The new version of Xiaomi's MIUI shell has many new features and settings that improve user experience. We have collected for you the most important, useful and simply interesting features that were not present in MIUI 11. You will learn how to remove screen flickering, increase battery life, use split-screen mode, customize animation and much more.
Source: 808.media
The display flickers on Xiaomi - how to fix it on MIUI 12 Split screen to launch two applications Improving autonomy with software settings Increasing the smoothness of animation Super wallpapers for MIUI 12 Gesture system Spy mode and other camera improvements Updated Health application Backup to computer Quick disabling of advertising
Curtain
The curtain in Redmi Note 7 and higher smartphones has not changed for a long time, so users have become accustomed to its design. After updating the shell, they have a choice: keep the old one or use the new version.
The updated version attracts with large buttons and the ability to quickly navigate to the desired panel. Swiping down from the left half of the screen opens the notification panel.
If you need to edit the elements of the curtain itself, you need to click on the transition button at the top right. Elements are added and removed with one click.
To switch to a new curtain design you need:
- Enter "Settings".
- Select "Screen".
- Go to the “Status Bar” section.
- Find the item “Use the new Control Center”.
- Set the slider to the desired position.
The gear icon in the upper right corner is needed to quickly navigate to the main settings.
Quickly disable advertising
In 2022, Xiaomi said it plans to disable all advertisements and notifications from system apps in the future. This can be done by pressing one button.
In MIUI 12, the interface of the main control panel has changed. Source: xmix.by
You need to go to your account settings through your phone settings and select the “Privacy Policy” section here. There is a “System Announcements” item that you need to open and activate the switch. So representatives of the Xiaomi company really did not deceive - turning off advertising on MIUI 12 really happens with one touch.
Desktop style
In the MIUI 12 shell, the user independently chooses the desktop style:
- Normal, in which all icons are displayed on the main screen, like on the iPhone.
- With an application menu in which all installed software is stored.
Actions with styles are available in the “Desktop” tab. When you select the second option, the menu opens by moving your finger up on the screen.
The menu is flexible and customizable:
- In the “Background” tab, you can select light, dark or system colors, and adjust transparency.
- In “Application categories” – configure sorting. This is done by turning on the slider, after which applications are sorted into groups, and icons for frequently used ones move to the top of the display.
Review of MIUI 12 for Redmi and Xiaomi smartphones
Reader rating for this article: 4.8
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The new version of the most popular Android shell was presented back in the spring, but many smartphones from Xiaomi and Redmi have only recently begun to receive this update, and for some, the global version of MIUI 12 is not yet ready.
One way or another, all popular smartphones of this brand will be updated to MIUI 12, but not all declared features and functions will be available on every device of the company.
In this review, you will learn about what MIUI 12 looks like, what's new in this shell, what features are not supported on some devices and how you can get them. But we will start with what is not new.
The fact is that on the Internet, in particular on YouTube, many incompetent videos have appeared in which users enthusiastically report new interesting features of MIUI 12, which, in fact, were available before, just no one paid attention to them.
For example, Xioami announced a new focus mode and users of the global version of MIUI 12 enthusiastically show these screenshots:
In fact, this is a standard Android feature that appeared on MIUI 11, and what Xiaomi announced is not available by default in the global MIUI 12 and looks completely different:
Other users were very pleased with the updated Notes app with a new Tasks section and a to-do list that can now be viewed directly on the desktop by swiping right from the top edge of the screen:
Some authoritative resources reported that thanks to the update to MIUI 12, Xiaomi smartphones have learned to take care of the user’s health by reminding them to exercise and analyzing snoring, talking in their sleep and the number of steps taken:
But all this happened before, in MIUI 11, just no one talked about it. Having updated to MIUI 12, some users began to study the shell in more detail, discovering a lot of new things for themselves and at the same time misinforming other people.
In general, let's figure out what Xiaomi has really prepared in the new MIUI 12 shell and what its smartphones will look like from now on in terms of software.
MIUI 12 review. Desktop, home screen and updated design
In MIUI 12, you can choose a desktop style so that all applications are displayed directly on the main screen (like on the iPhone) or in a separate menu:
If you choose the second option (with an application menu), then the menu itself can be very customizable. An option is available to divide all applications into categories, you can customize the menu background, select sorting and display frequently used ones at the top of the window:
Additionally, a Simple mode has appeared for older users and people with poor vision. In this mode, all icons and fonts are enlarged, the total number of elements on the screen is reduced, and some gestures are also disabled.
