Published 17:06 IST, November 11th 2019
Xiaomi phones getting app drawer with latest MIUI 11 update
Xiaomi phones running MIUI will now be able to access an app drawer-based interface without the need of installing any first-party or third-party launcher.
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Xiaomi phones running MIUI software will now be able to access an app drawer-based interface without the need of installing any first-party or third-party launchers. Xiaomi phones are now getting app drawer support within the in-house MIUI launcher with the latest MIUI 11 update. The feature seems to be exclusive to the China ROM for now but should arrive in global markets including in India soon. Xiaomi is yet to make any sort of announcement regarding the same yet.
Chinese brands are notorious for taking a lot of inspiration from the iPhone, particularly on the side of software. Much like how it is in iOS, a large chunk of Android-based custom ROMs coming from China, including Xiaomi’s MIUI, feature a springboard of apps (and widgets) on the home screen. This means all your apps (and widgets) lie on the home screen itself.
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There has been a growing demand from users that brands let them opt for an app drawer, in the in-house ROM itself. Not having one forces many to download and install third-party launchers. More and more brands are now paying heed to this growing demand, and some of them have started to work on bringing a dedicated app drawer to their devices. Xiaomi itself has the Poco launcher to its name that ships with an app drawer interface. It’s nice to see Xiaomi now bringing it to its custom ROM.
The company’s MIUI wing has shared the news on Chinese social media website Weibo with a screenshot that shows how the updated MIUI launcher in MIUI 11 now supports two different kinds of interfaces – one with and one without the app drawer. It will be possible to manually switch between the two from the phone’s home settings. There’s no word when Xiaomi will bring this feature to global markets.
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MIUI 11 is already a go in markets like India. Xiaomi plans to update as many as 28 of its phones with the latest software and the rollout has been going on since October 22. Xiaomi phones which have recently started getting the MIUI 11 update include the Redmi 8A and Redmi 8. Xiaomi plans to update all planned devices by the end of this year.
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16:40 IST, November 11th 2019