The world of Android customization continues to shrink. Xiaomi has just announced an even more restrictive policy regarding unlocking the bootloaders of its smartphones, now limiting users to just one device per year, as spotted by the XiaomiTime site.
On Android, unlocking the bootloader used to be a common and free practice. But it recently got complicated when smartphone makers started blocking the manipulation, and Xiaomi is one of them. We are truly facing a notable tightening compared to Xiaomi’s previous policy, which still authorized three annual unlockings a year ago.
The licensing system put in place by Xiaomi to control these unlocks now allows the company to strictly enforce this limitation. Xiaomi is not the first, with several manufacturers gradually restricting users’ freedom to modify their devices. Huawei, for example, has already completely blocked the unlocking of bootloaders across its entire range, while ASUS has considerably complicated the process.
Also read – Don’t unlock the bootloader of your Pixel 9, you might regret it
Xiaomi further complicates the process of unlocking bootloaders
The Android community reacted strongly to this announcement on Reddit, where the comments clearly show growing frustration. This restriction is particularly problematic for Xiaomi users, because some models of the brand receive limited official software support. Unlocking the bootloader previously allowed custom ROMs to be installed, thereby extending the lifespan of devices with regular security updates.
This new policy raises concerns about the future of Android customization. Some observers fear that Xiaomi will eventually remove the ability to unlock the bootloader altogether, following the example of other manufacturers. Such a decision would mark the end of an era where Android users enjoyed great freedom to customize their devices.
This is therefore the beginning of a profound change in the Android ecosystem, the latter gradually moving away from its open source roots towards a more restrictive approachsimilar to that of iOS. For users attached to the personalization of their devices, the choice of manufacturers still offering this freedom is inexorably reduced.
