Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need to adapt the interface to their individual needs. One of the most popular features is text size adjustment, especially for users with reduced vision or preferring large characters for comfortable typing. Standard system settings often change the font in the menu, but leave the keyboard unchanged, creating an imbalance in the perception of information.
Many users mistakenly believe that changing the size of the letters on the on-screen keyboard is impossible without installing third-party applications. In fact, the Android operating system in conjunction with the shell MIUI or HyperOS provides quite flexible tools for fine-tuning. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to make the keyboard as convenient as possible for your eyes.
To start with, it depends on which keyboard is the default. In the vast majority of cases, Xiaomi devices use Google's Gboard, and less common are standard MIUI Keyboard solutions or third-party products like SwiftKey. Each of these tools has its own unique zooming algorithm that requires a separate approach.
Analysis of the current version of the keyboard and its capabilities
Before you make any changes, you need to determine exactly which software product is responsible for typing text on your device, which is a critical step, as the paths to settings can be drastically different. Xiaomi smartphones often have multiple input options pre-installed, and switching between them can occur unnoticed by the user after the system update.
Check the version of the installed application, as in older versions of Gboard some zoom features may be missing or not work properly. Developers are constantly improving the algorithms of font rendering, so the relevance of the software directly affects the available functionality. If you have a very old version, it is recommended to first update the application through the Google Play store.
- 📱 Open “Settings” and find the “Additional” or “Extended Settings” section».
- ⌨️ Go to Language and Input to view the list of active keyboards.
- 🔍 Click on the gear next to the active keyboard name to see its version.
- 🔄 In the menu that opens, check for updates in the "About the program" section».
It’s worth considering that some custom themes downloaded through the Themes app can force you to change the style and size of fonts, ignoring the system settings. If you’re using a third-party theme, try switching to a standard Classic or Default theme to make sure that the problem is with the font settings, not the visual style of the theme.
⚠️ Note: Using unofficial design themes from unverified developers can lead to incorrect display of the keyboard, including “floating” font or the appearance of characters outside the buttons.
If you find out after checking that you have a standard MIUI keyboard, which is common on Chinese firmware or older models, it will be severely limited, and in such cases, the system only offers skin changes, but not real resizing of printed characters, which is a strong argument for moving to more functional counterparts.
Setting up font size in Gboard
The most popular solution for Xiaomi devices is the Gboard keyboard. It has its own rendering engine, which allows you to adjust the height and width of characters regardless of system settings. To start, you need to open any application that requires text input to activate the input panel.
At the top of the keyboard, find the settings icon (cog). If there is no icon, press and hold the comma key or emoji symbol until the quick access menu appears. In the menu that opens, select Settings, then go to Preferences or Keyboard Settings, where the display options are located.
☑️ Checking Gboard settings
Inside the settings menu, find the look section. In different versions of Gboard, it can be called Keyboard Settings or Preferences. Here, you're interested in Keyboard Height, and changing that setting automatically scales all the elements, including the letters themselves, making them larger and more visible.
In addition to height, some versions have a separate setting, "Font size" or "Size of characters," and if you move the slider to the right, you'll see real-time changes, which allows you to strike the perfect balance between the size of the letters and the number of characters that you see on the screen at the same time.
- 📏 Changing the height of the keyboard affects the overall size of the buttons and font.
- 🔤 A separate font size slider is not available in all versions of Gboard.
- 🎨 The style of the topic also affects readability: some topics have bolder fonts.
- 👁️ One-Hand mode can temporarily reduce keyboard size, turn it off for check.
Importantly, Gboard remembers settings for each language separately in some cases, but most often applies them globally. If you switch between Russian and English layouts, the changes should be displayed synchronously. If this does not happen, try resetting the keyboard to factory settings and adjusting the size again.
System settings fonts in MIUI and HyperOS
MIUI shells and the new HyperOS have deep system settings that affect the display of text throughout the interface, including supported keyboards. To access these options, go to the main Settings menu of your Xiaomi or Redmi smartphone.
Find the Screen or Display section, and inside that menu, you'll find text size or font size and boldness. By moving the slider to the right, you'll increase the text size in all system applications. Many modern keyboards, including Gboard, automatically adjust to that system setting unless they have a hard limit in their own settings.
