How to make a font like on an iPhone on Xiaomi: 5 proven ways

The San Francisco font is the hallmark of the iPhone that many Xiaomi users would like to see on their devices, and it features clean lines, perfect readability, and a premium look that contrasts favorably with standard MIUI fonts. But can you transfer this design element to an Android smartphone? Yes, and we'll show you how to do it without risking the system.

In this article, you will find 5 working methods, from simple (through MIUI themes) to advanced (using ADB or superuser rights), we will take a detailed look at each method, point out their pros and cons, and also warn against common mistakes. If you dream of your Redmi or POCO visually resembling an iPhone, this guide is for you.

Important: font changes may affect the display of some applications (especially banking or system). You perform all manipulations at your own risk. We recommend that you first back up your data through Settings → About Phone → Backup.

The San Francisco font was designed by Apple specifically for high-resolution screens, and its key features are:

  • 🔹 Adaptability: automatically adjusts to screen size and pixel density, while remaining clear on any device.
  • 🔹 Geometric accuracy: Each symbol has perfectly balanced proportions, which reduces eye fatigue during long reading.
  • 🔹 Premium appearance: visually perceived as an “expensive” font, which adds status to the smartphone.
  • 🔹 Cyrillic support: unlike many custom fonts, San Francisco correctly displays Russian.

By comparison, the standard MIUI font (Roboto or MiSans) looks more “technical” and less refined, even on Xiaomi’s budget models, where the screen doesn’t always perfectly convey the smoothness of the lines.

Fun fact: Apple spent 3 years developing San Francisco, testing it on a variety of media, from Apple Watch to billboards, and the result was one of the most copied typefaces in the world of mobile design.

📊 Which typeface do you like better?
San Francisco (iPhone)
Roboto (Android)
MiSans (Xiaomi)
Other

Method 1: Installation through MIUI themes (without root)

The easiest and safest method is to use the built-in MIUI theme gallery, with many designers creating themes that mimic the iOS interface, including the font.

Step-by-step:

  1. Open the Themes app on your Xiaomi.
  2. In the search bar, enter the query: iOS font or San Francisco.
  3. Choose your favorite theme (pay attention to the rating and number of downloads).
  4. Click Apply - the font will change automatically.

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Note: Not all MIUI themes set the font correctly. Some only change icons or wallpapers, leaving the text unchanged.

If you don’t like the full iOS theme, but only want the font, try the following options:

  • 🎨 Minimal iOS Font – only the font without unnecessary changes.
  • 🎨 SF Pro Display - adapted version of San Francisco MIUI.
  • 🎨 iFont Pack – a set of fonts, including Apple-like.

Advantages of the method:

  • ✅ Does not require superuser rights.
  • ✅ Rapid application (1-2 minute).
  • ✅ The ability to roll back to standard font in one click.

Disadvantages:

  • ❌ Limited selection of quality topics.
  • ❌ Some symbols may be displayed incorrectly.

Make a backup copy of the data

Check the vacant space (at least 50 MB)

Connect to Wi-Fi (themes weigh up to 30MB)

Close the background annexes-->

Method 2: Manually add fonts via ADB (without root)

If MIUI themes don't suit you, you can manually install the San Francisco font using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that doesn't require root rights, but requires connecting the smartphone to a computer.

What you need:

  • 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB Tools.
  • 📱 Xiaomi smartphone with enabled debugging USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI (press 7 times) → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
  • 📁 SanFrancisco.ttf font file (can be downloaded here).

Instructions:

  1. Connect your smartphone to your PC and confirm the debugging permission.
  2. Copy the font file to the platform-tools folder (where the ADB tools are installed).
  3. Open the command line in this folder and execute commands in order: adb push SanFrancisco.ttf /sdcard/ adb shell su -c "cp /sdcard/SanFrancisco.ttf /system/fonts/" su -c "chmod 644 /system/fonts/SanFrancisco.ttf"
  4. Reset the device.
  5. Then, in the font settings (Settings → Screen → Font), select SanFrancisco.

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Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5) may have the /system/fonts/ folder protected, requiring temporary root rights through Magisk.

Critical detail: if after the reboot the smartphone is getting stuck on the MI logo, then the font file was corrupted or incompatible, in which case you need to reflash the device through Fastboot.

Advantages of the method:

  • ✅ Full control over the typeface installed.
  • ✅ No need for root rights (on most devices).

Disadvantages:

  • ❌ Requires working with the command line.
  • ❌ Risk of "bricking" in case of error in commands.

💡

Before you run the ADB-command, check that there are no Cyrillic characters in the platform-tools folder in the path. This can cause a "device not found" error.

Method 3: Use the iFont application (with root rights)

iFont is one of the most popular font change solutions on Android, and it supports the installation of San Francisco and other custom fonts, but requires root rights to work properly.

How to determine:

  1. Download iFont from Google Play.
  2. Download the San Francisco font file (e.g. MIUI Support version Needed Root? Alternative iFont method (free) Partially (up to MIUI 13) Yes ADB iFont Pro Yes (including MIUI 14) No (via ADB) Own iFont script (modified) Yes (any version) Yes Yes Magisk module