Poco X3 is no longer viable

Eric H

@aimar
I suggest asking this question also on ut_pocox3 telegram group (bridged to #ut_surya:matrix.org on Matrix) to increase the chances of getting an answer.

aimar

Thank you @Eric-H.
I am not very fond of social networks such as Telegram, Whatsapp, Instagram and the like. Hence I do not use them .
I haven't found in the web any topic regarding this issue.
I will wait in case someone pops up here with more information.
Thank you for the advice anyway.

TotalSonic

fwiw - I made the huge mistake of updating to Hyper OS1 when I first got my Poco X3 NFC, the only way I was able to get it unlocked was using "Hypersploit" on a PC running Windows 10 https://github.com/TheAirBlow/HyperSploit

Best regards,
Steve Berson

aimar

Thank you @totalsonic
Actually I pretend to swap to ubports as soon as I get it, so I have no intention of upgrading anything.
In the meantime, the prices has increased, just as the plane flight websites do.
I will wait a little longer in case it drops again and I gather more information.

wally

@aimar It should just be a one week (168 hour, they'll say) wait.

I can't confirm what @kln_nurv said exactly, but it does kinda fit with my experience.

I bought a Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro from the EU for delivery in Canada. I made a Xiaomi account, synced it to the phone, waited 168 days, but where it failed was as part of something Xiaomi called SIM sync or something similar. There was supposed to be a verification SMS from Xiaomi. This would never be received, and SIM Sync / SIM Activation would fail.

Then when I'd try Mi Unlock Tool even after 7 days, it would say the phone isn't "Activated".
A few emails with Xiaomi and a couple calls with my cellular carrier later, I gave up.

The best they could come up with at the time is that "short-code SMS", the type commonly used for 2FA, wasn't coming through maybe because either Xiaomi didn't have servers in Canada, or because it wasn't in its original market. They said short-code SMS don't work internationally. None of this made very much sense to me.

So I dunno, it's possible it now only works from within China.
I still have the phone. I will try to find time to make a new Xiaomi account via a Proton VPN server in Hong Kong and see if that works.. best I can do.

Any recent reports from others unlocking Xiaomi devices could be helpful. This was in 2026 that I was trying. Clearly people succeeded at this in the past. But anybody done so this year?

aimar

Thanks @wally for your information.
I said 30 days, because apart from the 168 hour thing, one must have a Xiaomi account more than 30 days old. Which currently I had not.
I just bought it. Hope it works. I do not want to be stuck on Android.
With your information I kept searching and found that lots of people complain from no receiving the sms code. It seems a random issue between countries, attempts and the xiaomi unlock app version.
In this XDA forum, the last post is dated Apr 15, 2026 and a guy from Canada, finally, got the SMS. Hope you also are lucky this time.

wally

@aimar Thanks for the tip, and for posting that link! I'll try it out. Meanwhile my existing phone, Oneplus N10 got VoLTE support, and my need for a different phone evaporated.
But I'd love to get UT working on that device.

Good luck getting yours unlocked! Seems it may be more a question of luck than anything else

aimar

@wally In this other Reddit post a guy says that "... Xiaomi only allows 2000 people per day (unlock requests) which is ridiculous. Took me 3 more days of randomly opening the app & requesting an unlock. It finally happened. Very randomly."
I don't know if its true, but it can explain why some people get it and others don't without any reason.

wally

@aimar Yeah, I'd read something about that. It resets at a certain time of day, China time (one big time zone).. not sure if it's midnight or what. Worth looking into what time the daily quota resets.

aimar

@wally this thread recommends GMT+8.
Today I got the phone. It's huge. I miss my 4.5" screen. Why do they make only big phones?
Anyway. It is a officially (xiaomi) refurbished phone. MIUI Global 12.0.8 Stable 12.0.8.0 (RJGEUXM) and Android 11 (RKQ1.200826.002). I have not update anything.
I created a Xiaomi account, but have not yet linked it to the phone. Digging in it, I switched and option called "OEM unlocking" (or something similar, my phone iz not in english). That's it? Is it alteady unlocked without any waiting nor SMS code required? Am I so lucky?
There are some USB options, but think I enabled the "USB Debugging" option.
There also is a "MyUnlockStatus" option but since requires some permissions I haven't accept them in case
As mentioned in the device description I downloaded MIUI Build V12.0.9.0.QJGMIXM. I have to learn how to flash it to the phone though. Would it be enough?

Moem

@aimar said:

Digging in it, I switched and option called "OEM unlocking" (or something similar, my phone iz not in english). That's it?

No, it's not. 'Allow OEM unlocking' is the first step towards unlocking, by itself it does not unlock anything.

aimar

Thanks @moem.
What a shame. All is to misleading.
So I guess I will link the phone to the Xisomi account, etc, etc. However my SIM card has not data. It has only calls. I rely on wifi. Why must it has data? This requirement is quite strange for an ignorant like me. Does not feel trustworthy.
Will keep you posted.

wally

@aimar Yes, GMT + 8, and notably, that linked site confirms that it indeed resets at midnight in China, not some other time of day. Useful!

There's an excellent post to help install on Redmi Note 9 Pro and similar devices. While of course there will be differences for yours, like firmware, I strongly suspect the basics of unlocking will be the same.
The other difference is that the post is from 2024, and it seems clear that Xiaomi has made it harder to unlock. But at least this shows you the process:

https://forums.ubports.com/post/79264