MIUI explained

MIUI
Screenshot Size:	260px
Collapsible:	y
Developer:	Xiaomi
Family:	Android-like OS (Android-based Linux OS)
Source Model:	Open source (Modified Android Base and Main Framework) with Proprietary components (MIUI Apps and Kits)^[1]
Released:	0.8.16 /
Latest Release Version:	Varies by mobile phone and region.
Latest Preview Version:	V14.0.23.10.8.DEV (Mainland China)
Marketing Target:	Alternative OS replacement for Android devices; Stock firmware for Xiaomi smartphone and tablet
Language:	77 languages (varies by country)
Package Manager:	APK-based
Supported Platforms:	ARMv7, ARM64, MIPS, x86, x64
Kernel Type:	Monolithic (modified Linux kernel)
License:	Proprietary
Succeeded By:	Xiaomi HyperOS
Website:	(Global) (Mainland China)

MIUI is a deprecated mobile operating system by Xiaomi for its smartphones and devices, from 2010 to 2023,^{[2] [3]} prior to the launch of its successor Xiaomi HyperOS.^[4]

MIUI was based on the Android Open Source Project, and served as the basis for other OS deviations by Xiaomi: MIUI for Poco, MIUI Pad, MIUI Watch, and MIUI TV (PatchWall).^[5]

There are different versions for each Xiaomi phone model, and each version has regional variants dependent on where the phone is sold, including China, Europe, Indonesia, India, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Taiwan and Turkey. Xiaomi have also released a few devices running Google's Android One instead of MIUI. Xiaomi devices usually get three Android version updates, but get MIUI updates for four years (less for budget models).

The first MIUI ROM, released in 2010, was based on Android 2.2.x Froyo and was initially developed in China by Xiaomi in its first year of operation. Xiaomi added a number of apps to the basic framework, including Notes, Backup, Music, and Gallery apps.^[6]

An organisation named Xiaomi Europe, using the domain xiaomi.eu and working officially with Xiaomi despite not being affiliated with the Chinese company,^[7] was set up in 2010 as a community for English-language Xiaomi users with phones running MIUI associated with an Android version. The website issues its own stable and weekly versions of Xiaomi MIUI ROMs based on the stable, and on the weekly beta versions of the Chinese ROM.^[7] Installing the xiaomi.eu ROM, however, voids the warranty on Xiaomi phones; according to the xiaomi.eu leader, the official ROM must be flashed and the bootloader locked before returning a device for warranty repair.^[8]

Xiaomi is in the process of replacing MIUI with its new Android-based operating system named HyperOS, which has debuted with the Xiaomi 14 series.^[9]

Google Play services

Google has had disagreements with the Chinese government, and the Great Firewall currently blocks access to all Google services. Since Xiaomi has expanded its operations outside China, MIUI releases for Android devices outside mainland China have Google Play Services and Google Apps such as Gmail, GMaps, YouTube and Google Play pre-installed and functioning as on any other Android device. MIUI global versions are certified by Google, as are all MIUI devices, which ship with Google Play Services since MIUI 12.5.^[10]

Comparison of all MIUI variants

	China		Global		Xiaomi.eu
Languages available	Few, including Chinese and English		Wide selection
Selection of downloadable themes	All		colspan="4"
Drag up search	Yeswith international Bing and selection of Chinese search engines		Google App or Mi Browser		colspan="2"
Smart Assistant	App vault		Google Discover (App Vault in Indonesia, India, Russia and Taiwan)		App vault and Google Discover
Default source of apps	GetApps		Google Play, Mi Picks/GetApps^[11]		Google Play
Xiaomi Cloud services	All		All
Updates	Developer	Stable	Beta	Stable	Dev/Beta	Stable
	No longer available	Usually updated every two months^[12]	No longer available	Usually updated every three months	Updated every Friday	Usually updated every two months
OTA	colspan="2" ; patches are not supported, so a complete new ROM is downloaded each time
Official	Approved by the official distribution in the European Union.
Custom recovery requirement	No				colspan="2" (recovery ROMs only)
Additional features	Optional access to various Chinese online services built-in root support (unlocked bootloader is required)	Optional access to various Chinese online services	Google apps on some ROMs instead of MIUI apps (Dialer, Messages, Contacts, Calendar)		Additional icons for some third-party apps Unlocked some hardware features on selected devices
Supported Xiaomi devices	Majorityexcluding devices never released in PRC Older devices may not be updated		Majorityexcluding devices never released outside PRC Older devices may not be updated

