Miui 9 Android skin from Xiaomi gets ‘smart app launcher’ and image finder

The Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi puts a ‘smart app launcher’ in its Android edition Miui 9. This allows the software to read the contents of the screen and start a new app based on that. The feature is reminiscent of Google’s Now on Tap.

The function looks based on keywords on the screen which app the user might want to open and then shows a shortcut to that app, Miui.com writes based on the presentation of Xiaomi in the Chinese capital Beijing.

In addition, the Chinese version of Miui will receive a ‘smart assistant’, which is most similar to a search engine for content on the device’s storage, such as photos, text messages and other files. In addition, the software allows users to search photos based on tags.

Xiaomi also promises that Miui 9 will make devices faster due to all kinds of optimizations, such as a new file system and a different memory management. In addition, it has adapted the vibrations caused by the vibration motor as feedback on actions in the software.

It concerns the Chinese-language version of Miui 9. It is possible that not all functions will end up in the international version of the software, which Xiaomi will show later. The update will be released first for the Redmi Note 4 and Mi 6 and will come later to older devices. The oldest supported device is the Mi 2 from 2012.

In addition, Xiaomi presented its latest smartphone, the Mi 5X. It has a 5.5″ LCD with 1920×1080 pixels and runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625-soc. The device has a metal housing with the same dual camera setup on the back as the Mi 6. The Android smartphone costs 1499 yuan , currently converted about € 190. At the event, Xiaomi also presented a smart home speaker for about € 38.