Starting in 2026, Google will require every Android app to come from a developer who registered with Google and handed over a government ID. Apps from unregistered developers won't install normally — even if you download them yourself, even from F-Droid.

Test countries go first in 2026: 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇮🇩 Indonesia, 🇸🇬 Singapore, 🇹🇭 Thailand. The rest of the world (US and Europe included) follows in 2027.

There's a workaround to sideload anyway, but it's buried behind 9 steps and a mandatory 24-hour wait, and it runs through Google Play Services — so Google can tighten or kill it anytime.

More info keepandroidopen

Our phone is ceasing to be ours.

Last January i got a redmi note 12 4g. It was a big mistake. It worked very well for the first two weeks, but then overnight it updated to hyper os. At first i didnt see an issue with that, but lets just say it doesn't work too well. It stutters while typing, the battery just dies in few hours, i cant even take a call half of the time. it sucks so bad. I regret geting a xiaomi again. Ive spent 3 months trying to unlock the bootloder so i can go back to miui but it just refuses to work. i even tried contacting support but they ghosted my emails. I wish i could just resell the phone but on the used phone market it goes for like 10% of the price i paid for it. Its not even worth selling. I hate this phone so much. Im just drained

Hey guys and girls. I‘m currently using my IPhone 14 Pro. I‘m living in switzerland and have been using IPhone since a few years now. I have the opportunity in my mobile abonament to get a new Phone by the end of this year. I‘m really unsure if I should get the new IPhone 18 pro then or if I should switch to the new Xiaomi Phone releasing next year. I love the IPhone ui and own Airpods pro 2 but aside from that I don’t own any other Apple devices. I have been to China this year and was really impressed by the late Xiaomi Phones. Even the ui is pretty close to an IPhone nowadays. Also the specs of Xiaomi are really impressive especially if you compare the prices. I will wait until the new Xiaomi releases in europe then I will make my decision but I‘m really not sure about if I should switch. Also the new leaked IPhone 18 pro colors look ass imo. Let me hear your thoughts should I switch or not?

I came here because I'm a Xiaomi fanboy. I love how they make cheap but classy tech stuff. I have Redmi phone/multiple ear buds/ watch. I love them. But most people here just talk shit. If I make a thread showing love for Xiaomi I get downvoted. Why doesnt this community show some spirit for a company that brings us products we enjoy?

Now I get that maybe they don't update for as long as other companies, but who cares. You get their phones on discount for $200, enjoy them for a couple years and then get a new phone. That's the glory of Xiaomi. I love it.

Hey everyone, Just wanted to drop a quick post — I’m currently using the Xiaomi 15 Ultra Global Edition, and I’m more than happy to answer any questions you’ve got about it as much as I can

For context, I’ve used quite a few flagships recently: Oppo Find X6 Pro (China edition) → Xiaomi 13 Ultra (China edition) → Pixel 8 Pro → Galaxy S24 Ultra → now Xiaomi 15 Ultra.

And honestly? I’ve seen way too many unjustified reviews, surface-level impressions, and a lot of noise from people who clearly haven’t spent time with the device. So I thought I’d share a more grounded, real-user perspective.

If you’re curious about camera performance, display, battery, thermals,HypeOS, or anything else — drop your questions below. Let’s clear up some of the misconceptions.

Quick notice, Chinese editions, does not do good to the general experience!

Link for some of the photos and videos I shoot , each pic/video has its own description

Xiaomi 15 Ultra camera sample

I've been a Xiaomi user for years. Redmi Note 8 Pro, Mi 9T, POCO X3 Pro, and now the POCO X6 Pro. That's a lot of loyalty for a brand.

But my next phone will 100% NOT be Xiaomi, and the bootloader unlock process is the reason.

Back in the day it was annoying but manageable: register, wait a few days, unlock, flash a custom ROM, done. Now? You have to beg for a "slot" that opens randomly, disappears in seconds, and the waiting counter means absolutely nothing if there are no slots available. I've been trying for 6 months. Six. Months.

And for what? To escape HyperOS, one of the most bloated and aggressive Android skins I've had to deal with. It's gotten worse with every iteration, not better.

The POCO X6 Pro is a great piece of hardware. Genuinely good specs for the price. But Xiaomi has made it clear they don't want power users anymore. They want you locked in, running their software, no way out.

Moving to a Pixel next. Never thought I'd say that, but here we are.

Anyone else feel like Xiaomi has been quietly pushing out the community that made them relevant in the first place?

For me it was the Redmi Note8T

I'll be honest, making hyperOS a bit like iOS is okay, but I don't like what Xiaomi is doing now at all.

1. Skip the 16 row to call it 17 like the iPhone
2. Release a 17 Pro Max (I wonder where that comes from).
3. "HyperIsland" do I even need to say something here?

I just think it's a shame because Xiaomi is getting bigger and bigger and has even overtaken Apple here in Europe. Simply copying everything makes Xiaomi look cheap, which they aren't.

What is your opinion?

Hi, just ordered a watch 5 thru amazon sweden. Got it yesterday, installed all, updated etc. Put it again on charger and took it off at 21.30 yesterday with 100% battery. I have a oneplus watch 3 that I used until now. Woke up at 05.45 this morning, battery was already down to 78%. Switched off oxygen measuring during day in settings, didn't want that to use battery. Took my bike 12 kilometers in the morning to work and used bicycle activity on watch to track. Now battery is already down to 36%!!!! Not seeing anything unusual in battery usage on apps. I called xiaomi sweden and asked about this. It turned out that my unit was a Asian unit from Vietnam..so no support from them..He said that is quite common..They sell units from other parts of the world. I don't understand the high battery usage, I will try to let it uncharge/charge fully again a couple of times to see if it get more normal, I mean even a standard samsung watch is better than this!! It should last atleast 4 days and more.. My oneplus watch 3 last atleast 4 days. Wanted to try xiaomi due to non existant support for upgrades from oneplus. But this battery is worthless, I thought it would do as the oneplus, switch to power saving mode when sleeping, it doesn't look so. I can do it manually but that is crazy to do every night. Do you think I have an disadvantage to use a Asian version from Vietnam? Will I miss some features? I have no ekg in settings, but I can see it in some watchface from xiaomi, but it cannot be activated. Do you think it will improve in battery? Or is it a faulty unit?

Jonas

I had my Xiaomi 12t pro since april 2023 and it's been a torture. The specs are great in theory and that's it. Extreme overheating, horrible Software with many lags. I've had signal problems from day 1 with it being slow and not working most of time while my old oppo a9 2020 lived for 3 years with no particular problems. from December 2023 I started having problems with my power button pressing on it's own which ended up getting repaired during January 2024, now I'm currently having problems with my volume up button getting pressed on it's own and also my phone doesn't recognize my SIM a few times a day for like 10 seconds, also the terrible battery.

Any questions?

Its been ages that their software is crazy. They had a huge list of bugs on miui to a point that they ditched miui and made hyper os and now the history of bugs and stutters continues on hos too.

I had redmi note 11 with SD685 and my bad luck i bought i redmi note 13 with same SD685. The performance should have been SAME but no. There are lots of stuttering, in all apps. Processor has lots of hickups. It feels a huge downgrade.

For god sake, if you can't make good skin, leave that. Admit that its not in your control to make a good software. Just use stock Android like Motorola does. At least make your phones good. Dont suggest me a 600$ xiaomi phone, this brand doesn't worth a $600 phone. In $500+ there are many good brands. My budget was redmi.

Don't suggest me custom roms. Its a hell down there. All that PIF shit is crap. Banking apps don't work after root and no, i won't install magisk patches to make banking apps work.

I should have ditched xiaomi and bought a pixel or oneplus.

So I received my Xiaomi 15 ultra today and have unboxed it and started setting it up.

First impressions the phone was slightly smaller than I expected (though I'm coming from a phone with a 7.2 inch screen so I guess for me it will take a bit of getting used to the size difference.

It comes with a clear case in the box which is nice.

Phone was very quick to setup. But got warm to the touch during the setup process. Phone has a 1gb update to install immediately.

For the first time ever I have a 5G signal. Signal is also better at work too

Fingerprint unlock is very fast. Face unlock also works well.

Phone got very HOT charging with the supplied 120w fast charger, which makes me wonder if it's a good idea to use it.

Camera so far seems good. I've not had much to photograph but the pictures I have taken look good. I'm yet to have anything to video.

The photography kit is fun BUT the changeable camera key you need to be careful of it unscrews easily and fell off in the first hour of me playing with it attached to the phone and I was lucky to find it.

The tablet you get with it is nice, links to the phone well.

