Chinese device maker Xiaomi offers phones, tablets, smart TVs and other products that are known for their high quality and low prices. But Xiaomi is also known for its MIUI software which gives Google Android a fresh coat of paint, a custom user interface, and a handful of extra apps.

MIUI also happens to look a bit more iOS than Google’s stock version of Android, thanks to its square app icons with rounded corners and the lack of an app drawer: all apps are arranged on your home screen.

Now Xiaomi has unveiled MIUI 6, which will be coming soon to the company’s latest phones, tablets, and other devices.

miui 6

If MIUI has a reputation for resembling Apple’s mobile operating system, then MIUI 6 takes its cues from iOS 7 and 8. It features bright new colors and rather flat design.

The developers have also improved cores apps and features with things like the ability to identify many calls from unkown numbers, support for gestures designed for devices with large screens, the ability to batch organize home screen icons, and a new notification shade that includes toggles for music controls and other functions.

miui notifications

The Notification Center has also been revamped to provide small floating pop-up notifications at the top of the screen without covering the whole display or requiring you to swipe to reveal any content. The notifications are interactive, allowing you to do things like answer a phone call from the notice.

Xiaomi’s apps and services are designed to work with the company’s Mi Cloud online services. Up until recently some of those features were opt-out, rather than opt-in and that caused some folks who were concerned about the privacy implications to challenge Xiaomi on the default behavior… so the company recently decided to disable its cloud messaging services by default so that users have to opt-in before any data is sent to the company’s servers.

MIUI 6 is now available to a small group of beta testers. Eventually the software will be available for recent devices such as the Mi 3 and Mi 4 smartphones which are sold in China and a handful of other countries.

Xiaomi is one of the fastest-growing smartphone brands in China but the company has global ambitions and could enter the US market in 2015.

via GizChina

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15 replies on “Xiaomi launches MIUI 6, makes Android look more like iOS 7”

  1. I hope it’s better then the Teclast Tpad P78HD, for you can’t remove the Chinese Apps, and battery power is really bad, doesn’t come with a English manual, so you understand what the Apps are!!

  2. Ohh come on! Just because they use a single level launcher similar to Apple iPhone doesn’t make them mere copy cats. I recently bought Mi3 and was just surprised. Infact I find many of their default apps much better than many out there. They have a keen eye for polish and usability similar to Apple. And they are outspoken about their admiration for Apple products and design philosophy than shrug off those claims. There is more to a Mi phone than its apparent similarities to an iPhone. Anyone who used a Mi phone will know what I am talking.

    To start with, admire their execution skills. A phone of this refinement and spec at 1/3rd price!! Now call Apple to match this!!

  3. It’s certainly not a rip off and you can clearly see that. May be you are biased but I term it as an inspired design. And Apple doesn’t have the rights to flat style UI

  4. Assuming it was even possible to buy one of these devices (it seems it isn’t easy at all – especially outside of China), how hard is it to remove this whole MIUI thing? Has it been done already and if so, what do you give up by removing MiUI (other than Xiaomi looking over your shoulder)?

    1. Oh stop fearmongering, they already explained what this was, it’s the Xiaomi equivalent of iMessage, before, it was turned on by default, now it isnt, with an update its now opt-in and not opt-out, it should have been like this before, but hey ho

    2. The Epoch Times is the Falun Gong sect newspaper, only a huge propaganda organ for one of the richest sects, against everything in China…

    1. Apple is likely annoyed at what Xiaomi will take in market-share in China, but Samsung should be the ones that are worried, Xiaomi seems to be better (and more shameless) at copying Apple than Samsung – and are targeting weak-IP markets mainly for now.

    2. What ? Apple copy-pasted HTML5 style flat icons ?? wtf… W3C, Mozilla and lot of other companies/foundation should use their lawyers against Apple that still copy others and that stupid Apple fanboys without culture still think they innovated :D.

    1. Yes, but will be later than Mi3 and Mi4, the company said will be end of this year.

Comments are closed.