Understanding various types/stages of Xiaomi MIUI ROMs: Alpha/Nightly, Beta, Beta Stable, & Stable update

Xiaomi MIUI ROMs go through various stages which is why regular users get confused with different terms related to these stages.

However, Xiaomi does so to ensure that users get the most refined software with minimum number of bugs and issues.

There are different types of MIUI ROMs and these types can also be considered as different stages of the development life cycle.

The Alpha firmware is the very first stage in which daily builds are released for internal testers. We have recently seen Alpha updates for MIUI System Launcher, AoD, and Super Wallpapers.

Alpha MIUI builds are also known as Nightly updates and are usually highly unstable and cannot be used as daily drivers.

The daily Alpha or Nightly builds are further consolidated into one build which is rolled out on weekly basis and this MIUI ROM or stage is known as beta.

The weekly MIUI beta updates are only released for Xiaomi’s beta testing program members in China every Thursday. FYI, the global MIUI beta program was discontinued in July 2019.

These builds are also referred to as public beta and they have brought Android 11-based MIUI 12, redesigned UI, and new Dark Mode options to Xiaomi devices.

After the public beta ROM/stage comes the beta stable builds which are received by a select number of regular users.

This is done so that the OEM can verify the quality of the software before rolling out the stable version on a wider scale.

It must be noted that Xiaomi’s beta program members have to leave the program manually in order to receive the beta stable or stable updates.

Also, those on the stable ROM have to manually install the beta or closed beta firmware via Fastboot method in order to receive beta OTA updates.

The beta or closed beta updates usually offer access to new features as well as OS upgrades to testers ahead of regular users. This explains why some Xiaomi devices already have access to Android 11 while others don’t.

Nevertheless, beta updates are also full of bugs and issues like Alpha or Nightly builds which is why it is better to stick to the beta stable/stable channel.

While these MIUI ROM development stages are a bit complicated for a regular user, Xiaomi does this in order to improve the user experience.

That said, we will keep tracking the development of MIUI and will provide more details once new information becomes available.

In the meantime, you can check out our dedicated Xiaomi section as there are more such stories that you can go through.

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