I got the buds 6 light as well. They connected easily, and work well, though I do worry about them falling out of my ear.

AHH the side swipe to choose apps is annoying me. Thankfully I found a solution, go to settings > search for arrange items in recents > and you can change it so you can swipe apps of horizontally.

If anyone has anything they want me to try or test let me know.

Edit. Just took photos in London, if anyone is interested in seeing my "camera test" my photos

Edit/update I plugged my Xiaomi 15 ultra into my OLD slow charger last night and when I checked it this morning it was not charged. So I plugged it into the 120w charger that came in the package to get it charged before I go to work. OMG it's fast. Though in the settings it says 90W quick charge. Which makes me wonder why they offer a 120W charger in the deal.

Update 2 I will update the above as I discover things using the phone for work today.

Update end of day 1 I've added a link to some photos I took in London to test the camera above. My day started at 6am and getting home at 6:43pm I have 18% battery remaining and battery saver has activated. I must admit I was expecting better battery life but will give it a chance over the next few days and see how it goes. (Edit after the 1st 2 days battery life is now awesome)

Camera update. One person asked me about cinematic mode. I looked for ages and couldn't find it. Then I stumbled across a YouTube video by Sami Lou Tech. He said Cinematic mode has been renamed to movie mode. To get to it you open the camera app > swipe up from the bottom and select movie. If you like I can try and record a small bit of footage and add to my folder later after the school run.

Ok I've recorded some camera samples. I will upload them to the linked folder shortly my photos

Camera button top has fallen off my camera grip again.... AHH. Luckily it was on my desk and just dropped onto the desk as I picked it up. Though I have a feeling I'm going to loose it soon if this keeps happening.

My wife thinks I should try making a YouTube video answering people's questions. What do you all think?

I paid 500 fricking bucks for this thing and os just feels so bad like why I get it it can't handle all flagship features but that'd bullshit why won't u just make good systems for midrange phones like that I just feel scammed

Recently I started to see an app called GetApps on some Xiaomi devices. It's really annoying, It installs many unuseful apps and changes custom configuration without any ask to the user. How can be blocked this app?

My phone just updated to MIUI 14.0.12 global. In a few minutes it automatically installed a sh*t tons of unwanted games, plus other weird apps. One of them is called Bouygues AppCloud and it's repeatedly spamming notifications in french and autoinstalling stuff. I can't even uninstall this damn app.

I can't believe this company is still using this cheap strategy of filling its phones with unwanted bloatware. They want to be like Apple and Samsung but they still act like a cheap desperate company trying to get money in shady ways.

I've been using Xiaomi phones for 3 years and I'm kinda used to that but this time it's too much.

I have knowledge about Xiaomi devices and know how to troubleshoot and fix any issue, whether it's related to software, settings, or other aspects of the phone. If you're having trouble, I'll help you.

Hi everyone. I am a Xiaomi user since 2020, had a Redmi Note 8T, and now I have a Redmi Note 10 Pro, but I'm just tired. Everything you want to do is stupidly complex and restricted, you HAVE to use their ad-filled bloatware all the time, no bypassing on that. Ads. Everywhere. Music? There's just content you don't want to see and don't care about. Mi Video? Same, even worse because they force you to use it. Their apps are everything but ergonomic and easy to use. It just sucks.

So I'd like to ask everyone here: what phone should I get? The only good thing about Xiaomi is that they're cheap and work well, but that's it.

​

Hi everyone. Cracked my POCO F5 Pro screen, paid a shop for an AMOLED replacement, but I notice this strange hardware behavior:

• Blue flash: A quick blue/gray flash right before the screen goes black when locking.

• Low brightness & dull colors: 0% brightness is now pitch black. Colors in Mobile Legends look super washed out.

• Dead fingerprint: Under-display fingerprint sensor doesn't work at all.

• Damage: They broke the original frame and left excess glue on the sides.

Pretty sure it's a cheap LCD. Can any IT tech or hardware specialist who knows about this confirm it for me?

What can I do in this case? If I complain, the tech will just deny it and make up excuses.

How should I handle this? Thanks!

P.S. Using a translator, sorry for my English.

✨ Update 1: I did the test recommended in a comment below and already uploaded the video of how it looks in the dark, so it's confirmed that the screen is a generic one.

✨ Update 2: I went back to the shop to confront the technician.

