Xiaomi Home

Review by eFreeware

A smart home stops feeling smart the moment you own enough hardware to lose track of it. One lamp has its own app, the camera another, the plug a third, and you end up scrolling through a folder of icons just to turn something off. Xiaomi Home is the company's answer to that sprawl: a single Android app for managing Xiaomi smart devices. It comes from Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software, the same company behind the hardware, and it has been available since early 2016.

The pitch is straightforward. You add devices, you control them from wherever you are, you watch their status update in real time, you share access with the people you live with, and you build automations so the house does some of the work on its own. That is a wide remit, and the app's usefulness depends almost entirely on how much Xiaomi hardware you already own or plan to buy.

It is free to download, carries no ads, and offers in-app purchases.

Setting up a device and keeping an eye on it

Adding hardware is described as a short, guided process rather than a technical one. The app can discover compatible devices on your local network, and it also supports Bluetooth pairing for devices that connect that way, including firmware updates over the same route. For some models you scan a QR code with the camera instead. The point is that setup adapts to the device rather than forcing one method on everything.

Once something is paired, the app is meant to be the place you check on it. Status updates in real time, so a camera, a light or a plug reports what it is doing without you having to refresh anything. For cameras specifically, the app covers live viewing, quick snapshots and short clips, plus recent events and playback of recorded history. That combination of live and recorded access is the part I would expect to matter most to anyone using Xiaomi cameras as a security measure.

The other half of the setup story is sharing. You can hand access to friends and family members, which is the feature that turns a personal collection of gadgets into a household system. Someone else can check the camera or switch a light.

The devices it actually speaks to

The app's coverage is organized around categories rather than a single flagship product. Cameras offer live viewing, snapshots, recorded clips and history. Lights can be switched, dimmed and tuned in color temperature, with scenes and schedules. Air conditioners can be powered on and off remotely, with temperature and mode changes and automations attached. Fans handle speed and oscillation, and can be tied into routines with other devices.

Switches extend the same remote logic to ordinary household lighting and appliances, so a non-smart lamp can join the system through a smart switch. Plugs and power strips can run on schedules, and some report energy use. Printers are handled differently from the rest: the app provides printing templates and workflows, with media selection and pre-checks, and it supports more involved layouts such as collage-style arrangements.

Availability varies by model and by region, which is worth remembering before you assume a specific gadget will appear in the app. The developer points to the product manual or the official website for the details on any given device.

Automations, scenes and the 3D control view

Automation is where a device app either becomes part of your daily routine or turns into a chore. Xiaomi Home lets you set up and run intelligent tasks, which in practice means rules that chain devices together: a light that comes on with a schedule, a fan that reacts to another device, a plug that runs on a timer. The scene and scheduling tools described for lights and plugs are the building blocks here, and the app is designed to let those pieces work in combination rather than in isolation.

The most recent addition is a 3D Control Center mode. According to the release notes, it now covers more than ten additional device models, and it allows editing of interior window and door widths. That suggests a visual, floor-plan-style way of arranging and controlling devices rather than a plain list. I would treat it as a presentation layer on top of the same controls, useful for households with enough devices that a list becomes hard to scan.

HomeKit devices can be paired, synced and controlled from inside Xiaomi Home. That is a meaningful inclusion for anyone running a mixed setup, since it avoids splitting control between two apps for those devices.

What the app asks for before it will work

The permission structure here is unusual and worth reading carefully. There are no required permissions at all, which means you can install the app and use its basic features without granting anything up front. Everything else sits in the optional tier, requested only when a particular device or feature needs it, and declining one does not cut off the rest of the app.

What those optional permissions do is specific. Local network access is used to find compatible devices, handle network configuration and direct connections, and control devices locally. Bluetooth covers scanning, connecting and updating Bluetooth hardware. The camera handles QR scanning at setup and login, plus feedback, floor plans and camera features. Voice control and video intercom on smart devices both rely on the microphone. Location identifies your region for localized information, helps scan Wi-Fi networks during setup, and improves the accuracy of recorded exercise routes. Uploading images and video for feedback, floor plans and camera features needs photo access. Notifications carry device status and related messages.

The practical consequence is that a camera-heavy home will end up granting more than a plug-only one, and that is reasonable. It also means the app is not a passive dashboard; it needs a fair amount of access to do the local control and setup work it advertises. The developer notes a Kitemark certification for secure digital applications, which is the kind of assurance worth weighing if you are uneasy about handing a phone app control of your home.

Who this fits

This is an app for people who own Xiaomi smart hardware, or who intend to build a home around it. If your devices come from that catalog, Xiaomi Home is the natural center: one place to pair them, watch them, schedule them and share them. The breadth of categories means a single household can run cameras, lighting, climate control and power management through the same interface instead of juggling several.

The sharing feature makes it a reasonable fit for families and shared apartments, where more than one person needs to check a camera or turn something off. The automation tools suit anyone who wants routines rather than manual switching, and the energy statistics on supported plugs will interest people trying to understand what their appliances draw.

The install base is substantial, with more than 50 million installs and a 4.4 average across roughly 1.6 million ratings, so this is clearly a well-established app rather than a niche experiment. That scale is reassuring for anyone worried about a companion app being abandoned, and the September 2026 update shows it is still being developed.

The trade-offs to accept

The clearest constraint is hardware. Xiaomi Home manages Xiaomi devices, and its value scales with how many of those you have. Someone with a single smart plug will find it does the job, but the automation and scene tools only start to pay off once several devices can talk to each other. If your home is built on another manufacturer's products, the app has little to offer beyond its HomeKit support.

The second is regional variation. Device support differs by model and by region, so the same app can look fuller or thinner depending on where you live and what you bought. Checking the product manual before assuming compatibility is sensible.

The third is the permission footprint. Nothing is mandatory, which is a genuinely good design choice, but the features you want will require the access they need, and a fully equipped home means granting local network, Bluetooth, camera, microphone, location, photos and notification access over time. That is a lot of trust placed in one app, and it is the main reason to think about the Kitemark certification rather than skim past it.

Finally, there are in-app purchases alongside the free download. The app itself is free and ad-free, and it is worth knowing that in-app purchases exist.

A sensible center for a Xiaomi household

Xiaomi Home does one job and does it broadly: it turns a collection of Xiaomi devices into something you can manage from a phone. Setup is guided, control works remotely, status is live, sharing is built in, and automation ties the pieces together. The 3D Control Center and HomeKit support show the app is still growing rather than coasting.

I would recommend it to anyone whose smart home is, or is about to be, built on Xiaomi hardware, and especially to households where more than one person needs access. It is free, it carries no ads, and the permission model lets you start small and grant access only as your devices require it.

If you own a single Xiaomi gadget, the app will do what you need without much ceremony. If you own a dozen, that is where the scheduling, scenes and shared access start to justify keeping it on your home screen.

What's new in version 11.7.704

What's New • Xiaomi Hoem 3D Control Center mode adds 10+ new device models, supporting editing of interior window and door widths