• // Update 1 (02/01/2021 4:48 pm)
  • Xiaomi’s official statement on Mi A3 bricking debacle

As the year comes to a close, Xiaomi has started rolling out the Android 11 update for its lonesome Android One smartphone, the Mi A3, across the globe. Many users have reported receiving the update, which weighs in at 1.4GB. It brings along the improved notification shade, conversation bubbles, enhanced privacy, and all of the key Android 11 features.

Seeing that notification would have been a delight for Mi A3 users, especially after the botched Android 10 update rollout earlier this year. But, it turned into an unfortunate situation in no time.

Several users have taken to Xiaomi’s global community forums (not India as it remains banned alongside PUBG Mobile and TikTok) and social media to complain that the update has bricked their Mi A3. The update has rendered their device unusable.

@XiaomiIndia Today, you guys released Android 11 for Xiaomi Mi A3. It bricked my device and now it’s not booting up again!

@MiIndiaSupport @XiaomiSupport After installing the Android 11 update on Mi A3, on rebooting, it stuck on “Android One” Logo, now not starting again and doesn’t even detect the charger. Please, don’t install Android 11 update.@TechnicalGuruji @PiunikaWeb @gizmochina

Update 1 (02/01/2021 4:48 pm)

After staying mum for a couple of days, Xiaomi has today issued an official statement addressing the Mi A3 Android 11 update situation. The company says it is aware of the problem and has halted the update rollout. It is working on a fix at the moment.

You can read Xiaomi’s complete statement right here: “It has come to our notice that few users of Mi A3 are facing issues with the recent OTA update of Android 11. While the rollout has been stopped already at our end，our teams are working towards resolving the issue at the earliest. Customer experience is our top most priority and we regret the inconvenience caused. We will keep all users updated on the next steps.”

In the statement above, neither does the company offer a timeline for when the rollout will resume nor does it include any information on repairs. A lot of users have taken to social media to complain that Xiaomi’s service centers are demanding a hefty fee to repair the motherboard of their bricked Mi A3.