An early-access build of Android Pie for the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A is now available

Xiaomi has announced that it will update its Mi TV 4A to Android Pie (9.0) in the near future. This may be particularly exciting for those who own this device, as it originally shipped with a UI based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). The OEM is now accepting application to a new Early Access program for beta-testers who will get to try out its extensive upgrade prior to a general release.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 4A comes in 32- or 43-inch variants, and is based on an Amlogic quad-core CPU. A company representative, Sudeep Sahu, noted that getting Android Pie to work with this chipset has been one of the greatest challenges faced while developing the TVs' update thus far. This is partially why the OEM is calling for beta-testers: to make sure the new OS is stable enough for public release at this point.

Accordingly, applicants to this Early Access program should be aware that their TVs may not work as normal during the testing process. On the other hand, they will also have the opportunity to try out features heretofore unavailable on the Mi TV 4A. They include Play Store and Google Assistant access. However, as these devices lack BLE, the latter will need to be controlled via the Google Home app on the user's mobile device.