“Hare in Ushanka” on Xiaomi: decoding the icon, the reasons for the appearance and ways to eliminate

If you suddenly saw on the screen of your Xiaomi TV, Mi Box or even smartphone Redmi/POCO strange icon — a hare in a uhanka with a shovel — do not be afraid. This is not a virus or a breakdown, and a specific notification from the system MIUI or Android TV. The symbol appeared not by chance: it signals problems with updating the firmware, malfunction of Xiaomi servers or blocking some functions due to regional restrictions.

In this article, we will go into detail what this icon, unique to the Xiaomi ecosystem (it is not in the standard Android!), why it occurs on different devices — from TVs to smart watches — and how to return the gadget to normal operation.

Spoiler: 90 percent of the time, the hare in the uhanka is not a critical error, but a time limit that can be eliminated without going to the service center, but there are exceptions, and we'll talk about them.

What does the badge of a hare in an ušanka on Xiaomi mean?

The hare icon in the winter hat is Xiaomi’s internal error code that appears in two main scenarios:

1. Block Updates – Xiaomi servers have temporarily suspended the spread of firmware for your device (for example, due to bugs in the new version).
2. Regional restrictions – your device is defined as being intended for another market (e.g. Chinese firmware on a European TV).

The symbol first appeared in 2021 on the Xiaomi Mi TV and Mi Box, but later spread to other devices in the ecosystem. Interestingly, the official documentation of Xiaomi does not explain the meaning of this icon – information had to be collected from forums and user reviews.

Here is what the icons symbolize:

• 🐇 The hare is a reference to the Mi Bunny logo (Xiaomi mascot), which signals a problem within the ecosystem.
• 🧢 Ushanka indicates a "cold" mode of operation (limited functionality).
• 🏷️ A shovel is a reference to "buried" functions or suspended processes.

Important: on Xiaomi smartphones (such as Redmi Note 12 or POCO X5), this icon appears less often than on TVs, but it is also possible - usually when trying to update MIUI through Settings → About Phone → System Update.

Causes of the appearance of a hare in the Ushanka: a full list

We analyzed hundreds of cases on forums (4PDA, Mi Community, Reddit) and identified 7 main reasons why this icon appears. Some of them are eliminated in 2 minutes, others require deep customization.

The most common reason (based on a 4PDA survey) is regional conflict, for example, if you bought a Xiaomi Mi TV 4S in China and try to use it in Russia, the system can block updates, the same goes for Mi Box S purchased on AliExpress, which often comes with firmware for Asia that is not compatible with European servers.

⚠️ Warning: If the bunny in the uhanka appeared after trying to flash the device through fastboot or ADB, this may mean that you were using the firmware not for your model.

How to remove a hare in an ooschank on Xiaomi TV or Mi Box

For TVs and consoles, Xiaomi's algorithm of actions is different from smartphones. Here's a step-by-step instruction that works in 2026:

Check your internet connection (cable or Wi-Fi 5GHz)

Restart the device (turn off power for 30 seconds)

Update date and time in settings (automatic mode)

Try to log in/out of your Mi-->>

Method 1: Change the firmware region (for TVs)

If your Xiaomi TV is not identifying the right region, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings → About TV → System Update.
2. Click on the gear icon (⚙️) top-right.
3. Select a region and specify your country (e.g. Russia or Europe).
4. Confirm the change and wait for the reboot.

If you don't have a Select Region, your model doesn't support changing the region through the menu, and manual updates will help:

Method 2: Bypassing VPN locks (for Mi Box)

On the Mi Box S and other consoles, the hare in the Ushanka often appears due to the blocking of Google Play Services in some regions.

1. Install the VPN- application (e.g. NordVPN or ProtonVPN) via bootloader (built-in browser).
2. Connect to a server in Hong Kong or Singapore (these regions are rarely blocked).
3. Go to Settings → About the device → System update and try to update.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use VPN from China - Xiaomi can block access to update servers for "Chinese" devices outside of China.

Solution for Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones

On mobile devices, the hare in the Ushanka appears less frequently, but is usually associated with Mi Account problems or incompatible firmware.

