How to enable gestures on Xiaomi: all the ways and subtleties of setting up

Controlling Xiaomi’s smartphone with gestures instead of traditional navigation buttons is not just a trend, but a real way to make interaction with the device more intuitive and modern. Full-screen gestures free the lower part of the screen, increase the usable area of the display and add speakers to use. However, many users are still hesitant to switch to this way of navigation for fear of inconvenience or technical difficulties.

In fact, enable gestures on Xiaomi (including Redmi models, POCO Black Shark can be done in a few minutes – the main thing is to know where to look for the right settings and how to configure them correctly. In this article, we will look at all the available ways to activate gestures, compare them with classic buttons, and also explain how to solve typical problems, for example, when gestures do not work or conflict with applications. MIUI — 12-to-14.

Why to switch to gestures: 5 key benefits

Before we get into the technical details, let’s get a look at why gestures are gaining popularity among Xiaomi users, and here are the main reasons why it’s worth at least trying this way of navigation:

• 📱 More screen space: The bottom bar with buttons disappears, which is especially noticeable on smartphones with a small display or notches.
• ⚡ Quick access to features: for example, swipe up and hold opens Google Assistant, and side swipe – back.
• 🎮 Comfort in gaming: gestures don’t interfere with gameplay, unlike virtual buttons that can be accidentally pressed.
• 🔄 Smooth transitions: Animations with gestures look more organic than when you press buttons.
• 🛠️ Flexible setting: in MIUI You can choose between full-screen and classic gestures, as well as adjust sensitivity.

Of course, gestures have drawbacks, such as some users having difficulty getting used to new movements, and in some applications (especially banking) gestures may conflict with internal navigation, but most of these problems are solved by the correct setup, which we will discuss later.

What gestures are supported on Xiaomi in 2026

Xiaomi’s current MIUI 12-14 smartphones offer three main types of navigation:

1. Classic buttons (three virtual buttons: "Back", "Home", "Recent").
2. Classic gestures (with a bottom panel, but with swipe support instead of taps).
3. Full-screen gestures (without a panel, swipe control from the edges of the screen).

Let’s take a closer look at each option:

Important: on models with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi 13, Redmi) K60) Full-screen gestures allow you to hide the bottom panel even in a dark theme, which visually increases the display.

Step-by-step: how to turn on gestures on Xiaomi

The gesture activation process is the same for most Xiaomi smartphones, but may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI. We will look at the universal method that works on the Redmi Note 12, POCO F5, Xiaomi 13T and other models from 2022-2026.

Step 1. Open Settings and go to the Display section.

Step 2. Select Full-screen Display (on some firmwares it may be called Navigation buttons or Navigation Method).

Step 3. Here you will see three options (as in the table above).

• 🔄 Full-screen gestures for maximum immersive experience.
• 👆 Gestures with navigation bar – if you want a smooth transition from the buttons.

Step 4: Once you have selected the type of gesture, the system will offer a short learning experience, and scroll through it to understand the basic movements:

• 🏠 Home: Swipe up from the bottom edge.
• 🔙 Back: Swipe to the left or right of the edge of the screen.
• 📄 Recent: Swipe up and hold (or swipe up and right in some firmware).

Step 5. Return to Settings → Display → Full-screen display and configure additional settings:

• 🔍 Sensitivity of gestures – increase if swipes don’t work.
• 🔄 Ignore gestures in apps – turn on for banking programs.
• 🎯 Signal Tips – Turn on temporarily to get used to faster.

💡

If, after you turn on gestures, the bottom bar is still displayed in some apps (like YouTube), try rebooting your smartphone, which helps 80% of the time.

Finer gesture settings for different versions of MIUI

While the general principle of gesture inclusion is the same, there are nuances in different versions of MIUI.

MIUI 14 (2023–2026)

In the latest version, the interface has become more minimalistic, but the functionality of gestures has expanded:

• 🆕 Appeared the option of gestures in landscape mode – useful for games and video.
• 🔧 Sensitivity settings are now divided into "Side gestures" and "Lower gestures".
• 🎨 Animations added for swipes (you can turn off in Settings) → Registration).

MIUI 12–13

In these versions, gestures work stably, but there are limitations:

• ⚠️ There is no separate setting for landscape mode - gestures can conflict with games.
• 🔄 Sensitivity is adjusted globally, without separation on the sides.
• 📱 On some models (for example, Redmi Note 10) swipe back only works from the left edge.

MIUI for POCO and Black Shark

POCO and Black Shark smartphones use modified versions of MIUI, where gestures may differ:

• 🎮 On Black Shark, Gamer gestures are enabled by default - you can turn them off in Settings → Game mode.
• ⚡ Nana POCO F4/F5 There is an option Smart gestures – additional swipes for quick actions (for example, start the camera).

What to do if gestures don’t work or are glitchy

Even when properly tuned, gestures can be incorrect, and here are the typical problems and solutions.

⚠️ Attention: if after turning on full-screen gestures, the screen begins to "twitch" when scrolling, most likely, the shell conflicts. MIUI Try turning off gestures for a particular application in its settings.

If none of these methods worked, try resetting MIUI to factory settings (be sure to back up!) and 90% of the time, this solves the gesture problem.

💡

Before resetting your settings, check if your smartphone has custom firmware (such as Xiaomi.EU or Pixel Experience), in which case the gestures may work differently, and you will need to edit the system files to set them up.

Xiaomi gesture comparisons with other brands: which is better?

The gestures on Xiaomi are often compared to those of Samsung, Google and Apple, and let's see how they differ:

• 🍎 iPhone (iOS):
• 🤖 Google Pixel (Stock Android):
• 🌌 Samsung One UI:

Xiaomi’s main advantage is flexibility, which means you can choose between full-screen and classic gestures, adjust sensitivity, and even disable gestures for individual apps, while those options are either non-existent or severely limited on iPhones or Pixels.

Additional chips: hidden gestures and life hacks

Besides the standard navigation gestures, there are other useful movements in MIUI that many people don’t know about:

• 📸 Quick camera start: double-press the power button (works even on a locked screen).
• 🔍 Screen search: swipe down the home screen causes a search (similar to Spotlight on iPhone).
• 🔕 Quickly shutting down the sound: flip the smartphone screen down (configured in Settings) → Sound).
• 📶 Network switching: Swipe down the retention notification bar will open quick settings.

And MIUI also allows you to create custom gestures to run applications or actions.

1. Open Settings → Additional → Gestures and movements.
2. Select Add Gesture and draw the trajectory on the screen.
3. Set an action (such as starting Google Pay or turning on a flashlight).

These gestures work even on a locked screen, which is convenient for quick access to frequently used features.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Gestures on Xiaomi