Xiaomi axes popular feature on phones running on MIUI and HyperOS،
Chinese tech giant Xiaomi may have disappointed many of its customers as it just dropped the bomb on its users that the company was removing a much-loved feature from its Android-based operating system.
Xiaomi recently announced the news of its Mi Fans Telegram channel (via Android Authority) that it removes a feature that allowed devices using MIUI and HyperOS to play audio from YouTube videos even when the screen is off. The company cited compliance requirements to justify this decision.
In its post, Xiaomi informed users that it had removed the “Play video sound with screen off” feature from the Video Toolbox and the “Turn off screen” feature from the Video Toolbox. game in recent updates. These features were initially introduced with MIUI 12.
Last year, Xiaomi replaced the traditional MIUI with an entirely new operating system called HyperOS. Popular flagship smartphones running HyperOS, as well as those still running the older MIUI, are affected by the removal. Some of the affected devices include:
Take a look at Xiaomi's screenshot for the full list of system and security versions and device models.
Are you wondering why Xiaomi is making this change? According to the message, it's all about compliance requirements. It appears that this change is a response to Google's crackdown on services providing YouTube Premium features for free.
YouTube Premium, a monthly subscription service, offers users exclusive benefits such as ad-free viewing, video downloads, and playing videos in the background with other apps open or when the screen is off. With a competitor offering one of the YouTube PremiumGoogle's paid features are free, it's understandable why Google would disagree with this.
