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Some days ago the waiting time was set from 360 hours to 1440 hours. After some time it was brought down to 720 hours. This is equivalent to about a month.
There are already some threads about this but I think it needs some more visibility.
15 days was definitely enough
> 15 days was definitely ~~enough~~ *too much already*
hm, so I think I’ll look for an other brand in the future.
That’s bad and arbitrary. What’s wrong letting people unlocking their devices immediately? At least they leave us unlike lg and others but it’s such a clumsy way.
I’m OOTL (out of the loop) of this unlock wait time, can someone tell me why xiaomi’s doing this and what’s happening?
Douche resellers installs custom ROMs on xiaomi devices.
Xiaomi isn’t very happy about that because some people gets shitty ROMS on their phones bought at a good price, and they don’t know why it is, so they conclude “xiaomi sucks”.
While I understand that, I also understand that some people don’t want MiUI (else i’d have a redmi 5 plus, not a mi a1) and would like to get rid of it freely.
So happy my Mix 2 already runs Nitrogen Pie…
I tread the day I need to switch phones.
Resellers are an issue when importing devices, as it’s a grey market. The less than reputable ones tend to flash vendor ROMs to them, which can include malware and adware, and because of this they’re also generally unstable or have poor performance.
People aren’t aware of these and blame Xiaomi for it, because it’s the logical conclusion to make.
Huawei had this issue when they were big on imports too. Samsung, LG etc don’t, because they aren’t imported the vast majority of the time.
Potentially damaging to custom rom development too. Will many devs start thinking “why bother when I have to wait a month to be able to do anything”? Definitely will slow down xiaomi.eu development.
Was just going to buy a Redmi Note 5 Pro. I really wanted to switch from Samsung to Xiaomi, but I don’t think I’ll be doing that. Who knows what other shit they might pull in the future.
I’ll get something else as well.
Really? I just unlocked my Redmi 5 plus yesterday and it instantly unlocked!
Well, unlocking bootloader time definitely is not a reason not to buy such a great phone. Taking in fact that Huawei wants to disable unlocking bootloader, LG doesn’t really care about it’s products and is not releasing kernel sources. Or do you want to buy the same hardware for price as much as Redmi note 5 and not even get the support and custom ROMs (pixel experience 9.0 is available on note 5)
Just wait, it’s not a big deal.
You got it spot on buddy
It is a big deal and will stop me buying from them until it’s sorted. I don’t want to have to setup my phone, use it for a few weeks just to have to wipe and set it up again. Not worth the effort.
Because they are not selling the hardware for profit, maybe even at a loss. Their business model is to profit from their internet services and ads where profit margins are higher. It works for China where are no Google services available. Not so much for the rest of the world.
So, they are forcing (for 720 hours, not completely) their customers to use the stock ROMs with MIUI, ads and their services hoping that they will like it and won’t install any custom ROMs (without MIUI and all their other stuff). They have been increasing the wait time to unlock the bootloader gradually.
How?! I wanna do it too but it takes so long.
I have no idea. I had that phone for about 2 months before I started to unlock it yesterday. Although I did bind my account as soon as I received the phone so maybe that’s why…
or just Root
even people who like MIUI are in same boat. I love MIUI however I think official one is garbage and I would like to install xiaomi.eu (and root/xposed of course later on)
getting permission and unlocking is two different things. You can have permission to unlock but you still need to wait. I got permission in like 30min yet I still had to wait 3 days (it was in 2016).
That’s definitely why. The countdown starts from successful binding. So in fact you just did the required waiting, you just didn’t know it.
From a business POV this is a smart move. 15 days isn’t enough to get you used to the phone, but 30 is.
Still a bad move for those who want good hardware for small price to install a custom rom
That’s really bad…
Oh neato! I’m thanking myself for subconsciously binding my mi account while I was fiddling around in the developer settings 😀
Ironically I’m trying to unlock my gfs redmi 5 plus so I can install the official rom. She’s on the 9.2.3.0 and can’t update it no matter what. If only I tried to unlock it a few days ago..