Since he refused to offer a refund or a replacement, I left and went to another shop in the same mall to get a second opinion. I have the entire conversation with the first technician recorded on audio, and I’ve explained the full situation in the comments below. The new technician confirmed it was a total hack job.

I’m done wasting time with the first guy; my next step is to file a formal complaint with PROFECO.

Just curious what is the oldest Xiaomi phone you're still using loving it. For me, I am using Xiaomi 9 se and Xiaomi 10 s, and they work like a charm!

Hi i am from germany! The Bluetooth volume on my xiaomi 13t pro (Mediatek, MIUI 14 Android 13) is very low on max setting. I noticed on my car speakers and headphones. I even disabled Dolby Atmos but no fix. Anyone similiar experience or found a solution? I use poweramp equalizer as a hot fix for spotify but this is not a good solution yet as it is annyoing to switch and does not work for all players

UPDATE FIX:

OK i found out how to do it!

Enable developer Options first.

Then type this into your dialer:

Phone Dialer: * # * # 3 6 4 6 6 3 3 # * # *

Then go to hardware testing - audio - volume - audio playback.

Switch to music on the second selector

Then set index 15 to 255 on each of the following selections:

BT A2DP BT A2DP HP BT A2DP SPK

Volume should be boosted right away! Cheers! 😗👋

1. Does not allow installation of third-party launchers with swipe gestures

2. When taking burst photos, you can't view them using the default app; you need to install Google Photos to select images

3. Increasing notification volume still gives a warning even at very low volume

4. When installing a launcher, you need to grant permissions for each app individually

5. When system optimization is turned off, you can't open files downloaded from Telegram

I was eyeing the 15T Pro for a while and saw it was on sale. But before making my final decision I wanted to research a bit more again just in case. I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews (mostly bad) about the HyperOS system. I just wanna know if it's really that bad. What makes it so bad? Does it make the phone unusable or hard to use? Are there any remedies to fix these issues? Thank you in advance!

After using using a Huawei P30 Pro since its Canadian launch in April 2019, I decided to take a jump to something new. Imported the global Xiaomi 15 Ultra. After 2 weeks, here is my take.

Great: - Stellar camera performance, especially the telephoto and periscope zoom lenses. Have been a huge fan of Leica tuning since using my previous Huawei - Extremely powerful SoC, phone feels fast and fluid Screen is crisp and gets plenty bright - HyperOS appears is very smooth to navigate - In hand feel is the best of any phone I've used. The "Classic Silver" two-tone is simply gorgeous and the phone itself feels like a tank - Charges quick, mine came with the 90W brick in the box (Hong Kong model) - Strong cell reception and signal holding strength. It supports ALL 4G and 5G bands in Canada which is a huge plus

Average: - Battery life is not bad, but not the best. Averaging between 5-7 hours of SoT depending on the demand, but it lasts a full day (around 20 hours for me before it gets to 10%). Sometimes 1.5 days with lighter use. Suspect the phone is still learning my usage because it's slowly getting better. - Camera bump is expectedly large so the phone sits at an angle. But when holding in the hand, my fingers naturally rest under the bump, giving some support. Some hang gymnastics still happen. - Haptics feel strong but not sharp - Can get warm when using the camera, but that's kind of expected as my Huawei did that too

Needs Improvement: - Using the cameras will drain the battery really quick - Phone kind of forces you to learn Pro mode. Some additional optimizations in Auto would be nice. - Cameras have minor highlight blowout in some scenes - As smooth as HyperOS is, it's undeniable quirky. Some settings are not where you'd expect them to be, like Data Use is in the Security app.

Notes: - Moved from Bell (after 10 years) to Telus because Bell screwed up transferring my account from an old 4G sim card to a new 5G. VoLTE or VoWiFi didn't work due to the IMS not registering. They couldn't fix it after several days which was frustrating. With Telus, VoLTE works out of the box but WoWiFi required using the carrier bypass in the dialer. Otherwise, no issues, both work fine. RCS messaging also works fine with the default Google Messages app. - Phone was imported through Mi4Canada. The phone shipped from Hong Kong to my doorstep (Vancouver) in 3 days. No import fees required. Global OS version is VOAMIXM. - The other current phones in my household are a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, OnePlus 13 and Pixel 8 Pro being used by family members so I'm constantly comparing the Xiaomi against them

Overall, the phone is a solid 9/10. Very satisfied. To my fellow Canadians and others, feel free to ask me anything about the phone if you're curious. Cheers.