You should think that Xiaomi has learned its lesson when it comes to Android updates, as the manufacturer has been struggling for a long time with faulty releases affecting phones left and right. But that does not appear to be the case. During the holidays, the company tried to extend Android 11 to the Xiaomi Mi A3 running Android One, and owners reported on Reddit and its own forum that they were discontinuing their phones.
This issue seems to be affecting many people who have tried to update their Mi A3 to Android 11.. It seems like many phones are completely bricked in, which means they can no longer turn on properly and get stuck on the phone screen. Some owners even report that they do not get to the startup screen at all and do not have access to fastboot, which usually helps to repair phones.
Xiaomi advises those affected to visit service centers, which is not really a sensible solution in the midst of a pandemic – not to mention people who do not have a Xiaomi store nearby at all. Data stored on telephones can be (partially) lost, although we do not know whether service centers can retrieve part or all of it.
A spokesperson for Xiaomi India made the following statement:
We are aware of the issue on some Mi A3 devices following a recent Android 11 update. In the meantime, we have stopped the implementation.
We urge users experiencing this issue to visit one of the 2000 plus service centers across the country closer to you, in which you will provide a solution unconditionally (within or outside the warranty).
We deplore the inconvenience this has caused. As a brand that offers the best user experience, we will continually improve our products and services.
This is not the first time that Xiaomi Mi A3 owners have questioned their purchases – the Android 10 update has been repeatedly pushed and pulled until the company finally manages to release properly stable software. Let’s hope Xiaomi can solve the problems this time without further delays. Once the inevitable new version is known, we can only advise you to press the update button until you hear how it expands for other, brave souls.
