Xiaomi Mi Box Starts Receiving Android 8.0 Oreo Update: Reports

The Xiaomi Mi Box is reportedly receiving the much-awaited update to Android 8.0 Oreo update in the US and several other regions across the world. While Xiaomi is yet to officially make an announcement on the Android TV version update, multiple users have already reported that the update is finally arriving on their Mi Box units. Notably, this appears to be a global rollout of the update as users have reported it to be arriving in several countries and regions within the last 24 hours. To recall, two years ago Google and Xiaomi had jointly announced the Mi Box as an Android TV version of the latter's Mi Box 3. It was also the first product from the Chinese manufacturer to be officially sold in the US.

As per several users on Reddit, the Android TV update based on Android 8.0 Oreo for the Xiaomi Mi Box is finally rolling out. Interestingly, the device had never received an Android Nougat update. As per an XDA Developers report, there was a public beta released 11 months after the Mi Box launch, but there was no stable build later. Based on the number reports it is quite clear that Xiaomi's Android TV box is right in the middle of an Android TV Oreo 8.0 update global rollout. This means that the chances are good the update will arrive for more Mi Box owners in the coming days.

Meanwhile, some users in India have also claimed that the update is rolling out to Mi Box users in the country as well. Notably, the set-top box is not available in India officially. Once the update is installed, Mi Box owners can expect several changes to the user interface as Oreo on Android TV brings with it a very different look in general, as per the Reddit users. Since there is no official announcement on this yet, apart from all the organic changes Oreo brings with it, there is no clarity on the additional features and bug fixes included with the update.

As per the users, the Android TV Oreo 8.0 update in Mi Box is 615.8MB in size. The update brings a revamped user interface, new task switcher, Google Assistant, HDR, and picture-in-picture mode. With Google Assistant, you can now control your smart home devices from the TV.

To recall, Xiaomi, best known for its smartphones, had announced the Android set-top box powered by Android TV at Google's annual developer conference Google I/O in 2016. Later that year, the Chinese manufacturer launched the Mi Box in the US, priced at $69 (roughly Rs. 4,600).