Android

Although MIUI is built on the Android platform, the default user interface of its earlier iterations resembled iOS due to the absence of the application tray,^[13] with a grid of icons arrayed in the home panels. Other iOS similarities include the app icons being in a uniform shape, the dialer and in-call interface, the organization of the Settings app, and the visual appearance of toggles in the UI. This prompted some observers to cite how the devices running on MIUI could appeal to iOS users wanting to switch to the Android platform. By 2018, MIUI was increasingly shifting towards a design aesthetic more similar to stock Android. For instance, several elements in builds of MIUI 10 resemble Android Pie features, such as the multitasking menu and gesture controls.^[14] This change was first seen in MIUI 9 (ver. 8.5.11) that shipped with Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S.^[15]

Another difference from Android is MIUI's support for themes and custom fonts. Users can download theme packs and fonts, which can change the user interface of the device when installed from the Mi Themes Store. It also allows more advanced users to tweak the hard-coded firmware of the handsets.^[16]

Issues

As MIUI's kernel was proprietary, it was in breach of Linux kernel's GPL.^{[17] [18]} The source code of certain components was released to GitHub on 25 October 2013.^[19] Kernel sources for a few devices, including the Mi3, Mi4, MiNote, and Redmi 1S, were released in March 2015.

In order to raise funds for the company, MIUI has its own online services from Xiaomi, including cloud services, paid themes and games. Payments are transacted using the Mi Credit digital currency.^[20]

After the government of India banned over 100 Chinese apps and services in 2020 due to national security and privacy concerns, including some made by Xiaomi, the company developed a separate MIUI version without them for India.^{[21] [22]}

Vulnerabilities

In April 2019, security researcher Arif Khan reported that Xiaomi's browser apps Mi Browser and Mint Browser suffered from a vulnerability that allowed the URL address bar to be spoofed, which affected Indian as well as certain global versions of MIUI. Xiaomi gave Khan a Bug bounty but opted not to fix this issue.^{[23] [24]} In addition, a vulnerability in a wallpaper carousel app Glance on Indian versions of MIUI allowed a user to bypass the lock screen and access clipboard data.^{[25] [26]} This vulnerability was eventually fixed by Xiaomi.

Performance issues

Some users encountered issues such as touch response problems on MIUI 12.5.^[27] Users also complain about overheating, slow performance, drop in framerate, unstable app function and files randomly missing from their phone's storage. The update to MIUI 13 brought several performance improvements.^[28]

