MIUI
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Developer | Xiaomi |
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OS family | Android |
Working state | Active |
Source model | Open source (Android Base and Main Framework) with Proprietary components (Miui Apps and Kits) |
Initial release | 0.8.16 / 16 August 2010 |
Latest release | 13.0.12.0 (Mainland China) 13.0.3.0 (Global Market) / 23 January 2022 |
Latest preview | [13] 22.1.19 (Mainland China) / 19 January 2022 |
Marketing target | Alternative OS replacement for Android devices; Stock firmware for Xiaomi mobile devices |
Available in | 77 languages (varies by country) |
Platforms | 32-bit ARM, MIPS, x86, x64 |
Kernel type | Monolithic (modified Linux kernel) |
License | Apache License 2.0 GNU General Public License v3 Proprietary |
Official website | en |
MIUI (pronunciation: Me You I)[1] is a modified Android ROM[2] developed by electronics manufacturer Xiaomi for its smartphones. This is a fork of the Android OS.[3] MIUI includes various features such as theme support.[4] There are different versions for each Xiaomi phone, and each version has variants according to the regions in which the phone is sold, such as Chinese, Global, EEA, Pakistan, Russian, Indonesian, Indian, Taiwan and Turkish.
Xiaomi has released some smartphones with Android One while others have MIUI, based on the current version of Android. Xiaomi devices usually get three Android version update, but get MIUI updates for four years.[5]
The first MIUI ROM was based on Android 2.2.x Froyo and was initially developed in the Chinese language by Chinese startup Xiaomi Tech.[6] Xiaomi added a number of apps to the basic framework, including their Notes, Backup, Music, and Gallery apps.[7]
An organisation named Xiaomi Europe (xiaomi.eu), not a part of Xiaomi, was set up in 2010 as a community for English-language MIUI Android and Xiaomi products. xiaomi.eu works officially with Xiaomi on app translations and bug fixing. xiaomi.eu issues its own versions of Xiaomi MIUI ROMs, based on the stable and weekly beta versions of the Chinese ROM.[8] Installing the xiaomi.eu ROM 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.[9]
MIUI and Google Play services[]
Google has had disagreements with the Chinese government, and access to many Google services is blocked. MIUI does not ship with Google Play Services in mainland China. However, 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, Google Maps, Google Play Store pre-installed and functioning as on any other Android device. MIUI global versions are certified by Google.[10]
Comparison of all MIUI variants[]
China | Global | xiaomi.eu | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Languages available | Few, including Chinese and English | Wide selection | |||||
Selection of downloadable themes | All | Some | |||||
Drag up search | Yes
with international Bing and selection of Chinese search engines |
Mi Browser (official) | Yes | ||||
Smart Assistant | App vault | ||||||
Default source of apps | GetApps | Google Play
Additionally in India: Mi Picks (renamed to Apps)[11] / Getapps |
Google Play | ||||
Mi Cloud services | All | Some | All | ||||
Updates | Developer | Stable | Beta | Stable | Dev/Beta | Stable | |
Highest priority.
Updated every Thursday |
Usually updated every two months[12] | No longer available | Usually updated every two months | Updated every Friday | Usually updated every two months | ||
OTA | Yes | Yes; patches are not supported, so a complete new ROM is downloaded each time | |||||
Official | Yes (made by Xiaomi) |
Approved by the official distribution in the European Union.[8] | |||||
Custom recovery requirement | No | Yes | |||||
Additional features |
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Optional access to various Chinese online services |
| ||||
Supported Xiaomi devices | Majority
excluding devices never released in PRC Older devices may not be updated |
Majority
excluding devices never released outside PRC Older devices may not be updated |
MIUI vs Android[]
Although the 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.[13] By 2018, MIUI was increasingly shifting towards a design aesthetic more similar to the stock Android. For instance, several elements in the MIUI 10 build resemble Android Pie features such as the multitasking menu and gesture controls.[14] This change was first seen in the MIUI 9 (ver. 8.5.11) that shipped with the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S. The MIUI firmware already looked like stock Android P.[15]
Another difference from Android is the MIUI's support for themes and custom fonts. Users can download theme packs and fonts, which can change the user interface of the device once installed from the Mi Themes Store. It allows advanced users to tweak the hard-coded firmware of their handsets.[16]
Issues[]
MIUI's kernel was proprietary, and in breach of Linux kernel's GPL.[17][18] Source code for 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.[20]
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 MiCredit digital currency.[21]
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 MIUI version without them for India.[22][23]
Many users also reported incorrect display in dark mode, higher battery consumption and unresponsive touch issue. MIUI 12 bugs have grown over the last few years on almost all the Redmi, Xiaomi and Poco devices, be it older or newer ones.[24] The company is yet to officially release any statement.[25]
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.[26][27] 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.[28][29] This vulnerability was eventually fixed by Xiaomi.[29]
Version history[]
Version | Screenshot | Android version | Date of release | Last Stable release | Initial Beta release | Last Beta release | Notable change |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MIUI V1 | 2.1 |
16 August 2010 | N/A | 0.8.16 | Unknown |
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MIUI V2 | 2.1-2.3.6 |
Unknown | N/A | Unknown | Unknown |
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MIUI V3 | 2.3.6 | Unknown | N/A | Unknown | 2.4.20 |
| |
MIUI V4 | 4.0.4 – 4.1.2 | Unknown | ICS24.0[30] | Unknown | 3.2.22 |
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MIUI V5 | 4.1.2 – 4.4.2 | 1 March 2013[31] | 31.0[32] | 3.3.1 | 4.12.5 |
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MIUI 6 | 4.4.2 – 5.0.2 | 29 August 2014[33] | 6.7.2.0 | 4.8.29 | 5.8.6 |
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MIUI 7 | ![]() |
4.4.2 – 6.0.1 | 13 August 2015[34] | 7.5.9.0 | 5.8.12 | 6.5.26 |
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MIUI 8 | ![]() |
4.4.2 – 7.1.2 | 16 June 2016[35] | 8.5.10.0 | 6.6.16 | 7.7.20 |
|
MIUI 9 | ![]() |
4.4.2 – 8.1.0 | 10 August 2017 | 9.6.5.0 | 7.8.10 | 8.5.24 |
|
MIUI 10 | ![]() |
6.0 – 9 | 19 June 2018[36] | 10.4.5.0 | 8.6.14 | 9.9.6 |
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MIUI 11 | 7.0 – 10 | 22 October 2019 | 11.0.14.0 | 9.9.24 | 20.3.26 |
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MIUI 12 | ![]() |
9 – 11 | 27 April 2020 | 12.2.7.0 | 20.4.27 | 20.12.10 |
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MIUI 12.5 | 10 – 12 | 28 December 2020 | 12.5.14.0 | 21.1.14 | 21.12.9 |
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MIUI 13 | 11 – 12 | 28 December 2021 | 13.0.12.0 | 21.12.27 | 21.12.29 |
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See also[]
- List of custom Android firmware
- Comparison of mobile operating systems
- List of free and open-source Android applications
References[]
- ^ About MIUI Video on YouTube
- ^ What is MIUI?, retrieved 6 April 2021
- ^ "小米科技的Miui和手机_通讯与电讯_科技时代_新浪网".
- ^ MIUI Official English Site, en.miui.com, archived from the original on 15 February 2014, retrieved 16 March 2014
- ^ Xiaomi Phone with MIUI OS: a $310 Android with 1.5 GHz dual-core SoC and other surprises, Engadget, 16 August 2011, retrieved 17 September 2011
- ^ Jason Lim (14 April 2011), MIUI, Lei Jun, TechNode, retrieved 17 January 2012
- ^ MIUI Official English Site, archived from the original on 9 April 2014, retrieved 12 April 2014
- ^ a b "About us". Xiaomi European Community. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ ingbrzy, Xiaomi.eu ROM leader (24 January 2021). "Do I have warranty after flashing xiaomi.eu?". Xiaomi European Community.
- ^ "Android – Certified - Partners". Android. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "Mi Picks - pick your next favorite- officially launched! Give us your feedback! - App - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "MIUI ROM Downloads". en.miui.com. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ a b Black, Marie. "What's the difference between TouchWiz, MIUI, EMUI, OxygenOS, LG UX and standard Android?". Tech Advisor. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ "MIUI 10 To Offer Updated Design, Its User Interface Leaks | Androidheadlines.com". AndroidHeadlines.com |. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ "Latest MIUI 9 build for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 brings Android P-style UI changes". xda-developers. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
- ^ Pfeffermann, Nicole; Gould, Julie (2017). Strategy and Communication for Innovation: Integrative Perspectives on Innovation in the Digital Economy. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. p. 30. ISBN 9783319495408.
- ^ "小米的MIUI被指违反GPL许可证" (in Chinese). Solidot. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "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)" (in Chinese). tech2ipo. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Commits". GitHub. 25 October 2013.
- ^ GitHub MiCode/Xiaomi_Kernel_OpenSource, GitHub, 31 March 2015, retrieved 8 April 2015
- ^ "删除谷歌,内置杀毒,MIUI终于突破底线".
- ^ Wright, Arol (8 August 2020). "Xiaomi is rebuilding MIUI for India without any of its banned apps". xda-developers.
- ^ "Xiaomi India working on new MIUI version without banned Chinese apps". Android Police. 7 August 2020.
- ^ "MIUI 12.5 update bugs & issues tracker: Here's the current status". PiunikaWeb. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ "Top MIUI 12 Bugs / Problems, And Why Xiaomi Won't Fix Them?". Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ Akolawala, Tasneem (5 April 2019). "Xiaomi's Mi Browser, Mint Browser Said to Contain Critical URL Spoofing Security Vulnerability". NDTV. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ Merchant, Zaheer (8 April 2019). "Xiaomi warned about critical flaw in its two Android browsers but does nothing". MediaNama. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "[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!". www.andmp.com. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ a b Singh, Jagmeet (17 April 2019). "MIUI Lock Screen Vulnerability Provided Access to Clipboard Data, Fix Released". NDTV. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
- ^ "MIUI Official English Site - Redefining Android". 6 December 2013. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "MIUI ROM 3.3.1 Changelog: MIUI V5 for Xiaomi MI2 Released!!! - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "MIUI Stable ROM (Global) KXDMIBF22.0 for MI3-WCDMA/CDMA Changelog & Download - Xiaomi Mi 3 - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "MIUI ROM 4.8.29 Full Changelog. MIUI 6 Released for Public! (Released) - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "About MIUI 7 China ROM 5.8.13. What Device Will MIUI 7 Global ROM Support First? - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Forum, Xiaomi MIUI Official. "MIUI 8 China Developer ROM 6.6.16 Full Changelog & Supported Devices - MIUI General - Xiaomi MIUI Official Forum". en.miui.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ "MIUI 10首批机型公测下载 - MIUI官方网站". www.miui.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "MIUI 11 will introduce new icons, ultra power saving mode, and more". 29 March 2019.
- ^ "MIUI 12.1 coming soon. Here are all the what's new! - Tech in Deep".
External links[]
- Custom Android firmware
- Embedded Linux
- Mobile Linux
- Cloud clients
- Mobile operating systems
- Free mobile software
- Xiaomi
- Chinese brands
- Linux distributions