A few days ago, there were reports that Xiaomi phones in China will not be able to install GMS anymore. Today, the company took to its official Weibo handle to clarify the reports. Its message reads “We have noticed that some netizens who don’t know the truth and self-media spread and reported related content about “Xiaomi phones no longer support GMS”. We think it is necessary to clarify this situation to avoid false information”.
Xiaomi claims that the Xiaomi Community Answer Group is not an official Xiaomi representative. This implies that any information from the group can not be considered official. Furthermore, Xiaomi said that the report on Xiaomi and Google Services in China is completely false.
Before now, users can install Google Services on Xiaomi phones by themselves. However, the change is that users in China will not be able to install Google Services by themselves. The company (Xiaomi) has to pre-install this feature for it to work. The models which already have Google Services will remain the same. Xiaomi claims that in the future, it will release more smartphones with Google Services pre-installed in China.
As for Xiaomi phones outside China, they will ALL be able to install Google Mobile Services. This is the latest information coming from Xiaomi regarding the issue. Google Mobile Services is required to use key Google applications, including the Google Play store. However, in China, some manufacturers do not install Google Mobile Services on their smartphones, as there are many alternative stores that have all kinds of applications available to users.
Gizchina News of the week
Xiaomi sues the U.S. Department of Defense and the Treasury
A couple of Chinese manufacturers has been facing a huge battle with the U.S. in recent times. Since most of the advanced technologies for developing end products are American, a ban from the U.S. is a big deal. Huawei has been handling the U.S. ban for years now but we all knew that it’s only a matter of time before other Chinese smartphone companies face the same battle. Considering its recent addition to the U.S. entity list, Xiaomi is taking a bold step. Xiaomi Group issued an announcement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange stating that it is suing the US Department of Defense and the US Treasury Department.
The company is suing these departments in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Xiaomi is suing these departments for recognizing the company as a “Chinese military company”. The Chinese manufacturer claims that there are procedural unfairness and factual identification errors. In order to protect the interests of the company’s global users, partners, employees, and shareholders, it is asking the court to declare the decision illegal and revoke the decision.
Prior to this, the US government included 9 Chinese companies on the blacklist for having ties to the Chinese military. Xiaomi is one of these nine companies. According to the ban instructions, US investors must sell their shares in “blacklisted” companies before November 11 this year.