How to Include System UI Tuner on Xiaomi

Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones often face the desire to fine-tune the visual component of the MIUI operating system or the new HyperOS. The standard settings menu offers a limited set of options, hiding powerful tools from the eyes of the average user. One of these hidden sections is System UI Tuner, which allows you to manage status bar elements, customize demo mode and change the behavior of animations.

Activating this section on Xiaomi devices is different from standard procedures in “pure” Android. You can’t just click on the firmware version ten times or use the standard switches in the About Phone menu.

In this guide, we will detail how to securely activate System UI Tuner without having to obtain superuser rights, and how to prepare your device, what tools you will need, and what options you can change after successfully activating the hidden menu on your gadget.

What is System UI Tuner and Why You Need It?

System UI Tuner is a hidden partition in the Android operating system, designed for developers and advanced users. It provides access to experimental interface features that are not included in the standard settings menu. On Xiaomi devices, this tool is especially valuable, as it allows you to customize the status bar and lock screen.

The main value of this module is the ability to turn off unnecessary icons at the top of the screen, for example, you can hide the NFC icon, alarm clock or battery level if they interfere with you, and there are also settings for the demo mode, which turns the smartphone into a showcase instance.

It is important to understand that using System UI Tuner does not give you the right to change system files, but allows you to flexibly configure the visual display of UI elements. This is a safe way to personalize your smartphone without violating the warranty and without interfering with the operation of the kernel of the system.

• 🎨 Managing the visibility of icons in the status bar
• ⚙️ Adjust the behavior of the battery charge indicator
• 🔒 Activation of the demonstration mode for windows
• 🚀 Access to hidden interface switches

It is worth noting that the functionality can vary depending on the version of Android and the shell MIUI. On new versions of firmware, some options can be moved or removed by developers.

Preparing the smartphone for modification of settings

Before you start activating hidden functions, you need to properly prepare the device. The first step is to turn on the developer mode. To do this, go to Settings → About Phone and quickly press 7 times on the MIUI version or OS version.

Once the developer mode is activated, a new section will appear on the menu, "Additional" or "Extended Settings", and you need to find the "Developers" item and activate the USB debugging there, without this permission, the computer will not be able to send the necessary commands to the smartphone.

⚠️ Warning: Be careful when changing the settings in the Developer menu. Do not turn off the settings you do not know, as this can lead to system instability.

Also make sure that the device is on. USB-modem or file transfer mode selected when connected to a PC, this will provide a stable connection for transmitting activation commands.

• 📱 Enable the developer mode via "About the phone»
• 💻 Activate debugging on USB developer-menu
• 🔌 Confirm the debugging permission when connecting the cable
• 🔋 Charge the battery to at least 50% before work begins

It is recommended to back up important data, although the procedure for activating the tunneler is safe, and this is a standard precaution in any manipulation of system settings.

Necessary tools and software

To do this, you'll need a computer running Windows, macOS or Linux, and the main tool will be Google's Platform Tools (ADB), an official tool that lets you control your device through the command line.

You don't have to download heavy third-party software. You just have to download the minimum package. ADB From the official Android developer site, after downloading the archive, you need to unpack it into a convenient folder on the disk, for example, in the root of the disk. C:/adb.

Also, make sure that the computer has drivers installed for Xiaomi devices.In most cases, Windows 10 and 11 install them automatically, but if the device is not detected, you will need to manually install drivers through Device Manager.

The use of the original cable is critically important: cheap "charging-only" cables don't transmit data, making it impossible to execute the activation command.

Step-by-step activation instructions via ADB

The process of activating System UI Tuner on Xiaomi is to send one specific command through the ADB interface. Open the folder with the Platform Tools unpacked, press the Shift key and right-click on the empty space, selecting “Open PowerShell window here” or “Open Command Prompt”.

Enter the adb device command to check the connection. On the smartphone screen, you'll see a request for debugging permission -- be sure to click "Allow." The command prompt should display your device's serial number.

Now enter the main command to activate the hidden menu:

adb shell pm enable com.android.systemui

However, modern versions of MIUI and HyperOS often require a command to enable a specific component of the tuner.

adb shell pm enable com.android.systemui.tuner

If the command is successful, you will see a message saying, "Package com.android.systemui.tuner enabled," which means that the module is activated and ready to use, and then you need to restart the smartphone or just exit the settings menu and go back in.

⚠️ Note: If the command returns the “Package unknown” error, then in your firmware version, the component of the tuner has been removed or renamed by the developers.

In some cases, it may be necessary to re-enter the command after the reboot, as the system may reset the component state at start-up.

How to find and use hidden menus

After successful activation and restart of the device, the System UI Tuner section will appear in the settings menu, usually at the bottom of the list of basic settings or inside the About / Special Features section, depending on the shell version.

You go to the tuner menu and you see a list of options available, and you can turn on the battery percentage numerically, change the way you display notifications, or activate the demo mode, and the interface may look ascetic, but the functionality is powerful.

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Take a screenshot of the System UI Tuner settings that opened immediately after activation, and in the future, this will help you remember which settings you changed if the system updates and resets.

One useful feature is to configure the display of icons in the status bar. You can selectively disable the icons of applications that are constantly hanging at the top of the screen, making the status bar cleaner and more informative.

• 👁️ Turning on/off the battery percentage display
• 📶 Setting up the display speed of the Internet connection
• 🔔 Managing the visibility of notification icons
• 🎥 Starting the screen demo mode

Use these settings with caution. Excessive simplification of the interface can cause you to stop noticing important notifications, such as low battery power or missed calls.

Possible problems and ways to solve them

When activating System UI Tuner users can face a variety of difficulties. The most common problem is that the computer can't see the device. In this case, check the cable, try another one. USB-port (preferably) USB 2.0) and make sure that the drivers are installed correctly.

Another common error is to report denial of access, which can occur if the device is on change protection or activated Device Protection mode in your Mi Account. Try temporarily disabling device search in the security settings.

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If the standard ADB command doesn’t work, try an alternative method through a launcher application or specialized utilities like SetEdit, which also require ADB for initial access.

If the menu does not appear after activation, try clearing the Settings and System Interface cache. To do this, go to Settings → Apps → All Apps, find the relevant system processes, and select Clear → All Data.

⚠️ Warning: Cleaning up system application data may reset some of your personalizations, such as wallpaper or widget layout.Be prepared to restore them.

If nothing helps, your version of HyperOS or MIUI may have severe limitations that block the kernel-level tunnel, in which case activation is only possible at the Root-enabled system level, which is not recommended for ordinary users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)