Compare what the desktop looks like in normal and simple modes:
Simple mode on the right
As before, you can choose a 4x6 or 5x6 desktop grid, and also change the size of the icons. But the animations of many icons when closing applications were redrawn. Below is one such example (Gallery application):
And in general, the system animation in MIUI 12 is different from that in previous versions. There is more of it and it works more smoothly. Here, for example, is what deleting applications now looks like:
All branded widgets remained without visible changes; to the left of the main desktop you can enable the display of the widget ribbon:
As before, MIUI 12 allows you to blur the thumbnails of certain programs in the list of running applications to hide them from unwanted prying eyes. Notice how blurry the Health app window is:
For the first time in MIUI 12, a full-fledged picture-in-picture mode called Floating Windows appeared. Now you can launch the application in a separate window, for which you just need to swipe the running program to the upper right or left corner of the screen. Moreover, even games work in separate windows, although not very well (part of the interface is simply cut off):
But the main innovation of MIUI 12 in terms of interface was the appearance of the Control Center. Xiaomi completely copied this element from the iPhone, even leaving the name the same. By default, the curtain looks the same as before:
It can be called up by swiping down the screen anywhere. But if you go to Settings -> Display -> Control Center -> Notification shade and enable the option Use the new Control Center, then the smartphone will repeat the logic of the iPhone.
By swiping down on the left side of the screen (anywhere, not necessarily from the top edge), you will open the usual notification shade, only without buttons and quick tools:
If you make the same swipe down, only on the right side of the screen, the Control Center will open:
A similar tool was in the Funtouch OS 9 shell from Vivo, but there, as in iOS, you could also adjust the volume with sliders. In MIUI 12, volume can only be changed using physical buttons.
Apart from external changes, there is no fundamental difference in working with notifications. If you swipe away a notification in the curtain, the badge with the number of missed messages next to the icon will also disappear.
Xiaomi also copied a full-screen indicator from iOS - a small bar that appears at the bottom of the screen when the method of navigating the system using gestures is selected:
By swiping left and right on this bar, you can switch between running applications. Previously, you could do this by swiping left or right from the edge of the screen and holding your finger for a second.
If you don’t need such a strip, you can easily hide it in the settings (Settings -> Advanced settings -> Borderless screen -> Hide full-screen indicator). Now you can switch between apps using a different gesture: swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then swipe left or right.
Other cosmetic changes include a new, sleeker lock screen style:
Glance mode (wallpaper carousel) is also available for the lock screen, but not for all regions. Just select the themes you are interested in and every time you turn on new wallpapers will appear on the lock screen:
In general, special attention is paid to wallpaper in MIUI 12. A huge number of very beautiful high-resolution pictures are available here:
But the main feature is super wallpaper . This technology connects the common idea of Always On Display, the lock screen and the desktop. You select a theme (Mars or Earth) in the settings and the system installs an animated screensaver that combines all three screens. It looks very interesting and unusual:
Many users who updated their Redmi Note 8 Pro and other devices to MIUI 12 did not find such a function. Unfortunately, only these models received super wallpaper with the update:
- Xiaomi Mi 10 / Mi 10 Pro / Mi 10 Lite
- Xiaomi Mi 9 / Mi 9T Pro
- Xiaomi Mi 8 / Mi 8 Pro
- Xiaomi Mi MIX 3
- Redmi K20 Pro
- POCO F2 Pro
All health-related functions (sleep tracking and snoring recording, step tracking and workout notifications) are available depending on the selected region in the smartphone settings, as well as the device model.
If they do not appear on your device, you can download the Xiaomi Health application on the Internet yourself.
MIUI 12 review: Settings, tools and apps
In MIUI 11, the company has completely redesigned the settings section of the smartphone, redrawing all the icons and rearranging many menu items. In the 12th version of the shell, the icons and grouping of elements remained unchanged, but the design was slightly improved. The headings have become larger, the font is bolder, and there is now more space between elements:
Comparison of MIUI 11 (left) and MIUI 12 (right)
But this only applies to the general menu, since many items inside have changed significantly.
Here are just a few examples (in all screenshots, the MIUI 11 shell is shown on the left, and MIUI 12 on the right):
Section "About phone"
Section "Passwords and Security"
Section "Storage"
Of course, the changes affected not only the design, but also the very operation of some tools and functions. In particular, a very convenient Day mode option has appeared in the display brightness settings:
Many people don't like how auto-brightness works and prefer to adjust the brightness manually. But with manual adjustment, the user always faces poor visibility of the screen in the sun. Day mode completely solves this problem by automatically raising the brightness to maximum (with auto brightness turned off) when the sun's rays hit the screen.
Dark mode has also been improved:
MIUI 12 on the right
There's now an Adapt wallpaper option that significantly darkens the wallpaper when dark mode is enabled.
