Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphone owners often face the challenge of changing the standard behavior of physical or screen buttons, whether it’s because of random taps in their pocket, the desire to extend battery life, or simply the need to personalize the interface to suit themselves. The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have flexible tools to manage these settings, but they’re scattered across menus.
In this article, we will take a look at how to turn off the buttons on the shaomi in different contexts, from turning off the keyboard sound to completely blocking the touchscreen, you will learn what settings are hidden in the advanced options and how to use special features for games and children.
Before making changes, it is important to understand the difference between software shutdown and physical damage. All of the methods described below are safe and reversible. We will look at the standard system tools that do not require root rights or flashing the device.
Disabling virtual navigation buttons
Modern Xiaomi smartphones use gesture control by default, but many users are used to the classic three buttons at the bottom of the screen. If you want to remove them to free up useful space, or, conversely, turn them on, if they are missing, you need to turn to the full-screen settings. This is the most frequent request among those who want to change navigation.
To go to the desired section, open Settings, then select Desktop and find System Navigation. Here you will see the switch between Gestures and Buttons. Choosing Gestures mode effectively turns off visible buttons, leaving only a thin bar at the bottom or removing it completely if hidden is enabled.
⚠️ Attention: Switching to gestures may require a short training as the logic of return and call menus will change.
And you can also use the menu to adjust the hidden hint at the bottom of the screen, so if you've picked gestures, but you see an annoying bar, you can make it invisible, but the swipe functionality doesn't change, and it makes the interface cleaner and more minimalist.
- 📱 Open the settings and go to the "Desktop" section".
- 🖱️ Select the item "System Navigation".
- 🔄 Switch the switch to "Gests" to turn off the buttons.
- 👁️ Activate the "Hide the hint" option if you want to remove the strip.
Note that some Android 11 and below models may have different paths, and in these cases, look for the optional section within the navigation menu, which often hides the button order settings (square left or right) and the ability to completely disable the Home button with prolonged pressing, replacing it with a call to Google Assistant or Google Lens.
Blocking touch buttons and screen
The question of how to turn off buttons on the shaomi often involves preventing accidental taps in your pocket or bag. Standard locking of the screen does not always save you if the proximity sensor is closed with fabric. To solve this problem, MIUI has a "pocket mode" function, but it does not always work perfectly.
A more radical method is to use Do Not Disturb mode or special profiles, but gaming utilities or third-party apps are best for a full touchscreen lock. However, there is a built-in way to quickly lock through the control panel. Add the Lock widget to your desktop so that with one touch, you can turn off the screen's response to touch without turning off the phone itself.
💡
To lock the screen instantly without using a physical power button, set up a double tap on the screen to turn it off in the "Additional" -> "Screen Lock" section.
If you're talking about physical volume buttons that might stick or interfere, you can't programmatically turn them off completely without ADB, but you can change their purpose, like reassigning a long press of the volume button to start the camera or flashlight to avoid accidentally activating unnecessary functions.
| Action. | The way is on the menu | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Double touch. | Settings -> Screen lock | Screen switching on/off |
| Up to the ear | Settings -> Screen lock | Screen activation |
| Long press. | Settings -> Additional -> Buttons | Launch of the application |
| Swipe down. | Settings -> Desktop | Opening the notification curtain |
It is important to distinguish between locking the screen and locking the touchscreen. The first extinguishes the matrix and saves charge, the second leaves the screen on (for example, to watch videos), but ignores any touch. To implement the second feature on a permanent basis, Xiaomi is not provided with regular means, you need applications from Google Play.
Setting up physical volume and power buttons
The physical buttons on the body of Xiaomi’s smartphone play a key role in controlling the device, not only does the power button turn the device on and off, but it also serves to call the emergency services menu or Google Assistant. If you accidentally press the assistant when you remove the phone from your pocket, this feature should be turned off.
Go to Settings -> Additional -> Buttons. You can find "Google Assistant Start" here. Turn off the alarm switch if it's activated by the volume buttons when the screen is off, or remove the assistant activation when you press the power button long enough. This will prevent many false positives.
