Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro & Xiaomi Mi A1 get a taste of Android Pie

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Android Pie‘s source code was uploaded to AOSP last week after the roll-out of official updates for the Google Pixel/XL and the Google Pixel 2/XL. It meant that the development community could now start its work on porting Android Pie to third-party devices. Users can of course choose to wait for official updates, but that’s not always a great option for mid-range or budget devices where the device makers can take their time in rolling out Android version updates. For example, the Essential Phone is the only phone to have officially received the stable Android 9 Pie update so far, with users of other phones in the Android Pie beta program such as the OnePlus 6, Nokia 7 Plus, and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S currently having to use beta/alpha builds.

In terms of development, Xiaomi devices are very popular on XDA because of their affordable pricing and high value. Last week, we saw the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 receive a stable port of AOSP Android 9 Pie with everything working. This port was then ported to the Xiaomi Redmi 4X. Separately, the Xiaomi Mi 3/Xiaomi Mi 4 have also received nearly stable Android Pie ports. Now, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (device code-name: whyred) and the Xiaomi Mi A1 (device code-name: tissot) have received ports of AOSP Android 9.0 Pie.

The developers note that hardware encryption is not currently working in both ports. Also, the AOSP camera is broken in the Android Pie port for the Xiaomi Mi A1, but users can still use apps such as Google Camera or stock ROM camera. Apart from the aforementioned issues, all other functionality should work.

Users of the two Xiaomi lower mid-range devices interested in trying out AOSP Android 9.0 should check out the ROM threads for flashing instructions.

Download AOSP Android 9 Pie for the Xiaomi Mi A1Download AOSP Android 9 Pie for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro