How to turn on the keyboard on the phone Xiaomi Redmi 6: from unlock to change the language

The Xiaomi Redmi 6, released in 2018, is still a popular budget smartphone due to its reliability and simplicity. However, device owners sometimes face a problem: the keyboard suddenly disappears, does not appear when you type or crashes, and the reasons can vary from accidental disconnection in settings to system errors after the MIUI update.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can turn on your Redmi 6 keyboard, including emergency methods for when your phone is locked or the screen doesn’t respond to touch, how to change the input language, install a third-party keyboard (such as Gboard), and what to do if your standard MIUI keyboard stops working after resetting.

The instructions are suitable for all firmware versions, from MIUI 9 (the original for Redmi 6) to MIUI 12.5 (if you have updated manually), and we will pay special attention to the nuances associated with the lack of a hardware button "Menu" on this device - this often confuses users when searching for settings.

1. Basic method: Enabling the keyboard through the MIUI settings

If the keyboard just disappeared, but the phone is working fine, first check its status in the system settings. On Xiaomi Redmi 6, the path to the keyboard menu is different from the new models due to the outdated version of MIUI.

Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen) and follow the following steps:

• 📱 Go to the Additional Settings section (in older versions) MIUI 9/10 It may be called the Advanced Settings).
• 🔤 Select Language and Enter (or Language and Keyboard in the MIUI 9).
• 🖥️ Tap the Current Keyboard (or Keyboard Management).
• ✅ Make sure you are near the keyboard. MIUI (Google Keyboard, if installed, is worth a checkmark.

If the keyboard is disabled, activate it with a slider or tick, then try to open any field to type (for example, in Messages or the Browser) - the keyboard should appear automatically.

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If you don't have a MIUI keyboard on the list, try restarting your phone, and sometimes system apps disappear after an update, but come back after a reboot.

2 What to do if the keyboard does not appear when entering text

Sometimes the keyboard is enabled in the settings, but does not pop up in messengers or the browser, the reason is usually a failure of the system process com.android.inputmethod.latin (for Gboard) or com.miui.miuikeyboard (for the standard MIUI keyboard).

Here's how to fix it:

1. Restart the application: Close all programs through Recent Apps (the box button at the bottom of the screen) and try to type text again.
2. Clearing the cache: 🔧 Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management. 🔍 Find the keyboard. MIUI (or Gboard, and tap it. 🧹 Select Clear Cache (Do not delete data, otherwise the settings will reset!).

Resetting keyboard settings

Warehouse → Delete the data

Attention.

If the problem persists, try installing an alternative keyboard (more on this in the next section).

3. Installation of a third-party keyboard (Gboard, SwiftKey, etc.)

The standard MIUI keyboard on Redmi 6 often works unsteady, especially after updates.The solution is to install an alternative from Google Play.

• 🔎 Gboard (from Google) – supports gestures, voice input and themes.
• ⚡ SwiftKey (from Microsoft) – smart word prediction and synchronization between devices.
• 🎨 Chroom – Minimalist keyboard with customizable design.

To install and activate a third-party keyboard:

1. Download the app from Google Play (like Gboard).
2. After installation, open any field to enter text (e.g., in Messages).
3. Click on the keyboard icon in the notification bar and select a new keyboard from the list.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions for setting up (you may need to allow access to autocomplete contacts).

If a new keyboard doesn’t appear, check its status in Settings → Language and Input → Current keyboard.

4.The keyboard does not work after resetting settings

After a hard reset on Xiaomi Redmi 6, the keyboard may disappear due to the deletion of system data.

1. Restart your phone – sometimes the keyboard is automatically restored after the first start.
2. Set the keyboard manually: 📥 Download. APK-Keyboard file (e.g. Gboard) on your computer. 📎 Connect Redmi 6 to USB and transfer the file to the phone memory. 📲 Install. APK through any file manager (e.g., Explorer) MIUI).

Activate through ADB

adb shell im enable com.google.android.inputmethod.latin

(Replace com.google.android.inputmethod.latin with your keyboard package).

⚠️ Warning: If after resetting the phone requires you to enter a password from your Mi Account account, and the keyboard does not appear, connect the device to your PC and use the mouse through the device. OTG-input adapter.

5 Emergency methods: if the screen is unresponsive or the phone is locked

It gets complicated when you need a keyboard to unlock your phone, but the screen doesn't work or the sensor is buggy.

If the sensor is completely out of order, and the mouse is not working through the OTG, you just have to flash the phone through the Fastboot.

• 🖥️ Download Mi Flash Tool and firmware for Redmi 6 (codename cereus).
• 🔌 Connect your phone to your PC in Fastboot mode (hold Volume Down) + Power on-set).
• 📂 In Mi Flash Tool, select the downloaded firmware and press Flash.

⚠️ Attention: Fastboot firmware deletes all data! Pre-remove the memory card if it has important files.

6.Problems with input language and auto-replacement

The Xiaomi Redmi 6 often has difficulty adding a second language or disabling auto-replacement, for example, the keyboard can automatically switch to Chinese or English, even if you type in Russian.

To customize languages:

1. Open Settings → Language and Entering → MIUI (or Gboard) Keyboard → Languages.
2. Add the language and select the desired one (for example, Russian, Ukrainian).
3. To remove the language, swipe it left in the list and click Delete.

To disable auto-replacement:

• 🔤 In the keyboard settings, select Text input (or Text correction).
• 🚫 Turn off Auto Replace Sliders, Automatic Comma Arrangement and Word Prediction.

If the input language resets after rebooting, reset the keyboard settings (see Section 2).

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On Redmi 6 with MIUI 9/10, there is no separate language switch on the keyboard – use the space to change the layout (hold it for 1-2 seconds).

7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them

User experience shows that most keyboard issues on Xiaomi Redmi 6 are due to:

• 🔄 Unstable updates MIUI — Especially if you have installed the firmware through Recovery.
• 📱 Conflict with other keyboards – for example, if activated simultaneously MIUI Keyboard and Gboard.
• 🗃️ Cache overflow – on Redmi 6 with 32 GB of memory is critical.
• 🔋 Battery savings – In Ultra Battery Saver mode, some keyboard functions are turned off.

To minimize the risks:

• 🛡️ Clean the keyboard cache regularly (once in a week) 1-2 month).
• 📵 Don’t install multiple keyboards at the same time – choose one and disable the others.
• 🔄 Before the update MIUI back up your keyboard settings (via Settings) → System system → Backup).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions