How to Duplicate Apps on Xiaomi: A Complete Guide

The modern smartphone has long since ceased to be a means of communication, becoming a basic working tool. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often face the need to separate personal and workspace. For example, when you need to have two WhatsApp or Telegram accounts on the same phone without installing third-party programs. Fortunately, the MIUI shell and the new HyperOS offer built-in, stable tools to solve this problem.

Many users mistakenly believe that cloning programs requires third-party utilities from Google Play, which are often overloaded with advertising or require questionable permissions. In fact, the Chinese giant’s system functionality allows you to create full copies of applications with their own data and notifications, which is especially true for those who use dual-use applications. SIM-The card and wants each of them to have its own independent messenger.

In this article, we will take a look at all the available duplication methods, from standard system settings to advanced methods for power users. You will learn how to avoid common errors, why a clone may not start and how to properly configure notifications for a second copy. We will look at the nuances of the function on different versions of the firmware and answer frequently asked questions.

Built-in function of Cloning applications

The easiest and most reliable way to do this is to use native options in your system settings, which don't require any additional software, consumes minimal resources, and ensures that notifications are stable, which was originally designed for messengers, but over time, the list of supported programs has expanded significantly, and to find this tool, you need to follow the Settings → Applications → Cloning of applications.

When you go to the menu, you'll see a list of all the programs installed on the device that support making a second copy, usually WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Facebook and various social networks, activation is done by simply switching the slider against the desired name, and the system automatically creates a shortcut with a yellow icon in the corner, which visually distinguishes the clone from the original.

It’s important to understand that a cloned app works as an independent process, meaning you can log in from another Google account or log in under a different phone number, but it’s worth remembering the security limitations: some high-security banking apps and services can block the cloned mode, considering the runtime environment suspicious.

• 📱 Only certain applications approved by the manufacturer are supported.
• ⚙️ Notification settings for the clone are regulated separately from the main application.
• 🔋 The function has minimal effect on battery consumption when used correctly.
• 🔄 The cloned application update occurs automatically along with the main application.

⚠️ Note: When you delete the main application, its clone will also be automatically deleted by the system without the possibility of data recovery.

Second Space Mode for Total Insulation

If standard cloning isn't enough, and you want complete data isolation, you should look at the Second Space feature, which is not just a copy of an app, but actually creating a second smartphone inside a single device, and it has a separate desktop, its settings, its own gallery, and its accounts, and switching between the main and second spaces through a special label in the notification curtain or by fingerprint.

Second Space is useful when you want to hide certain applications from prying eyes or separate work and leisure at the file system level. Unlike simple cloning, applications are reinstalled here, which means that if you delete an application in the first space, it remains intact in the second space. It's a powerful privacy tool.

It takes a little longer to set up than a simple cloning, you'll need to set up a separate password or graphical key to log into the second space, and the system will also suggest you choose which apps will be available for portability, that some heavy games may not work properly when running simultaneously in both spaces due to a lack of RAM.

There's an important caveat that's rarely talked about in the official manuals: When you activate Second Space on the disk, you create a virtual partition that reserves space for future files. Even if you don't install anything in the second profile, a few gigabytes of memory will be occupied by reserved space, which should be taken into account by owners of versions with 64 GB of internal memory.

Use Dual Apps for Extended Features

In some regions and on certain versions of MIUI firmware, the standard feature may be called Dual Apps or hidden in the depth of the menu. The operating principle remains the same, but the interface may differ. In global versions of firmware, this feature is often integrated into the Applications section, whereas in Chinese builds it can be put into a separate system application.

If you can’t find the standard option, you can use the official Xiaomi app called “Dual Apps” (if it’s available in your region through GetApps) or similar system services. However, most users are looking for third-party solutions when built-in limits the list of supported programs. APK-file.

For advanced users, there is the possibility of activating hidden functions through the engineering menu or ADB-So, for example, you can try to force the cloning of an application that's not on the supported list:

adb shell pm grant com.miui.cloneapp android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

After completing the command, additional positions may appear in the list of supported applications. However, using such methods can lead to system instability after updating the firmware. Officially, Xiaomi does not support cloning of system applications and Google Play services, an attempt to do this can disrupt the entire smartphone.

• 🛠 Advanced settings allow you to select specific contacts for a cloned messenger.
• 🔒 Ability to hide the cloned app icon from the general menu.
• 📲 Support for cloning of some gaming launchers.
• 🚫 Not all apps correctly display notifications in the second window.

Third-party solutions: Parallel Space and analogues

When built-in tools are scarce, sandbox applications like Parallel Space, 2Accounts, or Multiple Accounts come to the rescue, creating a virtual environment where copies of other applications run, a one-stop solution that works on almost any Android smartphone, including older Xiaomi models.

The main disadvantage of these solutions is increased resource consumption, because the shell application must emulate the environment for running a second copy, battery consumption increases, and the phone can heat up, and such programs often require extensive permissions to access contacts and files, which raises questions for users who care about digital hygiene.

However, for cloning heavy apps or games that aren’t system-supported, this is the only way out. Some of these apps offer an Incognito Mode feature that allows clone apps to hide themselves under a password or biometric, which adds an extra layer of security to your data.

⚠️ Note: Third-party cloning applications may collect usage statistics. It is not recommended to log into banking applications through third-party sandboxes.

When installing these apps from Google Play, pay attention to the number of downloads and reviews. Better time-tested solutions with millions of installs. Often free versions are filled with ads that pop up at the most inopportune moment. There is a paid version that removes ads and adds additional themes, but the basic functionality is usually available at a free rate.

Problems with notifications and their resolution

One of the most common problems faced by Xiaomi and Redmi users is the lack of notifications from cloned apps. Messenger works, messages come only when the application is open, and in the background of silence. This is due to aggressive optimization of the battery in the MIUI shell, which “kills” background processes to save charge.

To fix this, you need to manually configure permissions. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Notification Management. Find a cloned application (usually marked with an icon or similar name) in the list and make sure the Allow Notifications switch is active. It is also important to check the settings inside the application itself.

The next step is to prevent the system from closing the application. Go to Settings → Applications → All applications, find a clone, select Autostart and turn it on. Then, in Energy Saving, select No Limits mode. Only the set of these actions guarantees real-time delivery of messages.

• 🔔 Check if Do Not Disturb or Sleep mode is enabled for a particular app.
• 📶 Make sure the clone is allowed to use mobile data and Wi-Fi.
• 🔄 Sometimes it helps to reset the settings of the cloned application through the menu of information about it.
• 📱 On some models, you need to fix the application in memory (swipe down in the menu of running tasks and lock).

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To guarantee the operation of notifications in the WhatsApp or Telegram clone, after setting up auto-run, open the application, wait 10 seconds and roll it up, but do not forcefully close it. This will warm up the process in memory.

Effects of cloning on productivity and battery

Creating copies of applications inevitably affects the resources of the device. Each cloned application takes up additional space in RAM. If your smartphone has 4 GB of RAM or less, activating multiple clones can lead to more frequent unloading of background tasks and slowing down the interface.

In the case of internal memory, the clone is located in proportion to the data that accumulates in it. If WhatsApp is mainly 1 GB of correspondence, and in the clone it is 500 MB, then in total they will take up 1.5 GB. Caches, media files and databases are added up. On devices with low memory capacity, this can be a critical factor in causing errors "Not enough space".

In terms of autonomy, the impact depends on usage activity. If the second account is rarely used, the impact on the battery will be minimal. But if both accounts are active all the time, receive a lot of media and work in the background, battery life can be reduced by 10-15% per day.

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The optimal number of cloned apps for mid-range smartphones is no more than two, and exceeding this number can lead to unstable system operation.