⚠️ Warning: Disabling the call of the off menu with a long press of the power button can lead to difficulties in restarting the got stuck phone. + volume 10-15 seconds.
Special attention should be paid to the gaming triggers on the Black Shark or RedMagic series (although the latter work on their own shell). On the conventional Xiaomi, you can adjust the response of the volume buttons during a call: reset a call or turn off the microphone. These settings are located in the Settings -> Special. capabilities section.
☑️ Checking button settings
For advanced users, reconfiguring buttons via ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is possible, for example, to make the volume button to flip through the pages in the browser, but this method requires a connection to the computer and knowledge of basic commands, which is beyond the standard setting.
Control of keyboard sound and tactile impact
Often, the phrase “turn off buttons” means the annoying sound of clicks when typing. In Xiaomi smartphones, not only the system sound is responsible for this, but also the settings of the keyboard itself, whether it is Gboard or MIUI Keyboard.
To remove the sound, go to Settings -> Sound and vibration. Find the "Additional Sound Settings" or "Screen and Keyboard Lock Sound." You can turn off the touch, lock and keyboard sound separately, and this won't affect the media or volume of the call.
If the system settings didn't help, check the settings of the keyboard application itself. Click on the gear icon on the keyboard panel or go to Settings -> Advanced Settings -> Language and input -> Keyboard management. Select the active keyboard and find "Keystroke Sound" there.
- 🔇 Turn off the slider "Keyboard Sound" in the system settings.
- 📳 Remove the vibration when typing in the same menu.
- ⌨️ Check the keyboard theme settings, some skins have their own sounds.
- 🌐 For Gboard: Settings -> Settings -> Pressed sound.
Also worth mentioning is the tactile recoil (vibration), which many users want to turn off because it consumes battery power and creates noise. In the Sound and Vibration section, there's a separate slider called "Vibration on touch," which will make typing silent and smooth.
Secret vibration setting
Parental control and button restriction for children
If a smartphone falls into the hands of a young child, there is a risk of accidental call, in-app purchases or resetting settings. MIUI has a built-in Second Space or Visit mode, but it is better to use the Security app or third-party launchers to tightly lock the buttons.
Parental Control allows you to limit your use time and disallow app installation, but it doesn't block physical buttons completely. To create a "video only" or "only one game" mode, use App Pinning. It's available in Settings -> Passwords and Security -> Advanced Settings -> App Attachment.
When this feature is activated, you can glue one app to the entire screen, and only exit it with a combination of buttons (usually "Back" and "Menu" at the same time or a retention swipe), which is difficult for a child to do by accident, which is the perfect way to turn off the ability to switch between programs.
⚠️ Warning: To exit the fixed application, you always need to unlock the device (pin code, fingerprint or pattern lock). Make sure you remember the access code before activating this feature.
There are also specialized baby shells that completely change the interface, leaving only large icons of allowed games and cartoons. In such shells, physical volume buttons are often reprogrammed to adjust the volume only within the allowed content, ignoring system commands.
Special opportunities and alternative management
For people with disabilities or for specific use cases, there is a feature menu on Android, which can completely change the logic of the buttons, such as enabling gesture control for people with hand tremors, where the phone responds to head movements rather than touching.
The Universal Switch allows you to connect an external Bluetooth keyboard or button and assign it actions on the screen, in which case the touch buttons on the screen can be ignored by controlling the smartphone with an external device, which is relevant for people with motor impairments.
Another useful option is Quick Commands, and you can set up a scenario where you triple-press the power or volume button and you do a complex macro, which is turn off Wi-Fi, turn on air mode, and turn off the screen, and you can turn off the extra actions by replacing them with one that works.
💡
The use of special features allows you to reassign the functions of the buttons for people with disabilities, making the smartphone more affordable.
Remember that deep customization is possible through the installation of third-party launchers, such as Nova Launcher or Microsoft Launcher.They allow you to hide the bottom navigation bar even where it is forbidden by the system, or change the behavior of volume buttons when the screen is off.