Xiaomi started blocking phones activated in certain territories

Not all smartphones are available in all markets, but these days it's not too difficult to buy them through online retailers. Network compatibility and local regulations do not count, but it is certainly possible to make phones work in unsupported regions.

This includes areas where there may be legal restrictions on the export of certain companies' products. Xiaomi, however, can take a more proactive stance on this issue by blocking phones activated in markets where there is an export ban.

Where are they blocking?

There are a small number of countries to which most of the world's allied nations have agreed not to export. Some companies abide by these restrictions to avoid being sanctioned for violating these trade bans. For example, ZTE has been severely punished by the US government for exporting products that used US technology and components to these banned countries.

Xiaomi is also banned from exporting its phones to countries and territories such as Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. However, the company cannot control third-party resellers and exporters who can serve consumers in these territories. In the past, such consumers were free to buy and use Xiaomi phones, but that may now change.

What's being blocked?

According to reports gathered by the source, Xiaomi is now actively blocking phones operating in these regions. There is a theory that the blocking only applies to Xiaomi phones that have been activated in the listed countries, but not those that have been activated in other countries. Third-party firmware running on Xiaomi phones may also be unaffected by the company's remote locking system.

It is to be hoped that all of the world's leading manufacturers will join this practice.

Source: xda-developers

Illustration: slashgear