Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often notice a translucent round icon on the screen that can move around the display and respond to clicks. This interface element is called Quick Ball, and it is one of the most underrated tools in the shell of MIUI and HyperOS. Many users ignore it for years, without even realizing that this small “pill” can replace many physical buttons and significantly simplify the control of the device with one hand.
At its core, Quick Ball is an analogue of AssistiveTouch from iOS, adapted to the philosophy of Android and MIUI. It creates a virtual layer on top of all applications, allowing you to instantly call system commands, take screenshots or run applications without having to reach for the edges of the screen. In an environment where the diagonals of smartphones are growing and ergonomics remain the same, this feature becomes not just convenient, but vital for comfortable use of the gadget.
In this article, we will take a closer look at how to activate this tool, what hidden features it holds, and why it should be set up immediately after you buy a new device, and how to turn a standard circle into a powerful remote control that will save you time and prolong the life of the mechanical buttons of a smartphone.
What is Quick Ball and Why is it Necessary?
Quick Ball is a system utility built into the MIUI shell that provides quick access to frequently used functions. Unlike standard widgets, this element is always on top of the windows of running applications, making it available at any time. The main purpose of the function is to minimize physical actions to perform routine tasks.
The main value of Quick Ball is its versatility: you can set it to act as a home, back or even a lock button, which is especially true for models without physical keys or with problematic sensors. It also allows you to run applications or perform complex actions (such as double-pressing for a screenshot) with a single touch.
It's worth noting that this tool doesn't consume much processor resources and has little impact on device autonomy, it only activates when you interact, and it's passive for the rest of the time, making it safe to use even on budget smartphones with little RAM.
It is important to understand the difference between Quick Ball and regular launchers. If the launcher changes the appearance of the desktop, then Quick Ball integrates deeper into the system, allowing you to control the very process of interaction with the OS. This is especially useful when using applications in full-screen mode, where the standard navigation bar can be hidden.
How to activate and activate Quick Ball
Activation of the function takes only a few seconds, but the path to settings may vary slightly depending on the version of MIUI or HyperOS. The standard algorithm of actions involves entering the settings menu, where the advanced system settings are hidden.
Then you go to the Additional Features section (in some versions of the firmware it may be called Advanced Settings), and this is where the switches for the IR remote, One Hand mode and our hero, Quick Ball, are located. Find the corresponding item in the list and move the slider to the active position.
☑️ Quick Ball Incorporation Algorithm
Once turned on, a floating circle will appear on the screen. By default, it can be translucent and blend into the wallpaper so as not to interfere with the view. If you don't see it right away, try brushing off the notification curtain or checking if it's hidden in the corner of the screen. In some cases, you need to reboot the device to make the changes take effect correctly.
⚠️ Warning: If the feature fails to work after turning on or the circle disappears in certain applications (for example, in games), check the settings for Game Mode or Game Turbo.
Adjusting appearance and behavior
Once Quick Ball is activated, it is recommended to immediately switch to fine-tuning it to adapt the tool to your habits. Go to the feature settings menu by clicking on the gear icon or selecting Settings from the ball menu itself, which opens up a wide range of customization options.
First of all, you need to look at transparency. The slider regulates the level of dimming of the circle at rest. If you often forget about its existence, you can make it more visible. If it interferes with viewing in games or when watching videos, increase the transparency to the maximum, then it will only be visible when you touch it.
- 🎨 Design theme: the ability to change the color of the icon so that it is combined with the theme of your smartphone.
- 📏 Size: setting the diameter of the ball for a convenient finger hit on screens of different diagonals.
- 🔄 Position: Selecting the side of the screen where the ball will appear after each concealment (left or right).
And you can set the time interval for Quick Ball to automatically hide in the sidebar so that it doesn't overlap, and this is especially useful when reading books or news feeds, where every millimeter of space is important.
Hidden Transparency Settings
Deeply customize shortcuts and actions
The most powerful part of the functionality is the setting of actions. By default, when you press the ball, you open a menu of 5 shortcuts, but their number and purpose can be completely changed, you can replace the standard items with those that you use really often.
To edit the list, click on the pencil icon or Edit in the shortcut menu. The system will prompt you to choose up to 5 main actions that will be displayed with a short tap. You can place not only system functions, but also the launch of specific applications, which turns Quick Ball into a personal launcher.
Of particular interest are the settings for single, double and long pressing of the ball itself (in some versions of the firmware), which allows you to encode complex actions into simple gestures, for example, double pressing can open the camera, and long pressing can turn on the flashlight.
| Action. | Description of function | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot. | Instantly create a screenshot | To save correspondence and errors |
| Lockdown | Turn off the screen without a power button | To save the life of a physical button |
| Cleaning up memory | Closing of background applications | To accelerate work at lags |
| Screen recording | Start recording what is happening on the display | To create instructions and gameplay |
Keep in mind that the number of shortcuts available for customization is limited to five main shortcuts, but you can create action groups or use sub-menus if your version of MIUI supports such functionality through third-party plugins or scripts.
💡
Use the "Clear Memory" label on Quick Ball if your smartphone starts to slow down in a heavy app, which is faster than climbing the menu of running tasks.
Use of gestures and special commands
Quick Ball is not limited to simple taps; the MIUI shell allows for more complex interactions with a floating element, for example, dragging a ball to a specific area of the screen can activate a split screen or a floating window.
In the Special Features setting, you can often find the option to create your own gestures. You can draw a letter or symbol on the screen off (if supported) or in active mode to launch the application. Although this is more relevant to the general system, Quick Ball often acts as a trigger for such scenarios.
- ✋ Drag: Clip the ball and drag it down for quick access to the control panel.
- 🖱️ Long tap: can be assigned to run the Google Assistant or Xiao voice assistant AI.
- 👆 Double tap: ideal for instant running of voice recorder or calculator.
For advanced users, integration with macros is available. You can configure a scenario where one action in Quick Ball triggers a chain of events: for example, opens the messenger, turns on silent mode and reduces the brightness of the screen at the same time.
⚠️ Warning: When using drag and drop gestures, be careful in games.Accessal displacement of the ball during active play can lead to loss or unwanted exit from the application.
Frequent problems and ways to solve them
Despite the stability of the work, users may encounter situations where Quick Ball behaves incorrectly, most often problems are associated with conflicting versions of applications or a crowded cache of the system. If the ball has disappeared or stopped responding, the first thing you can do is simply reboot your smartphone.
The second common problem is sticking the ball in the corner of the screen or disappearing under the status bar, in which case resetting the settings of the application itself helps. MIUI», It's also worth checking if you've got any updates in the About Phone menu. → Version. MIUI.
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If Quick Ball stopped working after updating the firmware, try disabling and turning it back on in the settings, and then clear the cache of the MIUI Services app.
Sometimes users complain that the ball interferes with games, in which case you do not need to turn off the function completely. Just go to the Security → Game Turbo app and add your games to it. In the Game Turbo settings, you can prevent floating windows and notifications during gameplay.
Comparison with analogues and alternatives
While Quick Ball is a native solution, the Play Market has many third-party counterparts, but Xiaomi’s system solution has several advantages: it is more integrated into the OS, consumes less power and does not require additional permissions to access data.
Third-party counterparts, such as Assistive Touch or Floating Touch, may offer more flexible customization of the look and themes, but often contain ads or require subscriptions. MIUI, randomly.
If you don't have the functionality of a standard Quick Ball, try to first explore all the sections of its settings. In 90% of cases, the built-in functionality is enough for a comfortable work. Using third-party counterparts only makes sense if you need specific macros that are not available in stock firmware.