How to turn on and configure button highlighting on Xiaomi

Modern Xiaomi smartphones running on MIUI shells or the new HyperOS often lack classic physical or capacitive control buttons, relying on the screen interface. However, many users who have switched from other devices or are just used to tactile response, looking for a way to activate the backlight of buttons on Xiaomi. It is important to note right away: if your smartphone does not have mechanical or touch buttons at the bottom of the screen (which is typical for older models or specific versions), software to turn on their glow in the classical sense, because there is nothing to physically illuminate.

However, Android provides flexible tools to mimic this functionality through navigation settings. You can adjust the behavior of virtual keys, their location and even the duration of glow, if the hardware of the device supports it. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods for activating backlights, adjusting the duration of burning and solving typical problems faced by owners of smartphones Redmi and Poco.

Before you start to change the system, you need to clarify the model of your device, as the availability of hardware lighting depends on the specific year of release and price segment of the gadget. Understanding these nuances will help to avoid confusion and save time on finding non-existent options in the menu.

Hardware features and the presence of physical illumination

The first step is to determine the type of navigation that the manufacturer has put into your smartphone model. In today's world, the market has massively shifted to full-screen displays, where the buttons are the software area of the screen. Physical backlight is the LED layer located under the glass at the bottom of the display, which lights up when you touch or appear menu.

If you own a current model released after 2018, the probability of having hardware backlights is close to zero. Xiaomi engineers have abandoned this element in order to increase the usable area of the screen and reduce power consumption. In such devices, buttons are simply pixels that cannot glow regardless of the image on the screen.

⚠️ Attention! Attempting to turn on the backlight on models without the appropriate LED layer by software methods will only change the color of the virtual buttons, but not to appear real glow in the off state of the screen.

You can visually detect the function: turn off your smartphone screen in a dark room and look at the bottom edge. If you don't see the subtle glow or the contours of the buttons when you incoming, then your device relies solely on software navigation, in which case all the further settings will be about the behavior of the graphical interface.

For older models like the Redmi Note 4 or Mi 5, where physical lighting was present, the settings are in the deep system menu, but even there, the functionality is often limited to basic on and off options, without the ability to fine-tune the diodes brightness.

Setting the duration of burning buttons in the developer menu

If your device is still backlit or you want to adjust the display time of virtual elements, you will need access to advanced settings. The standard settings menu often hides the option of backlight duration, so you will have to activate the hidden partition for developers. This is a secure procedure that does not require root rights.

To start, you need to unlock access to the engineering menu. Go to Settings → About Phone and find the MIUI Version (or OS Version) bar. Click on this bar quickly 7-10 times in a row until a pop-up message that you have become a developer appears, and then a new item appears in the main settings menu.

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Before making changes to the developer menu, write down the initial values of the parameters so that, if necessary, everything can be returned as it was.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Additional settings → For developers.
• 🔍 In the list, find the section related to input or hardware (often called "Input" or "Hardware").
• ⏱️ Find the item "Button backlight timeout).
• ⚙️ Select the right time: 2 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds or Always on".

It is important to understand that on many global firmware, this item may not even be in the developer menu, since Xiaomi unifies the interface for the absence of physical buttons, in which case the system ignores requests for backlight management, considering it unnecessary.

If you find this option, experiment with settings. Setting the value "Always on" can lead to accelerated battery discharge, especially on the back of the battery. AMOLED-In the case of a screen where every pixel burning consumes energy, the best choice is the interval between the two. 2-5 Seconds are enough to take action, but safe for the battery.

Switching between buttons and gestures

The classic lighting is a thing of the past, with the main alternative being to customize the navigation style. Users often confuse the desire to see glowing buttons with the need to simply have a user-friendly control interface. MIUI allows you to switch between three main modes, each with its own visual features.

The first mode is the classic three buttons (Back, Home, Menu) that can be located at the bottom of the screen or, in some versions of the shell, be able to move; the second mode is full-screen gesture control, where the buttons are absent physically and visually, and navigation is carried out by swipes; the third option is a floating button that simulates a mechanical key.

To change the type of navigation, follow the following steps:

1. Go to Settings. → Additional settings.
2. Select Full-Eclan Mode (or System Navigation).
3. Activate the Hide Tips switch if you want to remove the white bars at the bottom of the screen that interfere with the view.

