The Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus launched late last year and have been updated to MIUI 8.2 but are still stuck on Android Marshmallow. That’s pretty sad considering Android O is around the corner. LineageOS, the phoenix that rose from the ashes of Cyanogen have released LineageOS 14.1 for them.

For those who have been following the community, LineageOS 14.1 is based on Android 7.1. It was already available for the Mi 5s Plus since May but it has just been made for the Mi 5s thanks to  XDA Developers member, LuK1337 and a number of other contributors.

The following features have been confirmed to work: boots, WiFi, Bluetooth, Cameras, video playback, audio, sensors and GPS.

READ MORE: Xiaomi MIUI 9 Update May Arrive in July With Exciting New Features, Improvements

To install it, you have to unlock your bootloader first. You can get help doing that on the official MIUI forum. Once you are done with that, download the build and download gapps. Reboot to recovery, flash the latest build and gapps and then reboot your device. More info is available here.

(Source, via)

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It’s no news that Xiaomi is already working on MIUI 9. An insider already leaked that the company held a ceremony recently to kick off the project. Despite that, a new leak suggests that they have might have been working on it for a while already.

Weibo user @Kjuma posted a screenshot of a phone that has received a private beta of the new ROM. The MIUI version number says 9.10.13 based on Android 7.1  Nougat, and the update is a whooping 1.8GB.

The update will bring new features such as split-screen multitasking and smart gestures support. However, some people have doubted the authenticity of the image as it has the MIUI 8 slogan.

I am not really excited about the new update and I am sure quite a number of MIUI users will share the same opinion as well. While MIUI 9 may be based on Android Nougat, there is a very strong chance that some phones which might receive the update when it is finally released will still be stuck on their current version of android.

READ MORE: CM14 Unofficial Build Based on Android Nougat Available for Redmi Note 3

Take the Redmi Note 3 for example, it is still running Android Lollipop even though it is one of Xiaomi’s best selling phones and was released months after Marshmallow was made official. Xiaomi said it was working on a Marshmallow update for it  but we’ve heard nothing for months now.

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