Poco Community Launched in India Almost a Year After Mi Community App Was Banned by Government

Poco has launched its community app, called Poco Community, in India. Poco was spun off from Xiaomi last year, and the company says that the new platform is meant to bring enthusiasts who are advocating for the Poco brand under one roof to get their feedback on ongoing developments. Interestingly, the launch of Poco Community comes almost a year after the government banned Xiaomi’s Mi Community in the country. It was amongst the 59 apps that were banned in India last year.

To kick off Poco Community, Poco India has started taking applications for its beta access in the country. It is asking users to provide information such as their full name, date of birth, and email ID. The brand also requires details about the Twitter handle as well as Facebook and Instagram accounts of the people looking to join its community.

Once the details are submitted, Poco will ask some questions to understand the knowledge of applicants about the brand. The selection, however, appears to be at the brand’s discretion.

Poco has not provided any details on when exactly it will launch the community forum for the successful applicants. It is also unclear whether the company would provide any early access to its software updates or future announcements through its community — something similar to what Xiaomi offered through its Mi Community.

While detailing its surprising separation from Xiaomi last year, Poco India General Manager C Manmohan confirmed to Gadgets 360 about the plans on establishing a community similar to what Xiaomi had in the country until June last year. The community approach would help the brand spread its awareness among young smartphone consumers. This could be in line with how competitors including Realme and OnePlus promote their offerings through dedicated community forums.

Xiaomi was one of the first companies to introduce the model of handling a community forum and transform its loyal customer base into Mi fans. However, the government impacted that model directly by banning Mi Community in the country. Shortly after the ban, telcos and app stores restricted Indian users from accessing the Mi Community app. The Chinese company also ultimately decided to disable the app due to the restriction.

What is the best phone under Rs. 15,000 in India right now? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 27:54), we speak to OK Computer creators Neil Pagedar and Pooja Shetty. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.