While unlocking the bootloader of a Xiaomi phone running MIUI is possible, it's not as easy as it is on phones like the Google Pixel 2 or OnePlus 6. Excluding the Android One smartphones (Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite, Mi A1), you can't unlock the bootloader of Xiaomi devices with the standard fastboot commands out of the box. Instead, you need to use their Mi Unlock tool. To combat resellers that try to sell devices with modified software, Xiaomi added checks to the bootloader unlocking process which include a waiting time after the initial request is made. Initially, the waiting time was 3 days, but earlier this year the waiting time increased to 15 days. Now, some users are seeing waiting times as long as 2 months.

Several users on the XDA forums, on Reddit, and on the MIUI forums report seeing messages telling them to wait 2 months after their initial bootloader unlock request. People could live with a 3 day or even a 15 day waiting time, but having to wait 2 months before you can tinker with your phone is off-putting. The long wait time is concerning considering that Poco announced they would support the development community on the Poco F1.

2 month waiting period some users are seeing. This particular user owns the Redmi Note 5 (vince).

We're hoping this is an error and not an intentional change. Xiaomi phones are among the most popular devices on our forums for custom ROMs. Having an unlocked bootloader allows you to flash unsigned boot images so you can install custom recoveries, patch the boot image to root the device with Magisk, and install custom AOSP-based ROMs. If you haven't unlocked your Xiaomi device's bootloader yet and plan to do so, some users report that using an older Mi Unlock version may lower the waiting period. We've reached out to Xiaomi to clarify this situation and will update you when we hear back.