Xiaomi has begun the fight against the illegal export of smartphones to prohibited territories, including Crimea. Residents of controlled territories began to complain that they could not use the phone. Editorial board «MK». Today I will tell you the details.
What happened
On thematic forums, users began to upload photos of their Xiaomi smartphones, on the screen of which a blocking message appeared.
«Xiaomi policy does not allow this product to be sold or made available in the territory where you attempted to activate it» is the message left by Xiaomi on smartphones that have been illegally imported.
The company has blocked its smartphones for residents of Iran, Syria, Sudan, North Korea and the Crimean peninsula. These areas are under sanctions.
Presumably, only those users who bought smartphones in prohibited territories were subject to blocking. Those who bought a smartphone in another country and activated it before bringing it to controlled territories can continue to use the device.
Although the user agreement states that Xiaomi prohibits the import of smartphones into these territories, there is no information that they can be blocked.
All this is temporary
Xiaomi reacted to media reports about the blocking and stated that the phones will be unlocked. Xiaomi says it has launched an investigation into the illegal importation of equipment into prohibited areas.
«This investigation has yielded results. Now the phones will be unlocked,» the company said.
Also, the editorial board of MK. Today I sent a request to the company to find out the details of the investigation. At the time of writing, Xiaomi has not responded.
Recall that the research company Counterpoint called Xiaomi the leader in sales. In just one month, the company increased sales by 26%. Xiaomi’s global sales share was 17.1%. This is even more than Samsung and Apple — 15.7% and 14.3%, respectively.