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22 random things you didn't know about MIUI 6 and the Mi4


Guest PaulOBrien

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Guest PaulOBrien

I've tried almost every ROM and most devices in my time, but i've just embarked on my first experience of MIUI with version 6 on the Mi4. Here are some of the things i've discovered so far!

Are you a MIUI or Mi4 user? Share some of your favourite (or least favourite) features! :)

MIUI 6 is based on KitKat 4.4 and it's more like a custom ROM than you might expect

The Mi4 ships with MIUI V5, but version 6 of the ROM is currently in Beta. It's based on Android 4.4.4, the latest and greatest, and it includes a whole load of features that make it feel more like a custom ROM (e.g. CyanogenMod) than a stock ROM.

miui6-about.png miui6-settings.png

MIUI has a weekly development ROM and a built in updater

If you want to be on the stable ROM, that's cool, but you can also download a development ROM, which is updated weekly. A built in updater handles it all for you and includes a changelog too!

miui6-update1.png miui6-update2.png

It's different, but familiar (and yes, a little iOSy)

As you navigate around MIUI, you'll find a lot of it familiar - things are often as you'd expect to find them in Android - but different too, and with more than a hint of the iOS style. One thing that is particularly different is the lack of an app drawer - everything you install ends up on the desktop. Can you think of another OS that does that? ;)

miui6-home.png

MIUI uses icons in the notifications and includes heads up notifications

The MIUI pulldown looks quite nice, with icons in the notifications, which can be expanded with 2 fingers. The quick toggles are scrollable, with a settings button and an (unused outside of China really) music control. Heads up notifications are used, a built in KitKat feature that isn't used in other stock ROMs!

miui6-pulldown1.png miui6-pulldown2.png

The status bar is really tiny! :)

This is a funny one. The status bar on MIUI is really tiny! Just look at it (MIUI on left, CM on right)! :)

miui6-statussmall.png miui6-statusbig.png

Although MIUI ships without Google apps, it's easily resolved

MIUI ships without any Google Apps, but this is easily fixed. In lieu of the Play Store MIUI includes 'Mi Market' which includes, you guessed it, a Google Play installer! This application downloads and installs all the core Google libraries and the Play Store itself. Easy!

miui6-googleinstaller.png

All the Google bits work great.

Once you have the Play Store installed, you can install all the Google bits you need, really. Google Now Launcher, Google Calendar, Music, Search - they all work fine. This is one of the benefits of the way Google does things nowadays - SystemUI aside, you can really make the OS your own.

miui6-gnow.png

It has a built in 'do not disturb' mode

A built in 'do not disturb' function silences your phone when it is locked between preset times, or when toggled via the quick settings. You can set exceptions, so calls from specific people can still sound.

miui6-dnd.png

You can easily choose which notifications appear in the pulldown or on the lockscreen

In stock Android you can hide notifications, but in MIUI the UI for doing so is centralised. You can also choose which notifications appear on the lockscreen.

miui6-notifications1.png miui6-notifications3.png miui6-notifications2.png

You can unlock automatically with trusted Bluetooth devices

As we've also seen on Motorola devices (and I like to do with Tasker!), you can set your device to automatically unlock when specific Bluetooth devices are near. This has been added particularly with the Xiaomi fitness band in mind.

miui6-unlockbluetooth.png

You can easily manage the default apps for things

This is another example of where MIUI centralises functionality that is more distributed in stock Android. There's a single page where you can choose the default apps used for Android intents.

miui6-defaultapp1.png miui6-defaultapp2.png

There's a built in guest mode and you can lock specific apps

MIUI can be switched into a guest mode where messages, notes and pictures are hidden away. In addition, incoming calls are blocked. You can also pattern-lock specific applications from prying eyes!

miui6-privacy1.png miui6-privacy2.png miui6-privacy3.png

Mi Cloud allows over-the-air backup of all apps and settings (and you can backup locally too!)

The built in Android backup functionality is a joke. MIUI attempts to resolve this by offering full backup and restore to MiCloud as well as locally.

miui6-backup1.png miui6-backup2.png miui6-backup3.png

Permissions can be individually managed for each installed application

MIUI offers a central location to manage permissions either on a per-app or per-permission basis. If you notice some strange things happening after installing apps, it's worth checking the required permissions are enabled here!

miui6-permissions1.png miui6-permissions2.png miui6-permissions3.png

Advanced call and message blocklisting is built in

Messages and calls can be blocked on MIUI, using a variety of criteria based on contacts, a shared collaborative spam list (!) or by keyword for text messages. It's very powerful.

miui6-blocklist.png

You can choose which apps are allowed to start automatically

As well as being able to manage permissions, you can control which apps are able to launch on startup. By default, many are disabled!

miui6-autostart.png

Root access is built in and easily managed

Root access built in! What a dream! The process is a little long winded, but it works great and if you want to, you can install SuperSU as normal.

miui6-root1.png miui6-root2.png

There's a cache / residual data cleaner and virus scanner included

These might be useful? There are cleaners and virus scanners built into MIUI. Experts might not like these much, but the masses will! :)

miui6-clean1.png miui6-clean2.png miui6-clean3.png

You can enable volume wake and change the capacitive button behaviour

MIUI allows you to change the long press behaviour of the capacitive buttons, as well as setting up things like volume wake and long press back to take a photo.

miui6-buttons.png

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Always loved MIUI, despite the iOS similarities in V6 it is definitely the most advanced and functional rom out there. Even when I was using my M1 it was very advanced. I think design wise you can also see that they pay a lot more attention to their UX design than most android manufacturers, graphically its very clean and well thought out.

