Modern smartphones, including the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 8, are gradually moving away from physical and on-screen navigation buttons in favor of more intuitive swipe management. The switch to gestures allows you to significantly increase the usable screen area, eliminating unnecessary elements at the bottom of the display. For many users, this becomes a matter of habit, but the functionality and speed of the system with this approach often win.
Owners of MIUI-based devices may face the need to reconfigure navigation immediately after buying or updating a firmware. The standard three buttons take up space that could be used to display app content. Turning on gesture control is the first step towards a more modern and ergonomic experience with the gadget.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the activation process of the new navigation method, look at the hidden sensitivity settings and discuss the possible problems you may encounter on the Redmi Note 8.
Advantages of switching to navigation by gestures
The main advantage of not having buttons is to free up space. On a 6.3-inch screen like the Redmi Note 8, every millimeter counts. By removing the bottom panel, you get more space to watch videos, read articles, and work in apps, and this is especially noticeable in programs where controls are located at the bottom of the screen.
In addition to being visually clean, gestures offer a high speed of interaction, and experienced users note that swiping with a finger is faster than aiming and pressing a small home or menu button. The system responds instantly, creating a sense of smoothness in the interface.
- 🚀 Increase the screen area by hiding the navigation bar.
- ⚡ Faster switching between running applications in one movement.
- 🎨 Modern appearance of the interface, corresponding to Android trends.
- 📱 Reducing the risk of pixel burnout in the lower part AMOLED and IPS matrix.
Ergonomics are also important: it’s easier to swipe from the edge with your thumb than it is to reach for a button in the corner, especially when using a smartphone with one hand. On the Redmi Note 8, the finger coverage area is optimal for performing side swipes without intercepting the device.
Preparing the system before changing the settings
Before making changes to the system navigation settings, it is recommended to make sure that the operating system is stable.If your Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 has not been updated for a long time, there may be conflicts between the old version of MIUI and the new touch processing algorithms.
Check for updates in the settings section. Sometimes swipe recognition bugs are fixed with security patches or minor shell updates, and it's also worth clearing the launcher cache if you notice slowdowns when you go to the desktop.
☑️ Checking before setting up
Now, it's important to understand that switching to gestures changes the logical structure of the control, and if you used the Menu button to call up a list of running applications, now you have to memorize a new algorithm of actions, and it takes your brain a few hours to a couple of days to fully adapt.
⚠️ Note: If your device has third-party launchers or system modifications, enable standard gestures MIUI If you do, go back to the standard launcher before setting up.
Step-by-step instructions for the inclusion of gestures in MIUI
The process of activating gesture control on the Redmi Note 8 is as simplified as possible by Xiaomi engineers and takes just a few clicks. All the necessary options are in the general settings menu, access to which does not require superuser rights.
To start, unlock your smartphone and find the Settings icon. You're interested in the look and system navigation section. The name may vary slightly from firmware to firmware, but the logic remains the same.
Follow the algorithm further:
- Open the Settings menu.
- Scroll down the list and select Advanced Settings (in some versions of MIUI it may be simply called “Advanced”).
- Find and click on the Full Screen Mode section.
- In the menu that opens, select Hide buttons or Gesture Management.
Once you select the appropriate item, the bottom bar with the three buttons will disappear, and then a thin horizontal bar will appear in its place, which is the gesture indicator, and the system will immediately apply the changes, and you can test the new navigation.
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If you can't find "Fullscreen mode," search by settings. Type "gestures" or "navigation" into the search bar at the top of the settings menu.
Sensitivity setting and response zone
Once the new control mode is enabled, it is important to adjust the sensitivity correctly.The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 features a capacitive screen that can react differently to touch depending on the presence of protective glass or film.
In the same menu, Full-screen mode is often available as an option to adjust the sensitivity of the edges. If swipes are difficult to perform or, conversely, they work accidentally when you are holding your phone, this setting must be adjusted, which is a critical step for comfortable use.
| Parameter | Recommended value | Description of the impact |
|---|---|---|
| Edge sensitivity | Medium/High | Determines how hard you need to press or touch the edge of the screen. |
| Swipe zone | Full width | Allows you to make a "Back" swipe at any point of the lower edge, not only in the corners. |
| Vibrant response | Included. | It gives tactile confirmation of the successful execution of the gesture. |
| Animation delay | 0.5x (options) | It speeds up the interface’s visual response to your actions. |
| One-hand mode | Off. | When gestures are enabled, it can interfere by compressing the interface. |
Note that too high sensitivity can lead to false positives when the phone is in your pocket or bag. If you notice the screen lighting up or apps opening on their own, try lowering this setting.
Secret speed setting
Description of the main gestures and combinations
Once you've removed the buttons, the control goes completely to swipes. This may seem unusual at first, but muscle memory will quickly take its toll. Consider the basic commands that replace the classic navigation on the Redmi Note 8.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or from the bottom of the screen if the bar is hidden) takes you back to the desktop, which is the equivalent of the home button. No short press required, with a fairly confident upward movement.
- 🔙 Back: Swipe left or right to center of the screen, depending on which side the Back button is in standard mode (usually left).
- 📋 App menu: Swipe up from the middle of the bottom of the screen and hold your finger for a second.A list of running windows will open.
- 🔄 Task Switching: A quick swipe left or right on the lower bar of the indicator allows you to instantly change the active application.
- 🔍 Google Search: Swipe up from bottom left (unless an action is assigned").
You can also close the application right from the menu of running tasks, and you swipe up the application card, which replaces the cross that you used to look for visually.
⚠️ Note: In some games and applications with full-level video, swipes from the edges can interfere with control. In such cases, the system automatically hides the gesture indicator, but if this does not happen, use the Game or Game Turbo function to block the edges.
Troubleshooting and troubleshooting
Despite the stability of MIUI, users of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 sometimes face a situation when gestures stop working or work incorrectly, most often the problem lies in the software failure of a particular application or overflow of RAM.
If swipes are no longer recognized, try restarting the device, which is a trivial but effective action that clears temporary files and restarts the system services that control the touch interface, and that's how it works 80 percent of the time.
If the problem persists, check the following points:
- Is not the hypersensitivity mode turned on for gloves (may cause false positives).
- Is there an application that changes navigation (for example, virtual joysticks or emulators) installed?
- Integrity of the protective glass (cracks over the sensors can affect the operation).
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If your gestures are delayed, try to reduce the animations in the "Developers" section, which will visually speed up the response without losing functionality.
Sometimes resetting navigation settings helps, so temporarily switch back to the buttons, restart the phone, and then activate gesture control again, and this will force the interface configuration file to restart.