Xiaomi, the Chinese smart device and internet service developer, today announced that the activated accounts of MIUI, the custom Android system developed by the company, have passed 100 million.
Launched on August 16th 2010, MIUI is preloaded in connected Xiaomi devices and compatible with more than 100 Android phone models. Since more than 87 million Xiaomi phones have been shipped, MIUI users on other Android phone brands number just 13 million. MIUI now supports 31 languages across 112 countries, according to the company.
MIUI was launched before even the first Xiaomi phone. Xiaomi management have never been secretive about their business plan that, besides hardware, they viewed MIUI as an important revenue source.
MIUI updates on a weekly basis, with hundreds of improvements made to benefit users. The built-in app store now distributes an average of 35 million apps per day. Designers have been invited to design themes for MIUI and get revenue shares from their sales. In 2014 MIUI partnered with a number of third-party services, integrating utilities from WiFi hotspots apps to parcel delivery companies into its lifestyle service channels, Xiaomi Yellow Pages and Xiaomi Life (our translation).
MIUI has been generating meaningful revenues since 2012 from in-app item or service purchases, themes sales, advertising, amongst others. Monthly sales revenues from third-party mobile games has reached RMB197 million (around US$32m), with third-party developers receiving a total of RMB600 million (roughly US$97m) in 2014. It is expected more revenue shares will be possible from the third-party services Xiaomi has been adding, or from other mobile services who want to leverage its user base.
Since Xiaomi is expanding from Android phone to internet-connected hardware, MIUI is also evolving to become a cross-platform system. A version for Android-based smart TVs is available, and the Xiaomi wristband, a low-cost activity tracker, can communicate with MIUI.
Editing by Mike Cormack (@bucketoftongues)