Xiaomi’s first Android One smartphone is now receiving the February security patch, with numerous owners of the Mi A1 recently confirming they have been prompted to install the latest software in the form of a traditional over-the-air update. The firmware reportedly started rolling out on Friday and will likely take at least several days until it becomes available on a global level. The software package is just over 87MB in size and doesn’t appear to introduce any other features, though minor performance and bug fixes could still be included even if they aren’t mentioned in the official changelog. Two months ago, Xiaomi distributed Android 8.0 Oreo with the January security patch to eligible Mi A1 units, having subsequently promised to fix some issues introduced by the software with the February update. None of the Mi A1 owners who claim to have already received the new firmware have clarified whether the previously identified camera instability and battery drainage issues have been fixed with the new OTA package.
Originally released last September, the Mi A1 marked Xiaomi’s first foray into the Android One ecosystem which is essentially seeking to succeed the Nexus program by showcasing the advantages of a stock Android experience on third-party hardware. It’s presently unclear whether the Chinese original equipment manufacturer is planning to follow up on the Mi A1 with another such device later this year, though recent rumors indicate that may be the case. The initiative itself is still growing at a steady pace and has recently enlisted the help of HMD Global, with the Finnish smartphone company now being set to release three new Nokia-branded Android One devices this spring. The Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 7 Plus mid-rangers will run a vanilla version of Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, as will the Nokia 8 Sirocco flagship, HMD confirmed at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress.
Besides Android One, Google is presently also pushing another mobile OS program in the form of Android Go that’s meant to allow entry-level devices to run the latest version of its platform, coupled with specifically optimized and streamlined apps. Android Go targets handsets with no more than 1GB of RAM sold in developing markets, though Xiaomi has yet to embrace the platform and it remains unclear whether it intends to do so.