How to increase icons in the status bar Xiaomi

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a situation where the standard size of the icons at the top of the screen seems too small. This is especially true for people with impaired vision or for those who use budget models with high pixel density, where the interface elements become microscopic. Standard settings of the MIUI system or the new HyperOS do not always provide an obvious slider to change the size of precisely system indicators, such as battery charge or signal level.

However, there are several proven ways to solve this problem without having to get root rights. In this article, we will look at both built-in accessibility features and advanced methods through USB debugging that will make the interface more readable. You will learn how to customize the system scaling and change the settings of the minimum screen width for comfortable use.

Use of accessibility and font settings

The safest and easiest way to affect the size of interface elements is to use built-in features for people with disabilities. In MIUI and HyperOS shells, text size change often automatically affects some graphic elements, including indentations and sizes of icons in the status bar. You need to go to Settings β†’ Additional settings β†’ Special. features. Here is the Visual Settings menu, which manages the global display of content.

Changing the font size is the first step that is worth trying, and if you zoom in to the maximum value, you'll notice that not only the text on the menu, but also some system widgets get bigger, because the Android operating system recalculates the density of the elements, but it's important to understand that this method affects the entire interface, not just the top bar, which can cause items to shift in applications.

You can use the "Screen zoom" function to fine-tune it, and unlike simple font, this tool creates a magnifier effect.

⚠️ Note: Using screen zoom mode can make it difficult to accurately hit buttons, as the scope of visibility narrows and navigation requires double tap.

β˜‘οΈ Checking basic settings

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Setup DPI through the Developer Menu

A more professional approach is to change the density of dots per inch, known as DPI (Dots per Inch. Decrease in value DPI causes the system to think that the screen is less resolution, which causes all interface elements, including Wi-Fi icons, Bluetooth and batteries, to automatically increase. β†’ About phone and seven times quickly click on the line "Version" MIUI" or "Version." OS".

Once you activate the developer menu, find "Additional Settings" and select "Developers" and in the list of options, look for the option "Smallest Width." Write down the original value (usually a number like 392 or 411) so you can go back to factory settings if necessary. By reducing this number, you will see icons grow in real time.

It is not recommended to reduce the DPI value too much, as this can cause the interface elements to go off the screen or become unreadable.

⚠️ Warning: A sudden change in the minimum width setting can cause the interface to reboot or temporarily lose the image. 10-20 unit.

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Before changing the DPI, take a picture of the current value on another phone, which is the only quick way to get it back to normal if the screen becomes unreadable.

Using the design theme to change the interface

MIUI Theme has deep customization capabilities that users often ignore. Some themes available in the official store contain modified graphical resources for system icons. Unlike standard themes that only change the appearance of applications, specialized themes can increase the status bar and make it more contrasting. Look for themes marked "Large Icons" or "Big Status Bar" in the description.

The installation process is simple: open the Themes app, go to search and type in "big icons" or "big status bar." After downloading the theme, apply it. It is important to note that some themes may require a paid subscription or be available only for certain regions. In such cases, you can use third-party theme downloaders, but this requires caution when choosing a source.

If the theme you choose changes only the app icons but doesn’t touch the top line, try using only the System or Status Bar component from the theme editing menu.This will keep your desktop background familiar, but introduce increased graphical controls. Not all Xiaomi models support deep customization of the status bar through themes due to the limitations of the Android version.

πŸ“Š What method of increasing icons you think is most convenient?
Standard font settings
Change to DPI
Third-party topics
Apps from Play Market

Comparison of scaling methods in MIUI and HyperOS

With the release of the new HyperOS operating system, scaling algorithms have changed. While older versions of MIUI often ignored the font change by system widgets, the new shell has made integration deeper, allowing users to more flexible control of element size without having to climb the engineering menu, but the risks of failure have also increased due to the complexity of the code base.

The table below shows the comparison of the effectiveness of different methods for different firmware versions, which will help you choose the best way to solve the problem depending on your device model.

MethodMIUI 12/13MIUI 14HyperOS 1.0Security
Font and scaleAverage efficiencyHigh efficiencyVery high.Tall.
Change to DPIHigh efficiencyHigh efficiencyMedium (possible bugs)Medium
Third-party topicsDepends on the topic.Limited.Very limited.Tall.
ADB teamIt's stable.It's stable.Demands a license.Low.

As you can see from the table, for owners of devices based on HyperOS, the most secure and effective method remains the combined method: using built-in font settings in conjunction with proven themes. The method with changing the DPI becomes less predictable and can cause artifacts in the launcher.

Application of ADB commands for advanced users

For those who are not afraid of the command line, there is a way to force the change of the size of elements through the debugging bridge Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method allows you to set the exact values of the density independent of the device (DPI) without the risk of "putting" the phone settings, as the changes are easily reversible by restarting or resetting the command, USB-cable and installed driver ADB.

Connect your smartphone to your PC in USB debugging mode. Open the command line on your computer and enter the command to check the connection: adb devices. If the device appears in the list, you can proceed to the density setting. The command is as follows: adb shell wm density 320, where 320 is the desired value. The smaller the number, the larger the elements will be.

To return the standard settings, use the command adb shell wm density reset. This will instantly return factory display settings.

⚠️ Attention: Use of teams ADB Introducing incorrect parameters can cause the interface to fail, requiring reset to factory settings.

Listed ADB commands for working with the display
Wm density [value] β€” sets the pixel density; wm size [width]x[height] β€” changes the screen resolution; wm size reset β€” resets the resolution; wm density reset β€” resets the density.

Solving Visibility Problems in Indicators

Sometimes the problem is not the size, but the contrast or concealment of unused icons. In the notification and status settings, you can turn off the display of rarely used icons, which will visually free up space and make the remaining icons more visible. Go to Settings β†’ Notifications and status bar to manage this list.

It's also worth checking if Do Not Disturb or Charge Saving modes are enabled, which can change the color of icons to gray, making them less visible against a light background. Using a dark theme often increases the contrast of white icons on a black background, which subjectively improves their readability. Type screens AMOLED In such circumstances, they appear particularly clear.

If none of the methods worked, it may be hardware or a firmware version bug, so check for system updates or reset the settings to factory settings, saving important data beforehand. Often, after a major MIUI update, scaling problems are solved by the developers in patches.

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A comprehensive approach combining font customization, choosing the right theme and moderately changing the DPI gives the best result for improving the readability of the Xiaomi interface.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is it safe to change the DPI value for everyday use?
Yes, it's safe if you don't set the extremely low values. A moderate decline (by 10-15%) just increases the scale of the interface. However, remember that some applications may not display correctly if the system thinks the screen is very low resolution.
Why did the status bar icons change after the topic change?
Many themes in the MIUI Themes store only change the desktop application icons. To change system elements (battery, time, signal) you need themes with deep modification of the system, which are often labeled as "Premium" or require a special theme loader.
Can you just zoom in on the battery icon without touching the rest?
It's not possible to do this with regular tools. It scales the entire status bar, and the only option is to use customized status bar widgets on the desktop that duplicate charge information but are larger in size.
What if the screen turns black after changing the settings?
Don't panic. 15-20 In the second, the system should automatically roll back the changes. If that doesn't happen, try restarting the device with the power button. In extreme cases, logging into Recovery and resetting data will help, but this will delete all files.