Xiaomi widgets: how to enable, configure and eliminate errors

Introduction: What is a widget tape and why it is needed

The widget tape on Xiaomi smartphones is a special screen that appears when swiping to the left of the main desktop, and it displays quick cards with weather, calendar, latest news, app recommendations and other useful information. MIUI, But by default, it can be disabled or hidden – especially after system updates.

Many users are unaware of its existence, although the widget feed makes it much easier to access frequently used data. For example, instead of opening the Weather app, you will see the current forecast directly on the lock screen or when you swipe. And for those who are actively using Xiaomi services (for example, Mi Home or Mi Fit), it displays notifications about smart home devices or health statistics.

In this article, we will understand how to turn on the widget tape on any Xiaomi smartphone (including Redmi models, POCO and Black Shark, customize it to your needs and solve typical problems – from the lack of a swipe to content loading errors.

How to check if the widget tape is included on your Xiaomi

Before you set up, make sure the feature is available at all on your device.In some regional firmware or custom builds MIUI The widget tape can be removed. It's easy to check if it's there:

1. Unlock your smartphone and go to the main desktop (not in the app menu!).
2. Make a swipe to the left (from the right edge of the screen to the left).
3. If you have a screen with a weather widget, news or search bar, the feature is active. If not, read on.

In some models (for example, POCO F3 Or Redmi Note 11) the swipe may not work because of a conflict with navigation gestures:

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone (sometimes helps to reset temporary errors).
• 📱 Check the gesture settings in the Settings → Display. → Full-screen display.
• 🔍 Make sure you don’t use a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Apex) that can block system widgets.

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If the swipe left opens Google Discover instead of tape MIUI, So you have Google Feed installed on your device, and you can turn it off in the launcher settings or through Settings. → Annexes → Smart assistant.

Step-by-step: how to turn on the tape widgets

If the swipe doesn't work, the widget tape is probably disabled in the settings, and you can turn it on in two ways: through the Smart Assistant menu or directly in the launcher settings. Let's look at both.

Method 1: Through "Smart Assistant"

1. Open the settings (cog icon).
2. Scroll down and select Smart Assistant (some firmware may call Services) MIUI or Special facilities).
3. Find the Widget Ribbon (or Widget Screen) section and move the slider to the on position.
4. Return to the desktop and check the swipe to the left.

Method 2: through the launcher settings

If the first method is not in your firmware, try this one:

1. Press and hold the empty space on the desktop.
2. In the menu that appears, select Desktop Settings (or Launcher Settings).
3. Find the widget tape option and activate it.
4. If necessary, restart the smartphone.

If after these actions the tape has not appeared, the problem may be:

• 📵 Regional firmware (e.g., on the global version) MIUI tape may be missing).
• 🔄 Conflict with update (after upgrade to MIUI 14 Some users reported a feature disappearing).
• 🛠️ Rooting or modifying the system (castomy firmware often removes unnecessary services, including tape).

Customization of the widget tape: what can be changed

Once you turn on the tape, you can adapt it to your needs. MIUI, But in most cases, you can:

In the models with MIUI 14 it became possible to add widgets of third-party applications (for example, Spotify or Telegram:

1. Make a long tap on the widget tape.
2. Select Add a widget.
3. Scroll through the list and select the desired application.

On smartphones. POCO firmware POCO The launcher widget feed may work differently – here it’s integrated with Google Discover and customized via Google’s menu, not Google’s. MIUI.

Typical problems and their solutions

Even after successfully turning on the widget tape, users are faced with bugs, and let's look at the most common and ways to fix them.

Problem 1: The widget tape is not updated

If the weather or news shows outdated data:

• 🔄 Reboot your smartphone.
• 📶 Check your internet connection (tape requires an active connection).
• 🔧 Clean the Smart Assistant cache in Settings → Annexes.
• 📡 Manually update the data by pulling the feed down (like on Twitter or Instagram).

Problem 2: The swipe on the left doesn't work

If the gesture doesn't work:

• 🔄 Make sure the tape is on (see instructions above).
• 📱 Check the gesture settings in Settings → Display. → Full-screen display.
• 🛠️ Disable third-party launchers (e.g. Nova Launcher).
• 🔍 If you use POCO Launcher, try switching to standard launcher MIUI.

Problem 3: The widget tape is slowing or laying

Slowdowns are usually associated with:

• 🗃️ Lack of memory – clear the cache in Settings → Memory.
• 📵 Weak Internet – the tape loads data online.
• 🔄 Update conflict – try to roll back to the previous version MIUI.

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If the widget tape completely disappeared after the update MIUI, Try resetting the launcher to the factory settings. → Annexes → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the data.

How to turn off the widget tape if you do not need it

Not everyone likes the widget tape — some find it useless or annoying — and it's as easy to turn it off as it is to turn it on:

1. Open the Settings. → Smart assistant. → Widget tape.
2. Move the slider to the OFF position.
3. Confirm the action (the system may ask to restart the smartphone).

On some firmware (e.g, MIUI 12.5 Enhanced) The widget tape is linked to Google search:

1. Keep an empty space on your desktop.
2. Select Desktop Settings → Widget tape.
3. Turn off the option to show tape when swiping left.

If the swipe to the left still opens the unnecessary screen after turning off, check:

• 🔍 Google App Settings (possibly enabled by Google Discover).
• 📱 Availability of updates MIUI (Additional options may appear in new versions).

💡

To completely remove the widget tape (including its traces in memory), you can disable the system application Smart Assistant through ADB. However, this requires developer rights and can lead to unstable work. MIUI.

Alternatives to the widget tape on Xiaomi

If the standard widget tape doesn’t suit you, consider alternative solutions:

1. Desktop widgets

MIUI Allows you to add widgets directly to the main screen:

1. Long press on the desktop → Widgets.
2. Select the widget you want (weather, calendar, notes, etc.).
3. Drag him to a vacant spot.

2. Third-party launchers

Launchers like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher offer flexible widget customization, including:

• 🎨 Appearance castomy.
• 🔄 Automatic data update.
• 📱 Support for widgets from third-party applications (such as Spotify or Todoist).

3. Dashboard applications

For advanced users, applications like Another Widget or KWGT, They allow you to create your own data panels.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

⚠️ Attention: On smartphones POCO firmware POCO Launcher Widget Ribbon may conflict with Google Discover. To fix this, disable Google Feed in the launcher settings or switch to a standard launcher MIUI.

⚠️ Note: If after manipulation with the tape widgets smartphone began to brake or overheat, check the activity of the process com.miui.home in Settings → Battery → Battery use. At high consumption, clear the launcher cache.