When will the update on Xiaomi Mi 9T: a full analysis of the situation

Owners of the popular smartphone Xiaomi Mi 9T Many people ask about the further support of their device, especially considering that the model has been on the market for several years. On the one hand, the device received excellent reviews for performance, on the other hand, the company’s policy regarding Android updates for the series. K20/Mi 9T has its own clear boundaries.

In this article, we will take a closer look at the current status of official firmware, explain whether Android 11 or more is worth waiting for, and consider alternative development paths for your smartphone. It is important to understand the difference between the global version and the Chinese original, as the availability of security patches and new features of the MIUI interface directly depends on this.

If you are still using stock firmware, you need to be aware of the potential risks of discontinuing support and how to secure your data during this transition period, and we will review all available sources of information and technical details so that you can make an informed decision about how to continue using the device.

Official Support Status and Update Schedule

Official support for Xiaomi flagship and sub-flagship devices typically lasts about two years for major Android updates and three years for security patches.The Xiaomi Mi 9T, which is the global version of the Redmi K20, was released with Android 9 Pie and subsequently updated to Android 10.

This means that the release of the official firmware based on Android 11 or later from the manufacturer is not worth waiting. the latest update packages that can come to the device contain only fixes of system vulnerabilities and optimization of the work of embedded applications, the frequency of such updates has decreased significantly compared to the first years of the smartphone’s life.

⚠️ Attention: Waiting for official mailing OTA (Over-The-Air) based on new versions of Android can cause you to miss important moments to switch to custom solutions while the bootloader can still be unlocked without time limits.

Users should pay attention to the version of MIUI installed on their device. Current builds are based on MIUI 11 or MIUI 12 depending on the region, but the further path is closed. The final official version of Android for Xiaomi Mi 9T is Android 10 with the shell of MIUI 12.

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Official support for major Android updates for the Mi 9T is completed on Android 10, further updates are only in the nature of fixing security bugs.

Differences between the global version and the Chinese Redmi K20

It is important to understand the architectural differences between the global Xiaomi Mi 9T and its Chinese counterpart Redmi K20. Despite the identical hardware, the software is different. The Chinese version has often received updates before and had access to more experimental features that may not have made it to the global segment at all.

Trying to install firmware from the Chinese version on a global device (or vice versa) without prior preparation can lead to serious errors, including bootloop (cyclical reboot), the differences are not only in the interface language, but also in the set of communication frequencies, preinstalled Google services and system libraries.

• 🌏 The global version has built-in Google Play services and supports all the frequencies required for Europe and the CIS. LTE.
• 🇨🇳 Chinese version (Redmi) K20) requires manual installation of Google services and may have restrictions on working with certain banking applications due to lack of Widevine certification L1 in some cases after the re-flashing.
• 🔄 The internal structure of memory partitions may differ, making firmware interchange a dangerous procedure for inexperienced users.

If you own a Chinese version imported to our region, your upgrade path is also completed at Android 10, however, the modder community often pays more attention to Chinese models due to their popularity in the domestic market.

Alternatives: Castom firmware and LineageOS

Since official support has been discontinued, the only way to get more recent versions of Android for the Xiaomi Mi 9T is to install custom firmware. Enthusiasts and independent developers have created many builds based on Android 11, 12 and even 13. The most stable and popular are LineageOS, Pixel Experience (before the project closes), and various variations of MIUI from independent port makers.

Installing third-party software requires unlocking the bootloader, an official procedure from Xiaomi that takes at least 7 days (168 hours) of waiting after an account is attached, and requires the Mi Unlock Tool on a Windows computer.

The benefits of custom firmware are obvious: you get a clean interface, current security patches and new Android features that are not available on the runoff. However, there is also the downside of the coin - the loss of warranty (if it is still relevant), the inability to use some banking applications without additional manipulation (Magisk, Hide My Applist), and the potential instability of the camera.

Instructions: How to check and install available updates

If you prefer to stay on the official firmware, it is important to know how to properly initiate the search for updates, as automatic verification sometimes fails due to the peculiarities of the servers in different regions.

For standard check, go to Settings → About → MIUI. Click on the version logo to run a forced check. If the server says there are no updates but you know they are coming to your region, you can try changing the region in settings (Settings → Additional settings → Region) to India or Global, check for availability, and then return your region.

⚠️ Warning: Before starting any upgrade process, make sure that the battery is at least 60% and the device is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network.

For advanced users, a method of installing firmware manually through Recovery is available. To do this, download the current firmware file (extension.zip) from the official site or proven resources, rename it to update.zip and place it at the root of internal memory. Then click on the tri-points in the update menu and select "Select firmware file".

Compatibility issues and bugs after the update

Even official updates in the later stages of a device’s life can introduce new issues or not solve old ones. Owners of the Xiaomi Mi 9T on Android 10 sometimes face increased battery consumption, overheating of the processor when using the camera or unstable operation of the NFC module.

Often (problems) are associated with the accumulation of debris in the system partition after updating on top of the old version, in which case experts recommend performing a full reset to the factory settings (Wipe Data) after installing the update, this is guaranteed to eliminate conflicts between old configuration files and new system libraries.

When you switch to custom firmware, the list of possible bugs is wider. The aptX HD broadband codec may not work, there may be artifacts on the screen or the proximity sensor may not work correctly. Before installing any build, be sure to check the Known Bugs section of the developer forum.

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If after the update the phone began to discharge quickly, try calibrating the battery: discharge the device before turning off, then charge to 100% when turned off, then turn on and use up to 15%, recharge to 100%.

Optimize the system without updating the firmware

If new software isn’t available and the current smartphone isn’t working for you, you can try optimizing your existing system. Xiaomi Mi 9T has a powerful Snapdragon 730 processor that is still capable of ensuring smooth interface performance when set up properly.

The first step is to remove or freeze unused system applications, and you can use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) from your computer, and by connecting the phone in debugging mode, the adb shell pm uninstall-k --user 0 application packet can safely remove preinstalled software that does not require root rights.

Also pay attention to animations. In the menu For developers (to activate, you need to 7 times click on the version of MIUI), reduce the scale of the animation of the windows, transition and duration of the animator to 0.5x. This will visually speed up the response of the system and make the use of the smartphone more enjoyable, hiding the delays of the old hardware.

Remember to regularly clean the cache of applications, especially heavy ones like social networks and instant messengers, which tend to grow to gigabyte size, taking up space and slowing down the reading of data from the drive.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)