Xiaomi

Use this thread to discuss Xiaomi related things :slight_smile: Suggested by @imok

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Am I the only one around here that’s extremely skeptical about using these Chinese phone manufacturers, because of data safety?

PS: I really love the new Oppo Find X phone, but I won’t be getting it for this exact reason.

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I’m sure you’re not the only one, but I’m honestly not too concerned myself. It’s definitely a good thing to remain skeptical and do some research, but I wouldn’t avoid specific companies from a country just because of bad reports on another company.

After spending a lot of money on LGs and long contracts with mobile carriers (18 months in my country to get a “good” discount on price), I decided to go with a free-contract Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.

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So good… until I tried connecting to my car. The car radio uses bluetooth and USB cable to mirror the screen. At the first connect it install an app con the mobile, but it doesn’t work. All other phones work, minus mine :frowning:

Any ideas what to do? root? unlock? flash? I used to do that a decade ago with Motorola and Sony, but I’m lost with Android.

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Does the app function at all? Is the app available from the Play Store? Because it could be due to some kind of authorisation or signature error. If so, then unlocking and rooting could bypass the issue. However, I doubt that that’s the issue.

Hard to believe to FBI, CIA and NSA with all the stuff revealed.

It is not. Somehow is sent from the car system.

PS: My car is from a Chinese brand too: Chery :stuck_out_tongue:

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Can you launch the app at all? If not, what happens?

Try to use a backup app on your old device to get the .apk for your car application, and try to install it manually. Make sure you give app access to what it needs as my redmi5 didn’t even display the alarm when the screen was locked, until I gave the permissions required.

The app on the phone? No, because it hasn’t been installed by the car system. I enabled USB debugging and Allow installing apps via USB, but it doesn’t work. There must be something extra locking the installation via USB.
Could be any logs anywhere on the phone about what’s happening on the USB port?

I was thinking about that. How to extract the .apk from another phone?

I did not test this, but it may work
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.usage.appbackup&hl=en_US

I forgot Google :stuck_out_tongue: Will try something tomorrow.

If you believe that devices are being “bugged” either in hardware or software through any means, which nowadays is an understandable view point… then why would you believe that only the “evil” countries “bug” phones? Seems kind of naive.

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I believe there’s a big difference of liability and accountability between a US company and a Chinese company, as well as a big difference in what these companies would use your data for if they had access to it.

Let’s just say I’m more comfortable to be profiled and served ads based on my data, rather than having that data possibly being used in malicious ways by a country known for its hacking attempts.

For a strictly personal phone, I might have risked it, but considering I have a lot of work related things on my phone, even if there’s the slightest reason for concern I wouldn’t go for it.

You may call it nativity, I call it being cautious.

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One of the reasons I don’t use third-party ROM’s.

I don’t believe a company such as Xiaomi would spy on you more than your friendly-friend Facebook, they are a big company with low profit margins, a big scandal may destroy them.

There has been previous privacy scandals related to Xiaomi, but nothing major, hopefully it stays this way.

If anything comes out, I can always go back to my Nokia 2600, although it may be too late.

What are your thoughts on brands such as OnePlus/Oppo?

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OnePlus had several scandals where it was sending out data without user consent.
The Oppo Find X phone looks so amazing with the pop-up camera… hoping to see that in other phones in the future.

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I use a Huawei phone and it’s fine.
Not an American citizen, I trust Chinese brands more than three letter US agencies.

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Which country were you talking about, again?
Both US and China are notorious cyber attackers.

I guess I’m choosing the lesser of the two evils, in my opinion.

… Well if any country want to spy on my phone to find where I stored the tranny porn @MikePT asked me to store for him, it’s fine.

What you guys think of MI? My gf haves one and it’s working pretty well, I’m thinking on ordering another one. Currently I pack a Huawei.

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Pure lies!!!

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