Poco F1 Starts Receiving Widevine L1 Support Through MIUI Beta Update

Poco F1 has finally received Widevine L1 certification after much anticipation. With the new move, Poco F1 users will now be able to stream HD content. Xiaomi is initially testing Widevine L1 support on the Poco F1 through an over-the-air (OTA) MIUI update for beta users. However, it is reported that the new feature is initially limited to Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar. This means the Poco F1 is yet to receive certification for streaming HD content on Netflix.

Poco India General Manager C Manmohan on Tuesday revealed that the Poco F1 is getting a beta MIUI update version 9.2.25 that brings Widevine L1 support. The executive also mentioned that the company would roll out the latest experience through the next stable updates once the beta test is accomplished.

XDA Developers reports that the latest beta update for the Poco F1 enables HD streaming from Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar. The phone is reportedly yet to receive a certification for streaming HD content from Netflix, though.

Gadgets 360 has reached out to Poco for clarity on HD streaming on its phone specifically for Netflix content. The story will be updated upon the receipt of official comment.

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The absence of support for the Widevine L1 DRM was first noticed in August last year -- just days after the launch of the Poco F1 in India. Instead of supporting Widevine L1 that has been supported by a list of models in the same price bracket, the Poco F1 currently supports only Widevine L3 DRM that enables SD video streaming. This restricts the handset from playing HD (720p and above) video content from streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Google Play, and Hotstar.

Similar to the Poco F1, the OnePlus 5T also lacks Widevine L1 support. However, OnePlus hasn't announced any developments to bring the DRM certification for the handset that was launched back in 2017.

Xiaomi Poco F1 looks great value for the price, but is there a catch? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.