Xiaomi

Xiaomi Corporation is a Chinese multi-national corporation and technology company headquartered in Beijing, China. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and electric vehicles. As of 2021, it is the second largest smart phone manufacturer in the world.[[1]]( Add your text below this box. Once this section is complete, delete this box by clicking on it and pressing backspace. Although Xiaomi's devices run on an operating system based on the Linux kernel, which is licensed under GPLv2 , the company does not disclose all of their operating system source code on GitHub, as required by GPL terms. Phones sold outside of China come with an unlock-able bootloader, however the unlocking process is heavily restricted. For devices with a broken bootloader, recovery typically involves re-flashing firmware through Emergency Download (EDL) mode (for Qualcomm-based devices) or Download Mode (for MediaTek-based devices). While Qualcomm and MediaTek") provide software for these modes, they are only distributed internally to repair centers. However, open-source alternatives exist that can perform similar functions. Despite this, Xiaomi implemented additional restrictions in 2020 by requiring online authentication , which is exclusively provided to authorized repair centers. This prevents users from restoring their own devices in cases of severe software failure.[[2]]( Owners of the electric vehicle Xiaomi SU7") report authentication errors after replacing parts such as headlights. Officials have said the Xiaomi SU7 cannot complete over the air software updates unless upgrade-able parts have Xiaomi-approved identification keys.[[3]]( [[4]]( Most of the aforementioned apps can be substituted for FOSS alternatives, but they cannot be uninstalled without advanced methods such as ADB. In 2020, it was revealed that Xiaomi phones send vast amounts of data to Xiaomi, including browsing history, folders opened, and many other things users do on their phones. Xiaomi insists that privacy is not affected, but none of their statements really contradict the allegations of vast data collection.[[8]]( Most of the data is sent to servers in Singapore which belong to Chinese tech giant Alibaba") Cloud. Users can verify themselves which connections are made by using the connection log feature in an app such as No Root Firewall, NetGuard or Tracker Control . This shows the phones sometimes suddenly becoming very "chatty", even in the middle of the night. As a Chinese company, Xiaomi is under direct control of the Chinese government led by the Chinese Communist Party. China is an autocratic dictatorship and a surveillance state, which users should take into consideration when using internet-connected software and hardware products from the country. The company cannot deny requests from the Chinese state for user data and must collaborate unconditionally in state espionage cases. This law also applies extra-territorially and thus user data world-wide is affected. Some phone models display a cartoon of Mitu, the Xiaomi mascot bunny performing maintenance on the iconic Android logo robot when booted into fast-boot mode by holding down the corresponding button combination, which differs between phone models. This mascot is wearing an olive-green fur hat that is part of the communist pioneer uniform and bears the characteristic red star on its front, emphasizing the patriotic stance of the company.[[9]]( Xiaomi smartphones out-of-the-box run on their custom version of Android known as HyperOS (formerly MIUI), which comes bundled with a plethora of pre-installed first- and third-party apps. The pre-installed third-party apps can be easily uninstalled with a few clicks whereas the same is not applicable for the pre-installed first-party apps. The option to uninstall them is either grayed out or just outright missing, requiring advanced methods such as ADB to uninstall.[[10]]( In March 2026, German consumer organization Stiftung Warentest rep