One of the biggest strengths of Xiaomi is its continued support for ageing smartphones. The company has updated phones dating back five years old with the latest MIUI software. But it looks like Xiaomi has made a decision that won't make many users happy.
Owners of some older Redmi smartphones won't be receiving future MIUI updates or any Global Beta, which puts an end to the software support once and for all. The announcement was made on the Mi Community forum, affecting users all across the globe including India.
The affected Redmi models that won't be receiving any future software updates from Xiaomi are:
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4
- Xiaomi Redmi 3S
- Xiaomi Redmi 3X
- Xiaomi Redmi 4
- Xiaomi Redmi 4A
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
- Xiaomi Redmi Pro
It's worth noting that the Mi Community Admin who made the announcement on Indian board said the normal upgrade for other devices won't be affected for the time being. This hints that Xiaomi might end support for other ageing Redmi phones soon, but for now, it has limited end of support towards the aforementioned seven models.
What this also means is that all variants of Redmi Note 4 and other Redmi phones in the list won't get rid of the ads in the interface. Xiaomi is said to eliminate them in MIUI 11 and the latest announcement doesn't favour the seven Redmi phones the company launched years ago.
On the bright side, Redmi phones mentioned in the list will continue to receive normal security updates. But don't hold on to these phones for long as the company might decide to end that support as well. The best way to stay up-to-date with the latest MIUI software is to upgrade to a newer phone and there are plenty of options from Redmi, such as Redmi Note 7-series and the upcoming Redmi 7.
As for those who do not worry too much about the software updates or security updates, the phones won't stop working. Users will still be able to use all the existing features in the phones even after the software support has been terminated.
