How to turn on (or remove) the bar at the bottom of the screen on Xiaomi: gestures vs buttons

The bottom panel on the screen of Xiaomi smartphones is not just a design solution, but a key element of the device’s control. It can be classic virtual buttons (“Back”, “Home”, “Recent”) or a thin strip for gesture navigation that appeared in the app. MIUI 10 and later. Many users face a problem: the panel suddenly disappears after updating, then vice versa - interferes with watching videos or games.

In this article, we will look at all possible scenarios: how to turn on the bar at the bottom of the screen if it is missing, how to switch between buttons and gestures, and how to adjust its transparency or hide it in individual applications. AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 13 Pro or Redmi K60), where the strip can burn out if you use it for a long time. MIUI before 14/15 and you can't find the settings - here you will find the current ways for the latest firmware versions.

What is the bottom panel on Xiaomi and why you need it

The bottom panel (or navigation bar) is the area of the screen responsible for the main actions in the system:

• 🔙 The back button ** returns to the previous screen.
• 🏠 Home button ** - returns to the main screen.
• 📄 The “Recent” button** opens the list of recent apps.

With the exit. MIUI 10 (2018) Xiaomi has added an alternative, gesture navigation, where instead of buttons, a swipe from the bottom edge of the screen is used. In this mode, the panel turns into a thin gray strip, which disappears after a few seconds of inactivity:

• ✅ More screen area (especially relevant for Xiaomi Mix 4 or Redmi Note 12 Pro)+ curved).
• ✅ Less random taps (e.g. in games).
• ✅ Modern interface, like on the iPhone or Google Pixel.

But gestures have downsides: not everyone is comfortable remembering swipe combinations, and in some apps (like TikTok or Instagram), gestures conflict with internal navigation, so Xiaomi left the choice — and now we will understand how to switch between modes.

How to turn on classic buttons at the bottom of the screen

If you are used to three buttons ("Back", "Home", "Recent") and want to return them, do the following:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Screen section.
3. Select Full-screen Display (in some versions) MIUI It can be called a screen style or navigation buttons).
4. In the Navigation Type section, select the buttons (or three buttons).

Then, at the bottom of the screen, you'll see familiar buttons, POCO F5 Xiaomi 12T) Buttons can look different depending on the theme of the design, to change the way they look:

• 🎨 Go to Settings. → Topics and choose another topic.
• 🔄 In some firmware there is a separate setting of the button style in the Screen section.

It's important, on devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO X5 Pro) the path may be slightly different:

Settings → Additional → Full-screen display → Type of navigation

How to activate the gesture strip at the bottom of the screen

Gesture navigation has become the standard for modern smartphones, and Xiaomi is no exception to include a thin bar instead of buttons:

1. Open Settings → Screen → Full-screen display.
2. Choose Gestures (or Full Screen Gestures).
3. In some versions MIUI It is proposed to choose between: 👆 Gestures MIUI (Swipe up for Home, delayed swipe for Recent»). 📱 Android gestures (like on Pixel or Samsung One) UI).

When activated, a thin white or gray bar will appear at the bottom of the screen, disappearing after 2-3 seconds of inactivity, but always returning when swiping up. If you can't see the strip, try swiping from the bottom of the screen up.

In the models with AMOLED-screens (Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Redmi) K50 Pro: The strip can burn out over time, leaving traces on the matrix. To avoid this, turn on the option to "Hide the strip" in the gesture settings (available in the appendix). MIUI 14+).

Transparency setting and strip hiding

The thin stripe in gesture mode is not popular, and can be distracting in games or when watching videos, and fortunately, it can be made less visible or hidden altogether:

1. Go to Settings. → Screen. → Full-screen display → Additional settings.
2. Find the navigation bar transparency option (or Hide the bar).
3. Move the slider to reduce opacity, or turn off the display completely.

Some devices (such as the Xiaomi Pad 6) have a separate setting to hide the strip in horizontal mode – this is useful for tablets.

If your model does not have the option of hiding the strip, you can use a workaround:

• 🔧 Install a third-party launcher (like Nova Launcher or Lawnchair) – many of them support navigation bar hiding.
• 🛠️ Use it. ADB-command for forced concealment (requires a computer and debugging on the USB).

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On devices with MIUI 15 (2026) appeared the function "Adaptive strip" - it automatically hides in full-screen applications (games, videos) and returns when swiping.

The strip disappeared after the update - what to do?

One of the most common problems: after the update MIUI The bottom panel disappears, and the gestures or buttons don't work. Here are the possible causes and solutions:

⚠️ Attention, if after the update MIUI 14/15 missing buttons and gestures, try to force reboot the device: press the power button + louden 10–15 It'll reset the interface's timeline.

Reason 1: Reset navigation settings.

Sometimes the update resets the navigation type to the standard (gestures) to return the buttons:

1. Go to Settings. → Screen. → Full-screen display.
2. Select the buttons and confirm the change.
3. Reboot your smartphone.

Reason 2: Conflict with the launcher.

If you use a third-party launcher (such as Microsoft Launcher or Action Launcher), it can block the panel display.

• 📱 Return to the standard launcher MIUI (In the application settings, select it by default).
• 🔄 Update the launcher to the latest version.

Reason 3: Firmware bug.

In some assemblies MIUI (Especially in beta versions, the panel can disappear due to errors:

• 🔄 Reverse to stable firmware version through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 📲 Resetting interface settings: Settings → Annexes → Application management → Settings (three points) → Resetting settings.

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If the panel is missing after the update, check the navigation settings first, then try changing the launcher. Only in extreme cases, reset the settings or roll back the firmware.

How to remove strips in games and videos

A thin strip at the bottom of the screen can interfere with games (for example, in the game). PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, or when you watch YouTube videos, there are a number of ways to hide it:

Method 1: Enable immersive mode.

Many apps support full screen mode without a navigation bar, to activate it:

1. Open the application (such as the game).
2. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
3. Find the Full-screen Mode icon (or Hide the navigation bar) and click on it.

Method 2: Developer settings.

For forced concealment of strips in all applications:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Back to Settings → Additionally. → For developers.
3. Find the option to Disable full-screen gestures or Forced to hide the navigation bar and turn it on.

⚠️ Attention! Forced concealment of the strip through the developer settings can lead to problems with returning to the home screen in some applications. To return the panel, swipe from the bottom edge of the screen up and hold your finger 1-2 seconds.

Method 3: ADB-Team (for experienced users).

If previous methods did not help, you can hide the strip through the ADB:

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

To return the panel, do:

adb shell settings put global policy_control null

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

When using the navigation bar, users often face typical problems, and here are the most common ones and how to solve them:

Error 1: The strip appears on top of the video.

In some video players (for example, MX Player) the panel is not automatically hidden:

• 🎬 In the player settings, find the option Full-screen mode or Hide controls.
• 🔧 Use immersive mode (see previous section).

Error 2: Gestures conflict with apps.

On Instagram, TikTok or Chrome, swipes up can conflict with navigation.

• 🔄 Switch to the classic buttons in the settings.
• 📱 In some apps (like Chrome), you can turn off gestures in their own settings.

Mistake 3: The strip does not disappear after swipe.

If the thin strip remains on the screen even after the swipe, try:

• 🔄 Reset the device.
• 🔧 Reset the launcher settings: Settings → Annexes → Launcher → Warehouse → Clear the data.

Error 4: Buttons or gestures are delayed.

It could be a system overload.

• 🧹 Clear the cache: Settings → Memory. → Clear the cache.
• 🔄 Turn off animation: In the developer settings, install Windows animation = Off.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions