MIUI finally gets an app drawer with latest MIUI 11 update like Poco launcher

Xiaomi has announced it is bringing support for an app drawer on MIUI with MIUI 11. It’s availability for India and other global markets are yet to be announced.
Xiaomi’s MIUI is currently one of the oldest custom Android interfaces and over the past few years, it has received numerous upgrades in terms of aesthetics and features. However, one feature that has always eluded MIUI is a dedicated app drawer – a feature that’s been a standard affair with every other custom version of Android, including Google’s own Pixel launcher. After a massive demand of the feature from Xiaomi fans though, MIUI is finally getting an app drawer.

According to a recent post on Weibo, Xiaomi is finally bringing an app drawer to MIUI with MIUI 11. The app drawer is said to be like any other app drawer found on other Android phones. Users will have to install the latest version of the MIUI 11 launcher in order to access the app drawer feature. Sadly, the feature still isn’t baked into MIUI 11’s stable version. Hence, you will need to install MIUI 11 launcher separately to enjoy the app drawer functionality.

The MIUI 11 app drawer is quite similar in implementation to the one from the Poco launcher. Xiaomi tried out the app drawer implementation last year with the Poco F1’s Poco launcher. Xiaomi offered the ability to quickly sort apps based on typed and icon colours, the latter being extremely easy for users. Xiaomi also used the Poco launcher this year on its Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro flagship phones, which also get the app drawer as part of the package.

Currently, all of Xiaomi’s phones in India have the classic MIUI-style homescreen with all apps pinned to the homescreen, similar to Apple’s iOS. Most of Xiaomi’s current models are being updated to MIUI 11, with recent ones being the Redmi 8A and Redmi 8. Xiaomi’s older budget handsets such as Redmi 6A, Redmi 6, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Y2, Redmi 7 and Redmi Y3 have started receiving the MIUI 11 update in batches. Last year’s flagship Poco F1 also got the MIUI 11 update but along with Android 10 as well. Xiaomi also rolled out the Android 10 update for the Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro recently.