Gesture management on Xiaomi Redmi 7: how to turn on and configure in 5 minutes

Xiaomi Redmi 7, released in 2019, is still a popular budget device due to the balanced characteristics and support of modern versions of MIUI. One of the most popular features among owners has become the ability to control gestures - an alternative to the classic navigation buttons, which saves space on the screen and speeds up interaction with the interface. However, not all users know that this option is available even on such an "age" device, and its activation takes literally a few minutes.

In this article, we’ll explore not only the standard way to enable gestures through the settings menu, but also alternative methods for different firmware versions, from MIUI 10 to MIUI 14. You’ll learn how to get around the system’s limitations when the option is hidden, what gestures Redmi 7 supports, and how to return navigation buttons if the new way of controlling seems inconvenient. And for those who like experiments, we’ve prepared a manual for activating the hidden mode Full Screen Gestures with additional animations, which is not officially documented for this model.

Why gestures are better than buttons: 5 benefits for Redmi 7

The move to gesture control is not just a fashion homage, but a practical solution to improve ergonomics. On the Redmi 7, with its modest HD+ resolution (720×1520), each pixel of the screen counts, and hiding the navigation bar frees up to 10% of usable space for content.

• 🔄 Quick switching between apps: swipe gesture on the bottom edge of the screen works intuitively and 2 times faster than double-clicking the button “Recently».
• 🎯 Less random taps: Physical buttons on Redmi 7 wear out over time, and touch gestures are stripped of this problem.
• 🖥️ Immersive mode: In games and video, the navigation bar automatically hides, increasing the viewing area.
• ⚡ Battery savings: Lack of button lighting (even virtual ones) reduces power consumption by 3–5% per day.
• 🛠️ Flexible setting: in MIUI You can adjust the sensitivity of gestures and even assign your own combinations.

But it's not that smooth, because gestures have downsides, and for example, Redmi 7, with its less responsive sensor, sometimes has false positives when swipes are sent from the edge of the screen, and in some applications, like TikTok or PUBG Mobile, gestures can conflict with game controls, but these problems are solvable, as we'll discuss in the settings section.

Checking the MIUI version: why it’s important before setting up

Before you turn on gestures, you need to make sure that your Xiaomi Redmi 7 runs on the current firmware version.The fact is that in MIUI 10 (which came out of the box), the gesture option was limited, and full support only appeared in MIUI 11 and later.

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Find the line MIUI version – it should be at least 11.0.2.0 (for a stable branch) or 20.11.19 (for developers).
3. If the version is outdated, update it through Settings → System Update.

If your MIUI version is below 11 but you can’t upgrade through the standard menu (for example, due to regional restrictions), you can use manual updates via Recovery or Fastboot. However, this process requires caution – incorrect actions can lead to a device blink.

⚠️ Note: If you use custom firmware (e.g. LineageOS or Pixel Experience), gesture settings may vary. In some builds, the option is available via the System menu → Gestures → System navigation.

Standard method: enable gestures through settings

If your Redmi 7 is running MIUI 11 or later, it will take less than a minute to activate your gestures.

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to the Display section.
3. Select Full-screen mode (in some versions - System navigation).
4. Slip on the option of gestures (or full-screen gestures).
5. In the window that appears, select one of the options: Swipe up - classic mode with a bottom panel (recommended for beginners). MIUI Full-screen gestures - hidden panel, swipes from the side edges (for experienced users).

Confirm the choice and wait for the interface to restart (the phone will not restart).

After activation, try the main combinations:

• 🏠 Home: Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen.
• 🔙 Back: Swipe to the right or left of the edge of the screen.
• 🗂️ Recent apps: swipe up and hold (or swipe up with pause).

If gestures are not working smoothly, try calibrating the sensor: go to Settings → Display → Sensor Calibration and follow the instructions on the screen. On Redmi 7, this option is sometimes hidden - to see it, tap 5 times on the line of the MIUI version in the About Phone section.

Alternative method: activation via ADB (for MIUI 10)

If your Redmi 7 is working on MIUI 10 and update is not possible, you can enable gestures through ADB-This is a way of connecting to a computer, but it gives you access to hidden functions:

• 🖥️ A computer with installed Xiaomi drivers and ADB (You can download from the official Android website).
• 🔌 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on a smartphone (in Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI, Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers).

Instructions:

1. Connect Redmi 7 to your computer and allow debugging over USB.
2. Open the command line (or Terminal) macOS/Linux) Enter: adb shell settings put global force_fsg_nav_bar 1 This command compulsorily includes full-screen gestures.
3. Reboot your phone: adb reboot

If no gestures appear after the reboot, try an alternative command:

adb shell cmd overlay enable com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural

⚠️ Attention: Misuse of the right ADB If after commands the phone stopped responding to touches, reset via adb shell cmd overlay disable-all and restart the device.

Hidden settings: how to enable extended gestures

In MIUI 12/13/14, Redmi 7 has additional gesture options that are hidden by default.

1. Include gestures in the standard way (see section above).
2. Open Settings → Special features → System settings.
3. Slip on Full-screen gestures and select Additional.
4. Activate options: 🔄 Quick switching between applications (swipe left/right on the lower edge). 📱 Hiding the navigation bar in landscape mode (useful for gaming). ⚡ Vibration when swiping (tactile return improves perception).

And for the curious, there's another secret: MIUI 14 can include gesture animations that visually highlight swipes.

1. Activate the Developer Mode (as described above).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the gesture animation option and select MIUI or Android 12 style.

💡

If new messages are missing after activating gestures, check the Security settings (Notifications → System Notifications section). Sometimes full-screen block pop-ups.

Problem Solving: Gestures Are Not Working or Glitting

Even when properly set up, gestures on Redmi 7 can be incorrect, and here are the most common problems and solutions.

If none of the methods helped, try resetting the gesture settings to factory:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find Launcher (or MIUI Launcher) and select Warehouse.
3. Click Clear Data and confirm the action.

This will return all interface settings to the default state, but will not affect user data.

💡

On Xiaomi Redmi 7, gestures work more stable if you turn off energy saving mode. Go to Settings → Battery → Power Mode and select Performance

How to return navigation buttons if you don’t like gestures

If gesture control seems inconvenient, you can return the classic buttons at any time.

1. Open Settings → Display → Full-screen mode.
2. Select the button option (or 3-button navigation).
3. Confirm the change – a bar with the Back, Home and Recent buttons will appear at the bottom of the screen.

If you notice that the bottom bar is transparent and merges with the background after you return to the buttons, this means that Transparent Navigation mode is turned on. To turn it off, go to Settings → Display → Additional and deactivate the corresponding option.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions