MIUI

Key takeaways

MIUI belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MIUI to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MIUI from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MIUI is a deprecated mobile operating system developed and used by Xiaomi for its smartphones and mobile devices from 2010 to early 2024, prior to the launch of its successor Xiaomi HyperOS. MIUI was based on the Android Open Source Project. Xiaomi produced versions for Xiaomi-branded smartphones and its own Poco, MIUI Pad, MIUI Watch, and MIUI TV (PatchWall). 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 also released a few devices running Google's Android One instead of MIUI. Xiaomi devices usually receive three Android version updates, and 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. An organisation named Xiaomi Europe, using the domain xiaomi.eu and working officially with Xiaomi despite not being affiliated with the Chinese company, was set up in 2010 as a community for English-language Xiaomi users with phones running MIUI, and later HyperOS, associated with an Android version. xiaomi.eu makes available for free download debloated and improved ROM images based on China MIUI and HyperOS ROMs. Installing these images is technically challenging.

Google Play services Google 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.

Comparison of all MIUI variants There are different versions of MIUI, and its successor HyperOS, for different regions: China, EEA (Europe), India, etc., and a global version. For each region different Xiaomi devices have different implementations. The EEA version differs from the global version in meeting specific EEA regulations for mobile phones regarding advertising and other issues. Each version has successive, numbered, releases. The version code consists of the release number followed by seven letters. The first letter identifies the Android version it is based on, the second and third letters specify the device model, the fourth and fifth letters the region, and the last two letters the mobile operator, or "XM" if not locked to any operator. For example, MIUI V12.0.5.0.QFAEUXM is release 12.0.5 of MIUI, based on Android 10, for Mi 9, EEA version, not locked to an operator.

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, 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. This change was first seen in MIUI 9 (ver. 8.5.11) that shipped with Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S. 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.

Issues As MIUI's kernel was proprietary, it was in breach of Linux kernel's GPL. The source code of certain components was released to GitHub on 25 October 2013. 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. 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 produced separate MIUI versions without them for India.

Vulnerabilities In April 2019, Indian security researcher Md. Arif Khan reported that Xiaomi's apps Mi Browser and Mint Browser, for Indian and some global versions of MIUI, suffered from a vulnerability that allowed the URL address bar to be spoofed. Xiaomi gave Khan a bug bounty but opted not to fix this issue. 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; it was eventually fixed by Xiaomi.

Performance issues Some users encountered issues such as touch response problems on MIUI 12.5. 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.

Bloatware Xiaomi devices running MIUI became controversial for including a lot of bloatware—obtrusive pre-installed unwanted software that uses system resources and slows operation. As of 14 November 2025, Universal Android Debloater Next Generation recommends uninstalling more than 193 different pre-installed apps on MIUI devices, excluding some AOSP packages. MIUI's replacement, HyperOS, has the same issues.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MIUI

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MIUI claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MIUI before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MIUI ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MIUI

In research: MIUI appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MIUI in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MIUI is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Chinese brands, Cloud clients, Custom Android firmware, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MIUI outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study MIUI in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MIUI means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MIUI out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MIUI in simple terms?

MIUI is a deprecated mobile operating system developed and used by Xiaomi for its smartphones and mobile devices from 2010 to early 2024, prior to the launch of its successor Xiaomi HyperOS. MIUI was based on the Android Open Source Project.

Why does MIUI matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MIUI?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MIUI.