There's a new Android system update available for the Xiaomi Mi A1

While some might complain that Xiaomi failed in delivering some software updates or issued firmware packages plagued with various problems, I can say that — at least for my Mi A1 — they have been consistent. Back in February, I received that month's security patch on the 28th. In March, I got it on the 24th. This morning, I woke up to see the update notification shown on my phone. Sadly, all hopes for an official Android 10 update are now gone, but it's great to see that Xiaomi continues to deliver monthly security patches.

The latest official update for the Xiaomi Mi A1 has around 80 MB in size and there is no list of changes to talk about. Obviously, we are talking about minor security updates and tweaks that are supposed to keep the phone "fresher and more secure," nothing more. Those interested in grabbing the entire ROM with the build number PKQ1.180917.001.V10.0.20.0.PDHMIXM — no matter their reasons — can find the 1.6 GB file from this page.

Regarding the Mi A1 software support provided by third parties, we should say that LineageOS Tissot is still a nightly build ROM and although the latest such release is dated April 7, it might take a while for it to get a stable build. However, the most important part about Tissot is that this LineageOS build is still based on Android 9 Pie and not on Android 10. On the other hand, some have already tried to install the Android 10-based LineageOS 17.1 on the Mi A1 and this firmware is apparently "stable enough to use as a daily driver" — but I wouldn't bet on that. 

If anyone who reads this has managed to get LineageOS 17.1 working properly on the Mi A1, please share your experience with the rest of us. I might have a ZTE Open C around — that I use as a portable alarm clock and timer, to be honest — running the latest nightly pre-alpha firmware released for it, but I don't feel that adventurous when it comes to my main phone.