Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are equipped with bright displays that can tire your eyes when used for long periods, especially in low light conditions. Activating a dark theme not only reduces your vision load, but also significantly saves battery power on devices with AMOLED screens. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available ways to switch the interface, adjust the scheduler and solve typical display problems.
The MIUI and HyperOS interface offers flexible personalization tools that go far beyond simply turning on a black background. You can set up automatic mode switching based on time of day or light level. Understanding these settings will help you create the most comfortable environment for working with your smartphone at any time.
Before we get into the details of the setup, it’s worth noting that the layout of some menu items may vary slightly depending on the version of the Android operating system and the manufacturer’s shell modification. However, the overall principle of action remains the same for the entire ecosystem of the Chinese brand.
Activate a dark theme through quick settings
The fastest way to change the color scheme of the interface is to use the control panel, which is ideal if you need to urgently switch to gentle mode in the evening without diving deep into the menu, just swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification curtain.
In the icon list that opens, look for an icon with a crescent or an "A" on a dark background. If you don't see it right away, it may be hidden in the second page of the menu. Click on it to activate Dark Mode. The screen will instantly change the color palette to a darker one.
If the icon is not on the list of available, you can add it. Click on a pencil or edit button in the corner of the control panel. In the list of hidden elements, find "Dark Mode" and drag it to the active zone. Now the switch takes only one touch.
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For quick access to a dark theme, add the theme switch widget to your desktop via the widget menu to change mode with one click on the icon.
Fast settings are convenient for their speed, but they don't allow for fine calibration, and they're suitable for situational use when light conditions change dramatically, and for constant operation, you'd better tune the parameters deeper.
Configure through the system menu and scheduler
To get a more detailed look at the device, you need to go to the main settings menu, which is where you can automate the process and adapt the interface to your biorhythms, and not only does it turn on the black background, but you can also make it work on a schedule.
Go to Settings → Screen. In this menu, you will find the item "Dark Mode", clicking on it, you will be taken to the submenu where you can activate the "Schedule Enable" function, which eliminates the need to manually switch the topic every morning and evening.
There are two basic automation options available on the scheduler menu: One is "Switch on at sunset," where the system uses geolocation data to determine the time of twilight, and the other is "Time by Time," where you specify the exact hours of the beginning and end of a dark theme.
☑️ Set up automation
It's important to understand that when you select Sunset mode, your smartphone should have access to geodata. If you've restricted app access to location, automatic switching may not work correctly. Check the permissions in the security section.
⚠️ Note: When using the "Sunset Turn on" mode, an additional battery charge is consumed due to periodic reference to the GPS-coordinate-module.
Also, there's a "App Adaptation" switch on the menu, which tries to force programs that don't have Dark Mode support to go dark, which can be useful for older apps, but sometimes causes color displays to be incorrect.
Features of work in HyperOS and MIUI 14
Newer versions of Xiaomi’s shells have brought changes to the logic of the themes. HyperOS and MIUI 14 have a dynamic color change mechanism that makes a dark theme deeper and more pleasing to the eye.
Unlike the older versions, where the dark theme was just a white-to-black inversion, modern algorithms use shades of gray of varying saturation, which allows you to keep the text readable and contrast important controls, visual hierarchy becomes more pronounced.
Users may notice that some system applications, such as Explorer, Calendar, or Task Manager, change their appearance more radically than third-party software, due to the deep integration of system components into the MIUI shell.
Why do some apps stay white?
Also worth noting is widget work: In new versions, desktop widgets can automatically change their transparency and background color depending on the chosen theme, creating an interface integrity effect where all elements look like a single unit.
Adaptation of third-party applications and web pages
One of the common problems is that not all apps installed support a dark theme natively, and in such cases the interface may look contrasting: black environment and bright white window of the application. Xiaomi system offers tools to mitigate this effect.
In dark mode settings, the option “Adapt apps for dark themes” is often found, and when activated, the system forcibly inverts colors in the windows of programs that are not optimized, which can be useful for browsers and social networks.
But be careful: forced inversion sometimes causes photos and videos to become negatives, such as temporarily disabling the topic or using special modes of viewing media, and graphic editors can also behave unpredictable.
For web surfing, it is better to use the built-in browser functions. For example, in the Mi Browser or Chrome browser, you can turn on a dark theme separately for web pages, this is done in the settings of the application itself, in the “Look” or “Theme” section.
| Type of content | Reaction to the dark topic | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Text documents | Excellent readability, reduced brightness | Use it all the time |
| Photographs and videos | Possible inversion of colors (negative) | Turn off the topic when viewing |
| Games | Depends on the game engine. | Testing individually |
| Social media | Partial support of elements | Use adaptation |
And you have to consider that adaptation is code-level and not perfect. Some interface elements may remain light or have strange hues. This is normal behavior for applications that are not certified for compatibility with Dark Mode.
The impact of dark theme on autonomy and display
Using a dark interface is not just a matter of aesthetics, it's also an efficient way to save energy, a claim that only applies to smartphones equipped with a matrix like AMOLED or Super AMOLED, and each pixel is individually lit.
When the pixel displays black, it just turns off and doesn't consume power. So the more black areas on the screen, the less battery consumption, and all the subpixels on the light themes are burning, which requires a lot of energy.
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Nana AMOLED-Dark theme screens can increase battery life by up to 30% with active smartphone use during the day.
For IPS-matrix devices, the savings will be minimal or no, since they use constant backlight of the entire screen. However, even on IPS, a dark theme reduces the overall brightness of the glow, which can be more comfortable for the eyes, although it will not give a gain in hours of operation.
⚠️ Attention: Constant use of maximum brightness on a bright white background can accelerate the burnout of blue subpixels on the surface of the sun. AMOLED-screen.
In addition to saving energy, the dark theme reduces eye strain at night. The blue spectrum of light emitted by the white areas of the screen suppresses melatonin production, disrupting circadian rhythms. The dark interface minimizes this effect, helping to fall asleep easier after using a smartphone.
Solution and troubleshooting
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where a dark theme is turned on, but part of the interface remains white, or the settings are not saved after the reboot.This can be caused by conflicts with third-party themes or errors in the system cache.
The first thing to do is check if the third-party theme from the Themes store is active. Third-party designs often have their own color display priorities and can block the system dark theme. Switch to the standard theme "Classic" or "Untitled."
If the problem persists, try clearing the Themes app cache or resetting the design settings. Go to Settings → Apps → All Apps → Themes and select Clear Data. This will return the visualization settings to factory values.
adb shell pm clear com.android.thememanagerIn rare cases, a safe mode reboot helps to check for conflicting applications, and if the theme is working correctly in safe mode, then the problem is in one of the apps you install that imposes its own styles.