There is also an interesting option to force changes in the color scheme of third-party applications that do not support dark mode. Having selected the necessary applications in the settings, MIUI 12 will independently “color” them in dark colors. As an example, I will give the popular Mi Fit application, which does not have a dark theme:
Another new dark mode option is called Auto Contrast. If you turn it on, the smartphone will reduce the screen contrast at minimum brightness. That is, the system understands that you are working with the phone in complete darkness and tries to further reduce the strain on your eyes.
In some places the inscriptions have been replaced with more clear pictures:
MIUI 12 on the right
In the face unlock setting, it is now possible to add multiple faces.
There is also a new useful power management mode called Ultra Power Saving:
If in normal mode a 38% charge is enough for 14 hours of operation, then in Ultra-saving mode the smartphone will work on the remaining charge for about 6 more days . Of course, such work cannot be called full-fledged, since almost all processes will be strictly limited.
MIUI 12 also has an option to reduce flicker for smartphones with OLED screens, and the design for selecting image contrast and white balance settings has changed.
The camera interface has also been significantly improved:
MIUI 12 on the right
The choice of various options, as you can see, has become more convenient and clear. Also notice that the current settings are highlighted in yellow. The camera now has an accent color that can be selected in the settings:
If previously all camera modes were located in a long list that had to be scrolled through with swipes, now a list of all additional modes can be called up with one swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen:
In the camera settings, you can choose the shutter sound, function layout, and other options. Again, most of the changes are not aimed at adding functionality, but at making the smartphone more convenient to use.
Another important feature has appeared related to the sound in headphones. Xiaomi, following Samsung and Vivo, has implemented an analogue of audiometry on its smartphones. That is, a smartphone can conduct a test and check the quality of your hearing (how you perceive different frequencies), and then at the system level change the amplitude of those frequencies that you hear poorly:
We have a very detailed and interesting article about this function, be sure to read it to better understand what frequencies are, why it is important to hear the entire range and how to enable and configure it on Xiaomi smartphones. Please note that this function is supported only on some Xiaomi models, mainly flagship ones.
Unfortunately, in all this diversity, various problems could not be avoided. Since most of the changes are related to the interface, strange things sometimes happen to it. For example, the new Control Center can open without a beautiful translucent background:
In different parts of the interface, some labels may overlap others:
Some animations may sometimes be accompanied by micro-jerks and stutters. But all this does not happen so often that it greatly spoils the user experience. Naturally, these problems will be corrected as the firmware is updated.
But what’s a little frustrating is the complete confusion with regional restrictions. In different versions of MIUI 12 (Chinese and global firmware), the same functions and applications may look different. Some MIUI 12 firmwares still contain old tools, while others have been updated with new ones. This also applies to health, safety and privacy-related features.
But overall, the update turned out to be interesting. To some, of course, all these changes will seem insignificant, while others will be delighted with the easier and more pleasant interface.
Many smartphones have already received MIUI 12, and some will be updated soon.
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Full screen indicator
Xiaomi specialists borrowed from iOS not only the design of the control center, but also the full-screen indicator on the display. It looks like a small bar at the bottom and is displayed when the user selects gesture navigation in the settings.
Swiping the indicator to the right or left edge switches between active applications. If the indicator is not needed, you can hide it:
- Enter "Settings".
- Select "Advanced Settings".
- Next, go to the “Unlimited Screen” tab.
- Click on “Hide full screen indicator”.
After it disappears from the desktop, switching between applications will be available by swiping your finger from the bottom up, and then to any side of the screen.
Battery
This item will help if there is no power source at hand and there is little charge left. The “Ultra-energy saving” mode is activated as follows:
- Go to settings.
- Find the "Power and Performance" section.
- Move the slider opposite the desired item.
The phone turns into a classic “dialer”: you can only make calls and write SMS, and scroll through the contact book. But you can expand this list if necessary. On the main screen, next to the three standard icons, there will be an icon with a “+” sign and the caption “Add”.
Also, in the energy saving settings, you can select a more gentle saving mode: it does not limit functions, but only reduces performance where it is not needed, reduces brightness, and closes applications running in the background faster.
Super wallpaper
The developers paid a lot of attention to live wallpapers. On the main screen, the planets Mars and Earth in 3D change depending on the time of day and lighting. To install them you need:
- Login to profile.
- Click on the "Wallpaper" icon and select "Super Wallpaper".
- Select "Earth" or "Red Planet".
- The picture will appear on the desktop.
Not all smartphones support super wallpapers after the MIUI 12 update. In this case, they are downloaded to the device:
- Find the Activity Launcher app in
- Install on Xiaomi Redmi.
