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Credit: Flickr user Jon Russell // CC 2.0 License
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India recently announced extending its Chinese app bans to a few other apps, including those from the likes of Xiaomi, Baidu etc. In response to that, Xiaomi has now released a statement, saying that it is complying with Government orders. The company further clarified that none of the apps blocked by the government are available on any of the Xiaomi phones launched in India.

What’s interesting to note though, is the fact that Xiaomi will also launch a new version of its MIUI Android-based OS in India. The new OS will not come pre-installed with any of the banned apps, such as Mi Browser Pro among others. For those unaware, MIUI is more like an Android launcher skin that Xiaomi puts over stock Android in its phones, similar to how Samsung does. The launcher, like Samsung, comes with a ton of bloatware and pre-installed apps from the Chinese smartphone maker.

In a statement released moments back, Xiaomi said, “We are developing a new version of MIUI that will be built without pre-installation of any of the blocked apps.” The company said this new OS will roll out in a phased manner in the coming weeks. No specific timeline has been provided.

The company has also addressed confusions regarding the ‘Clean Master’ app that the government has blocked. Xiaomi says that it uses its own Clean Master app and that has nothing to do with the one that has been blocked. Apparently, Android’s Play store has numerous such apps with similar names, leading to confuse users that Xiaomi’s app is the one that has been blocked. The company will update definitions within its own app to remove any confusion.

Xiaomi’s measures come at a time when India has been critically looking at apps originating from China. Back in June, India banned 59 apps from China, including massively popular ones such as TikTok and CamScanner. Then a few days back, reports surfaced that India has banned more Chinese apps, including ones from Xiaomi and Chinese search giant Baidu.

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