Version history

Version	Screenshot	Android version	Date of release	Last Stable release	Initial Beta release	Last Beta release	Notable change
^[29]	2.1		0.8.16			Initial release
	2.1-2.3.6					Redesigned user interface
	2.3.6					Redesigned user interface
	4.0.4 – 4.1.2		ICS24.0^[30]			New user interface Added anti-virus
	4.1.2 – 4.4.2	^[31]	31.0^[32]	3.3.1		New user interface Google Services were removed from the Chinese version
	4.4.2 – 5.0.2	^[33]	6.7.2.0	4.8.29		New user interface Dropped devices running Android Jelly Bean or below
	4.4.2 – 6.0.1	^[34]	7.5.9.0	5.8.12		Locked bootloader on selected old devices and all released afterwards
	4.4.2 – 7.1.2	^[35]	8.5.10.0	6.6.16		Minor changes to the user interface Updated system apps Added support for Second Space and Dual apps.
	4.4.2 – 8.1.0	10 August 2017	9.6.5.0	7.8.10		Minor changes to the user interface Added split screen Improved Notification Shade and QuickCard (currently known as App Vault) New silent mode Added key and gesture shortcuts Added face unlock.
	6.0 – 9	19 June 2018^[36]	10.4.5.0	8.6.14		New notification shade Extended notifications' functionality New recent apps screen, volume control, Clock, Calendar and Notes Higher integration with Xiaomi Minor changes to the user interface Removed black theme (Mi Note 2) Dropped devices running Android Lollipop or below
	7.0 – 10	22 October 2019	11.0.14.0	9.9.24		Dropped devices running Android Marshmallow Based on Android 10 on some devices System-wide dark mode, with dark mode scheduling. Monochrome ultra power saving mode Mi calculator (Pip mode) MIUI Notes App Download New icons Optional app drawer setting for system launcher Smoother animations Status bar optimizations Automatic screenshot management^[37] Added ultra battery saver (China) Opt Out Of Adverts Settings China ROM only first
	9 – 11	27 April 2020	12.2.7.0	20.4.27		Dropped devices running Android Oreo or below Dark Mode 2.0 New gestures and animations (Smoother animations, in boxes) New Icons New notification shade AI help for calls (automatic reply) Super Wallpaper (Planet zoom from always on display to Lockscreen to Homescreen) App drawer for first time More privacy-focused 1-time permission for location, contacts etc. in third-party apps Added floating windows Added ultra battery saver for the global version Added Lite Mode Added Video toolbox. New fingerprint animations^[38] New camera & gallery filters Redesigned app vault
	10 – 12	28 December 2020	12.5.26.0	20.12.25^[39]		Dropped devices running Android Pie New nature sounds of notifications Smoother animations Redesigned app folders Added vertical layout for Recents (only on Android 11) Improvements for Mi Notes Added new Super wallpapers ("Geometry" and "Mount Siguniang") Added heart rate measure using the camera (China only) New Mi Notes icon
	11 – 13	28 December 2021	13.2.8.0 (Mainland China) 13.2.6.0 (Global Market)	21.7.6^[40]		Dropped devices running Android 10 Minor changes to the user interface New widgets New one-handed mode from Android 12 Redesigned App Vault New Mi Sans font (China only) Redesigned Control center New live wallpapers Added sidebar (only phones) Redesigned Game Turbo and Video toolbox Improved multitasking on tablets Mi Smart Hub (China only) Redesigned Notes App^[41] Improved fingerprint animations Improved MIUI Launcher
	12 – 14	11 December 2022	14.1.10.0	14.0.22.12.5.DEV		Dropped devices running Android 11 Minor changes to the user interface New widgets New wallpapers Super Icons (China only) Pets and animals (China only) Photon Engine Razor Project New family share features MIUI Interconnect

See also

• List of custom Android distributions
• Comparison of mobile operating systems
• List of free and open-source Android applications