Redmi 5 Plus != Redmi Note 5
I think the new rules are mostly implemented for newer devices.
Get an A2 and unlock instantly lol
really? I thought it starts from when you request to unlock
You should also be aware that they’ve implemented anti rollback in such a way that if you install an old firmware, it bricks your phone and the only way to recover it is to send it to an Xiaomi service center (and pay), or buy an authorized login from some shady website. I got a Note 5 as my first Xiaomi device and it’s been quite frustrating.
> official one is garbage and I would like to install xiaomi.eu
difference between both?
When you request to lock only. There’s no exact explanation as to why some were able to unlock instantly and some not.
Didn’t they give out authorisation a few weeks ago on a forum post?
For a short while, yes, then changed their minds? It was reopened a week later for 2.5 hours and they had 1200 requests… Then closed it again. It doesn’t look like they’re going to authorize any more accounts in the future.
xiaomi.eu is debloated from chinese apps and also from google apps (only play store is present). All ads are removed IIRC, some phones have more functions that are not enabled in official version (my mi4c had 4k recording enabled). Due to lower amount of apps you have better battery life. There is also (according to devs, I did not test it) better ram management and GPS is optimized for Europe.
And many more. Of course you cant have increment OTA so every friday you have download entire (1gb+) ROM, but at least most official resellers approved it so you wont have problem with warranty either.
Do you think this change makes it advantageous to buy from a dodgy reseller? Because the handset will already be unlocked? Or do they somehow lock them with the bad roms on?
Thats stupid, I remember seeing the post , but had no idea that they stopped giving them out
I couldn’t agree more. I bricked my phone and ended up paying $30 for a login to fix it since the only other option was to post it to the other side of the world and pay Xiaomi to reflash it.
Maybe something to do with people bricking phones and marking replacement for online purchases saying faulty phone? I’m just speculating.
What problem or issue is this trying to solve? Seems like they are only hurting themselves by making people possibly look elsewhere, maybe trying to get people to buy the Poco…
Redmi 5 plus is Redmi note 5 in some markets. E.g. India.
And they were technically released at the same time in those markets.
It’s probably the vendor/reseller rom.
Just because their naming scheme is confusing doesn’t mean they’re the same device. The version with an SD625 is older and different unlocking rules seem to apply.
I have a feeling your mi-account age has something to do with this as well. Mine was +4 years old when I unlock my phone. And It got accepted in 10 minutes.
A friend with a +1y account took around the same time. While a 3th one with a new account took almost a week.
Man that sucks, I wanted to see how long I could wait before I dreaded for root on my OPO and OP5.
I lasted a week for both.
I think the most frustrating thing about the wait time is not just the fact that you don’t get to try other ROMs, but also the fact that you’ll have about a month’s worth of data to back up (rootlessly)
They bypass the unlocking and just force install their vendor rom. This can lead to an unstable device.
If they keep this up to a degree where it will be nearly impossible, what brand will us Chinese phone enthusiasts switch to? I see no alternatives. Oneplus is too expensive.
Passes safetynet with unlocked bootloader too. And widewine support for Netflix
If that’s the case then how does this change to unlocking wait make any difference to resellers?
I don’t think people understand the magnitude of this malware-infested fake MIUI ROMs problem out there. I helped friends install clean MIUI ROMs all the time after they buy a new Xiaomi or Chinese phone. I’m glad they take precaution like this even though it hurts me. As long as my friends and family are safe with their data, I’m absolutely fine.
But why?
Please send this news to gsm arena or some other sites, we need to pressure xiaomi to shorten this.
Why me???
I am out of the loop here, I thought that all Xiaomi phones were unlocked, meaning you can slip in any sim card, so why and how is there a 720 hour wait time for that?
Do you know how do i update OTA every week without losing all my files default apps settings etc without root?
Yes, you can use any SIM-card. This thread is about bootloader unlocking (for root and custom ROMs).
