Xiaomi’s HyperOS 3.1 update introduces iOS-like recent apps view

Zhang Guoquan, the director of mobile software for Xiaomi, has stated that the business will start testing the layered background interface in HyperOS internally in December. This impending update will improve Xiaomi phones’ multitasking capabilities by providing a more user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing background management experience. Through Zhang’s interactions with Weibo users, the functionality was made public, demonstrating Xiaomi’s ongoing dedication to enhancing the real-world user experience using HyperOS, the company’s unified operating system.

A Xiaomi devotee responded in a Weibo debate by calling for the inclusion of a stacked background interface, particularly given the larger screens of modern smartphones that necessitate more fluid multitasking capabilities. Zhang Guoquan replied, “Received, working on it,” to the comment. He then added that the functionality is currently in the demonstration stage but still undergoing optimization. The code is now being finished by programmers, and internal testing is expected to start in December.

Stacked Background Interface?

Users can see running apps as a deck of cards arranged on top of each other, from largest to smallest, depending on which card is accessed first thanks to the stacked background interface. Similar to the multitasking interfaces found in webOS (2009) and later in Apple’s iOS 9, users can swipe up to close apps or left or right to navigate between them.

In place of conventional grid-patterned task lists, this structure provides an interactive and spatial method of managing applications. It makes it possible to maximize screen real estate, which is particularly helpful on devices with large screens like the Xiaomi 15 Pro and Xiaomi Pad 7.

Originally developed in webOS, stacked multitasking was first used on phones like the Palm Pre, which also popularized features like wireless charging and gesture navigation, which are now commonplace on the majority of contemporary smartphones. This kind of multi-application management became popular once Apple adopted the UI in iOS 9.

With HyperOS, Xiaomi appears to be bringing back these antiquated ideas while modernizing them with fluid animations, AI enhancements, and improved performance scaling.

It is anticipated that the stacking interface will be included in HyperOS’s 2025 upgrades, maybe in the feature package that comes after HyperOS 3.1. When public testing starts, Xiaomi customers should anticipate smoother animations, more fluid multitasking, and better use of display real estate. These features are in line with Xiaomi’s overarching goal of using Xiaomi HyperConnect to build an intelligent, connected user ecosystem.