Xiaomi smartphone owners often face the need to adapt the interface to their individual needs, especially when it comes to vision or hand motor skills. The standard size of a virtual keyboard can seem too small, leading to frequent typos and reduced typing speed. On the Redmi 9 model, which runs the MIUI shell, the process of scaling input elements is implemented quite flexibly, but hidden in several menu levels.
There are several effective ways to address this, from the built-in settings of the keyboard itself to changing the system settings of fonts throughout Android. Understanding the differences between the size of the interface and the size of the buttons themselves allows you to achieve the perfect balance between usability and functionality of the screen. We will look at all the available methods to help make the input of text as comfortable as possible.
Importantly, changing the input settings affects not only convenience, but also the ergonomics of using the device with one hand. Adapting the interface is a key step for long-term use of the gadget without excessive eye strain. Next, we will discuss in detail each of the available algorithms of action.
Adjust the height and size of the Gboard keyboard
The most common and effective solution for Redmi 9 users is to use Google’s built-in Gboard keyboard capabilities, which is pre-installed on most devices in the line and offers the most accurate calibration of the height of the panels. To access these settings, you need to go to the settings menu of the app itself, not the system as a whole.
Open any application that requires text input and call the keyboard. Click on the gear icon in the top toolbar or go through Settings → Additional Settings → Language and input. From the menu that opens, select Preferences or immediately find the Settings section of Gboard. Here you are interested in the Settings category where the Keyboard Height slider is located.
So if you move the slider, you can choose from five options: Very small to Very big. When you choose the maximum value, the buttons will take up almost half the screen, which makes it much easier to hit the desired symbols. The change in height occurs in real time, so you see the result immediately and you can adjust it to your finger.
☑️ Checking Gboard settings
Consider that increasing the height of the keyboard may overlap a portion of the visible area in dense interface applications. However, in messengers and browsers, this is almost not felt, since the viewing area is adjusted automatically. For most Redmi 9 users, setting the value "big" or "very large" is the optimal solution.
Change the size of the font throughout the MIUI system
If you didn't change the settings of the keyboard itself, you can use a system-based font zoom tool, which affects all text elements in the MIUI operating system, including the virtual keyboard buttons, menus, messages and web pages, a global change that will make the interface more readable as a whole.
To access these options, open the main smartphone settings menu and search for the Screen section. Within this menu, select Text Size. You will see a multi-division scale where the default is usually the average or small value. Move the slider to the right to increase the character size to a comfortable level.
⚠️ Note: With maximum increase in the system font, some elements of the application interface may be displayed incorrectly or cropped, since they were not adapted by developers for large fonts.
Once you have the settings, the changes take effect instantly, the keyboard will become noticeably larger, as the size of the characters on the buttons will increase in proportion to the overall scale. System scaling is a powerful tool, but it should be used carefully so as not to disrupt the layout of frequently used programs.
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Use the "Enlarged Text" function in the Special Features section if the standard font enlargement is not enough for comfortable reading.
Also available in the same menu is the Display Element Size (or DPI) option, which scales all interface elements, making buttons and icons larger, but reducing the amount of information that fits on the screen. The combination of enlarging font and element size gives the best visual effect on the Redmi 9 display.
Configuring alternative keyboards: SwiftKey and others
Built-in keyboards aren't the only option, and many users prefer to install third-party apps from Google Play, such as Microsoft SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, which offer more advanced customization tools, which allow them to change not only the height but also the width of the buttons, and completely change the theme for better visibility.
In SwiftKey, you need to go to the app settings, select the Layout & keys section, and you can have a Keyboard height slider that is similar to Gboard, but with a smoother gradation, and you can also activate One-handed mode, which shifts the keyboard sideways and increases the size of the active zone.
- 📱 Microsoft SwiftKey offers a “Flow” feature that allows you not to tear your finger from the screen when typing, which is convenient when large fonts.
- ⌨️ Yandex Keyboard has built-in themes with contrasting design, which visually increases the perceived size of the buttons.
- 🎨 TouchPal allows you to completely redraw the keyboard skin, making the boundaries of the keys clearer and wider.
Using third-party solutions gives more freedom, but requires additional permissions to access the typed text. Data security when using third-party keyboards should be a priority, so choose only proven applications from well-known developers.
Security of Third-Party Keyboards
Special opportunities and enhancement regime
In the Android operating system installed on Redmi 9, there is a special section for people with visual impairment, which can be useful to ordinary users. Magnification allows you to temporarily enlarge any part of the screen, including the keyboard, triple pressing the display or through a special button.
You can activate this mode via the Settings path → Advanced Settings → Special Features → Enlarge. By enabling the feature, you can zoom in on the area of the screen where the keyboard is, making the characters giant. It's a temporary solution that's convenient to use periodically, but not permanently, because it requires additional actions to activate.
Also in the special features section is the feature Enlarged Text, which ignores the limitations of some applications on the minimum font size.This causes the system to display text larger than is normally allowed by the design of the program. High contrast text mode can also help to better distinguish letters on the buttons.
| Function | Where to find out. | Impact on the keyboard | Continuous operation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gboard height | Gboard settings | Changes the size of the buttons | Yes. |
| Systemic font | Settings → Screen | Increases the letters on the buttons | Yes. |
| Magnification (magnification) | Special opportunities | Temporary screen zoom | No (pressed) |
| DPI (Element size) | Settings → Screen | Scaling up the entire interface | Yes. |
Compatibility issues and visual artifacts
With a huge increase in input settings, Redmi 9 users may encounter certain visual inconsistencies. The MIUI shell sometimes fails to recalculate the layout of the application, and the keyboard may run into the input field or, conversely, leave empty space, which is especially true in horizontal orientation mode of the screen.
A common problem is to cut the top row of buttons or emoji characters when choosing the maximum height. In such cases, it is recommended to reduce the value by one step or change the theme to a standard one, since third-party themes often have rigidly defined container sizes.
⚠️ Note: If after changing the settings, the keyboard is lost or appears in a black rectangle, try restarting the device or clearing the cache of the Settings and Language and Input applications".
Another nuance is the game mode: in some games, the system can force the keyboard to shrink so that it does not block the view. Disabling the game accelerator (Game Turbo) for specific applications can return the keyboard to the size you set.
Cleaning the cache and resetting the input settings
Sometimes the size settings don't apply properly because of the accumulated errors in the cache of system input services. If you changed the sliders, but the keyboard on Redmi 9 remained small, you should reset the keyboard, which will return it to factory settings, after which you will need to reset.
Follow these steps: Go to Settings → Apps → All apps. Find Gboard (or your current keyboard) on the list. Press Memory and select Clear Cache, then Clear All (or Reset) and then restart your smartphone.
adb shell pm clear com.google.android.inputmethod.latinThis command, entered through a computer in USB debugging mode, also completely clears the keyboard data, but for the average user it is easier to do this through the phone menu. Resetting often solves the problems with sticking the interface on old scale values.
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Periodic cleaning of the keyboard cache helps to maintain stable operation of the predictive set and correct display of dimensions after system updates.