Im about to buy a redmi note 5, is it the same for it too? I never owned a xiaomi phone yet, im just browsing around and waiting for the money to go in my account, when I get the phone I just turn it on and then I have to just wait a month to root it? I dont have to do anything special to the phone to start the countdown?
in xiaomi.eu? just as in official rom via updater app. Difference is in official rom you have increment update that takes around 100mb where in xiaomi.eu you have to download entire rom (1gb+). App should do it for you. It should not wipe your data or settings, but make sure to check changelog just in case on their forum.
You need to connect a MI account to the phone and try to unlock once to make sure you get the timer.
AFAIK all devices that use MI Unlocker have the timer (at least RN5)
Cool thanks.
They should’ve got an A2
Oh well, I was possibly going to get the Mi Mix 3, this may have just persuaded me to get something else instead
So your solution is to get a phone I don’t want? (no sdcard, no headphone jack, and it’s also a bit more expensive)
If you wanted to buy a Note 5 and you’ve given up on said, you’ll either way get a phone you don’t *want* buddy lmao
I’m happy with my redmi 5 plus, but yeah I hope in the future there will be other good cheap brands with nice specs and good battery and custom rom support.
What phone do you have and when did you unlock it?
I have an old Mi account. COuld be that I try with that too?
Same, all my Xiaomi devices unlock instantly
Edit:
Mi max 3
Mi mix 2
Redmi note 5 (sd636)
Redmi note 4x (three sets)
What? 1 minute is too much. There is no reason for waiting times other than to deter people from unlocking the bootloader
Seriously. I have an LG G3 and it’s just like K whatever, it just works.
I’ll never buy another Xiaomi product that’s for sure
If you buy it from a reseller the bootloader will be unlocked already – at least mine was.
Well, Huawei doesn’t allow unlocking at all at least with Honor phones.
Moto ?
LUL
By any chance do you know if the EU rom version passes safetynet to be able to use things like Google pay, etc? Or do you need magisk still?
I have a mi mix 2 that I’ve never bothered rooting yet and I’m curious
as I’m aware it does pass safetynet, so no magisk needed.
Wow, that’s really intriguing. Do you know what camera api it uses? Is perhaps that why you got 4k video?
The mi mix 2 hardware should be capable of 60 fps video recording, but for whatever reason it isn’t supported on the device. If I could get that on this rom I’d flash immediately.
Sorry to bother you with so many questions, but you said they tweaked the GPS to work better in Europe? I use the phone in Taiwan and the US, so I have no idea what the GPS differences would be, but do you have any idea if it’s customizable at all? I like the sound of the ROM so far, but I wouldn’t want GPS issues or anything (not really familiar with GPS tech, perhaps it would only be an issue in China where they probably have different satellite stuff for government/political reasons?)
Thanks again for all the info!
I dont know much details especially new ones as I have Mi A1 since January (big mistake from my side due to stock), but I think by GPS optimization I think it has to do something with how china has their own gps network as you said. My mi4c had no problems with gps, it even had better gps than my flatmate when playing PokemonGo and he had phone made in Poland (we are from Poland).
As for camera api I think it uses official ones so no quality degradation. After all it is simply china rom (or dev I dont remember exactly) that is customized by scripts and so on.
It is for sure more customizable if not by setting menu then by flashable zip on forum (like it used to be with notification system).
Xiaomi.eu is basically china rom debloated, added features from dev rom + fixes for non chinese users. [Here](https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/xiaomi-eu-vs-global-rom-differences.37425/) is their official list of differences.
However be advice you need to keep bootloader unlocked for this ROM and its preferable to have TWRP installed, but it will be also easier to safe phone when it will brick itself for some reason.
lol
Lol. I’m still waiting for that unlock for my redmi note 3.
3 attempts – nothing
Notch? A2? The A2 doesn’t have a notch.
So this is affecting RN5 and later phones? What is the waiting time for RN4?
To be honest I we would be really surprised if even 5 % of Xiaomi phones sold are unlocked and rooted. We are a very vocal minority here unfortunately.
There phones are roughly 30% more expensive than similarly specced competition. They are not as popular as Xiaomi or even Oppo /Vivo in India.
