- Xiaomi users are complaining about a possible browser hijacker installed on their phones.
- Called ‘Mintnav’, this appears on Chrome and other browsers.
- It’s said to be a software that belongs to the category of browser hijackers.
Update: Xiaomi has responded to the users’ claims, denying that Mintnav is a “hijacker”. In a statement, the company said, “Mintnav is a website by Xiaomi. Mintnav is designed to enhance users’ digital experience by providing quick access to trending news and websites tailored to their preferences. Like with other OEMs, all Xiaomi devices also have the proprietary homepage as a default setting. However, Mintnav is an optional feature, and users can easily disable their settings.”
Xiaomi added, “Mintnav is a secure website and the unverified peculations being instigated about it being a hijack browser, its legitimacy, or any potential fraudulent activities and phishing attempts are entirely baseless and misleading.”
Original story follows…
Xiaomi has been accused again of reportedly installing a malware on its phones. Some users have spotted a browser hijacker malware called ‘Mintnav’ on their Xiaomi phones that appears when opening the Chrome browser and in some cases, other browsers as well.
Mintnav browser hijacker on Xiaomi phones
This issue was first raised by a Xiaomi user on Reddit who said that they spotted the Google Chrome home page suddenly changed to a site named ‘Mintnav’. This user alleges that the website could be a scam although they couldn’t find any other information about it. This was posted six months ago, and replies on the Reddit thread showed other users also facing the same issue.
It’s come to light again with a user sharing the same on X, and even tagging the Ministry of Electronics & IT saying that Xiaomi is installing browser hijacker Mintnav on Chrome and other browsers.
What’s basically happening is that instead of the Google search engine opening on Chrome, this Mintnav browser opens. You can change it from the settings menu by making Google or any other search engine as the default one. The Reddit thread comments also allege that this is possibly a browser hijacker. The browser seems to have suddenly appeared on Xiaomi phones with no mention of it on any software update.
So what exactly is Mintnav?
If you do a quick Google search, you’ll find the first result from the website HowToRemove.Guide explaining about Mintnav. According to this website, Mintnav “falls into the category of browser hijacker applications.” This software doesn’t cause any direct harm but it’s designed to interrupt your web browsing activities.
Mintnav can essentially alter your browser settings to inject unwanted ads that appear whenever you’re browsing on the web. It can also redirect your searches to sponsored websites. The experience is basically something like browsing a proxy website, something you shouldn’t get on legitimate sites.
We couldn’t independently verify this, and neither has Xiaomi responded to the issue. The website adds that if you’re suddenly experiencing something like this than it’s possibly the work of Mintnav. It advises users to install anti-malware programs or reset the browser settings to default.
