Owning a Xiaomi smartphone often comes with anticipation of new features, but owners of the Redmi 5 Plus model have been seeing stagnation in the updates section for several years.This device, released in 2017, was once considered the king of the budget segment thanks to the 18:9 screen and Snapdragon 625 processor. However, time is passing, and the company's policy on supporting devices is changing, leaving users on older versions of MIUI and Android.
The absence of official security patches and new versions of the operating system creates not only discomfort, but also potential risks. Many modern applications are beginning to require fresher APIs, and browsers stop displaying web pages correctly. Understanding the reasons for this situation will help you make an informed decision about the future use of the gadget or its replacement.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the technical and economic reasons Xiaomi has stopped supporting this popular model, and see if it makes sense to try to revive the phone through third-party methods, or if it’s time to consider buying a more modern device with up-to-date data protection.
Xiaomi’s official support policy and Redmi 5 Plus lifecycle
Xiaomi has historically been known for its long-term support for its devices, but in recent years, the strategy has changed: for budget and mid-budget models, which include the Redmi 5 Plus (codenamed vince), the standard support cycle is about 2-3 years from the date of release, after which the device officially goes into the status of “legacy” or “EOL” (End of Life).
This means that the servers of the company stop sending out. OTA-Over-The-Air for this model, and even if you reset to factory settings, the system will tell you that you are using the latest version available. For the Redmi 5 Plus, the final official version was the shell. MIUI 11 based on Android 8.1 Oreo.
⚠️ Attention: Attempt to force installation of newer official firmware (e.g, MIUI 12 or 13) via Recovery can lead to bootloader locking or "bricking" of the device, as versions of the base Android are incompatible.
Why is that happening? Engineers are focusing on optimizing new MIUI versions to fit the current hardware. The older drivers for the Snapdragon 625 processor simply can't keep today's heavy interfaces running smoothly, so support is being phased out so as not to spoil the bounce statistics and user experience.
Technical Limitations: Why Snapdragon 625 is not pulling on new Android
The main reason for the updates is the physical limitations of the hardware platform. Redmi 5 Plus is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, which was revolutionary for its time thanks to the 14-nm process technology. However, the architecture of this processor and the Adreno 506 graphics accelerator has a performance limit.
Modern versions of Android (10, 11, 12 and above) require significantly more processing power and RAM for background processes, and trying to port them to old hardware leads to critical problems:
- 🐌Low speed: Interface starts to run with delays, animations twitch and apps open longer.
- 🔋Battery discharge: Unoptimized processes of new OSes put the battery down faster, negating the advantage of an old chip.
- 📉Heating: The processor is running at its limits, causing trottling and a decrease in screen brightness.
In addition, component manufacturers are no longer producing drivers for older chips. Without updated drivers (blob), it is impossible to correctly implement the features of new versions of Android, such as improved power management or new camera algorithms.
What is Vendor Blobs?
Security issues: risks of using outdated software
The biggest problem with no updates is security holes. Every MIUI and Android update contains patches to close vulnerabilities discovered by hackers. Using Redmi 5 Plus with the latest security patch of 2019 or 2020 puts your data at risk.
Mobile banks and payment systems (Google Pay, Mir Pay) are gradually losing support for older versions of Android, because the encryption protocols in older OSes are no longer considered reliable, and you may find yourself in a situation where the bank’s application simply refuses to start.
| Type of threat | Risk for the Redmi 5 Plus | Effects of consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclear vulnerabilities | High-pitched | Password theft, file access |
| Browser exploits | Medium. | Advertising viruses, miners |
| Outdated certificates | critical | Refusal of banking applications |
| Wi-Fi vulnerability | Medium. | Interception of traffic in public networks |
If you continue to use this smartphone, it is strongly recommended not to store large amounts of money on it or use it to log into the main mailboxes, it is better to limit its functionality to a media player or a navigator.
Alternative paths: custom firmware and unlocking
For enthusiasts who are not ready to part with Redmi 5 Plus, the only way to get fresh software is to install custom firmware. The developer community (for example, on the 4PDA or XDA forum) has created many LineageOS, Pixel Experience and MIUI EU ports based on Android 10 and even Android 11.
However, this process requires technical preparation: you will have to unlock the bootloader through the official MI Unlock tool, which will entail the complete removal of all data from the device, and this will also void the warranty (although for this model it has long expired).
☑️ Preparation for custom firmware
It’s worth noting that even custom firmware is not without problems, and the camera often performs worse than stock MIUI because of the lack of original photo processing algorithms, and some features, such as VoLTE or fingerprint unlock, may not work at all.
⚠️ Warning: Installing firmware from unverified sources can result in malware infection or complete loss of data.Always check hash amounts of files and user reviews.
How to check the relevance of the software version and the status of updates
Before you take any drastic steps, make sure your phone doesn’t really see updates because of age, not because of a malfunction.
Verification is done through the standard settings menu. Go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. Click on the tri-point icon and select "Select the firmware version." If there is only one version available, then the server has officially closed the update branch.
You can also check the status of the device on the official Xiaomi website in the support section, which publishes a list of models for which there are still patches. If the Redmi 5 Plus is not in the list of active devices, waiting for updates does not make sense.
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Use the Google Play Services app to check your phone's security settings → Google → Security → Security Check to see what critical vulnerabilities are found in the system.
Final verdict: should we fight for updates?
In summary, Redmi 5 Plus has exhausted its official resource of updates. hardware limitations and economic feasibility prevent Xiaomi from extending support for this model. Attempts to install new versions of Android through custom firmware give only a temporary effect and require high qualifications.
If your phone is used as a primary for working with bank and personal data, the best solution is to switch to a more modern model. 2026-2026 Years are available with a margin of performance and guaranteed security updates on the 3-4 forward.
💡
The Redmi 5 Plus is a budget legend, but his time is up.Using a device without security updates in 2026 carries real risks to your data.
However, if you use your phone as a second device, player or device for navigation in the car, the current version of MIUI 11 is still functional. It is stable, time-tested and fast precisely because of its lightness.