The floating window feature has been present on MIUI for a couple of years now and has become an integral part of it, with many using it as it was any other basic feature like, for say, the DND mode.

It allows users to use supported apps as little windows that can be dragged around the screen. This opens up a number of avenues for productivity – for example, chatting while watching a recipe video on YouTube.

However, there has been an issue. A number of users from various devices have complained that the floating window option has stopped working following the MIUI 12.5 update.

miui-floating-window-removed-complaint
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I do not understand why they removed the option to put any open window in floating window, the previous version of floating windows was perfect, they should go back to what it was before
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Floating window Poco X3 pro MIUI 12.5.3 global. floating window option is not there
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The feature still appears upon holding down an app preview on the recents, but clicking on it does nothing as it is greyed out.

While most complaints have been from Poco X3 NFC owners, there is plenty of evidence to point towards multiple other devices being affected as well. This indicates that the issue is more widespread.

Now, it can be said that the disappearance of the floating window feature is in fact linked to the feature removal that was done across several budget devices owing to performance issues.

floating-window-miui-screenshot

However, the Poco X3 NFC is a fairly powerful device with the Snapdragon 732G processor and is thus not ‘budget’ by any means.

Further, the feature removal was linked to MIUI 12 and the missing features have begun to make a comeback with MIUI 12.5. Thus, this assumption can be ruled out safely.

Whatever the reason, a Mi Community moderator has now given an insight into the matter. As per them, the feature has been removed deliberately.

miui-12.5-floating-window-removal-acknowledgment
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A reason for the removal wasn’t provided but they did say that the measure is temporary. The floating window feature should hence be making a comeback soon enough.

There is one thing worth keeping in mind here though. As already mentioned, the floating window feature is supported on select apps only.

Thus, if the option is greyed out for you, you might want to check if it works on supported apps like WhatsApp. If it doesn’t, only then can you be sure that it indeed has been removed for your device.

There hasn’t been any word on when the feature will be making a comeback. But given the removal is temporary, a future software update will probably be bringing it back for your device.

For now, stay tuned to our dedicated MIUI 12.5 bugs and issues tracker.

PiunikaWeb started purely as an investigative tech journalism website with a main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Fox News, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, MacRumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Zohaib Ahmed
824 Posts

Simply love being surrounded by technology as it's a constant reminder of how far humans have advanced as a race. Every new development feels exciting, which I convey to others through writing. And after a day's work, gaming just feels therapeutic.

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