- Select super wallpaper from the list provided.
- Install them on your screensaver.
Live wallpapers look interesting and work well, but the load on the system increases dramatically. The battery drains faster.
Updated Health app
MIUI 12 has a new health tracking app. It combines all information about the user’s health status, collecting it from different sources and displaying it in one application. You can integrate data from Google Fit, Mi Band or other gadgets.
One of the most interesting features of the updated Health app is the sleep analysis function. It works without additional sensors. The app now identifies snoring and sleep talking by analyzing sleep cycles. This may not be the most accurate way to analyze your sleep, but you can try.
Other parameters that Xiaomi Mi Health monitors include:
- number of steps;
- arterial pressure;
- menstrual cycle;
- heart rate;
- height to weight ratio.
The application reads some indicators automatically, while others require user participation. Sometimes input data is required by which the application will control certain processes. For example, to control body weight and its relationship with height, you need to periodically enter your weight.
Ultra-energy saving
Power management mode extends the battery life of the smartphone. The developers of the new shell provide the following data: a 40% battery charge lasts for 14 hours of operation in normal mode. When ultra-economy mode is activated, this period increases to 6 days or 140 hours, i.e. 10 times.
To enable ultra mode you need:
- Open the “Security” section.
- Select the “Nutrition” section.
- In the window that opens, click “Ultra Battery Saver”.
True, in this case the smartphone cannot be called fully functional, because all resource-intensive applications will be disabled. Calls, phone book, sending SMS and some other options will remain available. Notification Center will not work.
Acceleration of iron
By default, the gadget has factory optimization - a balance between performance and battery consumption by disabling unnecessary functions supported at the hardware level. If access to an outlet or power bank is not a problem, then you can speed up the operation of your smartphone.
The “Enable GPU acceleration” setting will enable the graphics core to render two-dimensional objects. Simply put, picture quality may improve, but battery life and performance will suffer.
“Enable 4x MSAA” enables anti-aliasing of jagged objects, making them appear smoother. The battery drains faster.
Picture in Picture
This is what another new option looks like – a floating window. It is activated via the background menu:
- Enable background menu.
- Select an application from the list.
- Press and hold the icon until the menu opens.
- In the tab that opens, find the “square within a square” icon.
- Click on this icon.
After this, a small window with the selected application will appear on top of the shell. It works exactly the same as in full screen mode. It is called a floating window because it can be moved to any location on the display. If you move it to a corner, the size of the window will decrease.
A floating window is launched from the application menu by clicking on the button of the same name. After clicking on it, a window with 10 applications opens. The user creates the list of applications independently by selecting icons and clicking on them.
The gesture system is entirely borrowed from bare Android 10
It's hard to say that MIUI 11 had a bad gesture system, but the developers decided to abandon it. Its place has been taken by a new one, which, on the one hand, repeats the behavior of iOS on Apple’s frameless smartphones and, on the other hand, is based on pure Android with minor modifications. With it, for example, you can quickly move between applications using horizontal swipes along the strip at the bottom of the screen. To minimize the application, you need to pull up on it - previously there was no strip, so the interface looked more crude and unfinished.
By the way, if - for any reason - you don't like using gestures to control your smartphone, you can very quickly switch to standard control using three traditional buttons. Yes, you, as before, can change their location at will at any convenient time.
Dark background
The dark background available in the updated firmware has a smart adaptation. At night the color becomes darker, during the day it becomes lighter. The dark background works for the system and all applications, including desktop wallpaper.
To activate it, you need:
- Enter the Settings app.
- Select “Screen” - “Dark Mode”.
- Turn it on.
Changing the color palette
To select and change colors you need:
- Enter "Settings".
- Go to "Screen".
- Select "Color Scheme".
There are three modes available to the user:
- Standard.
- Saturated.
- Auto.
You can also change shades and their saturation manually: the results of the changes are immediately displayed on the screen.
Camera design
This seems useless to many users, but the developers here have also provided the possibility of customization in all directions.
By opening the camera, you can change the arrangement of the functions scrolling from the bottom, and put the ones you need first, and remove the unused ones altogether. To do this, just go to “Camera Settings” and find the “Function Location” item.
Non-displayed modes will appear if you click the “More” button. You can also customize it for yourself:
- Open the “Camera Mode” section in Settings.
- The tab format will allow you to switch to additional modes by swiping to the right.
- In the form of a panel, the modes are always at hand - you just need to swipe up.
In the “Colors” section you can change the type of text used to sign the currently selected mode.
There are four sound options for the shutter button - also found in the camera settings.
