Many users who switch to budget or mid-budget smartphone models often lack the usual physical navigation button backlighting feature. Owners of the Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro (also known as the Redmi 4 Prime) are no exception. The question of how to turn on keylighting becomes especially relevant in the evening or in low light conditions, when you need to quickly navigate the interface.
It is worth immediately clarifying: there is no hardware in this model. LED-Illuminating three touch buttons ("Menu", "Home", "Back") below the screen, which is a design feature of the budget segment, where manufacturers save on additional layers of lighting and power consumption. MIUI, The device, installed on board, offers software solutions that can partially compensate for this disadvantage or change the behavior of the interface for greater comfort.
In this article, we will go into detail about why Xiaomi engineers abandoned physical lighting in this model, and what alternative methods of visual control exist. You will learn how to configure button inversion, activate on-screen navigation elements, and what third-party applications can help in solving this problem without obtaining superuser rights.
Technical features of the display and navigation Redmi 4 Pro
To understand the problem, you need to refer to the technical specifications of the device: the screen of the smartphone Redmi 4 Pro is made using IPS technology with Full HD resolution. The lower part of the panel, where the touch zones are located, is not equipped with a separate layer of LEDs. In more expensive Xiaomi models of the period, the method of projecting light from the display or individual LEDs was used, but here the method of static printing of symbols or their complete absence, visible only at a certain angle of light incidence.
The lack of physical lighting was driven not only by a desire to reduce cost, but also by a desire to increase autonomy. The constant burning of LEDs, even dim ones, would put additional strain on the 4100 mAh battery. With optimizing power consumption a key factor in the success of budget smartphones, engineers decided to abandon this feature in favor of software display.
However, the user experience should not suffer. Android, the underlying shell of MIUI, allows you to flexibly adjust the behavior of navigation elements. Instead of waiting for physical buttons to light up, the device relies on the reaction of the screen. When touching the touch zone, the screen responds instantly, which in some aspects is even more convenient, since it eliminates the latency characteristic of old resistive or early capacitive backlit screens.
⚠️ Warning: Do not try to open the case of the smartphone to install LED tape under the buttons. This will lead to irreversible damage to the display plumes, loss of warranty and possible short circuit.
Configure the software indication in MIUI
Since it is not possible to physically light LEDs under the buttons using software, the main focus is on adjusting the behavior of the sensory zones. The MIUI shell offers several options for displaying navigation that can make using a smartphone in the dark more comfortable. The first step is to check the current button settings.
To access the necessary settings, go to the Settings menu. Find the Additional Settings section (in some firmware versions it may simply be called “Advanced Settings”). Here you are interested in the Buttons item. This section hides the basic navigation management tools available to users of “out of the box”.
Inside the button menu, you'll find a Menu and Back switch. The default buttons on global market devices are in the Menu-Home-Back order. However, for users accustomed to different ergonomics, inversion is available. Switch the switch to Back-Home-Menus position. Although this won't turn on the glow, changing the order can help you find the right button more quickly if you're used to a particular layout.
Importantly, some versions of MIUI, especially those based on older versions of Android (and the Redmi 4 Pro runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow), may not support dynamic backlighting fully, even in software form. The system relies on a tactile response (vibration) when pressed, which can be enabled in the Sound and Vibration section, which creates a sense of physical contact with the button.
Alternative: Virtual Navigation Panel
If the absence of physical buttons is causing serious discomfort, the most effective solution is to switch to a virtual navigation bar, in which case the Home, Back and Menu buttons are displayed directly on the screen, at the bottom of the screen, and because they are part of the display, they are always clearly visible, have a contrasting color and are essentially illuminated by the screen itself.
To activate this mode, revert to the Settings path → Additional settings → Buttons. At the top of the menu, you will see the Navigation option (or “Navigation Method”). Select the Buttons option (screen navigation). Once activated, the physical touch zones under the screen will turn off and the standard Android panel will appear on the display.
The advantages of a virtual panel are obvious:
- 🔦 The buttons are always visible and contrasting, as they glow with the pixels of the screen.
- 🔄 Ability to hide the panel in applications to increase the workspace.
- 🎨 Flexible customization of appearance through third-party themes.
- 📱 No risk of accidental tapping if the phone is lying on the table (physical buttons sometimes respond to touches).
☑️ Transition to Screen Navigation
But there's a nuance: virtual buttons take up a fraction of the screen's usable area, and on a 5-inch display, this can be seen in some applications. In addition, the constant backlighting of the lower screen band can theoretically lead to uneven burnout of the matrix in a static image, although modern IPS-The panels are quite resistant to this effect.
Use of third-party emulation applications
For those who don't want to go full-on on-screen navigation, but want visual control, there are specialized apps from the Google Play Store that create a floating layer with buttons on top of the system that can mimic backlighting or just be more visible. One popular solution is the Simple Control app or analogs.
These programs allow you to create your own sets of buttons, you can adjust their size, transparency and, most importantly, color and glow, for example, you can make buttons translucent in normal mode and bright white or neon when touched, this solves the problem of visibility in the dark without abandoning physical buttons (although you will work through the screen).
For installation and configuration, follow the instructions:
- Download the button emulator app from a verified source.
- When you first start, provide the necessary permissions to “Draw over other windows”.
- In the application settings, select a theme with high contrast.
- Activate the “Always Show” mode or set up an activity timer.
⚠️ Attention: Installing apps that require drawing rights on top of the system can reduce overall smartphone performance and increase battery consumption.
Comparison of navigation methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right option, we have prepared a comparison table that shows the differences between the standard physical buttons of Redmi 4 Pro, on-screen buttons of MIUI and third-party solutions.
| Parameter | Physical buttons (Standard) | Screen buttons (MIUI) | Third-party annexes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility in the dark | Absent (light required) | High (pixel-lighting) | Customizable (depending on the topic) |
| Battery consumption | Minimum | Medium (lighting part of the screen) | Medium/High (background process) |
| The risk of screen burnout | No. | Low (at a static picture) | Medium (if the buttons are always on the screen) |
| Free seat | Full screen | Occupied by the navigation lane | Occupied by widget area |
As you can see from the table, the only way to get really glowing buttons on the Redmi 4 Pro is to switch to programmatic navigation. The physical buttons in this model are a tribute to classic design, but lack the functionality of backlighting. The choice is left to the user: put up with the dark for the classic look or sacrifice a strip of the screen for comfort.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I activate hidden lighting through the engineering menu?
Why do my Redmi 4 Pro buttons sometimes glow?
Does the lack of lighting affect the speed of work?
Can I create a topic that will add light?
The secret function of vibration
💡
Use the "Enlarged Text" feature in the Screen section if you have difficulty distinguishing button designations in the dark, which won't turn on the backlight, but will make the symbols themselves larger and more visible when exposed to any outside light.
💡
Keylighting on Xiaomi Redmi 4 Pro is not hardware implemented. The only way to get glowing buttons is to switch to software navigation in the system settings.