Xiaomi Blocks Google Apps On Smartphones In China

So far, it has basically always been possible with Xiaomi smartphones to purchase the devices as a Chinese version from various importers and then simply install the Google apps and services. That is now apparently the end.

As the Chinese portal reports, citing statements by the Xiaomi support team, Google Mobile Services can no longer be installed on the manufacturer’s new smartphones that are intended for the Chinese market. This applies to devices that use the original Chinese ROM, they say.

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The reason for this change is only vaguely referred to as “compliance regulations”, which is probably due to the compulsion of the Chinese authorities, whose censorship has made the use of all Google services in China impossible for years. Apparently, devices abroad that were previously imported from China via one of the numerous resellers, for example, can no longer simply be played with the Google apps.

Although many of the resellers offer the devices that can be shipped abroad directly from China on request with an international ROM, in some cases they are still sold with the ROM for the Chinese market due to the lack of appropriate software. This is especially true for models that are only sold in China, for which Xiaomi does not offer any “International ROMs”.

Earlier: Huawei P Smart 2021 Without Google Services Now Available In Europe

About Google Mobile Services and thus also the Play Store To bring it to Chinese smartphones, users of such devices abroad will now have to accept detours, with no guarantee that they will be successful. Various third-party companies and web portals offer the option of downloading apps, including Google Apps, and there are instructions for installing Google services on Xiaomi smartphones that are intended for the Chinese market.