Make a Mi account and bind your phone to that account the day you get the phone. Use the stock rom for a month or so and if you don’t like it then apply for the unlock and patch a new ROM yourself.
I went to MIUI from stock android and honestly didn’t feel the need to put a custom ROM. I did it eventually for the heck of it but the stock one worked fine for me.
What about just having simple root acess? Do we have to wait a month for that after registering? If the MIUI is good enough then all id want is root access.
Unlocked my redmi note 4x and mi mix. The account you unlock it with needs to be the same as the one your phone is logged in with. So if you log of and on your phone with the old account it should work.
I think it might have worked. I unlocked mine but I’m hesitant to actually replace MIUI because I’m already satisfied with it. Welp, time to relock and wait for MIUI 10 or something…
You said it!
I want to unlock it because root and to control my phone. But probably adaway would block some of their servers.
Same benefit as Xiaomi. They can put ads in app like filemanager and then get a decent income from a few hundred people that don’t bother to flash their phone with a stock rom.
While this is super frustrating, I still feel if you plan on having the phone for quite a while, the price per what you get is probably still worth it.
I know it’s dumb and shouldn’t be a thing but I personally tend to keep my phone’s for quite a while and even if I have to wait roughly a month to bootloader unlock, after that month it’s still a great device.
Wait what? I did it the other day and it was 72 hours?
It’s to keep 3rd parties from unlocking and putting crap on the phones before reselling from what I understand.
Take a look at mi a2 lite, it’s not the same thing as a RN5 (i personally have one), but i think it’s the closest to it running Android One, at least from Xiaomi
Well, if it was, I do not believe it is a good enough reason, but even then it is obviously not working. Have you ever bought a Xiaomi phone from a reseller? 9 out of 10 times it’ll come with preloaded crap.
Yup. No joy for those who’d rather ditch Miui/Chinese bloat. I’m glad I only had to wait half the time to unlock my Xiaomi Mi Max 3. Which runs great with RR GSI rom.
Same as me, my number 1 reason for root is ad blocking. No root, no buy.
Did they specifically tweak it to pass safetynet with an unlocked bootloader, or is this still device-dependent (whether the device sends the bootloader status)?
In my case I never had to wait to unlock the bootloader of any model. I remember I did wait 48h the first time for my Mi6, but since I can do it directly for any phone.
I unlocked 2 Mi8 SE and 1 Mi8 EE 10 minutes after received it.
No idea of the technicalities but it works for all devices running EU rom
Shouldn’t affect Android One devices right : )
More likely also to prevent people from importing devices cheaper from China and using them as global versions now that xiaomi is growing globally
Nice… if I can pass SafetyNet *and* get Widevine L1 with Xiaomi.EU I’m sold.
They can sell it at a higher price after launch. They won’t profit the longer they wait after the launch date (since the phones start to lower in price the longer they stay on shelf). Then they will be forced to sell the phones earlier without meddling with the ROM.
My Mix 2s is from a reseller as I live in the states and can’t buy from xiaomi. The phone had nothing added to it when I got it.
There is a reason, which is preventing resellers from mass unlocking the phones they sell and pre-loading them with juicy malware for you.
I am also curious about this, I just got a Mix 2s and a Redmi Note 5, linked my account and was ready to wait 15 days. I downloaded the mi unlock app and it just instantly unlock the Mix, tried with the note and same deal. Did not even wait 24 hours
And also has Widevine support for Netflix
Unlocked instantly for me last month.
Really? Damn. I’ll be surely installing it on the Poco.
Older used Oneplus phones looks like the only option.
Non Xiaomi under 350? Good luck with that lol. As much as I would want to say the same, we have no real option. What are you going to get? Sony’s XA series that are overpriced for their specs and lack a gyro? Huawei/honor, not unlockable? Nokia, not unlockable, never has been never will be? Samsung budget phones, terrible with no developer support? Mi A2 and Mi A2 lite aren’t the best values by any stretch, but still good and instant unlock, however.
