Xiaomi brand fans in the past and even now installed an alternative ROM on their smartphones. And one of the necessary steps was also unlocking the bootloader. However, unlocking it won’t be that simple anymore—based on the latest reports, it’s even practically impossible.
Updated 11/30/2023 14:38:
A fan in the comments pointed out that the new protection against bootloader unlocking has already been successfully bypassed, and the MIUI (HyperOS) community has once again shown its strength. The information comes from the Czech-Slovak community forum Miuios.cz, which covers both Czech and Slovak development of the alternative Xiaomi.EU ROM.
They’re even testing the latest HyperOS interface in Slovak on the Chinese version of the Xiaomi 14 Pro. Great news, since we’ve confirmed that the Xiaomi.EU project isn’t ending.
Original article 11/30/2023 10:30:
Bootloader: What steps will you need in the future?
Xiaomi, as a major Chinese company, is rolling out a new and fairly specific policy for unlocking the bootloader. First of all, however, we need to stress that these rules currently apply only to phones sold in China. This policy introduces certain limitations to the bootloader unlocking process, and we’ll walk you through it in even more detail.
Recently revealed information points to specific changes for Chinese devices. Specifically, it concerns devices under the Xiaomi and Redmi brands sold in the Chinese market. Global versions of devices under the Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO brands remain available via the standard bootloader unlocking process.
Account level 5 and significant restrictions
But let’s move to China. In that market, users are required to have a developer account of level 5 on the official Xiaomi Mi Community platform. This step adds yet another layer of verification and access control. To reach this level, you need to complete several steps right away.
- First, you need to register in the Xiaomi Mi Community app
- You must be a Chinese citizen
- You must use HyperOS on the Chinese ROM and report at least 1 error message per day
- Every month you must create at least one proposal to improve HyperOS on the Chinese ROM
- You must be an active community user and regularly comment on or “like” posts
- Your level increases when you publish new posts
Even if you reach level 5 account, more restrictions come into play. Among them is especially that each account can unlock the bootloader on only three devices per year. This step is meant to ensure the unlocking and customization process remains under control.
Stopping OTA updates for HyperOS
Another major consequence of unlocking the bootloader is that these users will no longer receive updates for HyperOS. That also means official OS OTA updates are halted. However, if you lock the bootloader again, the device will continue to receive those updates.
There’s still a question mark over beta updates. So if you use so-called “beta ROMs,” there should be a way to get HyperOS Beta OTA updates. This issue would then only affect the stable ROM version.
Government oversight in the Chinese market
However, the Chinese manufacturer’s specific policy did not come about by chance. Primarily, it’s about the Chinese government’s interest in improving security and overseeing users. By implementing these restrictions, it becomes harder for users to bypass tracking systems in China and then get involved in certain hidden activities on the device.
For this reason as well, the account creator at the 5 level requires that the user be a Chinese citizen, which further makes it easier to track such a device precisely for representatives of the current Chinese government.
What do you think of this move by the manufacturer Xiaomi? Check out our Xiaomi Planet website as well, our group on Telegram full of current articles, subscribe to our newsletter, and join us too in our Facebook group.
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