As we know, Xiaomi recently restarted Android 9 Pie beta program for the Mi Box S. While we already had a beta program for the Mi Box a few months ago, followed by a stable release as well, the final update was a disaster. It left many Mi Box S devices unusable. Now, in these times of quarantine and lock down happening almost everywhere, Xiaomi is desperately rolling out another Android 9 Pie OTA2 beta program for a better user experience. This time, it is quite stable and not much gimmicky. Here is the latest release from the manufacturer with Android 9 Pie OTA 2 Beta 3 update for the Mi Box S and build R2603.

As for the changelog listed below, the OTA2 beta 3 features only a single bug fix. The latest OTA update comes with a critical bug fix for CEC not working. So if you are facing any HDMI connectivity issues, this is the update for you. Hence the term HotFix update. It also features a new build number R2603 and the full OTA package weighs around 665 MB in size.

The update so far:

It previous beta 2 update featured two critical bug fixes. One is stability for the system after it is back from standby mode. The second is support for more WiFi channels.

System is not stable after back from standby mode

Support more

The previous OTA2 beta 1 update brought some several critical bug fixes as well, including the following:

Chromecast not working

HULU playback freeze

Special H264 decode error

BT audio is not sync with video

HDMI compatibility

Pop sound when STB in standby mode

Gboard not working when connecting an external Keyboard

Moreover, some Mi Box exclusive features include support for reading and writing over USB, new settings menu user interface (similar to other Pie devices), USB audio, new UI for volume keys, a screenshot shortcut, and more.

Here we have listed the latest Android 9 Pie OTA2 Beta 3 update zips for the Xiaomi Mi Box S with build number R2603. It can also be termed as Beta 5. This is the full firmware (or full OTA update). So regardless if your device is on Android 9 Pie beta program or the stable Android 8.1 Oreo channel, you can still manually install the new OTA zip via recovery method listed below.

You can either go to settings > About Page > and check for OTA updates manually; if you have already enrolled into the beta program. Alternately, download the OTA zip and update manually.

Note: As the update is new, it may take some time to capture the OTA zip file.

Download Android 9 Pie:

Mi Box S Android 9 Pie | Direct download OTA2 beta 3 update (direct link)

Previous Mi Box S Android 9 Pie | OTA2 beta 2 update (post link)

The OTA update download link will be available soon directly from Android’s repository. This will be the full OTA update zip consisting of stable Android 9 Pie which can easily be sideloaded onto Mi Box S via stock recovery from beta channel or stable channel.

How to update Mi Box S to Android 9 Pie OTA manually?

As the update is official stable version, you will most likely receive the OTA update notification. Simply go to settings > about device > system updates. Alternatively, you can manually update your Mi Box S to Android 9 Pie once the OTA download link is available (above); which won’t be long.

You will need to reboot Mi Box into recovery mode and choose the option to apply updates from storage or SD card. Select the file and install. This is standard update protocol for most of the Android devices.

Thanks to user u/Askmetech for the screenshot.