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MIUI (abbreviation of MI User Interface and pronounced as "Me You I")[1] is a stock and aftermarket firmware for smartphones and tablet computers developed by Xiaomi.[2] The firmware is based on Google's Android operating system.[3] MIUI includes various features such as theming support.[4]
Xiaomi has released various smartphones, all but Mi A1, Mi A2 and Mi A2 lite of which come pre-installed with a complete version of MIUI.[5] This has made various apps and features not available in the aftermarket version of MIUI.
Other than supporting their in-house smartphones and tablets, Xiaomi also offers MIUI to be flashed on other smartphone brands such as Samsung, Sony, HTC, BLU, OnePlus and Nexus.
On February 24, 2016, Xiaomi said that the MIUI ROM had over 170 million users worldwide, and was supported on over 340 handsets.[citation needed]
Contents
Development
The original MIUI ROMs were based on the 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 enhance the basic framework; those include Notes, Backup, Music, and Gallery.[7] MIUI used to be translated and ported into unofficial versions in other languages by independent developers and groups of fansites. There are still unofficial ports being made but their popularity decreased after Xiaomi released their own cell phones. Updates are usually provided over-the-air every Thursday (CST).
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.
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
Google Yes Smart Assistant App vault Default source of apps
Additionally in India: Mi Picks[8]
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
[9] Updated every Thursday 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
Use on devices from the EU distribution does not void warranty.[10]
Made by fans gathered on Xiaomi.EU website.
Custom recovery requirement No Yes Additional features
- Optional access to various Chinese online services
- built-in root support (unlocked bootloader is required)
Optional access to various Chinese online services N/A
- Additional icons for some third party apps
- Unlocked some hardware features on selected devices
Supported Xiaomi devices All
excluding Redmi Note 3SE and Mi 4i (dropped)
Older devices may not be updated
Majority
excluding devices never released outside PRC
Older devices may not be updated
All cell phones
excluding Mi 4i (dropped)
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 closely resembled iOS due to the absence of the application tray[11] 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.[11] Recently, however, MIUI is increasingly shifting towards a design aesthetic that is more similar to the stock Android. Reports indicate, for instance, that several elements in the MIUI 10 build will closely resemble what Android P has brought into the table such as the multitasking menu and gesture controls.[12] 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.[13]
Another key difference that distinguishes MIUI from Android is the system's support for themes. Users can download theme packs from the Mi Market, which could drastically change the user interface of the device once installed. It even allows advanced users to tweak the hard-coded firmware of their handsets.[14]
Criticisms and controversies
MIUI's kernel was proprietary, and in breach of Linux kernel's GPL.[15][16] Due to criticism, source code for certain components was released to GitHub on 25 October 2013.[17] Kernel sources for a limited number of devices, including the Mi3, Mi4, MiNote, and Redmi 1S, were released in March 2015.[18]
Since MIUI V4, based on Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean, Xiaomi added a virus scanning engine from partner company Tencent (formerly from Kingsoft, whose CEO appears to be the same person) despite the opposition of many users. Methods of removing it were published in the MIUI's Chinese forum,[19] since the engine was not found to be helpful.[20]
Also during the development of MIUI V4, Xiaomi started to remove Google Mobile Services (GMS) from their ROMs because of Chinese government policies that arose in response to Google's disagreements with the Chinese government. The government blocked access to all Google services on every platform, in mainland China, and all phones made for the Chinese market are required not to allow the installation of GMS. GMS is present in the global variant of MIUI, however.
In order to raise funds for the company, MIUI has its own online services from Xiaomi, including cloud services, paid themes and games (featuring the MiCredit digital currency).[21]
Version history
Version Screenshot Android version Last Beta release Initial Beta release Date of release Last Stable release Notable change Old version, no longer supported: MIUI V1 2.1
Unknown 0.8.16 16 August 2010 N/A Initial release Old version, no longer supported: MIUI V2 2.1-2.3.6
Unknown Unknown Unknown N/A Redesigned
user interface Old version, no longer supported: MIUI V3 2.3.6 Old version, no longer supported: 2.4.20 Unknown Unknown N/A Redesigned user interface Old version, no longer supported: MIUI V4 4.0.4 – 4.1.2 Old version, no longer supported: 3.2.22 Unknown Unknown ICS24.0
- New user interface
- Added anti-virus
Old version, no longer supported: MIUI V5
4.1.2 – 4.4.2 Old version, no longer supported: 4.12.5 3.3.1 1 March 2013
[23] 22.0
- New user interface
- Google Services were removed from Chinese Version
Old version, no longer supported: MIUI 6
4.4.2 – 5.0.2 Old version, no longer supported: 5.8.6 4.8.29 29 August 2014
[25] 6.7.2.0 New user interface Old version, no longer supported: MIUI 7
4.4.2 – 6.0.1 Old version, no longer supported: 6.5.26 5.8.13 13 August 2015
[26] 7.5.1.0 Locked bootloader on selected old devices and all released afterwards Old version, no longer supported: MIUI 8 4.4.2 – 7.1.1 Old version, no longer supported: 7.7.20 6.6.16 16 June 2016
[27] 8.5.10.0
- Minor changes to the user interface
- Updated system apps
- Added support for Second Space and Dual apps.
Older version, yet still supported: MIUI 9
4.4.2 – 8.1.0 Old version, no longer supported: 8.5.24 7.8.10 10 August 2017 9.6.5.0
- 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.
Current stable version:
MIUI 10 6.0 – 9.0.0 Current stable version:
8.9.25 8.6.14 19 June 2018
[28] 10.0.2.0
- New notification shade
- Extended notifications' functionality
- New recent apps screen, volume control, Clock, Calendar and Notes
- Higher integration with XiaoAI
- Minor changes to the user interface
- Removed black theme (Mi Note 2)
- Dropped devices run Android Lollipop or below other
See also
References
Source en.wikipedia.org