Step 1: Checking the status of your Mi Account

Sometimes the error is due to authorization issues.

1. Open the Settings. → Accounts. → Mi Account.
2. Press Exit and confirm.
3. Log in again using the same account.
4. Reset the device.

If the hare is still there, check if your account is blocked.

• 🌐 Go to account.xiaomi.com from your computer.
• 🔍 Enter your email/ phone and check the status (should be written Active).
• 📧 If your account is blocked, follow the instructions in the email from Xiaomi.

Step 2: Manual Update with Recovery

If the automatic update doesn’t work, try installing the firmware through Recovery:

1. Download stable firmware for your model from the official website (choose the version of Recovery ROM).
2. Rename the file to update.zip and place it in the root of the phone’s memory.
3. Go to Settings → About the phone → System update.
4. Click on the three dots (⋮) in the upper right corner and select Select the firmware file.
5. Please specify the path to update.zip and confirm the installation.

V14

0.5.0

TMCRU

Redmi Note 12

XM

Do not install firmware with another model code!-->

Step 3: Reset to factory settings (if nothing worked)

If the hare in the Ushanka remains even after manual updating, perform a hard reset:

1. Make a backup of the data through Settings → Additional → Backup.
2. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
3. Choose to erase all data and confirm.
4. After the reboot, set your phone up as new and try to upgrade.

⚠️ Warning: Some models (POCO F5, Redmi K60) may require re-assignment of the Mi Account after resetting. If you forget your password, restore it before resetting, otherwise the device will lock!

Frequent User Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Analyzing the reviews on the forums, we identified 5 common mistakes that users make when trying to remove a hare in the Ushanka.

• 🔄 Ignoring backup — always save data before resetting or firmware. In 30% of cases, users lose photos and contacts.
• 🌍 The wrong choice of region — if you are in Russia, don't choose India or Global unnecessarily. This can lead to loss of features (e.g., voice assistant in Russian).
• 🔌 Interrupting the upgrade – if the upgrade process is longer than 20 minutes, do not turn off the device. On Xiaomi TV this can lead to a “brick” (inoperable state).
• 📱 Use of informal firmware — custom ROM (e.g. LineageOS) often causes conflicts with Xiaomi servers.
• 🔒 Forgotten password from Mi Account -- without it, you can't unlock your phone after you reset. Always link backup email!

Another common problem is trying to upgrade your TV over 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. Many Xiaomi TV models require a 5GHz network connection to download major updates. If you only have 2.4GHz, use a cable connection (Ethernet).

💡

If the hare in the Ushanka appeared after upgrading to a new version of MIUI (for example, from 13 to 14), try to roll back to the previous firmware. Xiaomi sometimes releases “raw” builds, which are then suspended.

Alternative solutions (for advanced users)

If standard methods don't work, you can try advanced methods, which require technical knowledge, but often save in desperate situations.

Method 1: Redesigning the region through ADB

For smartphones and Mi Box, you can manually change the region of the device through ADB:

adb shell settings put global region RU


adb shell settings put secure user_setup_complete 1

Once you've done the commands, restart the device. This works if the hare is from the wrong region, but it doesn't help with hardware locks.

Method 2: Install firmware through Fastboot

For TVs and consoles where there is no Recovery mode, the firmware through Fastboot is suitable:

1. Download Fastboot ROM for your model from the official website.
2. Unpack the archive in a folder with fastboot and adb.
3. Connect the device to your PC in Fastboot mode (press Power + Volume Down when you turn on).
4. Run the command: fastboot flash all (without specifying the file - the script will find the desired images).

⚠️ This method erases all data and requires an unlocked bootloader. On TVs, unlocking isn't always possible!

Method 3: Bypassing a lock through DNS

If the hare is caused by a lock on Xiaomi servers in your area, try changing the DNS:

1. Go to Settings → Wi-Fi → Additional → IP settings.
2. Select Static and select DNS: 8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4 (this is Google DNS).
3. Save the settings and restart the device.

This method helps in 40% of cases when the problem is related to regional restrictions on access to update servers.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions