Foundation (2010)

Prior to releasing its first smartphone, Xiaomi introduced MIUI as a custom Android firmware. Development was heavily influenced by user feedback and community contributions, with early versions available for third-party devices from manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC. The first public release occurred on August 16, 2010, several months before the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 1 smartphone.1

Early Growth (2011–2013)

MIUI gained rapid popularity due to its iOS-inspired interface, extensive customisation options, weekly software updates, and active community forums. Unlike stock Android, it focused heavily on personalisation and integrated utilities. Features such as built-in applications replacing third-party theme engines and deep system customisation were available in MIUI years before becoming common elsewhere. Although Xiaomi has since transitioned to HyperOS, MIUI remains a significant milestone in both Android’s evolution and Xiaomi’s growth regarding Google apps in China.

Global Expansion (2014–2018)

As Xiaomi expanded internationally, MIUI was localised into dozens of languages and adapted for various regional markets. Key features introduced during this period included Second Space, Dual Apps, Game Turbo, App Lock, Security Center, Themes Store, battery optimisation, and floating windows. During its early community ROM phase, MIUI also supported numerous non-Xiaomi devices.

Mature Era (2019–2023)

Major releases during this era included MIUI 11, MIUI 12, MIUI 12.5, MIUI 13, and MIUI 14. These versions brought new animations, Super Wallpapers, a privacy dashboard, memory optimisation, improved multitasking, Material You support, and enhanced battery management. At its peak, MIUI powered hundreds of millions of active devices worldwide.1

MIUI prioritised speed, simplicity, deep customisation, rich animations, integrated system applications, and responsiveness to user community feedback. A distinctive aspect of its development was Xiaomi’s practice of releasing frequent beta builds that incorporated direct suggestions from users.

Themes

MIUI featured one of the largest theme ecosystems on Android, allowing users to customise icons, fonts, wallpapers, lock screens, boot animations, notification styles, and Always-On Display elements.

Security App

The integrated Security application consolidated numerous maintenance tools, including virus scanning, app permission management, battery management, storage cleaning, data usage monitoring, and performance optimisation.

Second Space

This feature enabled users to create a completely separate environment on the same device, with distinct apps, files, passwords, and Google accounts.

Dual Apps

Users could clone applications such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, and Telegram to operate multiple accounts simultaneously on a single device.

Floating Windows

Applications could run in resizable floating windows to facilitate improved multitasking.

Game Turbo

Game Turbo optimised gaming performance by allocating additional CPU and GPU resources, blocking notifications, enhancing touch response, and enabling gameplay recording.

Super Wallpapers

Animated wallpapers provided smooth transitions between the lock screen, home screen, and Always-On Display. Popular themes included Earth, Mars, Saturn, and Geometry.

Privacy Features

Privacy enhancements included granular permission management, clipboard protection, location controls, hidden albums, hidden apps, and privacy watermarks.

MIUI powered devices under Xiaomi’s smartphone brands, including Xiaomi, Redmi, and most POCO models prior to the transition to HyperOS.

MIUI fostered one of the largest enthusiast communities in the Android ecosystem. Official and community resources included the Xiaomi Community, Mi Pilot Program, Beta Tester Program, and Weekly Developer ROMs (later discontinued). Custom ROM communities such as xiaomi.eu also developed modified MIUI versions based on official Chinese releases.

• Rich customisation options
• Extensive theme support
• Comprehensive feature set
• Frequent software updates
• Strong ecosystem integration
• Effective battery management
• Powerful built-in utilities

MIUI faced criticism regarding pre-installed bloatware, advertisements in certain system apps (particularly in specific regions), aggressive background app management, inconsistent update schedules across devices, and occasional software bugs in early releases. The prevalence of these issues varied by region, device model, and MIUI version.

In October 2023, Xiaomi officially announced Xiaomi HyperOS, ending the MIUI branding after approximately 13 years. HyperOS is designed as a unified operating system for smartphones, tablets, wearables, smart-home devices, and Xiaomi vehicles, whilst retaining many familiar design elements from MIUI.1

MIUI is widely regarded as one of the most influential Android custom interfaces. It helped establish Xiaomi’s reputation through a software-first strategy before the company entered the smartphone hardware market. Many features that later became standard across Android—such as app cloning, advanced theme engines, and extensive system customisation—were available in MIUI years earlier. Although Xiaomi has moved to HyperOS, MIUI remains an important milestone in Android’s evolution and in Xiaomi’s growth into a global technology company.

1. Xiaomi