How to make buttons on Xiaomi like on iPhone: from simple themes to deep customization

Xiaomi owners often envy the smoothness and responsiveness of the iPhone interface — especially when it comes to visual feedback when you press buttons. Those same “waves,” light dimming or zooming elements create a sense of premium that stock MIUI so lacks. But the good news is that you can transfer this experience to Redmi, POCO or Mi without buying a new phone.

In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods, from safe (installing themes and launchers) to radical (changing system animations via ADB or root). Importantly, not all methods are equally useful. For example, on devices with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor (Redmi K60, Xiaomi 13), some animation tricks can cause lags due to conflict with HyperOS. So we will not only show the “how”, but also honestly tell about the pitfalls of each option.

Why iPhone buttons seem “better” – a technical analysis

The effect of pressing on the iPhone is based on three key elements:

• 🎨 Visual feedback: scale or ripple effect animations with smooth returns to the original state. MIUI By default, a sharp dimming (alpha-effect) is used, which looks cheaper.
• ⚡ Tactile vibration: iPhone uses Taptic Engine with precise strength and response time settings. Xiaomi often has no vibration or uses an on/off pattern».
• 🕒 Animation delay: In iOS, the response time of the button is ~50 ms, whereas in MIUI It can reach 100-150 ms due to battery optimization.

Interesting fact: Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Redmi Note 13 Pro+ already partially implemented a similar effect, but it only works in stock applications (for example, in Settings or Camera).

Method 1: Install themes from MIUI Themes (without root)

The easiest and safest method is to use pre-made themes that mimic iOS. There are dozens of options available in the official MIUI theme store, but we recommend the following:

• 📱 «iOS 17 Style (author: MIUI Official - Copies button, icon and font designs, supports click animation, but without tactile feedback.
• 🎨 «Flat iOS is a simplified version with minimalist buttons. Works well on weak devices (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3).
• ⚡ «iPhone Dynamic – adds the effect of “pulsation” when pressed (similar to ripple in Material You).

How to determine:

1. Open the Themes app on your Xiaomi.
2. In the search box, type “iOS” or “iPhone”.
3. Select your favorite theme and click Apply.
4. Restart the device (required!) to make the animations work properly.

Limitations of the method:

• Themes only change the visual part – tactile feedback will remain standard.
• Some items (such as drop-down menus) may not be displayed correctly.
• On devices with HyperOS (for example, Xiaomi 14), some themes fail.

💡

If after applying the theme buttons began to react with a delay, turn off the animation of the windows in Settings → Special features → Delete animation.

Method 2: Launchers with support for iOS animations

If that's not enough, try third-party launchers, which not only change the look, but also redefine the logic of the press.

Instructions for Lawnchair 2 (optimal balance of performance and functionality):

1. Download the launcher from Google Play or the official website.
2. Set it as the default launcher (Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher).
3. Go to launcher settings: Behavior → Animations → Press effect.
4. Choose Ripple or Scale (Scaling).
5. In the section Additionally enable Use system ripple for smoothness.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI 14+ Launchers may be reset after system updates. To avoid this, disable automatic updates MIUI In Settings → The phone. → Updating the system → ⚙️ → Auto-update.

Method 3: Modifying system animations via ADB (without root)

For advanced users willing to work with ADB, there’s a way to change the system settings of animations, which won’t give a full imitation of the iPhone, but will make the interface more responsive.

What exactly do we change?

• window_animation_scale — window-animation.
• transition_animation_scale — smoothness.
• animator_duration_scale — length of button animations.

Instructions:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Enable USB Debugging on Xiaomi: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (click 7 times), then Settings → Additional → For Developers → Debugging over USB.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the commands: adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0.5 adb shell settings put global transition_animation_scale 0.5 adb shell settings put global animator_duration_scale 0.3
4. Reset the device.

The effect is that buttons will respond faster and animations will become smoother, but it won't add visuals, it will only speed up existing ones.

Method 4: Magisk modules for full iOS imitation (root required)

If you're prepared for the risks of unlocking the bootloader and installing Magisk, you can get the closest you can.

• 🔧 «iOSify" - changes button animations, icons and fonts. Requires Magisk 26+.
• 🎛️ «MiuiSystemTweaks – allows you to fine-tune the response of buttons, including vibration.
• 🖥️ «QuickSwitch – adds smooth transitions between apps (similar to iOS).

Step-by-step instructions for iOSify:

1. Unlock the bootloader on Xiaomi (the instructions for your model are on XDA Developers).
2. Install Magisk and TWRP.
3. Download the iOSify module (HyperOS or MIUI 14 version).
4. Install the module through Magisk Manager and restart.
5. In the module settings (Settings → Additional → iOSify) enable: Enable iOS animations → ON Haptic feedback strength → 70% Button ripple effect → iOS Style

⚠️ Note: On devices with Dynamic RAM Expansion (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) Magisk modules may conflict with the function, causing occasional reboots. DRE In Settings → Productivity → Memory.

💡

Magisk modules give maximum customization, but void the warranty and can disrupt the operation of banking applications (due to the SafetyNet trigger).

Method 5: Manual editing framework-res.apk (for experienced)

This method is suitable only for those who are versed in decompilation. APK-We do not recommend it for beginners, but we will briefly describe the process.

What needs to be done:

1. Download framework-res.apk from your device’s firmware (e.g., Xiaomi Firmware Updater).
2. Decompile it with Apktool: apktool d framework-res.apk
3. Edit animation files in res/anim/ (for example, btn_press.xml or ripple.xml).
4. Replace standard values with parameters from iOS (example for scale effect): <set xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"> <scale android:duration="100" android:fromXScale="1.0" android:fromYScale="1.0" android:toXScale="0.95" android:toYScale="0.95" android:pivotX="50%" android:pivotY="50%"/> <scale android:startOffset="100" android:duration="100" android:fromXScale="0.95" android:fromYScale="0.95" android:toXScale="1.0" android:toYScale="1.0"/> </set>
5. Compile APK back and flash through TWRP.

Risks:

• Incorrect edits will result in a bootloop (cyclic reboot).
• After the MIUI update, all changes will be reset.
• Some apps (like Google Pay) may stop working.

Comparison of methods: what to choose?

Our verdict:

• For 90% of users, a combination of theme + Lawnchair 2 is enough.
• If you want the most similarity and you are ready for the risks, try Magisk.
• On flagships (Xiaomi 13T, Redmi K70) it is better to avoid deep modifications - stock HyperOS and so optimized.

FAQ: Frequent questions