Update: August 12, 2020 (4AM ET): Xiaomi hosted a YouTube livestream in India today, once again reiterating the features of MIUI 12. The company also confirmed that many phones will get the MIUI 12 update in India this month. Check out the list of devices confirmed to be getting the update below.

Xiaomi Mi 10

Redmi Note 9/Redmi Note 9 Pro

Redmi Note 8/Redmi Note 8 Pro

Redmi Note 7/Redmi Note 7 Pro

Xiaomi says the rollout is starting this month, and some of these phones have already started getting the MIUI 12 update in India. Besides these, there are many other Xiaomi phones scheduled to receive the new software. You can read all about MIUI 12 and the devices slated to get it in the original article below.

Original article: April 27, 2020 (4:06AM ET): Xiaomi has announced a new version of its Android skin MIUI. Succeeding MIUI 11, the latest MIUI 12 software will bring a number of UI and visual improvements to eligible Xiaomi phones. It also gets new features such as a revamped dark mode, improved privacy and security tools, new animations, new wallpapers, and much more.

At its MIUI 12 reveal event, Xiaomi also noted that MIUI now has 310 million monthly active users and that the latest version is the first mobile operating system that has passed TÜV Rheinland’s “Android System Enhanced Privacy Protection Test.”

Let’s break down all the new features of MIUI 12 along with details about phones eligible to receive the update.

MIUI 12 features

Dark Mode 2.0

The new Dark Mode 2.0 on MIUI 12 will bring wallpaper dimming to Xiaomi phones. The feature will work in tandem with the time of day and will gradually dim the wallpaper as daylight changes to night time.

Xiaomi is also tweaking the way text is displayed as users switch between light and dark modes. In MIUI 12, the phone will automatically adjust the weight and boldness of the font to reduce glare when the dark mode is turned on. Font contrast will also be adjusted depending on the user’s ambient environment. This should vastly improve legibility of text in low-lit conditions.

Sensory Visual Design

In MIUI12, Xiaomi has visualized the core system information, allowing you to see the status of the system at a glance. Xiaomi is calling this the new “Sensory Visual Design.” What this basically means is that now when you visit the Settings page on your phone or check out things like storage availability, you will see the system information presented in the form of graphs and visual diagrams, making it easier to understand and consume. You can see examples of Xiaomi’s new design in the images above.

Super Wallpapers

Xiaomi has also introduced “Super Wallpapers” with MIUI 12. The company has created high-precision animated 3D models of Mars and Earth based on available space exploration data from NASA. You will be able to set these Super Wallpapers on both your locked and unlocked phone screens. When the dark mode is turned on, the planet chosen by you for the wallpaper will also enter night time, thereby enhancing your visual experience.

New animations

Xiaomi has focused a lot on a visual redesign when it comes to MIUI 12. The new skin will bring realistic weather animations and show real-time weather changes displayed in the form of a time-lapse movie on your screen.

The animation of app icons also gets a refresh. App icons will now generate real-time feedback based on your gestures. Xiaomi says changes in gesture direction and speed will cause application icons to react differently.

For instance, when you delete an application, the ripple animation will also affect the surrounding app icons.

In other areas, you’ll notice new animations for screen rotation, buttons, charging, opening and closing apps, and more.

New gestures

MIUI 12 also brings some new gestures to your phones. For instance, you will be able to swipe down on the notifications panel to interact with a notification without having to abandon what you’re doing. You can also slide out the notification panel to expand it into a small window, which you can drag to the side for a split-screen effect.

You also have different gestures for bringing up the control center and notifications shade. You can now swipe down from the top right side for the control center where you can quickly change some settings. Swiping down from the top left will bring up the notifications shade where you can see all your notifications.

Health tracking

Xiaomi

With MIUI 12, Xiaomi users will also be able to record activities like walking, running, cycling, and climbing stairs, by just keeping their phones in their pockets. Xiaomi says it uses a self-developed “AI motion behavior perception algorithm” to record accurate health data and also save power at the same time.

Xiaomi also wants you to sleep with your phone on your pillow. MIUI 12 will bring sleep tracking that works by placing your phone on your pillow while you sleep. This, the company claims, can help track when you went to bed, how long you slept, how deep you slept, and whether you had dreams or snored.

AI calling

Xiaomi

Xiaomi has been training its AI assistant — Xiao AI — to answer calls for users since last year. It’s similar to Google’s Call Screening feature which was introduced with the Pixel 3.

Xiaomi has now revealed that after half a year of testing, the AI ​​phone assistant has answered 4 million calls for closed beta users. With MIUI 12, Xiaomi has officially upgraded the AI phone assistant to a feature called “AI Calling.” With it, users will be able to customize the language in which they want their calls to be answered. They will also be able to switch between automatic or manual call answering. However, it’s unclear right now if the feature will roll out to users outside of China.

Enhanced privacy

MIUI 12 also brings enhanced privacy features to Xiaomi phones. For instance, you can now choose to grant permissions to apps only once or only while you’re using them. Permissions will be revoked once you’re done using an app. For apps that don’t clarify the use of permissions on your phone, the “Always Allow” option will not be provided.

MIUI 12 will also help users keep track of app behavior. You will be able to view a record of how an app behaves on your phone, the information it collects, the other applications it uses, etc, all in one place. You’ll also get a clear reminder on the top of your phone screens when a sensitive permission, such as your location, is being used by an app.

Another feature Xiaomi refers to as the “Mask System” provides rogue apps with blank information and a virtual identity to protect user data for five permissions including contact lists, calendar, and call records.

Photo sharing will also be safer. Xiaomi says sensitive information such as device details will be removed from image files before you share them with anyone.

More features

Other MIUI 12 features announced by Xiaomi include improved casting capabilities (such as screen-off casting and hiding private content), and an ultra power-saving mode that only offers basic functions (SMS, calls, network). Xiaomi says the latter feature is able to make a phone on 5% last up to five hours rather than one hour by default.

MIUI 12 release date and availability

Xiaomi has already started rolling out the stable version of MIUI 12 to some phones, including the Mi 10 series, Mi 9 series, Redmi Note 9 series, Redmi Note 8 series, and many more. The availability will vary by region so you might have to wait a bit longer than others to get the MIUI 12 update on your devices.

Eligible MIUI 12 update phones

The Xiaomi and Redmi phones eligible to receive the stable MIUI 12 update starting June include the following devices:

First batch

Second batch

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

Xiaomi Mi 8

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition

Xiaomi Mi 9 SE

Redmi Note 8 Pro

Redmi Note 7, 7 Pro

Mi CC9, CC9 Pro

Third batch

Mi Mix 2

Xiaomi Mi Note 3

Xiaomi Mi Max 3

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE

Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth Edition

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Redmi Note 8

Redmi 6, 6A, 6 Pro

Redmi 8, 8A

Redmi 7, 7A

Redmi Note 5

Mi CC9e

We’ll update this article regularly as more MIUI 12 update details are revealed.