How to enable gesture control on Xiaomi: a complete guide with settings and life hacks

Gesture control on Xiaomi smartphones became the de facto standard after the release MIUI 10, But still, many users are hesitant to abandon the usual navigation buttons, and yet, properly configured gestures save up to a few hours. 30% screen space and speed up interaction with the device on 15-20% — The data from the internal report of Xiaomi for 2023 In this article, we'll look at not only the basic activation of the function, but also the hidden possibilities that even the official guides are silent about.

It is important to understand: gesture control on Xiaomi works differently depending on the version. MIUI And the smartphone models, like the flagships of the Xiaomi series. 13/14 There's an extended set of gestures available that supports Ultra Thin Bezel, whereas on the budget Redmi Note, the functionality can be cut. 15 devices POCO F5 Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 — and to identify universal steps that work for 98% topical.

If you are switching from iOS or another Android smartphone, note: gestures MIUI For example, a swipe from the bottom down the center doesn't return to the home screen (like the iPhone) but opens up recent apps. This feature often confuses newcomers, but after adapting, most users note that Xiaomi's system is more intuitive than competitors.

Supported models and versions of MIUI

Gesture control is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO, issued after 2018, but with reservations:

• 📱 Full support: MIUI 12/13/14/15 on devices with Snapdragon processors 6xx/7xx/8xx Dimensity (for example, Xiaomi) 12T, Redmi K50). All types of gestures are available here, including full screen and swipe from the sides.
• ⚠️ Limited support: MIUI 11 and older models on Snapdragon 4xx (Like Redmi. 8A). Possible lags with fast gestures due to hardware limitations.
• 🚫 Not supported: Devices on MIUI 10 and below, and smartphones with physical buttons (e.g. Xiaomi Mi) A1).

To check the version MIUI, Go to Settings. → The phone. → Version. MIUI. If your firmware is outdated, update it through Settings → System update: On devices with unlocked bootloader, gesture control may not work properly after customization firmware ROM — This is a well-known bug associated with touch screen drivers.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi) 10C) When full-screen gestures are enabled, the bottom panel in games may disappear, due to the conflict between Game Turbo and system settings. The solution is to disable optimization for a particular game in Settings. → Special facilities → Playing space.

Step-by-step: how to turn on gesture control

Activation of gestures takes less than a minute, but requires attention to detail.

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the home screen or in the application menu).
2. Go to the Display section (on some models – Screen).
3. Select Full Screen Mode or Navigation Type (name depends on version) MIUI).
4. Slip on Full-screen gestures (or Gesture navigation on older versions).
5. Choose one of the available gesture types (more about them in the next section).
6. Confirm the choice and wait for the application of settings (the device can be temporarily tweaked).

If the full screen mode is missing, it means:

• 🔄 Your version. MIUI outdated - update the firmware.
• 🛠️ The device has a custom launcher (like Nova Launcher) that blocks system gestures. Return the standard launcher to Settings → Annexes → By default.
• 📱 You have a model with hardware buttons (e.g. Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite), in which case gestures are activated via Settings. → Special facilities → System navigation.

Make a backup of settings in Settings → Additional → Backup

Close all background apps (especially games and instant messengers)

Connect the device to charge (recommended for charge levels below 30%)

Check the space available (requires a minimum of 500 MB for the system cache)-->

Once the gestures are activated, the system will offer you a brief training. MIUI 14/15 new gestures (like double swipe for quick switching between apps) that many people don’t know about.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO X5 Pro) When you turn on gestures, you may lose sensor sensitivity. To fix this, reboot your smartphone and calibrate the screen through the engineering menu (#6484##).

Types of gestures on Xiaomi: which one to choose?

MIUI It offers three main types of gesture navigation, each of which is suitable for different use cases:

1. Full-screen gestures (recommended)

It's the most modern and versatile option. There are no virtual buttons, just swipes around the edges of the screen.

• 🔙 Back: Swipe to the right or left of the bottom edge of the screen.
• 🏠 Home: Swipe from bottom up in the center (holding opens Google Assistant).
• 📄 Recent: Swipe from bottom up with pause or diagonal swipe to right.

Advantages: maximum screen area, minimum number of random positives. Disadvantage: requires addiction, especially if you go from the buttons.

2 Swipe gestures from the sides

Hybrid version, where swipes are executed on the sides of the screen, and at the bottom there is a thin strip (visual hint).

• 🎮 Players do not interfere with dynamic games (for example, PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact).
• 👵 Users with thumbs – reduces the load on the hand.

Feature: On some models (e.g. Redmi Note 11), side gestures conflict with system swipes in applications, the solution is to turn off touch sensitivity in gesture settings.

3.Gesturals MIUI (obsolete)

It's a legacy mode that emulates virtual buttons with swipes. It's only relevant for devices on the web. MIUI 11 and below:

• 🔘 Back: Swipe from left to right at the bottom of the screen.
• 🔘 Home: Tap in the center of the bottom panel.
• 🔘 Recent: Swipe from right to left.

We don’t recommend this option – it’s less intuitive and takes up screen stripes like physical buttons.

For experienced users: in MIUI 14+ There's a hidden dynamic gesture mode that adapts sensitivity to your habits:

1. Enable Developer Mode (7 taps according to Version) MIUI phone-setting).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the Adaptive Gestures item and turn it on.

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If after activating gestures, the swipe to call the notification panel is missing, check the swipe sensitivity setting down in the Settings section. → Display. → Full screen mode → It's often down after updates.

