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Away from Google: Why this has been so easy with Xiaomi phones for a long time – and why it’s almost impossible now

Xiaomi phones have long been popular among de-Googlers. The fact that this no longer applies to newer models is mainly due to the company itself.

Ursula Demling
20.09.2025 | 15:00

Among »de-Googlers«, Xiaomi phones have been popular for a long time – for newer models, this no longer applies.

Alternative operating systems are a niche topic. The market is dominated by Android and iOS worldwide – and thus by the Silicon Valley companies Google and Apple.

When it comes to apps, you can reduce your dependence on Google, for example by looking for a suitable alternative to Google Maps. And even when it comes to browsers, it’s worth looking outside the box of Chrome.

But when it comes to the operating system of your smartphones, it makes the hardware of many manufacturers difficult for you to get away from Android.

For developers who want to use alternative operating systems, Xiaomi phones are interesting here. You can find out why this is so – and why it is becoming increasingly difficult to turn your back on Google even with models from the Chinese manufacturer.

https://www.gamestar.de/videos/die-smartphone-sackgasse-2025-wenn-gefuehl-innovation-verdraengt,137171.html

Why Xiaomi phones were so popular for custom ROMs

In order to install an alternative operating system, also called »Custom ROM« in English, you first need an open bootloader.

This is the boot manager of your smartphone. It is almost the gateway to the software and decides which operating system is charging when you start your phone. By default, this bootloader is blocked by the manufacturer to prevent users from replacing the official system with alternative software.

This is exactly where the wheat separates: While Apple completely prohibits unlocking, most Android manufacturers make it possible. However, there are also big differences here, how simple this process is.

At Xiaomi, this takes several days, as the online portal PiunikaWeb shows, but it is possible. In combination with other strengths of Xiaomi, the Chinese manufacturer’s phones became so popular in the developer scene:

• Price-performance ratio: Xiaomi often stands out for good value for money – such as the Poco F7. For users who want to replace the pre-installed software anyway, this is a decisive consideration. You get powerful hardware at a comparatively reasonable price without having to make compromises in speed or the core components.

• Popularity in the developer community: The high number of sales and the associated large user base make Xiaomi devices attractive to developers. On XDA Forums, a page for Android developers and enthusiasts, for example, there are a variety of entries for many Xiaomi models.

Probably the best example of this trend: The Poco F1 – a seven-year-old model – is regularly provided with updates from the community on XDA Forums to date and has by far the most forum entries among the Xiaomi models.

Installing custom ROMs is also getting harder on Xiaomi

But the trend is fading. And the reasons for this are first of all with Xiaomi itself:

• HyperOS: With the introduction of HyperOS, Xiaomi has made the bootloader unlock in its home country of China much more restrictive – as Android Police reports as early as 2023. Users must be at least a Level 5 member of the official Xiaomi forum to be able to submit an application at all. The activation is valid for only one year and limited to three devices per year. In addition, devices with unlocked bootloaders will no longer receive HyperOS OTA updates.

• Further tightening: According to the platform Gizmochina, since the beginning of 2025, at least in China, even stricter rules apply: Per Xiaomi account, only one device per year may be unlocked. The permit must be used within 14 days, otherwise it will expire.

In addition, the entire unlock process, including binding, request and unlocking, must be carried out on the same device.

So far, the strict restrictions only apply to the Chinese market. Nevertheless, a trend is emerging that makes it difficult to use custom ROMs – not only at Xiaomi.

A general trend is emerging

Xiaomi is not the only manufacturer that makes it difficult to install custom ROMs:

• Samsung: As the industry site Schmidti's blog reports, Samsung has been blocking the bootloader on the in-house Galaxy smartphones since the introduction of One UI 8.

• Google:Google: Google is also making life harder for the modders since Android 16: According to TechTimes, Google has deliberately removed the Device Trees – a kind of hardware building instructions – from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Without them, it is extremely complicated for developers to adapt the system to the hardware of the Pixel series. This means that after the end of the official 7-year support, no more custom ROMs will be available for pixel phones.

However, the basic situation applies: Before you set out to play an alternative operating system on your mobile phone, you should deal intensively with the matter. Despite the comparatively simple installation on mobile phones like the Pixel, the »De-Googling« remains a risky undertaking:

Loss of the voluntary warranty: For most manufacturers, you lose the voluntary warranty on the device as soon as you unlock the bootloader and change the operating system. However, the legally required warranty will be retained.
The mobile phone becomes unusable: if the steps are not followed with the utmost care, there is a risk that the mobile phone will become unusable.

But if you feel safe with it, choosing the right hardware will be more complicated.

What do you think about that? Do you also use an alternative operating system and therefore you may even buy a certain smartphone? If so, which one? Where do you see the difficulties? Write and your experience in the comments!

AXP-OS/packages_apps_LoveLaceAV: Mirror of: https://code.binbash.rocks/AXP.OS/packages_apps_LoveLaceAV (requires a login) - Codeberg.org
https://codeberg.org/AXP-OS/packages_apps_LoveLaceAV

https://github.com/HydraDragonAntivirus/HydraDragonAntivirusAndroid

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