Xiaomi MIUI 12 focus on design and data protection

Xiaomi MIUI 12

Xiaomi has released the global variant of MIUI 12.

Xiaomi has now also introduced the update to MIUI 12 to its international customers outside of China. The first smartphones are to receive the update in the coming weeks, and many other devices from older generations are to follow. Xiaomi wants to focus on data protection and design with MIUI 12.

Which app is accessing?

MIUI 12 is intended to provide users with better information about all app processes. This is to be implemented via notifications in the status bar, where warning messages about the use of camera, location or microphone appear as soon as these functions are used by an app in the background. Via the warning, users can go directly to the settings and make corresponding adjustments.

A broader range of options should be available for access rights, including the option to only allow access when using the app. You can also specify whether the accesses should be displayed as a notification in the status bar. Certain components and functions, including camera, microphone, contacts, call list, calendar and memory, can only be accessed in the "When using the app" mode, so permanent approval is not possible at all. If photos are shared, metadata and location information can be deleted beforehand.

MIUI 12 brings features like lifelike visuals, Miracast integration

When it comes to design, the Mi rendering and Mi physics engines play important roles. The rendering engine should enable new color transitions and the blurring of overlapping elements. The physics engine is responsible for animations and movements of the UI elements, so that an effect is created as if the areas were actually touched using the touch screen.

The “super wallpapers”, which appear from reconstructions of official NASA images on the always-on display, lock screen and home screen, are to contribute to the new design. An animation takes users from a distant view of a planet like Earth or Mars directly to its detailed surface.

Xiaomi MIUI 12  Feature and Price

The arrangement of the app icons has a major influence on the appearance of the user interface. For the first time, MIUI 12 offers an app drawer, as used by the subsidiary brand Poco. If the app drawer is activated, the app icons no longer land on the home screen, but sorted in the new start menu for applications.

For multitasking, Xiaomi is introducing floating windows that can also lie on top of one another, so that, for example, messages from the Messages app can be answered in a separate window within the YouTube app without having to leave the video. Floating windows can be gestured within an action area, resized and then closed again.

Ultra energy saving mode and dark mode

MIUI 12 is equipped with an ultra-energy-saving mode that reduces the smartphone to the basic functions of calls, messages and active network connections. The dark mode should also contribute to longer runtimes, which can offer advantages, especially with OLED-based screens, provided the UI is designed with a high proportion of black. The Dark Mode applies to system-internal backgrounds and applications as well as those that come from third-party providers. If desired, the contrast can be controlled automatically depending on the ambient light.

MIUI 12 will be distributed in the coming weeks

Xiaomi wants to offer MIUI 12 for download in a few weeks for the Mi 9, Mi 9T, Mi 9T Pro, Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro. The OTA update for numerous other devices is to follow model by model in the weeks after.

The other smartphones supported by MIUI 12 are the Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 8 Pro, Redmi Note 9, Pocophone F1, Mi 10 Pro, Mi 10, Poco F2 Pro, Poco X2, Mi 10 Lite, Mi Note 10, Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi Mix 3, Mi Mix 2S, Mi 9 SE, Mi 9 Lite, Redmi Note 7S, Mi Note 3, Mi Mix 2, Mi Max 3, Mi 8 Lite, Redmi Y2, Redmi S2 , Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi 6A, Redmi 6, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Note 6 Pro, Redmi Y3, Redmi 7, Redmi 7A, Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8T, Redmi 8, Redmi 8A, Redmi 8A Dual, Redmi Note 9s, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max and Mi Note 10 Lite.