Modern Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones are equipped with high-resolution screens, but the physical size of the display does not always allow you to type text comfortably, especially for users with large fingers or visually impaired. Standard font settings in the system often do not affect the input area, leaving the buttons too small. This causes constant typos and slows down the set of messages in messengers. enlarging the keyboard becomes not just a whim, but a necessity for effective operation.
There are several proven ways to solve this problem without obtaining superuser rights. You can change the system display settings, use built-in MIUI or HyperOS shell features, and install specialized applications. It is important to understand that each method has its own characteristics of the interface. In this article, we will discuss in detail all available scaling options.
Before you start making radical changes, you should try the regular tools. Often the problem is solved by simply adjusting the font size throughout the system, which automatically scales the input area in standard applications. However, for deep customization, you will need a more subtle approach. Next we will look at step-by-step algorithms of actions.
Use of built-in font and display settings
The easiest and safest way to make buttons bigger is to change the global font size of the system. In Xiaomi shells, this is done through the settings menu. Go to Settings, then select Screen or Display. Here you will find a text size slider. By moving it to the right, you will zoom in the font in all supported applications, including the system keyboard.
But you have to consider that over-scaling can lead to a roll-out in some programs. The interface can become cumbersome and the controls will overlap. The best solution is to find a balance where the keyboard becomes readable, but the rest of the content remains convenient. If the standard slider is not enough, you can use the screen size feature.
⚠️ Note: After changing the font size, some third-party apps may not display correctly. If you notice severe distortions in important programs, return the settings to the original values.
To access more detailed settings, some versions of MIUI require you to click on the gear icon inside the font selection menu, which will open up additional zoom options, and remember that selecting a particular font style from the theme store can visually enlarge characters by their shape, even without changing the size at points.
Scaling settings in Gboard and Yandex.Keyboard
If the system settings do not work, the best solution is to install an alternative keyboard. The market leaders are Google's Gboard and Yandex.Keyboard. They allow you to flexibly adjust the height of the keyboard regardless of the system fonts. In Gboard, you need to open the keyboard settings (usually through a long comma tap or through the application menu), go to the Settings section and select Keyboard Height.
Here you can choose the percentage of screen height that the input panel will occupy. There are options from 40% to 70% available. This dramatically changes the ergonomics of typing. Similar functionality is present in products from Yandex. In their settings, you can also increase the size of the predictor font and the buttons themselves separately.
- 📱 Open the settings of the keyboard application in the smartphone menu.
- 🎚️ Find the “Preferences” or “Look” section».
- 📏 Change the height slider to the maximum value for the test.
- ✅ Save the changes and check the convenience in the messenger.
Third-party solutions often provide better visuals than system crutches, and keyboards from major developers are optimized for different screen sizes and resolutions, and Gboard’s keyboard is 70 percent as high as the screen, a record high among standard root-free solutions, making it possible to turn a smartphone into a mini-tablet for printing.
☑️ Checking the keyboard settings
Change DPI through Engineering Menu and ADB
For advanced users who lack standard tools, there is a method for changing the pixel density (DPI). This is a system parameter that tells Android what size the interface elements should be. DPI through ADB (Android Debug Bridge allows you to zoom in on all the elements, including the keyboard, making them giant. USB.
The process requires caution. You have to enter a command into the terminal on a computer connected to your smartphone. The command looks like an adb shell wm density 400, where 400 is the density value. The standard value is usually around 360-420 depending on the Xiaomi model. Decreasing the number will make the elements smaller and increasing the number larger. Be careful when you enter the values.
adb shell wm density 480Once you input the command, the interface will reboot, and all the elements, including the keyboard, will become much larger, but this method affects the entire system. The icons can become too large, and in some applications, some content that does not fit on the screen can be lost.
⚠️ Attention: Incorrect modification DPI It can make the interface unreadable or cause a bootloop to crash. Remember the initial density before making changes!
One-hand mode and a getting stuck keyboard
Owners of large Xiaomi smartphones often face the problem of not being able to reach the center of the screen with their fingers. In such cases, the system has a one-hand mode, which also visually increases the controls, activate it by swiping in the lower corner of the screen (if the function is enabled in the settings) or through the control panel. In this mode, the screen is “squeezed” into a corner, and the buttons become more accessible and visually larger relative to the work area.
In addition, many keyboards support a “floating keyboard” or “compact mode” mode, in which the input panel breaks off from the bottom edge of the screen and becomes smaller in width, but retains or even increases the height of the buttons. This is convenient when you print with your thumbs on devices with a diagonal of more than 6.5 inches.
- 🖐️ Activate “One Hand Mode” in Quick Settings MIUI.
- ⌨️ Use the change of mode button on the Gboard keyboard.
- 📐 Set the position of the soaring window for convenience.
This approach doesn't increase the physical size of the pixels, but it changes the ergonomics of interaction. For users with hand tremors or reduced motor skills, this format is often more effective than simple zooming.
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Use voice input for long messages. Gboard and Yandex.Keyboard have excellent support for Russian, which reduces the need for large button sizes.
Comparison of input scaling methods
The right method depends on your goals and your smartphone model. If you just want to zoom in a little bit, you'll have to use system settings. Third-party apps will be better suited to drastically resize buttons. And you'll have to use ADB to scale the entire interface, including the keyboard. Below is a comparison table of methods.
| Method | Difficulty | Impact on the system | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Font settings | Low. | Text and simple elements only | Medium |
| Gboard/Yandex | Low. | Just the keyboard. | Tall. |
| Change of DPI (ADB) | Tall. | The entire interface (globally) | Maximum |
| One-hand mode | Low. | Screen scaling | Medium |
As you can see from the table, installing a dedicated keyboard is the safest and most efficient way. You don't risk breaking the system, as in the case of ADB, and you get exactly the result you want: big buttons. System settings often depend on the specific application and may not work everywhere.
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The safest and most effective way to increase the keyboard without breaking the layout of other applications is to install Gboard or Yandex.Keyboard and adjust their height.