In almost any review of any Xiaomi smartphone, chances are you will come across some complaints about its operating system. For a company that originally started out as a software company, its Android skin MIUI is surprisingly polarising, with some liking the look while others aren’t a fan of how bloated it is. That could soon change though, as rumours suggest that Xiaomi is developing a new Android interface.
According to serial leakster Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Xiaomi has been developing a new interface called MiOS. The Chinese giant has already trademarked the name and even the domain mios.cn, further adding to the speculation. A screenshot of a developer beta of MiOS has also been doing the rounds on the Chinese internet. However, it’s still unclear if MiOS will be a skin of Android like MIUI or if it will be a whole new operating system; Xiaomi was previously believed to be looking into developing its own AOSP-based OS for its ecosystem of products, from smartphones and tablets to its wearables and electric vehicles.
That being said, not everyone seems to agree with Digital Chat Station here. Xiaomiui, a Xiaomi-focused fan website, has refuted the claims that MIUI 14 will be the last major version of MIUI. According to them, Xiaomi is already testing its upcoming MIUI 15 update that’s scheduled for launch alongside the Xiaomi 14 series. And while they are not denying the existence of MiOS, they do say that chances are it will only be a China-only feature, with Xiaomi’s global products likely to continue with MIUI.
If Xiaomi does release MiOS as a China-specific software, it wouldn’t be the first time a smartphone manufacturer launched its products with different operating systems for their domestic and international markets. Vivo has already switched to the swanky-looking OriginOS Android skin for their smartphones in China, but global Vivo phones still come shipped with FuntouchOS. Huawei also infamously switched to HarmonyOS for phones in China, while keeping with EMUI for its international releases. OnePlus is another who swapped the operating system of its phones sold in China to ColorOS following its merger with Oppo, though they have still kept the OxygenOS branding for global versions of its devices.
