Xiaomi MIUI 12: New privacy controls, and finally, an app drawer

For Android smartphones, most manufacturers have custom Android user interfaces (UIs) that are layered over the core Android code. This plays a huge role in the overall user experience when using a device, with some preferring a stripped back, stock-like UI, and others liking a feature-packed UI.

If you fall within the latter, Xiaomi has just announced the global launch of MIUI 12. And with a wide variety of devices (all from Xiaomi, of course) supporting the update, there will be quite a few changes for millions of users to get acquainted with.

“Reinforced” privacy protection

One of the main changes is the increased privacy control that MIUI 12 will offer users. You’ll be able to monitor apps that have access to your camera, microphone, contacts, call history, calendar, storage, and location, with notifications appearing if any of the above are accessed by an app.

Additionally, users will be able to tap on the icon in the notification bar, and have a wider variety of permission options. This includes “while using the app” and “notify”. options that Android users will already be fairly familiar with, while MIUI will also remove location information and metadata from images are shared.

Revamped UI: Dark Mode, App Drawer

One of the more obvious updates is how MIUI 12 looks. According to Xiaomi, the new bottom-up UI design and updated system animations help to provide a smoother experience. This is powered by a new graphics engine, which helps to produce realistic visualisations—even in the way data is presented.

For multi-tasking, we’ll also be seeing “global floating windows”, which is Xiaomi’s latest multitasking solution. Basically, you can move, resize, or close these windows with gestures on the action bar, and the feature is available to those who use full screen gestures to navigate the UI.

Finally, Xiaomi has included the option to have an App Drawer on MIUI 12. Of course, many users were already utilising various launchers to integrate an app drawer onto their Xiaomi devices, but the inclusion of the feature is one that was long overdue.

Additionally, we’ll also be seeing an updated Dark Mode across MIUI 12. This offers users a few improvements over MIUI 11’s dark mode, including smart wallpaper dimming, automatic contrast adjustment, as well as a darker colour palette for apps and menus.

Xiaomi says that MIUI 12 will be rolling out from June 2020, with the first wave of updates going to the Mi 9, Mi 9T, Mi 9T Pro, Redmi K20, and Redmi K20 Pro. Meanwhile, the update will be available at a later juncture for other supported models:

• Redmi Note 7
• Redmi Note 7 Pro
• Redmi Note 8 Pro
• Redmi Note 9
• Poco 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
• Mi Note 10 Lite

You can read the full statement from Xiaomi here.