How to turn Xiaomi into an iPhone: a complete guide to changing the interface

Are you the owner of Xiaomi, but dreaming of a minimalist iPhone design? Or just want to try something new without buying an Apple device?This article will help transform your smartphone into an iOS style - from icons and animations to system sounds and gestures. We will analyze 7 working methods, including both surface changes (launchers, themes) and deep customization (firmware, ADB-team).

It is important to understand: fully replace MIUI It's not possible to run iOS -- it's different operating systems, but with a combination of tools, you can make visual and functional similarities. 80-90%. In this article, you'll find step-by-step instructions, method tables, risk warnings, and answers to frequent questions. Let's start with the simplest ways and gradually move on to advanced ones.

1. Launchers for iOS: a quick change in appearance

The safest and most reversible way is to install a launcher (programs to change the main screen), launchers do not require root rights and are easily removed.

• 📱 Lawnchair 2 supports gestures, adaptive icons and a dark theme. There are settings to simulate the dock panel like in iOS.
• 🎨 iLauncher – a specialized launcher with icons in the style of iOS, animations and even a simulation of Control Center.
• ⚡ Nova Launcher + iOS 17 theme – flexible setting with the ability to download icons from the Play Market.

How to determine:

1. Download the launcher from Google Play (links above).
2. Launch the application and select it as the default launcher in the window that appears.
3. In the launcher settings, activate: 4×5 or 5×6 (like iOS). Turn off the name of the apps under the icons. Set the animation to open the Zoom folders.

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To return the standard MIUI launcher, go to Settings → Applications → Default → Launcher and select System Launcher.

The disadvantages of the method: launchers do not change system menus (Settings, Notification Panel), and some functions (for example, navigation gestures) may conflict with MIUI.

MIUI Topics: Official Method with Restrictions

Xiaomi offers built-in systems to those with iOS options. It is safe, but the functionality is limited – only the appearance, not the logic of the work will change.

How to apply the topic:

1. Open the Themes app (brush icon on desktop).
2. In the search bar, type "iOS" or "Apple".
3. Choose your favorite theme (recommended for iOS 16 Dark or iPhone Style).
4. Click "Apply" and confirm the changes.

Only MIUI themes allow you to change system sounds (call, notifications, lock) to the original ones from iOS – download the iPhone Sounds for MIUI sound pack from the Play Market and apply it to the theme settings.

3. Replacement of fonts and system sounds

To fully simulate an iPhone, it's not enough to change the icons -- you need to change the font and the sounds. In MIUI, this is done without root rights, but with some restrictions.

Fonts:

1. Download the San Francisco font (iOS system font) in.ttf format.
2. Place the file in the MIUI/theme/fonts folder (create it if not).
3. Go to Settings → Screen → Font and select the downloaded font.

Systemic sounds:

• 🔔 Download the archive with iOS sounds (e.g., "iPhone Ringtones Pack").
• Unpack the files in the MIUI/sound folder.
• In Settings → Sounds and vibrations, select new tunes for call, notifications, and alarms.

Limitation: In MIUI 14+, some system sounds (such as screen lock sound) cannot be replaced without root rights, and the San Francisco font may not display correctly in some applications (such as WhatsApp or Telegram).

4. Navigation gestures and Control Center

One of the key differences in iOS is the navigation gestures and the Control Center retractable panel, which can be played using third-party apps in MIUI.

Gestures:

• 👆 Fluid Navigation Gestures app emulates swipe up to return to the home screen and swipe down the bottom edge to switch between apps.
• 🔄 Xpose Framework + iOS 16 Gestures – Deeper integration, but requires unlocking the bootloader.

Control Center:

• ⚙️ Control Center iOS 16 – an application that adds a retractable panel with shortcuts (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, flashlight, etc.).
• 🌓 Power Shade – an alternative with customizable switches and support for dark theme.

Install Fluid Navigation Gestures|Activate the “iPhone-style” mode in the settings|Turn off the standard gestures MIUI In Settings → Screen. → Navigation gestures|Set up the sensitivity of swipes|Restart your phone to apply changes-->

Warning: Conflicts can occur with the launcher and gesture app, for example, swipe up can open both Control Center and the main menu, so you can turn off duplicate gestures in the launcher settings.

⚠️ Note: Control Center emulation applications require “overlaying on top of other applications” permission, which may conflict with some banking applications (e.g. Sberbank Online or Tinkoff) that block work if such permissions are detected.

5. iOS firmware: a deep transformation

For the most advanced users, there is an option to install custom iOS-style firmware, which will drastically change the system, but will require unlocking the bootloader and potentially void the warranty.

Popular firmware:

• 🍎 iOS Launcher ROM — Lightweight Android-based firmware with full iOS interface imitation (including Siri and App Store).
• 🔧 MIUI iOS Mod - Modified version MIUI Integrated iOS elements (requires) TWRP).
• 🌐 Project Elixir – custom firmware with the iOS theme and optimizations for Xiaomi.

Step-by-step (for iOS Launcher ROM):

1. Unlock the bootloader through the Mi Unlock Tool (instructions on the official Xiaomi website).
2. Install TWRP Recovery for your model (for example, TWRP 3.7.0 will work for the Redmi Note 10 Pro).
3. Download the firmware from XDA Developers and transfer it to your phone.
4. Download to TWRP (Power + Vol Up buttons) and run Wipe → Format Data.
5. Install the firmware through Install → Select ZIP.
6. Restart the device (the first start can take 10-15 minutes).

⚠️ Warning: Installation of custom firmware can lead to loss IMEI (The serial number of the modem, which will make the phone unusable for calls. IMEI The command is: adb shell su -c 'cat /data/nvram/md/NVRAM/NVD_IMEI/IMEI' Check it out after installing it in *#06#.

6. ADB-commands

With ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can activate hidden MIUI features that will bring the behavior of the phone closer to iOS, such as turning off the charging indicator, changing the lock animation or hiding the status bar.

Tools required:

• 🖥️ Platform Tools by Google (for the first time) ADB).
• 🔌 Included debugging by USB (Settings → The phone. → Version. MIUI — Tap 7 times, then return to the additional → For developers → Debugging by USB).

Useful teams:

Turn off the charging indicator (like in iOS)


adb shell settings put global battery_light_enabled 0




Remove the status bar (full screen mode)



adb shell settings put global policy_control immersive.full=*




Change the lock animation to "raise" (as in iOS)



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 0.5

To return the standard settings, replace the values with 1.0 or do:

adb shell settings delete global battery_light_enabled

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ADB-The teams don't require root rights, but they'll reset once the phone is restarted.<

7. Additional chips: Siri, Face ID and AirDrop

Even without deep firmware, you can add Apple's signature chips:

• 🗣️ Voice Assistant: Install Google Assistant and adjust the activation to voice (similar to Siri). To fully simulate, download the "Hey Siri" sound pack and replace the standard greeting.
• 👤 Face ID: V MIUI There is a function Unlock the face (Settings) → Screen locking → Face unlocking is less secure than Face. ID, visually similar.
• 📤 AirDrop: Alternatives: Nearby Share (from Google) or Snapdrop (a web service for transferring files over a local network).

For emulation AirDrop between Xiaomi and iPhone:

1. On Xiaomi, install Snapdrop (open in the browser snapdrop.net).
2. On your iPhone, also open this site in Safari.
3. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network.
4. Drag files to the icon of another device in the browser.

FAQ: Frequent questions