External links

• Chinese official website
• English official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mi OpenSource . github.com.
2. https://alsgp0.fds.api.xiaomi.com/gl123/XIAOMI/Xiaomi%2013/%E9%87%8F%E4%BA%A7/_M3_%E5%85%A5%E9%97%A8%E6%8C%87%E5%8D%97_en%20ar%20HK_A_20221125.pdf Xiaomi 13 Quick Start Guide
3. Web site: 小米科技的MIUI和手机_通讯与电讯_科技时代_新浪网 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190202234613/http://tech.sina.com.cn/t/2011-07-28/01255847379.shtml . 2 February 2019 . 24 April 2012 . tech.sina.com.cn.
4. Web site: Xiaomi HyperOS.
5. https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-mi-watch-miui-google-wearos/ Xiaomi Mi Watch is unapologetically inspired by the Apple Watch, but costs only $185
6. Web site: MIUI Official English Site. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140409074533/http://en.miui.com/features.php . 9 April 2014 . dmy-all. Live version for current MIUI; archived version for MiUI 5.
7. Web site: Home page, with 'About us' and forum list. Xiaomi European Community. 22 June 2023. 27 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210427151154/https://xiaomi.eu/community/ . live. Updated frequently.
8. Web site: Answer to: Do I have warranty after flashing xiaomi.eu? . ingbrzy, Xiaomi.eu ROM leader . Xiaomi European Community . 24 January 2021 . 28 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210428180102/https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/do-i-have-warranty-after-flashing-xiaomi-eu.59636/#post-587549 . live .
9. Web site: Xiaomi Global Home . 2024-02-03 . Xiaomi.
10. Web site: Android – Certified - Partners. Android. en. 2020-01-31. 24 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200624050031/https://www.android.com/intl/en_in/certified/partners/. live.
11. Web site: Forum . Xiaomi MIUI Official . Mi Picks - pick your next favorite- officially launched! Give us your feedback! - App - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190929060009/http://en.miui.com/thread-317338-1-1.html . 29 September 2019 . 2018-02-15 . en.miui.com.
12. Web site: MIUI ROM Downloads. en.miui.com. 2018-04-28. 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402071920/http://en.miui.com/. live.
13. News: What's the difference between TouchWiz, MIUI, EMUI, OxygenOS, LG UX and standard Android?. Black. Marie. Tech Advisor. 2018-07-31. en-GB. 2 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200602032227/https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/google-android/best-custom-android-uis-2017-custom-ui-vs-android-3651746/. live.
14. News: MIUI 10 To Offer Updated Design, Its User Interface Leaks Androidheadlines.com. 2018-05-29. AndroidHeadlines.com . 2018-07-31. en-US. 4 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804012334/https://www.androidheadlines.com/2018/05/miui-10-to-offer-updated-design-its-user-interface-leaks.html. live.
15. News: Latest MIUI 9 build for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 brings Android P-style UI changes. 2018-05-11. xda-developers. 2018-07-31. en-US. 4 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200804020331/https://www.xda-developers.com/miui-9-xiaomi-mi-mix-2s-redmi-note-5-pro-redesigned-ui/. live.
16. Book: Strategy and Communication for Innovation: Integrative Perspectives on Innovation in the Digital Economy. Pfeffermann. Nicole. Gould. Julie. Springer. 2017. 9783319495408. Cham, Switzerland. 30.
17. News: 小米的MIUI被指违反GPL许可证. 21 November 2012. Solidot. zh. 6 August 2013. 8 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190608210704/http://opensource.solidot.org/article.pl?sid=12%2F11%2F21%2F0241214. live.
18. News: MIUI is accused of non-compliance with free software license, users request MIUI to be free software (MIUI被指责不遵守开源软件协议，网友要求公开源代码). 21 November 2012. tech2ipo. zh. 6 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225202/http://tech2ipo.com/56635. 3 March 2016. dead.
19. Web site: Commits. GitHub. 25 October 2013. 27 January 2014. 4 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190404110858/https://github.com/MiCode/mi2_kernel/commits/master. live.
20. Web site: 删除谷歌，内置杀毒，MIUI终于突破底线. 9 April 2013. 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402075138/http://www.miui.com/thread-534432-1-1.html. live.
21. Web site: Wright . Arol . Xiaomi is rebuilding MIUI for India without any of its banned apps . xda-developers . 8 August 2020 . 8 August 2020 . 8 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200808214504/https://www.xda-developers.com/xiaomi-rebuilding-miui-for-india-without-banned-apps/ . live .
22. Web site: Xiaomi India working on new MIUI version without banned Chinese apps . Android Police . 7 August 2020 . 8 August 2020 . 29 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200829222636/https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/08/07/xiaomi-india-working-on-new-miui-version-without-banned-chinese-apps/ . live .
