Over the past few weeks, the Indian Government have banned several Chinese app in the country and more recently, Mi browser along with some Baidu search apps (which are also Chinese apps) was banned due to some data privacy and security issues.
Previously, the Indian government banned a list of 59 Chinese apps, which includes TikTok, UC Browser, and a handful of Xiaomi apps, namely Mi Community and Mi Video. India reasoned that Chinese apps stole user data and transmitted it to servers outside India, therefore posing a threat to the country’s security.
The ban is also said to be related to the India and China border clash which brought about a strong anti-China sentiment across the country. With the Chinese apps facing an uncertain future in India, Xiaomi has said it is developing a new version MIUI that will not include the blocked apps for Indian users.
The retouched MIUI update will roll out to users in a staged manner over the next few weeks, Xiaomi said in a tweet. In other words, MIUI 11 and MIUI 12 users can expect a lightweight OTA (Over-the-air) update soon.
Xiaomi has assured that it complies with all “data privacy and security requirements under Indian law.” Responding to the government’s reasoning behind the ban, Xiaomi said that data from its Indian users has not left the country since 2018 and “100% of it is stored on servers located in India.”
Xiaomi phones comes with a lot of bloatware apps and this action may be one way for Indians to get a bloatware free ROM.