Updated, the protection has been broken: Unlocking the bootloader on Xiaomi smartphones will be complicated again

Brand fans Xiaomi especially in the past, but also currently installed on their smartphone alternative ROM. And it was one of the inevitable steps unlock bootloader. However, unlocking it will no longer be so easy, based on the latest news it will be downright impossible.

Updated 30.11.2023/14/38 XNUMX:XNUMX PM:

A fan in the comments drew our attention to the fact that the new bootloader unlock protection has already been successfully breached and the MIUI (HyperOS) community showed its strength again. The information comes from the Czech-Slovak community forum Miuios.cz, which takes care of the Czech and Slovak development of the alternative Xiaomi.EU ROM.

To the end they are already testing the latest HyperOS interface in the Slovak language on the Chinese version of the Xiaomi 14 Pro. This is great news, as we have confirmation that the Xiaomi.EU project is not over.

Original article 30.11.2023/10/30 XNUMX:XNUMX AM:

Bootloader: What steps will you need in the future?

Xiaomi, as a distinctive Chinese company, is launching a new and rather special policy on unlock bootloader. First of all, however, we must emphasize that these policies currently only apply to phones sold in China. This policy puts some restrictions on the bootloader unlocking process, and we'll take a closer look at that process.

Recently revealed information talks about specific changes for Chinese devices. Specifically, it concerns devices under the brands Xiaomi and Redmi, sold on the Chinese market. Global versions of the devices, under the Xiaomi brands, Redmi a POCO they still remain in available mode standard process unlocking the bootloader.

Level 5 account and significant restrictions

But let's move on to China. In the market there, users are required to have a level 5 developer account, on the official Xiaomi Mi Communit platform. This very step adds another layer of authentication and access control. If you want to get to this level, you need to take several steps.

• First, you need to register in the Xiaomi Mi Community application
• You must be a Chinese citizen
• You must be running HyperOS on a Chinese ROM and report at least 1 error message per day
• Every month you have to create at least one proposal to improve HyperOS on Chinese ROM
• You must be an active user of the community and regularly comment or "like" posts
• Your level will increase as you post new posts

If you already achieve 5th level account, more restrictions are coming. Among them is the fact that each account can only unlock the bootloader on three devices per year. This very step is to ensure that the process of unlocking and customizing the device remains under control.

Stopping OTA updates for HyperOS

Also, a significant consequence of unlocking the bootloader is that these users will no longer receive updates for HyperOS. This also means stopping official OTA updates of the operating system. However, if you lock the bootloader again, the device will continue to receive these updates.

However, there is a question mark over beta updates. So if you use the so-called "beta ROM," there should be an option to get it HyperOS Beta OTA updates. This problem would only concern the stable version of the ROM.

Government surveillance in the Chinese market

However, the specific policy of the Chinese manufacturer did not arise just by chance. It is primarily in the interest of the Chinese government, to improve the security and supervision of users. By implementing these restrictions, it is more difficult for users to bypass surveillance systems in China and subsequently engage in certain hidden activities on the device.

Also for this reason, the creator of the Level 5 account requires the user to be a Chinese citizen, which further facilitates the tracking of such a device by the current Chinese government officials.

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