HyperOS 4 May Skip More Xiaomi Phones Than We Expected

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HyperOS 4 May Skip More Xiaomi Phones Than We Expected


Xiaomi is already working on HyperOS 4, but some older phones may never get the update. New test data suggests Xiaomi could keep HyperOS 4 for phones that also move to Android 17.

That would be a big change. Xiaomi has often brought a new HyperOS version to phones even when their Android version stayed the same.

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Testing gives us the first clue

New data shows that 112 Xiaomi devices are set to receive Android 17. Of those, 108 are already being tested with HyperOS 4 in some form. So, almost the full Android 17 list is now part of Xiaomi’s work on the next update.

The picture is very different for phones that will stay on Android 16. So far, none of them have appeared in the same HyperOS 4 test data. Xiaomi has not said they are out, so this is not final. Still, the gap is now hard to miss.

Xiaomi did this differently before

With past updates, a new HyperOS version did not always need a new Android version. Some phones could get Xiaomi’s new software while staying on an older Android base.

HyperOS 3 followed that path on several models. Those phones did not get every new feature, but they still received the new look and many of the main changes. So it made sense to expect HyperOS 4 to work in much the same way.

Xiaomi may now want to change that. Keeping HyperOS 4 tied to Android 17 could make updates easier to build and test. It may also cut the amount of work needed to keep older phones up to date.

Security updates are a different story

If a phone misses HyperOS 4, that doesn’t mean Xiaomi will stop supporting it at once. Models that are still inside their support period should keep getting the security fixes promised for them.

The problem is that they may miss the new look and features of HyperOS 4. I don’t like that idea. If a phone still has good hardware and years of support left, I think it should have a fair chance of getting Xiaomi’s latest software too.

It could also make Xiaomi’s update policy harder to follow. A phone may still be supported, but its last Android update could also become its last big HyperOS update.

For now, Xiaomi has not confirmed this plan. There is still time for Android 16 builds to appear as HyperOS 4 gets closer to release. But if the current test data shows what Xiaomi has planned, some users may keep getting security updates for years without ever seeing HyperOS 4.