Owners of Redmi and Poco smartphones often aim to personalize their device to make it look unique. One of the first things to look at when unlocking the screen is the top panel with the clock, battery and notifications. Standard white or black can get boring quickly, especially if you like bright and custom solutions. Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the newer HyperOS provide ample opportunities to customize the appearance of the system.
Changing the color of the status bar is not just a matter of aesthetics, it's also a way to improve the readability of information on contrasting wallpaper. In some cases, standard settings may not meet the user's requirements, and then you have to resort to more advanced methods. You don't have to be a programmer or have root rights to make changes. You just need to carefully study the tools available and follow several steps consistently.
In this article, we'll look at all the ways you can transform the top of your smartphone, look at the full-time theme features, work with system fonts, and use specialized applications, learn to distinguish between secure customization methods and those that may require caution, and prepare to turn your gadget's interface into a piece of digital art.
Personalization capabilities in MIUI and HyperOS
Modern versions of Xiaomi firmware offer a built-in style changer that is often overlooked, and the main tool here is the Themes app, which is pre-installed on each device, allowing you to change not only wallpaper, but also system icons, sounds and, importantly for us, the style of the status bar. To get started, you need to launch the app and go to the Profile section.
The user profile has a button called "Tune theme" where you can select the specific interface elements you want to change. If you select the "Status Bar" option, the system will offer several different design options. These can include changing the shape of the battery indicator, the style of the watch and, in some themes, the color range of icons. However, it is worth noting that without setting the full theme, the color of the icons themselves (Wi-Fi, signal) often remains standard.
To better adjust the background color of the status bar, you can use Read Mode or Paper Wallpaper, but this is only a partial solution. Fully changing the color of the elements on a permanent basis requires the use of complex themes. System constraints do not allow you to simply choose any color from the palette through standard screen settings. So creating or downloading a third-party theme is the most effective standard method.
💡
Before installing a new theme, be sure to take a screenshot of the current screen so that you can quickly recall what important notifications looked like if necessary.
Using Themizers to Change the Color of Elements
The most popular and safest way to change the color of the status bar is to use third-party theme theme, the most famous application in this niche is zTheme, which allows you to install themes created for older versions of MIUI, or themes with advanced access rights to system interface files.
You need to download it first. APK-The theme application file is from a trusted source, and you need to give it special permissions after you install it, usually through the Permissions menu in your Android settings, or through a special menu inside the app itself that will redirect you to your system settings. Without these rights, the program will not be able to replace the system files of registration.
- 📱 Download and install the zTheme app or similar theme from a proven resource.
- 🔐 Give the app all the permissions you have requested, including access to storage and displaying on top of other windows.
- 🎨 Find a theme in the catalog with the desired status bar color (often these are tagged with Status Bar or Color").
- ⚙️ Click the “Apply” button and follow the instructions on the screen to reboot the interface.
After applying the theme, the device can lose an image for a few seconds or show a black screen – this is a normal process of rebooting the SystemUI system process. If the color has not changed after the reboot, the theme may not be compatible with your version of Android or MIUI. In this case, it is worth trying another theme or updating the the theme application itself to the latest version.
☑️ Checking before setting the topic
Customization through changing system fonts
Few people know, but the color of some status bar elements, especially hours and dates, is directly dependent on the system font you choose. The Xiaomi theme store has thousands of free fonts, many of which are colored, and it's a simple but effective way to make a variety without installing heavy themes that change the entire interface.
To use this method, open the Themes app and switch to the Fonts tab. You can search for keywords like Color, Neon or Red to find fonts with the desired shade. When choosing a font, pay attention to the preview: if the preview clock has changed color, then this font will be suitable for your purpose. Once you install the font, the changes will take effect instantly.
⚠️ Note: Some color fonts may not be readable in light backgrounds. Make sure the font you choose is contrasted with your wallpaper, otherwise it will be difficult to tell the time.
And you have to consider that changing the font affects not only the status bar, but also the entire text in the system: menus, messages, browser. So choose the font carefully so that it doesn't tire your eyes when you use your smartphone for a long time. If you only need color font for a watch, this method can be too invasive for the rest of the system.
What to do if the font is not used?
Comparison of methods of changing the interface
The choice of how to change the color of the status bar depends on your goals and level of training. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Staff themes are safe but limited in scope. Third-party theme engines give complete freedom, but require careful installation. Fonts are a compromise option that changes only text elements.
The table below provides a detailed comparison of the basic techniques so you can choose the most suitable for your situation.
| Method | Difficulty | Security | Coverage of changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing topics | Low. | Tall. | Partial |
| Themes (zTheme) | Medium | Medium | Complete. |
| Systemic fonts | Low. | Tall. | Only text |
| Manual modification | Tall. | Low. | Complete. |
For most users, the best choice is to use a combination of theme and customization, which allows you to achieve the desired visual effect without the risk of damaging the operating system, and do not neglect security for the sake of beauty, especially if you are not sure about the source of files for modification.
💡
The fastest way to change the color of the watch is to set a color font, and changing the network icons and battery will require a full theme.
Technical limitations and version compatibility
It is important to understand that the ability to change the color of the status bar is highly dependent on the version of Android and the shell MIUI or HyperOS. On newer versions of Android (12, 13, 14), Google implements strict restrictions on customizing the system interface for security purposes. This means that old themes created for MIUI 11 or 12 may not work correctly or cause crashes.
In addition, regional firmware (Global, China, EEA) also affects feature availability. Chinese firmware often has more out-of-the-box customization options, whereas global versions may be more conservative. If you use global firmware, some themes from the Chinese store may not be installed without additional manipulation of the region.
- 📉 Android 14.+ The status bar rendering mechanism has been changed, which breaks compatibility with many old themes.
- 🌍 Changing the region in your phone settings (to China or India) could open up access to additional themes in the store.
- 🔄 Updating the system to a new version MIUI frequently resets applied third-party themes, requiring their re-installation.
⚠️ Warning: Trying to install a theme designed for another version of Android can result in a "bootloop" (cyclic reboot) or the status bar disappearing.Always check the theme compatibility in the description.
Possible problems and ways to solve them
You may encounter a number of common problems when you change the color of the status bar, and most users complain that the clock becomes unreadable or notification icons disappear after applying the theme, and that image artifacts or time desynchronization may appear, and in most cases these problems are solved by rebooting or reverting to a standard theme.
If the status bar is gone completely or is not displayed correctly, the first thing you do is try to reboot the smartphone to Safe Mode. This usually requires you to press the off button, and then hold your finger on the "Off" item on the screen for a long time until you are prompted to go to Safe Mode, in which third-party themes are turned off, and you can delete the problem file.
Another common problem is the conflict between several installed theme themes, so if you used different apps to change the look, they could rewrite the same system files, and then cleaning the theme and security app data through the app settings menu will help.