Xiaomi announced the latest version of its custom interface for smartphones on Tuesday, welcoming new features and useful changes that bring new experience to old Mi phones. Xiaomi MIUI 8 made an official debut in front of thousands of Mi fans at the Beijing event on Tuesday, where the company said it had more than 150 million MIUI users around the world, who are among the most active mobile internet users.

The MIUI 8 custom ROM comes with radical changes, from new colours to useful features. Speaking about the visible changes, Xiaomi said the MIUI 8 software comes with great changes in colours like change in colour depending on the weather or change of voice tone while sound recording, different colours for every section in app store, new colours in calendar app and more.

Xiaomi has also added new features that make a lot of sense on mobile devices. According to Gizmo Times, which listed the key features of the MIUI 8, the new additions to Xiaomi's new ROM include automatic syncing capability of photos to cloud album to save about 90 percent of album storage. Users can access high-quality thumbnails in the album or also retract the full image from the cloud.

Xiaomi MIUI 8 also added new photo editing features, video editing tools with filters, background music, changing effects and more, long screen capture that can take a shot of the entire page instead of just the visible area, updated notes app with grid view, new way to select and translate words, updated calculator app to include currency conversion, single hand operation, multi-window management, power management and anti-fraud SMS security.

When will MIUI 8 be available?

With all these features on board, MIUI 8 will be available in a closed beta for select participants next week. MIUI forum will invite participants to test the beta version of the new software on May 16. Xiaomi said it will start testing the first open beta from June 1 and the first Developer ROM will be available from June 17.

Which smartphones are supported by MIUI 8?

  • Xiaomi Mi 2
  • Xiaomi Mi 2s
  • Xiaomi Mi 3
  • Xiaomi Mi 4
  • Xiaomi Mi 4c
  • Xiaomi Mi 4s
  • Xiaomi Mi 5
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note
  • Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

Xiaomi said the entire Mi Note and Redmi series will be supported by MIUI 8 Developer ROM.