Xiaomi has broadened its End-of-Life (EoL) list, indicating that several smartphones and tablets from its Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco brands will no longer receive software support. The updated list, which can be found on the official website, includes devices from all three brands. Notably, the Xiaomi Pad 5 appears multiple times for various regions, such as Taiwan (TW), Turkey (TR), Russia (RU), Europe (EU), and the global model (MI).
Overlapping Models
Interestingly, the Redmi Note 11 Pro and Pro+ are listed under Xiaomi, which might be a mistake, yet the consequences are the same – these devices will stop getting software updates. Besides the Note 11 Pro models, other unsupported devices include the Redmi 10 2022 (MX, TW, MX) and the Redmi Note 10 JE (JP). The Poco brand is not left out; support for the Poco X3 GT (ID) in Indonesia has also come to an end.
Implications of Discontinued Support
With the discontinuation of support for the X3 GT, along with the previously mentioned Xiaomi and Redmi devices, users will no longer receive updates for MIUI or HyperOS, which are Xiaomi's custom Android systems. Furthermore, these devices will stop getting important Android security patches that are key in defending against new vulnerabilities.
The absence of ongoing software support puts these devices at risk for security issues. Unpatched weaknesses can be taken advantage of by malicious individuals to access a user’s personal information, steal passwords, or even inject harmful software.
Options for Users
Although Xiaomi usually offers software updates for a limited time, the specific length of support can change based on the model and when it was released. Users can verify their device's support status on Xiaomi’s official site. For those whose devices are on the EoL list, choices are few. The safest route is to upgrade to a newer Xiaomi device, although this might be a budget concern for some. Alternatively, tech-savvy users might consider installing custom ROMs based on the latest Android version to keep their older devices functional.
