of a faster and more responsive device.
Third-party annexes and extreme measures
If Xiaomi’s regular tools didn’t work, you can turn to third-party solutions from Google Play. There are many touchscreen calibration apps, such as Touchscreen Calibration or MTK Engineering Mode (for MediaTek processors), which run a series of tests and try to force the sensor configuration files to be rewritten.
However, using these apps requires caution. Not all of them are compatible with specific smartphone models, and in rare cases can lead to unstable work. Before installing, read the reviews carefully and check compatibility with your version of Android. The best option is always the built-in tools of the manufacturer.
In the extreme case, when nothing works, you can consider a full reset to the factory (Hard Reset), which will delete all data and applications, but return the system to the original state, where software conflicts are excluded.
⚠️ Note: Completely flashing your device or obtaining Root rights to access system calibration files may take away your warranty. Use these methods only if you are an experienced user and have exhausted all other options.