How to make Xiaomi look like an iPhone: a full interface setup

Many Android smartphone users, particularly Xiaomi device owners, often think about moving to the Apple ecosystem, but stop at the price or habit of the system. However, the modern shell of MIUI and HyperOS has enormous potential for customization, allowing you to visually and functionally recreate the experience of using iOS. You do not need to be a programmer or get root rights to turn your gadget into a flagship from Cupertino.

The transformation involves not only the installation of beautiful icons, but also a profound redesign of the logic of interaction with the device. We will look at how to change the navigation, implement famous widgets, set up a control center and even simulate the operation of the “bang” of the screen, data security will not suffer, since we will use only proven methods and official capabilities of the system in conjunction with third-party launchers.

The main advantage of this approach is that you get Apple's aesthetics and ergonomics while keeping Android open and able to install apps from any source, which is the perfect trade-off for those who value design but need file system flexibility. Let's take a step-by-step look at how to achieve the most similarity.

The first and most fundamental step is to replace the standard shell with a dedicated launcher. The standard MIUI interface is good, but it is radically different from the logic of iOS. To accomplish our task, the best-proven launcher called Launcher iOS 17 or its counterparts from developer Luuan Nguyen. These applications completely change the desktop, dock bar and application menu.

Once the application is installed, the system will ask for a number of permissions, and this is a critical point: without the rights to display on top of other windows and access to storage, the launcher will not be able to render the interface correctly, you will need to choose the option “Constantly” or “Always Allow” for all the requested items, only after that the icons will become a characteristic rounded shape, and the fonts will become more readable, as in the original system.

⚠️ Note: After installing a third-party launcher, the Home button (swipe up or virtual button) may temporarily stop working as usual.

Not all launcher features are available out of the box. Some elements, such as live wallpaper or specific application folding animations, may require additional activation through the launcher's own internal settings menu. It's also worth noting that the widgets in this shell work independently of Android system widgets, which gives you more creative freedom.

One of the most recognizable features of the iPhone is the bottom panel with apps, known as Dock. In standard Android, it is static or limited in capabilities. In this case, the launcher allows you to pin up to 4-5 applications that will remain on the screen when you swipe between pages, which creates the feeling of real iOS.

Also, it’s important to set up your desktop grid correctly. In the launcher settings, select the 4x6 or 5x6 grid format to get as close as possible to the density of icons on Apple screens. App icons can be manually replaced by downloading the iOS Icon Pack from the Play Market, which contains thousands of redrawn logos of popular services.

• 📱 Dock Bar: Customizable bottom panel with blur effect (blur) that supports folders inside itself.
• 🎨 Icons: Automatic replacement of standard Android icons with stylized Apple icons.
• 🔍 Search: Integration of Spotlight Search with Swipe Down the Center of the Screen.
• 📂 Folders: The ability to create folders with a unique design and name inside a folder, like in iOS.

Unlike the classic Android, where all programs are on desktops or in a separate vertical tape, iOS-style involves separate pages for folders. Launchers-mimitators allow you to implement exactly this logic, when the folder opens to the full screen, occupying useful space and focusing attention.

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For maximum similarity, disable the signature of app names under the icons in the launcher settings. In iOS, the names are often hidden or minimalist, making the desktop cleaner.

The visual part is only half of the success. For Xiaomi to behave like an iPhone, you need to reconfigure the navigation. The controls in MIUI are already pretty similar to iOS, but require fine-tuning. Go to Settings → Desktop → Navigation and select gesture control.

The key here is to adjust the sensitivity of the edges of the screen. In iOS, swipe from the edge backs up, but the response area is very large. In MIUI, this zone can be expanded manually. In addition, to simulate the behavior of "bangs" (Dynamic Island) on modern Xiaomi models, you can use widgets that hide under the camera's notch, creating an interactive notification island.

For the smoothness that is typical of Apple, it is recommended to set the scale of the animation windows, transition and duration of the animator to a value of 0.5x or 1x depending on the power of the processor of your Xiaomi, which will remove unnecessary delays and make the interface more responsive.

Control center and lock screen are the "face" of the system that the user sees most often. MIUI has two control center styles: old (Android 10 and below) and new (iOS style). Make sure that the Settings → Notifications and status bar → Control center has a new style.

The lock screen requires a special theme. Go to the Themes app and search for "iOS 17 lockscreen" or "iPhone lock." Download a high-rated theme and apply only the "lock screen" component, which will change the watch font to Apple's branded font and add characteristic weather and activity widgets.

It's important to understand that Android and iOS system notifications work differently. It's hard to fully copy Apple-style app-by-app notification groupings through standard means, but launchers can change the app icon in the curtain onto its logo, which is visually very close to the original. There are apps like iOS Control Center for deep curtain customization.

⚠️ Note: When installing themes from unofficial sources or third-party stores, keep an eye on the permissions requested, SMS clock-mic.

One feature that users often look for is live activities, which can be implemented on Xiaomi through third-party apps that display information about taxis, delivery or sports directly on the lock screen, mimicking the functionality of iOS 16/17.

Functional similarities come from not only appearance, but also useful utilities. Apple's ecosystem is famous for its native apps. Fortunately, there are great analogues for Android that are indistinguishable from the originals in design and function.

For notes, use apps like Notion or dedicated notebooks that support iOS-style widgets. The weather is ideal for Today Weather or Overdrop, which have one-to-one widgets that replicate Apple Weather design. The gallery can be replaced with Google Photos with a "On This Day" widget, which visually resembles the "Photo" widget on the iPhone.

• 🌤 Weather: Application with minimalist interface and large widgets.
• 📝 Notes: Synchronized notes with the possibility of inserting photos and checklists.
• 🎵 Music: Player interface copying Apple Music (can be found in the theme settings).
• 📷 Camera: Third-party cameras with an “iPhone-like” interface (e.g. Camera) FV-5 skinny).

Also worth paying attention to is the keyboard. The standard MIUI keyboard is good, but a Gboard or Microsoft SwiftKey keyboard with the "iOS" skin installed will give that same tactile response and visual style. Don't forget to include the vibration when dialing and sound effects to complete the feel.

After all the settings, the system can behave unstable: the launcher can fly out, and the widgets can not be updated. MIUI/HyperOS. To keep your iPhone running smoothly, you need to set up autorun correctly.

Go to Settings → Apps → All apps, find your launcher and widget app. Enable AutoRun. Then go to Battery and Performance, find those apps, and select No Limits mode. This will prevent the system from killing the processes that control the look of your smartphone.

⚠️ Attention: Aggressive battery optimization is the main enemy of customization. If widgets stop updating, 90% of the time the problem is solved by removing background activity restrictions.

Another important aspect is the updates: third-party launchers may not keep up with Android updates. Periodically check for updates in the Play Market. If you upgraded Xiaomi to a new version of Android (for example, from 13 to 14), the launcher may temporarily stop working correctly until the patch is released.

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The stability of the custom interface depends on the right energy saving settings, and without permission to work in the background, the “transformation” will disappear after the reboot.

As a result, to turn Xiaomi into a full analogue of the iPhone software methods is possible on the Internet. 90-95%. You get a recognizable design, handy gestures and familiar interface, but it's worth remembering that the hardware part, like FaceID (in the full sense of the word, with a face ID). 3D-Scanning, or ecosystem chips like AirDrop between Mac and iPhone, remain inaccessible.

Yet for most users, this approach is the perfect balance: You pay reasonable money for Xiaomi hardware, get a powerful battery and fast charging, and visually and tactilely enjoy Apple’s product.