 

Just wondered, do you normally run the xiaomi.eu's translated roms?

 

I have a Mi Pad on route for my mum and I've got redmi 1s here that i'm selling to a friend and I just flashed the xiaomi.eu rom to the redmi, I believe that these roms still work with OTA but just strip out the useless chinese apps and support multilanguage and better english trannslations throughout the OS.

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There are stuff I've been dreaming for years on stock android, like the default app manager or the backup of apps data, home screen and all (maybe sms/mms would be great too). The only thing that bother me a little is that it looks like ios but with time passing, It seems like android and ios are converging in design!? Overall it seems like a pretty appealing package.

 

Does the included update manager/downloader means Xiaomi is better than others OEMs on the update front because I allways have this little voice in my head that says "if you don't buy a nexus, you won't have sock android and you might ends up stuck with an outdated version of android at some point"

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Guest PaulOBrien

There are stuff I've been dreaming for years on stock android, like the default app manager or the backup of apps data, home screen and all (maybe sms/mms would be great too). The only thing that bother me a little is that it looks like ios but with time passing, It seems like android and ios are converging in design!? Overall it seems like a pretty appealing package.

 

Does the included update manager/downloader means Xiaomi is better than others OEMs on the update front because I allways have this little voice in my head that says "if you don't buy a nexus, you won't have sock android and you might ends up stuck with an outdated version of android at some point"

I think they're pretty good, but to be honest, if you're so far from stock, does it matter? :)

P

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Sere83 - i'm running the stock ROM atm...

I have a MiPad too and it's very nice!

P

 

Yeah look forward to trying my mums out when it arrives. I hear V6 is coming soon as well. The Xiaomi.eu roms come with playstore preinstalled too. To be fair though they seem basically the same, apart from the play services added, chinese apps removed and multi language. I believe OTA's for both stock and EU versions now have to be hosted on xiaomi's chinese servers too.

 

 

There are stuff I've been dreaming for years on stock android, like the default app manager or the backup of apps data, home screen and all (maybe sms/mms would be great too). The only thing that bother me a little is that it looks like ios but with time passing, It seems like android and ios are converging in design!? Overall it seems like a pretty appealing package.

 

Does the included update manager/downloader means Xiaomi is better than others OEMs on the update front because I allways have this little voice in my head that says "if you don't buy a nexus, you won't have sock android and you might ends up stuck with an outdated version of android at some point"

 

The iOS similarities thing is not really an issue with xiaomi because you have thousands of themes to choose from, can easily grab a stock looking theme or others. Some of them go very deep in terms of customization

 

In terms of android updates it's a bit of a mine field with xiaomi. The issue is that while they often provide regular updates with new fixes and features for their handsets, it depends which handset you buy. For example the mi3/4 get weekly updates, but the redmi series only every 2/3 months.

 

This is great and everything but when it comes to actual whole android version updates this is another matter. They say that because MIUI changes a lot of the android base code a whole version upgrade eg kitkat->Android L is not as straightforward until after a stock version of android L or the next version is made available on top of which they can build.

 

Like for example with MIUI v5 only the very latest of their handsets or handsets already with a stock version of android released like nexus 4, nexus 7 etc got a Kitkat build first.

 

They also spent a great deal of time working on V6 and it means that not all handsets have a V6 build yet or more importantly a V6 built on 4.4.4 yet and it may take a while to arrive. I suspect full verison updates on mediatek based handsets may also be different and depends on what mediatek make available code wise.

 

Older Xiaomi phones are different as well. Like mi2/mi2s/mi2a owners had been stuck on MIUI V5 running on top of 4.1 for ages but visually and in terms of functionality it's basically the same as V5 running on top of the of newer android versions like the Redmi 4.2.2 build. These owners were almost forgotten though until a forum vote was launched after uproar and they have now decided to launch a special V6 based on 4.4.4 for mi2/mi2s/mi2a but I think the chances of them seeing MIUI V6 on android L when it drops is next to nothing, despite capable hardware. Its not uncommon though obviously for manufacturers to phase out support for older handsets.

 

The question is though when will the mi4 get android L? I guess it depends on qualcomm and depends when a stock build becomes available that xiaomi can start implementing V6 on. Knowing Xiaomi though their phones will certainly not be super fast to receive android L after release like owners of nexus devices will given the fact v6 for 4.4.4 is still in beta. But i guess the argument is that they change such a significant amount of base code anyway that a quick full version update is not as necessary. 

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