Xiaomi phones are not officially available in all countries of the world, and those who want such smartphones sometimes have to import from other countries. However, it seems that the Chinese manufacturer will try to block this practice, at least in some countries that are subject to embargoes. Basically, the company will block the phones that arrive in these countries, the users being greeted with a message informing the users that the phone cannot be used in that country.
Xiaomi phones arriving in embargoed countries will not be used
Of course, the affected countries are some on which international embargoes have been imposed over time. These include Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan and Crimea. In the past, Xiaomi devices worked smoothly in these regions, but now the company seems to be taking more drastic measures to prevent the unofficial import and sale of its devices in these regions.
The terms and conditions of use of Xiaomi smartphones directly mention the limitation of devices in those countries, stating that a seller who wants to export his phones to these regions will first need to obtain the necessary legal licenses. Those devices could remain functional once they arrive in those countries.
"14.2 The contract and all products sold are subject to applicable export and control laws, including but not limited to US law and buyer jurisdiction. The buyer will not export products purchased from the seller to a country or territory or any other place prohibited by export and control laws. Prohibited countries and territories include Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan and the Crimea. If the buyer plans to export the products purchased from the seller to another country, the buyer must obtain the necessary export licenses (or other government approvals) before the transaction. "
The message displayed on locked phones says:
"Xiaomi's policy does not allow the product to be sold to the territory in which you tried to activate it. Please contact the store directly for more information. ”
At the moment there doesn't seem to be a simple way to get rid of this message, but because the lock is software, installing an unofficial Android ROM should allow the phones to be used in those regions as well.
source: xda-developers