Hackers Boot Apple's iOS 16 on Xiaomi and Nothing Android Phones
Hobbyists are running iOS 16 on Xiaomi and Nothing handsets and posting proof, though the results are rough and far from usable.
Advertising disclosure: we may earn a commission when you join an operator via links on this page, at no cost to you. This never dictates our ratings. How we make money
Key takeaways
- Hobbyists have booted iOS 16 on Xiaomi and Nothing Android phones.
- They're posting proof publicly, but the builds barely function.
- It suggests iOS isn't permanently tied to Apple's own hardware.
- Nothing here is a usable daily setup, and the source gives few technical details.
Someone has finally done it: Apple's iOS 16 now boots on Android phones. Decrypt reported it on October 19, 2026, and the hardware in question comes from Xiaomi and Nothing.
Hobbyists are posting proof of the boots online. Does it work well? Barely. That's the honest summary.
What we actually know
Not much, and the reporting is thin on technical detail. The operating system is iOS 16, an older release. The phones come from two non-Apple makers. People are sharing evidence that it runs. That's the whole list. Which features work, how stable the builds are, how anyone pulled it off? We don't have those answers, so treat the specifics as unconfirmed.
The bigger takeaway from the report is that Apple's software no longer looks welded to Apple's hardware. That's a notable crack in a long-standing assumption, even if this is a hobbyist stunt and not a product.
Why it matters
For crypto users, it comes down to trust in the device. Wallet security leans heavily on the assumption that iOS runs only on tightly controlled Apple chips, with hardware-backed protections underneath. If iOS can run on other hardware, researchers get new ways to poke at it. That cuts both ways: more scrutiny can expose flaws, and flaws can be exploited.
Still, don't panic. A barely working iOS 16 boot on a Xiaomi phone isn't a threat to your holdings today. Keep your phone updated and your big balances on a hardware wallet. The real question is whether this stays a curiosity or grows into serious tooling for security research.
Source: Decrypt
Top Crypto Casinos Right Now
🇺🇸 Showing sites that accept players from United States Change country
Advertising disclosure: we may earn a commission when you join an operator via links on this page, at no cost to you. This never dictates our ratings. How we make money
More info Less info
Why we chose it: A US-facing book that pays a premium for crypto deposits: 125% against 100% for cash, with fee-free deposits across five coins.
- Payout time
- Within 24 hours (crypto)
- KYC
- Required
Restricted countries: Australia, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Congo - Brazzaville, Eritrea, France, Guinea-Bissau and 16 more.
More info Less info
Why we chose it: BetNow's casino floor with the biggest match bonus we list. The 200% headline deserves a careful read of the code terms behind it.
- Payout time
- Within 24 hours (crypto)
- KYC
- Required
Restricted countries: Australia, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, Congo - Brazzaville, Eritrea, France, Guinea-Bissau and 16 more.
More info Less info
Why we chose it: A US-oriented casino that turns away only New Jersey. The cashier takes crypto, but the site publishes fewer specifics than any operator we list.
- KYC
- Required
Restricted countries: New Jersey (US).
Priya Nair
Priya covers the AI side of crypto — agent tokens, decentralised compute and where the two industries actually meet.
