Dear Xiaomi,

You’ve been at the forefront of affordable, high-performance smartphones since your founding in April 2010, and your innovations have won the hearts of millions worldwide. As a devoted Xiaomi user for nearly ten years, I’ve enthusiastically recommended your devices to friends and family—your combination of cutting-edge specs and user-centric features has made me a proud advocate of the brand.

Today, many global enthusiasts who lawfully purchase your China-only models find themselves locked out of the bootloader-unlock process. On devices sold in mainland China, unlocking is only possible with a Mainland China Mi Account at Level 5 after passing an exam and manual review or by paying third-party services, in which some people were desperate to unlock the bootloader and got scammed out of their hard-earned money. In contrast, Global-ROM devices require a Xiaomi Community account over 30 days old and a request submitted via the official app. Yet if I, or any other enthusiast, buy a China-exclusive phone abroad, whether while travelling, visiting friends, or simply taking advantage of a great deal online, we're blocked from both routes, despite having lawfully bought the hardware.

Since October 2010, the Xiaomi.eu project has operated with your founders’ consent in Beijing to offer English-language MIUI ROMs, fueling a vibrant global developer community that enriches your ecosystem. By closing the bootloader door on importers, you risk alienating the very enthusiasts who helped grow Xiaomi into a household name outside China.

We respectfully ask you to introduce an optional identity-verification step, similar to the requirement in China, for all China-region devices used abroad. Under this model, enthusiasts could submit their passport or a national ID details through your official portal to gain access and unlock their bootloader, ensuring security without excluding anyone who has lawfully purchased a Xiaomi device. This approach mirrors your existing safeguards and upholds the integrity of your unlocking process.

Allowing every purchaser to control the software on hardware they’ve lawfully acquired aligns with Xiaomi’s ethos of user empowerment and openness. It also reinforces trust: fans like me choose Xiaomi not only for specs and price but for the freedom to tailor our devices, an emotional bond you’ve cultivated since MIUI’s rise.

Please consider this petition as a gesture of goodwill toward your global community of enthusiasts. By enabling bootloader unlock via a straightforward identity check, you’ll keep passionate users engaged, deepen brand loyalty, and uphold Xiaomi’s commitment to “Innovation for Everyone.”

Thank you for listening to your worldwide fan base and for continuing to build devices that inspire.

Sincerely,
A Global Xiaomi Enthusiast