[Update] Xiaomi’s Mi Music Returns Back To Play Store After Sudden Disappearance

Update | August 11, 01:00 AM

After suddenly disappearing from Google’s India Play Store, Mi Music has returned back to the app marketplace. The company said that the app was indeed unavailable from the Play Store but blamed the issue on a ‘technical problem.’

“Due to some technical issues, Mi Music was unavailable in Play Store for a short period of time. Xiaomi has quickly solved the technical problem and restored Mi Music in Play Store. Users can download Mi Music freely now and enjoy the excellent music experience brought by Xiaomi and our local partner,” said a Xiaomi spokesperson.

Original Story| August 4 , 06:00 AM

Continuing its app shutdown spree in India, Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi has reportedly delisted its music streaming app, Mi Music, from the Google Play Store in India. 

The development was first reported by Techcrunch. 

Attempts to access the webpage of Mi Music on the Play Store yielded no results. Users were routed to a site that displayed the message ‘We’re sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server’ while trying to access the download page. 

An archived download page of the app dating back to June 2, 2023, noted that the app had more than 1 Bn downloads and 2.33 Mn reviews at the time. Curiously, the app is still listed on Xiaomi’s app marketplace GetApps.

Inc42 has reached out to Xiaomi for a comment. The story will be updated accordingly. 

Launched in 2018 by Xiaomi, Mi Music enabled users to stream music directly on their phones. The service was launched in partnership with homegrown entertainment company Hungama, in which the Chinese smartphone maker invested back in 2016. 

The app came pre-installed on Xiaomi phones and allowed customers to access music in more than 15 vernacular languages. 

Mi Music appears to have become the latest casualty of a series of app shutdowns by Xiaomi in the country in the past one year. In October, Xiaomi pulled down its digital payment app Mi Pay and digital lending app Mi Credit from Play Store India. In February this year, the Chinese tech giant pulled the plug on its short-video platform Zili in India. 

Last year, Inc42 also reported that Xiaomi was looking to divest its stakes in Indian companies and exit the country’s startup ecosystem altogether. 

At the heart of these developments have been ongoing geopolitical tensions between India and China ever since the forces of the two countries clashed in Galwan. Following this, Indian authorities tightened the noose around Chinese companies operating in India. 

While the Centre has undertaken multiple rounds of bans on Chinese apps since 2020, apps connected to Xiaomi, including its browser, video call and community app have also faced the brunt of local authorities. 

The development also comes at a time when Xiaomi has come under the scanner of Indian officials for alleged tax evasion and illegal remittances. Not just this, Enforcement Directorate (ED) has raided the offices of the company while long-time executive Manu Kumar Jain also left the company earlier this year. 

The operations of the company have also suffered as the once reigning champion in the Indian smartphone space has now slipped to the third position in the smartphone market in India. Making matters worse has been layoffs at the company which have impacted employees at its local subsidiary as well. 

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