Touch Assistant in Xiaomi: what you need and how to use it

Have you ever noticed on your Xiaomi or Redmi screen a small translucent circle that appears when you touch it? That's the touch assistant, one of the most underrated but useful features. MIUI. Many users either don’t know it exists or turn it off “just in case” as unnecessary, but it can make it much easier to interact with your smartphone, especially if you have a thumb, a cracked screen, or just want to control your device faster.

In this article, we will go into detail about what the touch assistant in Xiaomi is for, what tasks it solves, how to set it up correctly for your needs - and why some users prefer to turn it off. You will also learn about the hidden features of the feature that are not written even in the official instructions. Spoiler: it is not just a virtual back button, as many people think!

What is a touch assistant in Xiaomi and what it looks like

The Touch Assistant (some firmware called Floating Button or Assistive Touch) is a virtual control panel that appears on top of any interface. MIUI 14 and newer, with a Xiaomi icon that you can drag around the edges of the screen.

Initially, the function was borrowed from Apple (where it is called AssistiveTouch), but Xiaomi adapted it to the needs of users. MIUI, And you can add some unique features, like the Xiaomi touch assistant:

• 🔄 Quick return to the home screen (similar to the Home button)
• 🔙 Back (replacement of gesture or back buttons)
• 📱 Opening the notification panel (without swipe on top)
• 🔍 Google Search Call or Mi Search
• ⚡ Quick App Launch (up to 5 Favorite Programs)

The appearance and location of the assistant can be changed, for example, in the Settings. → Special facilities → Touch assistant options are available for transparency, size and even animation appearance, POCO F5 Or the Redmi Note 12 Pro.+) The function is hidden in the menu Additional settings → Buttons and gestures.

The main functions of the sensory assistant: why it is really needed

Many people mistakenly believe that touch assistant is only for replacing mechanical buttons, but in fact, its capabilities are much wider – especially if you are actively using one hand smartphone with a large screen (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi). K60 Pro. Here are real-world scenarios where it's irreplaceable:

Important nuance: in MIUI 14+ The sensory assistant can recognize double touch and hold, which allows you to assign separate commands to these actions (for example, double tap - screenshot, retention - voice assistant), this feature is absent in older versions of the firmware.

Another benefit is battery savings, because if you have navigation gestures on, it keeps track of swipes at the bottom of the screen, and the Touch Assistant reduces that load by only activating it by direct touch.

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If you have a Xiaomi Pad 6 or another tablet, the touch assistant can be used as a mouse replacement – assign a context menu call (hold) and scroll (up/down swipe) to it.

How to turn on and configure touch assistant on Xiaomi

You can activate the function in two ways: through settings of special features or through the laboratory. MIUI (For advanced users, let's look at both.

Method 1: Standard incorporation

1. Open the Settings. → Special facilities.
2. Select Touch Assistant (in some firmware – Floating button).
3. Activate the switch at the top of the screen.
4. Customize the appearance: size, transparency, position (left or right).

Method 2: Through the laboratory MIUI (optional)

This method gives access to hidden settings, such as changing the color of a button or assigning user actions.

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and tap the MIUI version 7 times.
2. Go back to Settings → Additional → MIUI Lab.
3. Find the Touch Assistant section and activate Advanced Settings.
4. Up to 5 user actions can be assigned (e.g., starting Google Assistant or opening Quick Ball).

Once enabled, we recommend setting up the exceptions immediately, a list of applications where the assistant will automatically hide (for example, in games or full-screen videos). → Exceptions.

Insert the function in “Special Opportunities” |

Assign basic actions (home, back, notifications)|

Customize the appearance (size, transparency)|

Add exceptions for games and videos|

Try a double touch for a screenshot-->

Hidden Opportunities: What a Sensory Assistant Can Do That You Didn't Know

Most users use the touch assistant only for basic activities, but it contains a few useful features:

• 🔄 Quick switching between the latest applications: swipe on the assistant left / right (similar to the gesture of navigation).
• 📸 Screenshot with one touch: assign a double tap to create a screenshot (in the assistant settings).
• 🔊 Volume adjustment: in advanced settings, you can add a volume slider directly to the assistant menu.
• 🌙 Night mode in one click: set to hold on the inclusion of dark theme or reading mode.
• 🔒 Lock screen: add the button to the assistant menu (useful if the power button does not work).

Another little-known feature is dragging the assistant off the screen, if you have a smartphone with curved edges (like Xiaomi). 13T Pro), you can "hide" the button behind the side edge so that it does not interfere, but appears when swiping.

For owners. POCO And Black Shark has a bonus: you can add macros to the assistant menu, for example, assign a double-touch activation of the performance mode or start a gameplay record.

Why some users are turning off the touch assistant

Despite the obvious benefits, about 30% of Xiaomi users prefer to deactivate this feature.

⚠️ Note: If you are using a smartphone with AMOLED-And if you look at the screen, if you're constantly displaying a translucent circle, you can burn-in in that area, and it's minimal, but it's still present.

• 👆 Interferes with games: Even if you add the game to exceptions, sometimes the assistant accidentally activates during intense swipes.
• 🎨 It spoils the aesthetics: not everyone likes the extra element on the screen, especially on wallpaper with minimalist design.
• 🔋 Battery consumption: although the impact is minimal, some users fundamentally turn off everything "excessive».
• 🤖 Gesture conflict: If you’re used to swipe navigation, the assistant may be confusing.
• 🛠️ Bugs in firmware: in some versions MIUI assistant spontaneously disappears or duplicates touches.

If you decide to disable the function, do so through Settings. → Special facilities → Touch Assistant. Alternatively, use navigation gestures or a virtual button bar (included in Settings) → Display. → Virtual buttons).

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The touch assistant is particularly useful on larger screen devices (6.7" or more) or sensor issues. On compact smartphones (such as the Xiaomi 13 mini), its benefits are less noticeable.

How to Use Touch Assistant to Control Xiaomi Smart Home

Few people know, but the touch assistant can be integrated with the Mi Home ecosystem, allowing you to control smart devices directly from your smartphone screen without opening the app.

1. Make sure your smartphone and smart devices (Xiaomi Smart Lamp, Mi Robot Vacuum, etc.) are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and linked to the same Mi Account.
2. Open the Settings. → Special facilities → Touch assistant → Setting up the menu.
3. Add to the list of actions the item Smart home (in the MIUI 14+ It's called Mi Home Control).
4. Now, when you press the assistant, you can turn on / off the lights, start the robot vacuum cleaner or control the air conditioner.

For convenience, you may designate:

• 💡 Single touch – switching on/off the last device used.
• 🔄 Double-touch – Launch your favorite script (e.g., Evening Mode»).
• 🏠 Retention – Opening a full list of Mi Home devices.

This is especially useful if you use your smartphone as a smart home control panel, for example, lying on the couch, you can turn off all the lights in the apartment with one touch or start cleaning with a robot vacuum cleaner.

Problem Solving: The assistant doesn't work, lags or disappears

If the sensory assistant is unstable, here is the diagnostic and problem-solving algorithm:

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI If you're not using the sensor assistant, try resetting it to the factory settings, and then you turn it off and back on in Special Options, 90 percent of the time, that solves the problem.

If nothing helps, check if the feature is disabled at the system level.In some regional firmware (for example, for Europe), the touch assistant may be blocked due to Google's policy (as it was with the Xiaomi Mi 11 in 2021). In this case, the reflashing to the global or Chinese version will help. MIUI.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the touch assistant in Xiaomi