Android

Well depends on why you're unlocking the bootloader. Some people just want root but not necessarily a custom ROM. Though for some phones a custom ROM may be more appealing than others.

For rooting it, for example. That's always an option, even when your phone does not have a good alternative ROM

Magisk, Revanced using root to simply replace stock YouTube app without having to deal with MicroG, tuning kernel to achieve Moah powa babeh, better battery, etc.

The only spyware you should be concerned about is that from your own country. That's the country that can actually do things against you with the information. What are you worried about "China" doing with your chats or metadata on which apps are open?

It's so weird that Google's phone has been the most accessible for unlocking your phone. Oneplus used to be good too, but then they became bad in that area too and now custom rom scene seems dead for newer Oneplus phones.

I wish flashing custom ROMs was like flashing custom firmware to routers. With most routers you can return it back to stock and no one will know the difference.

Yeah, I've been waiting since a week to unlock my bootloader. I still have to wait 4 more days to be able to unlock. Once it's done I'm going to Lineage OS.

Xiaomi phones have a good hardware to price ratio. I've got a headphone jack, dual SIM, and a dedicated memory card slot.

I got my Redmi Note 11 one and a half years ago. The waiting time for their shitty tool to unlock the bootloader after a week wasn't the biggest obstacle for me. What really pisses me off is that they violated their obligations to upload the kernel sources and therefore significantly delayed custom ROM development. While being a cheap and popular device, it hasn't received Lineage OS support and probably never will. That ship has sailed because Xiaomi just doesn't give a fuck about what their end of the deal is if they want to use a decent FOSS based OS on their phones instead of spending huge amounts of money and time to build their own ecosystem.

Many years back if I am not mistaken the bootloader came unlocked. That led to some resellers flashing their bloatware on to the phones.

You're confusing Android and AOSP.

please tell me how Android is not FOSS anymore.

because I really don't understand this argument here.

Android is still FOSS. you can grab the source code, modify it and use it, if you really want.

even so, since Xiaomi provides you tools and codes to unlock the phone and install any other compatible system on it.

oh, no more updates then for MIUI? the heavily modified version of Android that Xiaomi is making and providing services for it? and then, the whole FOSSness is breaking for you if they say no more updates for their version if you open the loader? who would have thought.

why would you do that, in the first place? I guess to install other roms. so you probably don't like MIUI anyway.

or you want to modify MIUI? you know that 90% of hacks just don't fucking work with MIUI's framework, right? that it's breaking and shit. and then, if that happens, who would you call? well, not the ghostbusters but go to MIUI support snd blame them for your shitty modifications.

tell me, please, how Android is not FOSS anymore, I really wanna know what keeps you up at nights.

How do you figure? The actual article states that only Chinese users with a certain post rating on their forums will be eligible to apply for an unlock of their phones.

Users outside of China will not be able to unlock at all.

This changed everything!

This only applies if you stay on stock rom. Xiaomi.eu will update normally as it is a custom rom (despite being officially endorsed by Xiaomi).

Just sideload the ota, no need to go through so much trouble.