How to turn Xiaomi into an iPhone: from gestures to icons – a complete guide

Why Xiaomi users want an iPhone-like interface – and should they?

Apple fans often boast of the smoothness of animations, intuitive gestures and minimalistic design of iOS. Xiaomi owners, especially after the transition from the iPhone, often wonder: can you reproduce the corporate style of “Apple” firmware on MIUI?

On the one hand, MIUI (especially version 14+) offers flexible customization tools, from changing fonts to flashing launchers; on the other, some iOS features (like Dynamic Island or Live Activities) are fundamentally impossible to replicate on Android due to operating system limitations. In this article, we will discuss what to transfer from iPhone to Xiaomi, and where to make compromises.

It's important to understand that fully imitating iOS will require root rights, third-party launchers, and even custom firmware. Are you ready for this? If not, focus on the surface changes: gestures, wallpaper and icons, which will give visual similarities without risking breaking the phone.

1. Control gestures: how to configure swipes like on iPhone

The signature gestures of iOS -- swipe up to return to the home screen, swipe down the bottom edge to switch apps -- have become standard for many users. In MIUI, there is a similar system, but it works differently. To bring behavior closer to the iPhone, do:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Full-screen gestures.
2. Select MIUI Gestures (not Android-standard!) mode.
3. Activate the swipe up option to return to the main screen.
4. Turn off the side menu (if it interferes).

Now let’s compare the key differences:

Problem: On Xiaomi, gestures are often delayed due to the optimization of MIUI for Android. The solution is to install a Lawnchair or Nova Launcher launcher with a swipe sensitivity setting.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi models with a front-facing camera cutout (such as the Redmi Note 12), swipes on the lower edge may conflict with system gestures. → Special facilities → System navigation.

2. Icons and wallpaper: create a visual like on iOS

Minimalist iOS icons with rounded corners and monochromatic wallpaper are key elements of corporate identity, which is reproduced on Xiaomi without root rights:

• 🎨 Icons: Install the iOS 17 Icon Pack (available in the Play Market) and apply it through the Nova Launcher launcher or built-in themes MIUI (Topics → My subjects. → Local).
• 🖼️ Wallpaper: Download wallpaper from Apple's website (permission) 2778×1284 iPhone 14 Pro) and trim under your Xiaomi permission (e.g, 2400×1080 For the Redmi Note 11).
• 📱 Lock screen: In Settings → Lock screen select the style of Digital Watch and set the font San Francisco (download to DaFont).

Critical detail: on Xiaomi with AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi) 13) iOS wallpaper will look dimmer because of adaptive brightness. To fix this, turn off Settings → Display. → Adaptive brightness and manually set the value to 70-80%.

3. Control Panel and Notification Center: Getting Closer to iOS

In iOS, the control panel and notifications are separated: the swipe down on the right opens Control Center, the swipe on the left opens notifications. On MIUI, everything is mixed by default.

1. Install the iOS 17 Control Center app from the Play Market.
2. In the app settings, select the iOS 17 style and activate the Replacement System Bar option.
3. In Settings → Notifications → Notifications Panel, turn off quick switches (leave notifications only).

For the same thing:

• 🔋 Battery: In Settings → Battery turn on the display of the percentage of charge in the status bar.
• 📶 Network Indicators: Install Network Signal Guru module via Magisk (requires root) to make network icons look like on iPhone.
• 🕒 Clock: C Settings → Display. → Select the 12-hour format (like the U.S. version of iOS).

⚠️ Attention: Annexes-imitators (Control Center iOS: Consume before 5% Charge per hour due to constant background work. → Battery. → Use of the.

Install Control Center iOS 17| Disable system switches |Configure battery percentage display | Check power consumption after installation-->

4. Animations and transitions: how to remove the “android” twitch

Smooth animations are the hallmark of iOS. On MIUI, they're less honed by default, but it's fixable:

• ⚡ Accelerate animations: Enable Settings → Special facilities → Remove animations (set the ratio) 0.5x speed up).
• 🔄 Smooth transitions: Install the module MIUI Animations via Magisk (requires root) for iOS 16-style animations.
• 🎞️ The blur effect: In Settings → Display. → System style select background blur (available on MIUI 14+).

For advanced users: Pixel Experience (based on Android 13) offers animations closer to iOS, but strips away MIUI branded chips (such as Second Space or Game Turbo).

5. Sounds and tactile response: how to do it on the iPhone

iOS sounds, from the unlock signal to the keyboard, are recognizable and minimalist, and can be replaced with Xiaomi:

1. Download the archive with iOS 17 sounds (like Zedge).
2. Place files in /sdcard/media/audio/notifications (for notifications) and /sdcard/media/audio/ringtones (for calls).
3. Settings → Sounds and vibrations, select new sounds for: iPhone Marimba, iPhone Tri-tone, Keypad

For tactile response (vibration upon pressing):

• 📱 B Settings → Sounds and vibrations → Touch vibration: Turn on the option and select the Light style (most similar to the iPhone).
• 🔊 For advanced customization, install Vibration Tuner (requires root) and import the iPhone 14 Pro vibration profile.

⚠️ Note: On Xiaomi models with a weak vibrator (for example, Redmi) 9A) accurately reproduce the tactile response of the iPhone will not work – there is not enough vibration amplitude.

6.Apps and services: analogues of iOS chips for Xiaomi

Some features of iOS are unique, but there are worthy analogues for Android:

To fully sync with the Apple ecosystem (e.g., iCloud or Apple Music), install official Apple apps from the Play Market. However, some features (e.g., Handoff or Universal Clipboard) will not work.

💡

To make notifications in MIUI look like they do on iOS, install Notisave and select the style of iOS 17. It also stores notification history, like in Center on iPhone.

7 Performance and Optimization: Why Xiaomi Will Never Be an iPhone

Even after all the settings Xiaomi will not work “like the iPhone” for objective reasons:

• 🤖 Operating system: Android (especially) MIUI) less optimized for long-term smoothness. 1-2 Lag years are inevitable, while iOS holds FPS level 60 even in the old models.
• 🔋 Battery: Xiaomi often limits performance to save charge (function) MIUI Battery Saver. iPhone doesn't have that, it uses hardware optimization.
• 🔄 Updates: Apple supports devices 5-6 years, Xiaomi - maximum 3 And then the firmware stops coming out.

If the smoothness is critical, consider the Pixel Experience or LineageOS firmware, which lacks MIUI chips but is more stable, but this will require unlocking the bootloader and losing warranty.

💡

The main difference between iOS and MIUI is hardware optimization. Even with identical settings, Xiaomi will not be as smooth due to differences in the hardware (chipset, memory, drivers).

FAQ: Frequent questions about setting up Xiaomi for iPhone