Xiaomi: Enable Long-press Symbols on the Keyboard

Long-press for symbols controls whether the MIUI keyboard shows small hint characters on each key and lets you insert them by holding the key down. When the feature is disabled, keys only produce their main character, no matter how long you press them.

This setting lives inside the keyboard app itself, not in the general display settings, which is why many users search the wrong menu first. The correct path is:

Settings ➔ Additional settings ➔ Languages & input ➔ Manage keyboards ➔ Settings ➔ Preferences ➔ Long press for symbols

Toggle the option to turn hint symbols on or off. In the same menu you can adjust the press duration, the time the system waits before it inserts the hinted character instead of the main one. By default this delay is set to 300 milliseconds, but shortening it can make symbol entry feel faster if you already know where each character sits.

Turn the feature off if long presses keep triggering unwanted symbols while you type normally, especially with third-party keyboards where the extra delay can interrupt fast typing. Turn it on if you regularly need quick access to accents, punctuation or currency signs without switching keyboard layouts.