HyperOS 3: is your Xiaomi’s ‘island’ fading? Don’t worry, it’s not a bug

The latest HyperOS 3 is now available for several months and already looks toward the next generation of Xiaomi’s interface, through the novelties of version 3.1. Meanwhile a nugget has emerged that so far seems to have been hidden from most people: the HyperIsland island, available on all smartphones that have received the major update, is protected by a sophisticated anti burn-in system designed to prevent the onset of this troublesome phenomenon.

With HyperOS 3, Xiaomi has launched the new HyperIsland together with a system to protect the display from burn-in

The HyperOS 3 update has seen the transformation of the dynamic island in Cupertino style introduced by the previous version. Renamed HyperIsland, the feature allows access to a greater number of controls and is compatible with numerous applications.

In this way the cutout used to house the selfie camera (an aesthetically unappealing element of modern displays) becomes a useful tool for displaying real-time alerts and activity directly at the top of the screen, adapting to the app in use. It works with both system apps and many third-party apps.

Some Chinese users have noticed a suspected bug in HyperOS 3: during use of HyperIsland, the island begins to fade until the initial deep black is lost.

However, another reality has emerged: it’s not a defect in Xiaomi’s software, but a countermeasure deliberately introduced by the engineering team to counteract the burn-in phenomenon. Since HyperIsland constantly displays static pixels in the same exact position for a long time, older OLED panels could exhibit display problems.

So the company has inserted a special anti burn-in algorithm: the software actively monitors the state of the screen and in case of prolonged use of the island gradually dulls the graphics of the latter. The result is a faded effect with black losing its intensity.

According to reports, the function is active only for the older models: newer OLED panels are equipped with technologies different from past solutions (with greater resistance to burn-in).