Earlier today, Xiaomi updated the built-in launcher in MIUI 11 on its smartphones which introduces support for the long-awaited “application drawer” feature which can be accessed by swiping up from the home screen. It was first seen with the previous beta version of MIUI which has now made it to the public release. To turn on desktop mode:

• Navigate to Settings > Desktop > Desktop mode (on or off)

Xiaomi’s MIUI draws a lot of inspiration from Apple‘s mobile operating system which is iOS. The latter offers a dedicated search option which can be accessed by swiping down and comes in handy when a user is trying to access an app that might be located on another page or within a folder. In comparison, the MIUI only has the Google search bar which is not the fastest way to search for any installed application.

When the app drawer is expanded, the recently used apps are placed on the top while other apps are listed, in alphabetical order. There’s a downward-facing arrow on the top which users can tap on to collapse the app drawer.

This feature has already been available on the Poco launcher and due to popular demand has been introduced to MIUI 11. What are your thoughts to the latest addition to Xiaomi’s  Android skin? Have you ever encountered a bothering situation trying to find an installed app on your Xiaomi device? Let us know in the comments below.

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UPDATE: It looks like the first batch of the MIUI 11 Global Stable update for POCO F1 is rolling out to Mi Pilot MIUI users. It is still a stable release but it might take a few days more for everyone else to get the update. If you are not a part of Mi Pilot testing but have received the update for POCO F1, do let us know in the comments below. 

Xiaomi is finally rolling out MIUI 11 Stable release for POCO F1 users across the world. Users on Reddit have reported that their smartphones are being updated to the new MIUI version via OTA. Notably, this new MIUI 11 stable build is still based on the Android 9 Pie version.

Apart from the new MIUI 11 features (complete list here), the update also brings the latest October 2019 security patch to the POCO F1. We have reports of at least one user in Italy getting this stable build but users across the globe should eventually get this update in the next few days.

The update is likely going to be rolled out in stages. So you might have to wait a while before you receive the OTA update notification. And if you don’t want to wait around, download and flash the stable ROM from here. Note that it is a large file (over 1.8GB in size), so it is recommended that you download and install it over a Wi-Fi connection.

While this is based on Android 9 Pie, POCO F1 is confirmed to receive an Android 10 update, eventually. There’s no word on an exact schedule for its release, but users could probably get it by the end of this year. Note that Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi 7 users have already received the stable MIUI 11 update a few days ago.

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Chinese conglomerate, Xiaomi will hold a launch event in its home country on the 24th of September where it will unveil MIUI 11, a couple of smartphones and an all-new premium-grade HD TV. In this article, we will discuss the MIUI 11 which is touted to bring a whole host of thoughtful features.

As the chronological name scheming suggests, MIUI 11 succeeds MIUI 10 which was unveiled last year. Within the last couple of weeks, the company has shared several teasers and posters on the social media website, Weibo. Based upon which, following are the features that the new OS will offer:

Children’s Space

It is evident that kids in the modern era are introduced to smart devices like tablets and smartphones at a very young age. According to the company, the Children’s Space on Xiaomi devices will be equipped with features that will help to entertain the kids.

Besides, this mode will also feature high-quality educational apps that will help kids to learn about new topics and subjects in an intuitive manner. Device administrators or parents, in this case, will be able to set which applications that a child can access and set a duration of use.

This space will also have smart eye-protection on by default which will safeguard the eyes of young kids from harmful blue light that a display emits. While in Children’s mode, if the device receives a phone call, the kids will be prompted with Mi Bunny that informs them to take the handset to a parent. (read more)

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Family Sharing

As the name suggests, this feature will allow smartphones or tablets of different family members to seamlessly synchronize content with each other. Therefore, users with the same family group account will be able to check out media content like photos and videos on each other phones. Noteworthy, individual users could also set boundaries as in what content others can see, maintaining a sense of privacy.

Additionally, Family Sharing on MIUI will allow users to track the location of other family members which is a security-oriented feature. It is also reported that a group admin will be able to track and limit app usage of other devices remotely which falls in line with the previously mentioned children’s mode. (read more)

Earthquake Warning

This is one of the key highlighting and vital features of MIUI 11. With the combination of system-level information access and organizations that can predict upcoming natural calamities, smartphones running this OS can alert users in case of an upcoming or ongoing earthquake.

When there’s a possibility of an earthquake in the surrounding area, a device running MIUI 11 will prompt with a pop-up message which will be followed by an alarm sound. Moreover, users will also be provided with information like the nearest emergency shelter, medical contacts, and the rescue information to help in a critical moment. (read more)

Smoother Animations, New Icons, and Other Design Changes

The MIUI experience chief had previously shared a post on Weibo that revealed interesting details about animations on the upcoming MIUI 11. The official stated the Xiaomi is one of the few device makers that use non-linear animations in the UI of their OS. He stated that this type of animations was first introduced with MIUI 6 which the company continued to improve upon by speeding them up to provide a responsive UI.

However, while working on MIUI 10, they realized that in addition to speed, the smoothness of the animation is equally important as it will make them more visually appealing. Therefore, the developers of MIUI11 have decided to make animations slightly slower which makes them more lustrous to the eye. (read more)

Previously leaked screenshots of MIUI 11 which were revealed by an accidentally seeded update exhibit that devices will also get enhanced Dark Mode and option to quickly reply to messages or WhatsApp conversations without opening the app itself.

Fewer Advertisements and Performance Optimisation

Due to the level of customization that MIUI offers, most users tend to appreciate the skin which is built on top of Android. However, in the last couple of iterations, users have complained about randomly appearing advertisements that could even serve profane content. In response to complaints and requests of users, Xiaomi had previously decided to reduce the number of ads that a device will display and completely disable ads that were deemed vulgar.

With the introduction of MIUI 11, the company may further reduce the number of adds or block them all together at least on high-end devices like the Redmi K20 Pro and Mi 9.

Even though Xiaomi has not shared a teaser that boasts of performance improvement, it is assumed that the MIUI 11 update will further optimize the OS which could help in faster app loading time.

Which devices will receive MIUI 11?

Unfortunately, Xiaomi has not yet revealed a comprehensive list that describes all smartphones that will support MIUI 11. Nonetheless, thanks to Xiaomi product manager there are several handsets that are confirmed to receive the update which includes the following:

• Mi 9, Mi 9 SE
• Mi 8, Mi 8 Pro, Mi 8 Explorer Edition,
• Mi Mix 2S, Mi Mix 3, Mi Mix 3 5G
• Redmi Note 7, Note 7s, Note 7 Pro

Besides, two other smartphones that will most likely be the first ones to receive the update include Mi Mix 5G, Mi 9 Pro 5G which will launch tomorrow.

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