Xiaomi Mi A1: How to turn off the navigation buttons

Owners of Xiaomi Mi A1 smartphones often face a situation where the standard behavior of the operating system does not correspond to personal preferences. One of these features is the constant or prolonged illumination of the touch navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen. This can cause discomfort in the dark or simply distract from using the interface. Since the device is based on Android One, the settings familiar to the MIUI shell may be absent or hidden here.

Fortunately, there are several proven ways to solve this problem without obtaining superuser rights. In most cases, it is enough to activate the developer mode or use third-party utilities that allow you to flexibly control the behavior of hardware elements. It is important to understand that at the hardware level, you can not completely extinguish diodes, but you can minimize the glow time to zero. We will look at all the available methods, from simple switches in the menu to more advanced system settings.

Before we make any changes, it’s worth noting that turning off the backlight can affect the phone’s usability in low light conditions.However, for many users, black screen aesthetics and energy savings are priorities. Next, we’ll take a detailed look at each step needed to achieve the desired result on your Mi A1.

Features of navigation in Android One on Xiaomi

Xiaomi Mi A1 is one of the first devices of the brand to run on “pure” Android. Unlike other models of the company, it uses the standard three-button navigation characteristic of the reference Android. Back, Home and Application Menu buttons have physical or capacitive backlighting, which lights up when you touch the screen or receive a notification.

The standard Android One display settings often lack a direct button light switch.This is done by Google developers to unify the experience of using across different devices. Xiaomi Mi A1 user may find that the keyboard or screen backlight slider does not affect the bottom row of touch elements.This is normal and is not a defect of the device.

To control these parameters, the system provides advanced features through the developer menu, which is where key settings are hidden to change the button timeout. Without activating this mode, the user can only access basic functions, such as changing brightness or interface themes, but not control lighting.

Activation of the developer mode

The first and mandatory step to access hidden features is to turn on the developer mode. It's a secure procedure that doesn't require data resets or complex software. You just need to click on a certain setting several times in the About Phone menu.

Follow the following steps to activate the hidden menu:

• 📱 Open the Settings app on the main screen.
• 📄 Scroll down and select About Phone.
• 🔍 Find the line Build number (Build number).
• 👆 Quickly click on this line 7 times in a row.

After the seventh press, the system will give you a message that you have become a developer. PIN-From now on, the main settings menu, usually just below the About phone section or in the System category, will have a new Developer Item.

Setting up time-out buttons through the developer menu

Once you activate the developer mode, you'll see a wide range of settings that affect how the system works, and we're interested in the setting that regulates the time when buttons are illuminated after touching, and in the standard state, this interval can be a few seconds, which creates a non-switching backlight effect.

To change this behavior, go to the System → For Developers menu. In the list that opens, you need to find an item that can be called “Button Backlight Timeout” or “Button Backlight Timeout.” In some versions of the Xiaomi Mi A1 firmware, this option can be hidden in the Input submenus or called Hardware Backlight Timeout.

Select the minimum possible value, usually 0.5 seconds or Turn off. If you select Turn off, the buttons will only light up when you touch your finger directly and go out instantly, creating the illusion of completely turning off the backlight, since the diodes will not burn at rest.

⚠️ Attention: The developer menu contains critical system settings. Do not change settings that you do not know the purpose of, as this can lead to unstable work Xiaomi Mi. A1.

Use of third-party applications for management

If the built-in tools don't work, or if the settings are not available in your Android version, Google Play Store apps come to the rescue. There are many tools designed specifically to customize the navigation bar, which work on top of the system and allow you to flexibly customize the look and behavior of the buttons.

One popular solution is the Button Mapper app, or analogues like Navigation Bar. These programs require special permissions through ADB or built-in Android capabilities to access the system. Once installed, you can not only turn off the backlight, but also reassign button functions, adding, for example, double-press to start the camera.

When choosing an app, pay attention to the reviews and the date of the last update. For Xiaomi Mi A1 with its specific implementation of Android One, applications that support root-free work are important. Installation of such software takes a couple of minutes, and the functionality of the device is significantly expanded.

Impact of energy saving on lighting

It’s worth mentioning that Android’s energy saving mode can also affect backlight performance, where when the battery is below a certain level (usually 15% or 20%), the system automatically goes into saving mode, in which all lights, including navigation buttons, are forced to decline in brightness.

You can artificially activate this mode to see if the behavior of the buttons changes. To do this, go to Settings → Battery and turn on Power Saving Mode. This will not only prolong the life of the Xiaomi Mi A1, but also make the backlighting less intrusive. However, it is worth remembering that this mode also limits the background activity of the applications and the frequency of the processor.

Some users create automated scenarios (via applications like Tasker) that enable power saving mode only to control the backlight, leaving the system performance unchanged. This requires more knowledge, but gives full control over the device.

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For maximum power savings at night, turn on Do Not Disturb mode and turn the phone downwards, which will prevent the screen from accidentally turning on and highlighting buttons from notifications.

Possible problems and solutions

When you set up, you might find that the buttons are not responsive or are not being predictable, for example, when you set the minimum timeout, it might seem like the backlight is not working at all, when it's actually just blinking too fast, and if you accidentally knocked down the settings and the interface became uncomfortable, you can always go back to the factory settings.

To reset the developer menu settings, simply turn off the switch at the top of this menu. Any changes you make to the Developer section will be voided and the system will return to its default state. This is a safe way to roll back the changes without losing any personal data.

If the problem is hardware-based, such as one of the buttons burning constantly even when the screen is off, it may indicate a malfunction of the plume or power controller, in which case software methods will not help, and you will need to diagnose in the service center.

⚠️ Warning: Constantly burning backlights when the phone is off can cause the battery to run deep in a few days.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The most effective way to control backlighting is to use the “Developers For” menu, where you can set a minimum timeout, creating the effect of a complete shutdown without losing functionality.