Xiaomi phones falsely accuse Firefox of "illegally collecting personal information" and label it a "Risk App"

Xue_Jie — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 09:32:13 GMT

Hello Mozilla Community,

I am writing to start a discussion about a serious issue where Xiaomi's HyperOS displays misleading and defamatory warnings when users install APKs via Firefox. The system explicitly labels Firefox as a "risk app" and directly slanders its reputation.

Here are the details:

Device & Software Information:

Phone Model: Redmi Note 11T Pro
OS Version: Xiaomi HyperOS 2.0.5.0
Browser: Firefox for Android (Latest version)

Steps to Reproduce:

Using Firefox for Android installed from Google Play, browse to a trusted website like GitHub.
Download an APK file from an official repository (e.g., fcitx5-android).
From Firefox's download manager, tap the downloaded APK to initiate the installation.

Expected Result: The Android system should show a standard installation prompt, perhaps with a neutral warning about installing from "unknown sources."

Actual Result: The Xiaomi Package Manager component intercepts the installation. In the warning dialog, it explicitly labels Firefox as a "risk app" (风险应用) and displays the following high-risk message:

“该安装来源存在高风险：违规收集个人信息。建议您从其他安全渠道安装应用！”

Translated, this means:

"This installation source poses a high risk: illegally collecting personal information. It is recommended that you install from other secure channels!"

(A screenshot of the warning is attached below.)

Why This Is a Critical Issue:

Direct Slander Against Firefox: The warning not only targets the "installation source" (安装来源) but also directly labels Firefox itself as a "risk app" (风险应用). It falsely accuses Firefox—a browser known for privacy—of "illegally collecting personal information."
Anti-Competitive Behavior: This tactic scares users and unfairly pushes them away from legitimate software sources, forcing them to use Xiaomi's own app store.
Erosion of User Trust: Xiaomi is abusing its OS-level position to damage a competitor's reputation and mislead its own users with false information.

This is a specific and false accusation leveled against Firefox. I urge the Mozilla team to investigate this anti-competitive practice and consider taking action to protect Firefox's reputation.

Has anyone else in the community experienced this?

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

P.S: This content was generated by AI, but I am responsible for its authenticity.

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Xiaomi phones falsely accuse Firefox of "illegally collecting personal information" and label it a "Risk App"