The story broke last week that Xiaomi smartphone users in some selected countries like Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Sudan, were blocked from using their smartphones. The move was aimed at curtailing the illegal activities of resellers who smuggle such smartphones into unauthorized regions to sell such. Xiaomi had stated then that it was part of its export policy to prevent access to users who purchase the device in these restricted regions.
Xiaomi has said that it was part of an ongoing investigation to determine whether the smartphones were smuggled to unauthorized regions like Cuba, Syria, Sudan, and a few other countries. The move is seen as an anti-smuggling measure aimed at preventing resellers from selling Xiaomi smartphones in these prohibited regions. However, buyers who bought their devices in legal markets and are using them in these prohibited countries are now allowed to continue using their smartphones. Indeed, in a country like Cuba on the list of prohibited countries, Xiaomi accounts for up to 15% of active smartphones in the country. The disconnection would have resulted in disruptions to a huge segment of the population.
Xiaomi says the ongoing investigation has achieved significant results, although no further detail on the depth of the results achieved was mentioned. The decision to restore access to legal owners of Xiaomi smartphones in these markets may be a middle-ground solution, as the company’s export policy expressly prohibits the use of its smartphones outside legal markets.
RELATED:
- Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 global version gets unboxed, price revealed too
- Xiaomi Mi 11X, POCO F3 get MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition update
- Xiaomi controls 50% of China’s OLED TV market, sold over 10K OLED TVs in 15 days
(source)
