It’s been said many times that people prefer stock Android over other skins, primarily because of its simplicity and richness. One such area where the MIUI falls flat is the notification panel. If you have used a stock Android device or even a Samsung or OnePlus phone, you’d be familiar with what I’m saying. For the unaware, MIUI doesn’t support single swipe on the notifications to expand them. You have to use two fingers to swipe-to-expand notifications. This is inconvenient and the issue doesn’t end here.
While the swipe-to-expand gesture using two fingers works for third-party apps such as Microsoft SMS Organizer, Truecaller, WhatsApp etc., it somehow doesn’t work for all the apps, including the stock SMS app. So, if you’re also annoyed by the MIUI notification panel and want to expand notifications on your Redmi devices such as Redmi Note 4, Note 5, Redmi 4 etc., we are here to help you.
Expand Notifications With One Finger
To solve the above problem, you need to download a third-party app that goes by the name Material Notification Shade. It’s available for free on the Play Store with in-app purchases for extra benefits. This app replaces the MIUI notification panel with the stock Android panel. It also gives you the option to choose between Nougat and Oreo layouts. Thanks to this app, you can now access all the stock Android notification features on your Redmi devices. Here are the steps to use this app: Step 1: Install the Material Notification Shade app from the Play Store. Download Material Notification Shade Step 2: Launch the app and turn the toggle on at the top. You will be taken to the Settings screen where you have to grant necessary permissions to the app. Tap each permission and enable them on their respective screens. Once you have granted all the three permissions, tap the Done button. That’s all you have to do. Now, just swipe down from the top of the screen and you will find the new notification panel.
Lock the App
If you find the old MIUI notification panel coming back again and again, it’s due to the fact that MIUI is killing the Material Notification Shade app. To avoid this, you will have to lock this app in memory. Thankfully, MIUI makes it easy to lock apps in memory. To lock the Material Notification Shade app, follow these steps: Step 1: Open the Material Notification Shade app and tap the Home button. Step 2: Tap the Recent apps button on your phone. Locate the Material Notification Shade app and drag it downwards. You will see a small Lock icon appear on top of the app. Now, even if you clear the RAM, the app will still stay in memory and you can use the notification panel every time. To unlock an app, drag the locked app downwards again. However, keep in mind that you will have to reopen the app whenever you restart your phone.
Access the Notification Panel From Anywhere
If you have a habit of swiping anywhere on the screen to bring down the notification shade, you are in trouble. Why, you ask? Well, because the Material Notification Shade app doesn’t work everywhere. It only works if you swipe from the top of the screen. However, there is a workaround to make this work. For that, you will have to download Nova Launcher Prime on your Redmi device. After installing the app and setting it as your default launcher, you have to make the following changes in the Nova settings. Step 1: Open Nova Launcher settings and tap Gestures & inputs. Step 2: Tap on Swipe down followed by Shortcuts tab. Scroll down and select the Material Shade notification option. Now, you can use the stock Android notification panel from anywhere. Enjoy!
Customize the Notification Panel
The Material Notification Shade app lets you customize the layout of the notification panel. You can choose the panel theme (Nougat, Oreo) and the notification theme (Light, Dark, Colored, and System default). Moreover, you can customize individual colors for background, foreground, notification background etc. If you want more, the app also lets you choose a background image for the panel. One cool thing that I like about the app is the Auto expand notifications feature. With this feature, you don’t need to swipe the notification to expand it, the notifications will be expanded automatically.
Any Thoughts?
Do let us know your thoughts about the above methods. If you know any other similar app, kindly let us know in comments below. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