Settings → Screen → Text size and fat content → Slider adjustmentAlso in this section, the setting “Size of interface elements” is often available (or DPI). Reduce the value DPI (Or zooming in on the feature menu, for example, causes the system to recalculate the size of all the items, making them larger, which can be especially useful if you don't have enough of a standard type slider.
Be careful when setting maximum values. Too large a system font can cause text in applications to be cropped or overlapped, and the keyboard can become so large that it will cover half the screen, making it difficult to view the typed message.
Use of special opportunities
For users who don’t have the standard settings, Android has a powerful “Special Features” section that is designed specifically for people with visual impairments, but can be useful for anyone who wants to maximize readability on the screen.
In the Settings menu, look for Advanced Settings or Advanced Settings and then select Special Features, and you are interested in Text Size or Increase. Activation of Large Text forcibly changes the fonts throughout the system, ignoring the limitations set by the application developers.
- ♿ The “Increase” function allows you to scale the screen with a pinch, as in the photo.
- 🔊 Voiceover (TalkBack) helps if vision is severely impaired.
- 🎨 Color inversion can increase font contrast on keyboard.
- 🖐️ Gesture control allows you to navigate without accurately hitting small buttons.
Another useful feature is "Button zoom," which adds a floating button to the screen, or uses a combination of volume buttons to instantly zoom in on the screen, which allows you to temporarily enlarge the keyboard as you type complex text, and then bring it back.
⚠️ Warning: Enable the "Increase" mode can change the behavior of the touch screen, making normal touches commands for zooming.Be prepared for a period of addiction.
Third-party keyboards with flexible settings
If the standard Xiaomi and Gboard tools don’t meet your needs, the market offers alternative solutions with advanced functionality, such as Typewise, Minuum or Big Keyboard, with an emphasis on ergonomics and large characters.
The Big Keyboard app, for example, allows you to manually stretch keys to giant sizes, occupying the entire screen. It's a radical solution, but for people with hand tremors or very poor vision, it may be the only way out. Installing such applications requires permissions to enter data, which is standard procedure.
When choosing a third-party keyboard, pay attention to the reviews regarding security, as they have access to everything you type. It is recommended to choose products from well-known developers such as Microsoft SwiftKey or Yandex Keyboard, which also have font size settings, albeit less flexible than those of specialized solutions.
| keyboard | Font flexibility | Impact on the battery | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gboard | Medium | Low. | Tall. |
| SwiftKey | Medium | Average. | Tall. |
| Big Keyboard | Maximum | High. | Medium |
| MIUI Keyboard | Low. | Low. | Tall. |
Installing an alternative keyboard may require disabling Google Play Protect protection if the system finds the access request too aggressive.Do not ignore security warnings if they concern questionable applications from unknown sources.
Solving Common Display Problems
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the settings are applied, but the font on the keyboard does not change. This can be caused by caching the old version of the interface, in which case a complete reboot of the device, rather than just turning off the screen, helps.
Another reason could be the conflict with Dark Mode, where some dark themes use thin fonts to save energy. OLED-Try turning off the dark theme or changing the style of the dark theme in the design settings to see if things change.
What to do if the font becomes blurry?
Also check if Traffic Saving or Literary Mode is enabled in the browser or the specific application where you type, which can make it easier to display items while ignoring the system font settings to speed up work.
⚠️ Warning: Resetting your keyboard settings to factory settings will delete your personal vocabulary and the history of frequently used words.Before resetting, make sure the data is synced with your Google account.
If the problem persists in only one particular application (like Viber or Telegram), then it may be the settings of the application itself. Check the chats and messages section inside the messenger, there is often its own font size slider, which is prioritized over the system.
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Use voice input if typing in small print causes eye fatigue. Tap the microphone on the keyboard and dictate messages - this is often faster and more accurate.
FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions
Can you change the font of the numbers on the keyboard?
Why did the keyboard font become small after the MIUI update?
Does the increase in font affect the speed of the phone?
How do you get it back if the font is too big?
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The optimal font size is a subjective parameter that depends on the diagonal of the screen and the visual acuity of the user. Don't be afraid to experiment with settings until you find your perfect balance.