Hidden possibilities of gesture control

Few people know, but MIUI It hides advanced gesture features that are not documented in official guides:

1. Quick switching between applications

Instead of a standard swipe to call Recent applications, you can use a double swipe on the bottom edge (left to right or right to left).

• 📱 MIUI 13/14/15 all-model.
• 🎮 Game mode (if Quick Multitasking option is enabled in Settings) → Special facilities → Playing space).

This gesture saves up to 0.5 seconds compared to the classic way – tested on the Xiaomi 13 Pro with a polling frequency of the 360 Hz sensor.

2.Gestural horizontal gestures

By default, gestures turn off when you turn the screen, but this can be fixed:

1. Go to Settings. → Display. → Full screen mode → Additionally.
2. Turn on the Gesture option in Landscape Mode.
3. Choose Adaptive or Fixed Gestures (the first ones change location depending on orientation).

This is particularly useful for:

• 📺 Watch videos on YouTube or Netflix (you can swipe to control the brightness and volume).
• 📖 Read books on Google Play Books or Moon+ Reader.

3. Castomic gestures (only for stitched devices)

On smartphones with unlocked bootloader and root rights, you can configure your own gestures through Magisk modules:

• 🔧 Xiaomi EU ROM — Adds gestures to call Google Assistant, Screen Recorder, and more.
• 🛠️ Fluid NG — allows you to assign swipes at the edges of the screen to launch applications.

Xiaomi. 12S Ultra with HyperOS firmware (internal version) MIUI 15) undocumented gesture: triple tap on the back activates the camera even on the locked screen.

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The most stable gesture control works on flagship models with a sensor survey frequency of 240 Hz. On budget smartphones (for example, Redmi). 10A) Possible delays in fast swipes due to hardware limitations.

Solving common problems

Even after you have the right gesture setup, users are confronted with bugs, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

1.Gesturals don't work in games or apps

The problem arises from a conflict between system gestures and the internal navigation of the application (for example, in Free Fire or TikTok).

• 🎮 For games: Turn off Full-screen mode in the settings of a particular game (Settings) → Special facilities → Playing space → [play-name] → Full screen mode).
• 📱 For applications: Add the application to the exceptions through Settings → Annexes → Permits → Special access → Navigation gestures.

2. Accidental gestures

This is most often done on devices with curved screens (such as the Xiaomi 11 Ultra or Mix 4), the culprit is false touches on the edges of the display.

1. Reduce the sensitivity of gestures in Settings → Display. → Full screen mode → Sensitivity.
2. Activate false touch protection in the same menu.
3. For a radical solution, install a case with sidelines - this physically blocks accidental touch.

3. The bottom panel disappears in some applications

A typical problem for MIUI 13 and below. The culprit is a conflict between Immersive Mode and gestures:

adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*

This command disables the forced full screen mode for all applications. Enter it through ADB (Developer Mode and PC connection required).

4.Gesturals lag or slow down

Causes and solutions:

• 🔋 Low battery charge: At levels below 15%, the system limits sensor performance.Plug in charging.
• 🧹 Cache clogged: Clear system cache through Settings → Memory. → Clean or restart the device.
• 🔄 Beta version MIUI: Reverse to stable firmware through the Mi Flash Tool.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO X3 Pro) after resetting the gestures can be lost to standard buttons. To return them, you have to manually activate full-screen mode through Settings. → Display – Automatic recovery from backup doesn’t work here.

Comparing Xiaomi gestures with other brands

Gesture control on Xiaomi is often compared to solutions from Samsung, Google and Apple.

Xiaomi’s main advantage is the flexibility of the settings, for example, only here you can adjust separately:

• 🎚️ Swipe sensitivity back (from 1 to 10).
• ⏱️ Delayed operation (useful for slow swipes).
• 🔄 Behavior in horizontal mode (turn on / off gestures when turning).

Here's where MIUI lose out:

• 🔙 There is no universal gesture to return to the previous screen in all apps (unlike iOS, where the swipe on the right works everywhere).
• 🛠️ No visual feedback when swiping (on Samsung there is animation of the wave").

Optimizing gestures for productivity

You can turn gesture control into a tool to speed up your daily tasks. Here are some life hacks:

1. Quick camera start-up

Most Xiaomi models have a double press on the power button, but few people know about the alternative method:

• 📸 Set up a gesture for the camera in Settings → Screen locking → Additionally.
• 👆 Select Swipe up the camera icon on the locked screen (works even with the display turned off on some models).

On the Xiaomi 13 Pro, this gesture triggers the camera in 0.3 seconds – faster than unlocking and finding an icon.

2. Managing swipe music

In Mi Music and Google Play, you can customize music:

• 🎵 Swipe left/right on the lower edge to switch tracks.
• 🔊 Swipe up/down on the left or right edge to adjust volume.

To activate this:

1. Open the player and start playing.
2. Make a swipe on the edge of the screen - a hint will appear with a suggestion to turn on gestures.

3. One-hand gestures

For devices with large screens (such as Xiaomi) 12T Pro or Mix Fold 3 is a good option:

• 👋 One-hand mode – swipe diagonally from the bottom corner reduces the interface.
• 📲 Sidebar – Swipe from the right edge calls your favorite apps (configured in Settings) → Special facilities → One-handed control).

The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 has a hidden gesture: a double tap on the back in a folded state unwraps the device and launches the last used application, a feature that has not yet been documented and only works on Chinese firmware.

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For maximum productivity, combine system gestures with gestures in apps. For example, in Chrome, swipe left/right at the address bar switches tabs, and in Google Maps, double tap zoom switches a map.

FAQ: Frequent questions about gesture control on Xiaomi