23. News: Akolawala. Tasneem. 2019-04-05. Xiaomi's Mi Browser, Mint Browser Said to Contain Critical URL Spoofing Security Vulnerability. NDTV. 2020-11-28. 27 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201127035018/https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/xiaomi-mi-mint-browser-cve-2019-10875-critical-url-spoofing-security-vulnerability-reports-2018659. live.
24. News: Merchant. Zaheer. 2019-04-08. Xiaomi warned about critical flaw in its two Android browsers but does nothing. MediaNama. 2020-11-28. 28 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201128144806/https://www.medianama.com/2019/04/223-xiaomi-warned-about-critical-flaw-in-its-two-android-browsers-but-does-nothing/. live.
25. Web site: [Unpatched Vulnerability] CVE-2019-11015: Lock Screen Auth Bypass leading to Sensitive Information Disclosure and an Improper Access Control issue in Xiaomi MIUI OS (latest stable releases affected) - Andmp A blog about infosec, bug hunting and more!]. 2020-11-28. www.andmp.com. 7 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201207004436/https://www.andmp.com/2019/04/unpatched-vulnerability-in-xiaomi-miui-os-lock-screen.html. live.
26. News: Singh. Jagmeet. 2019-04-17. MIUI Lock Screen Vulnerability Provided Access to Clipboard Data, Fix Released. NDTV. 2020-11-28. 7 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201207003526/https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/xiaomi-miui-lock-screen-vulnerability-wallpaper-carousel-glance-2024399. live.
27. Web site: Udin . Efe . 2021-06-24 . MIUI global users complain of touch-screen issues . 2022-09-23 . Gizchina.com . en-US.
28. Web site: Chawake . Anurag . 2022-07-04 . Xiaomi MIUI 13 update bugs, issues, & problems tracker [Cont. updated] ]. 2022-09-23 . PiunikaWeb . en-US.
29. Web site: MIUI 14 锐意新生 . 2023-12-09 . home.miui.com.
30. Web site: MIUI Official English Site - Redefining Android. https://web.archive.org/web/20131206011041/http://en.miui.com:80/download-1.html. dead. 2013-12-06. 2013-12-06. 2018-05-22.
31. Web site: MIUI ROM 3.3.1 Changelog: MIUI V5 for Xiaomi MI2 Released!!! - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum. Forum. Xiaomi MIUI Official. en.miui.com. 10 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211155441/http://en.miui.com/thread-2252-1-1.html. 11 February 2017. dead.
32. Web site: MIUI Stable ROM (Global) KXDMIBF22.0 for MI3-WCDMA/CDMA Changelog & Download - Xiaomi Mi 3 - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum. Forum. Xiaomi MIUI Official. en.miui.com. 2018-05-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20180506103921/http://en.miui.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=32236&highlight=miui+22.0. 6 May 2018. dead.
33. Web site: MIUI ROM 4.8.29 Full Changelog. MIUI 6 Released for Public! (Released) - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum. Forum. Xiaomi MIUI Official. en.miui.com. 10 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081234/http://en.miui.com/thread-39205-1-1.html. 11 February 2017. dead.
34. Web site: About MIUI 7 China ROM 5.8.13. What Device Will MIUI 7 Global ROM Support First? - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum. Forum. Xiaomi MIUI Official. en.miui.com. 10 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075807/http://en.miui.com/thread-144382-1-1.html. 11 February 2017. dead.
35. Web site: MIUI 8 China Developer ROM 6.6.16 Full Changelog & Supported Devices - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum. Forum. Xiaomi MIUI Official. en.miui.com. 10 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075226/http://en.miui.com/thread-294470-1-1.html. 11 February 2017. dead.
36. Web site: MIUI 10首批机型公测下载 - MIUI官方网站. www.miui.com. 2018-06-21. 21 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170821040116/http://www.miui.com/zt/miuirom/download.php. live.
37. Web site: MIUI 11 will introduce new icons, ultra power saving mode, and more. 29 March 2019. 5 April 2019. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824070405/https://www.xda-developers.com/miui-11-new-features/. live.
38. Web site: MIUI 12.1 coming soon. Here are all the what's new! - Tech in Deep. www.techindeep.com. 15 July 2020 . 2 August 2020. 24 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824070406/https://www.techindeep.com/miui-12-1-coming-soon-here-are-all-the-whats-new-58927. live.
39. Web site: MIUI 13 - The Best MIUI Ever – Posts - Facebook. www.facebook.com. 29 December 2022.
40. Web site: Xiaomi MIUI 13 update allegedly begins testing with beta version 21.7.6. piunikaweb.com. 6 July 2021 . 29 December 2022.
41. Web site: MIUI Notes App has changed completely on MIUI 13!. www.xiaomiui.net. 9 April 2022. 26 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220326130721/https://xiaomiui.net/miui-notes-app-has-changed-completely-on-miui-13-everything-new-is-here-15468/. live.