> huawei wants to disable
They already did. And yeah, the alternatives suck. So you sadly need to suck it up and wait.
I’ll go the other way. If you want a Xiaomi, I recommend buying it immediately and request the unlock before they change their mind on letting you unlock the bootloader at all When they inevitably do, there won’t be a comparable value to buy and you’ll be glad you got your Xiaomi freed from Xiaomi’s lock before it was too late.
This is what I’ll do. If they lock it before I can unlock it, it’s going back to Amazon. If Amazon refuses it (which is HIGHLY unlikely), I’ll lose some money and sell it on Subito (the Swappa of Italy)
Sure, but… 64GB storage… Maybe after 30 days you caved and you added your social media apps, logged in to whatsapp (it’s a pain in the ass with the backups and such. Flashaholics and people who change phones a lot know what I mean.), put your music in, your files in, you know, got accostumed… Maybe you bought your phone in summer and when the timer runs out you’re in full uni exam session and you don’t have time to tinker, so you start piling up even more data on it, and by the time you have the free time to flash a ROM so much time has passed and so much data has piled up you won’t want to go waste a day and build your phone from scratch now that you’ve gotten used to it eventually. And if you are in a busy period (uni student, worker…) unless it’s a period of free time you won’t be eager to flash a ROM and find out about all the little bugs when you’re just trying to use the phone. Most people will give up.
Some people also do the “keep it in the box for 72 hours / 2 weeks” thing. It’s fine, because on Amazon you get a 30 day return policy, so you have another 2 weeks to spot any defects. Sure, after the month you still have warranty, but it’s a harder process. If you wait a month to use the device (how can you even resist?) and then spot a defect you’re going to have a bad time. So, that’s incentive to just use it on MIUI from day one.
Yeah, if you’re still in high school and hate MIUI enough, it’s just 2 more weeks to wait and nothing else, though.
Lenovo took away bootloader unlock from their lenovo branded phones and Moto is probably next. Out of the frying pan into the fire. They’re definitely out of question if you want to unlock the bootloader.
Also, warranty. On Xiaomi unlocking bootloader doesn’t void warranty, as long as you restore the stock ROM. If you have a Pocophone, you don’t even have to restore the stock ROM, just don’t hard brick it. On Motorola, even if you don’t unlock it, your warranty is dead and gone the second you ask for the code. 1 month wait and you get to keep your 2 year warranty is much better than instant unlock but your warranty is over, in my book. I’ll take Xiaomi’s approach over Motorola’s any day of the week.
I got my Note 5 last week, tried to go to the “apply for an unlock” site, thinking I would have to wait for a few days, I got instant permission, no forms or anything.
Just checked, can still download the unlocker with no issues.
So am I very lucky?
Unlocking permissions is a different thing.
It used to be so that getting the permissions took a few days and unlocking was instant. Now it’s reversed: you get permissions instantly but unlocking takes much longer.
Ah, so you do the unlock, and then it makes you wait?
I opted not to go through with it, decided to just stick to the global rom.
Thanks for the info!
You can also disable the miui bloat , look at the Xiaomi subreddit sidebar .
You can view root, no edits though.
At the very least bind your phone to a MI account. It should start the counter (maybe).
Then if you change your mind about unlocking you won’t need to wait.
I did do that, but thank you.
Its defiently not true. I have a 2 year account with diamond status and i still have to wait 720h.
Cool thanks
It didn’t work :/
Wish I’d seen your comment before I tried this 😀
Somebody should sew them. This is insane. Don’t they know how much the value decreases in one month?
Can confirm this, I just got a Redmi Note 5 global version and I have to wait 720 hours.
ffs at least I know it’s not just me…
would [Francesco Tescari’s](https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/wiki/tools) tool be able to work around that or do i really have to wait a month?
edit: nvm i just read his xda post and it doesn’t work around it ffs. here I wanted to try my first root guess i’ll wait another month
least youre done now! just got to this thread after starting my first root.. fml
Yeah I just rooted the other day and installed Lineage OS. All is smooth now.