When you select gesture mode, the backlight is transformed into tactile recoil (vibration) when swipes are used, if this function is supported by the vibration response motor drivers of your smartphone, creating the illusion of physical contact with the device, compensating for the lack of light indicators.

Some users prefer to go back to the buttons precisely because of the habit of seeing a visual landmark, in which case you can change not only the style, but also the order of the buttons, for example, the Back button can be moved from right to left, which is common for iOS users or Samsung devices.

Use of third-party emulation applications

In cases where built-in tools cannot achieve the desired effect (for example, make buttons more contrast or add them to the glow), the help comes from the Google Play Store. These programs create a layer on top of the desktop, emulating the navigation bar with advanced functionality.

One of the popular solutions is the Navigation Bar app, or its analogues, which allows you not only to change the order of the buttons, but also to adjust their transparency, size and, most importantly for our topic, add a glow effect or change the color of the active zone.

⚠️ Attention! Third-party navigation applications require special permissions (access to special features), which can theoretically reduce data security.

Instructions for installing custom navigation:

• 📥 Download the Virtual Button or Navigation Bar app from Play Market.
• 🔐 Provide the application with all the permissions requested, including the right to overlay over other windows.
• 🎨 In the application settings, select a theme with the effect of "Glow" or "Neon" to simulate backlighting.
• 📏 Adjust background transparency so that buttons don’t overlay application content.

The main advantage of these solutions is full customization, you can make the buttons glow a certain color when notified, or set them to disappear after a given period of inactivity, which gives more freedom than standard settings Xiaomi.

But remember, resource consumption, and a constant button emulation service can increase battery consumption. 3-5% It's a day-to-day processor that has to be constantly processing the interface layer, and on budget models, it can also cause micro-twitching of the interface.

Table of compatibility of lighting functions by series

To organize information, let’s look at what lighting and navigation options are available across smartphone lines, and the data may vary slightly depending on the Android version and regional firmware.

As you can see from the table, the era of hardware lighting ended a few years ago, with modern flagships and mid-budget models relying entirely on software solutions, which dictates a new rule of use: instead of looking for diode glow, you should adapt to gestures or high-quality software simulations.

For owners of older devices (until 2017-2018 release), the Duration setting menu remains relevant. In new models, the system itself manages the life of the pixels at the bottom of the screen, usually extinguishing them 3-4 seconds after the last touch to save charge.

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On modern Xiaomi smartphones, the concept of “button highlighting” has been transformed into “configuration of virtual navigation behavior.”

Problem Solving: Why the buttons don't burn

A common situation is that there is no reaction at the bottom of the screen or navigation buttons. If you are sure that your model should have backlight (for example, this is an old flagship), but it does not work, there may be several reasons, the first and most common is a contamination of the light sensor or a software failure.

Try restarting your device. 80 percent of the time, the system services that run the Hardware Abstraction Layer are dealing with a simple restart, and if that doesn't work, check if the Do Not Disturb mode or the power saving that can force the lights to go out is activated.

Also worth mentioning is the proximity sensor. On some Xiaomi models, the button backlight can go out if the sensor next to you is contaminated or closed with a low-quality protective glass.

In rare cases, the problem is physical damage to the display plume or the LED tape itself, and if the phone falls or is exposed to moisture, software methods won't help, and this will require a diagnosis at the service center.

If you're talking about virtual buttons that just don't show up, check the full screen settings. You may have Hide Tips activated, and the system thinks you don't need visual controls. Return the standard three buttons in the settings to check if they work.

The impact of the design theme on the type of navigation

The visual perception of buttons depends on the theme you set. There are thousands of designs in the Xiaomi theme store, and many of them radically change the view of the bottom panel. Some themes make buttons translucent, others add neon glow to simulate backlighting.

To change the look of buttons without installing third-party launchers:

• 🎨 Open the Topics app.
• 🔍 In the search, type "Buttons" or "Navigation".
• ⬇️ Download your favorite component (often as part of the theme or separately).
• ✅ Apply the theme and check the result on the desktop.

Themes are the only legal way to make virtual buttons "glow" on modern models without hardware support. Designers paint a static or animated glow that looks very spectacular, especially on dark wallpaper.

⚠️ When installing themes from unverified sources (not through an official store), be careful: they may contain advertising modules or disrupt the stability of the system.

Also, you can often find "Button style" in the theme settings, and you can find options like classics, dots, hidden buttons, or custom images, and experiment with these settings to find a balance between aesthetics and usability.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)