Hello everyone,
tl;dr version
What's the best way to install a custom rom on the Redmi Note 3 out of the box with a locked bootloader. What is the best rom to use for maximum functionality.
I have been following these forums for a while, but haven't got around to creating an account and posting. I'm new to flashing roms, and my experience goes as far as following guides to flash a Samsung S4, and a Samsung S2. The Samsung phones were really easy to flash, and I just followed guides in a robotic way without ever actually learning anything. For the record, CM12 on the Samsung S2, which I'm using because I smashed my S4, is absolutely unbelievable in regards to the increase of performance.
One of my work friends was telling me that he has a mate who bought a Chinese phone really cheap and flashed it. Getting excited, knowing exactly where I need to look to flash a phone, I impulsively researched these phones and bought a Redmi Note 3 for $173 AUD. It's on the way in the mail. Having looked at the hardware specs, this price is absolutely ridiculous. I was more swayed to buy the Redmi Note 3, because multiple sites reported that the second sim slot can hold a micro SD card. The only downside I can see to this phone is the bloatware and stock rom that it comes with, and the reason for this post is to discuss the best way in which to flash a new rom. If you have managed to read this far, thanks for reading my life story!
Having limited experience in the phone flashing world, from researching it looks like the flashing process is something like:
Unlock the bootloader
Flash a recovery program
Use the recovery to flash rom/app
My understanding of the bootloader and why it needs to be unlocked is limited. I've done some research around it, and this is what I have found. The bootloader is the first thing that runs when the phone starts up, loads the kernel and the rom, and verifies that you have a legit recovery program. It needs to be unlocked so you can put a custom recovery on to your phone. Once you have that sorted, flashing roms from the recovery is a pretty straight forward process. If I'm wrong, please correct me, because this is what I have understood from looking around and I'm not confident about my understanding.
Unlocking the Bootloader On The Redmi Note 3
Having read on multiple sites, this looks like the biggest constraint when trying to flash a custom rom on the Redmi Note 3. This is because Xiaomi have locked the bootloader for this device, when most other phones do not have this problem. Most flashing guides for the Redmi Note 3 assume that the boodloader is unlocked or list it as a pre-requisite, so I'm unsure what path to take here. From research, it looks like there are 3 possible ways to move forward from here:
Official Bootloader Unlock
Unofficial Bootloader Unlock
Bypassing The Bootloader Unlock
Because my account is new, the following links aren't hyperlinked and in a good format due to permissions. Sorry! It'd be sweet if a mod could edit it.
1. Official Bootloader Unlock
This seems like the most legit way to unlock the bootloader. Apparently you just go to: endotmiuidotcom/unlock/ and apply for an unlock by using google translate and creating an account. People have reported response times taking over a month, not getting a successful application, or the unlocking process getting stuck at 50%. To me this doesn't sound appealing and I'm not too keen on waiting a month to find I'm unsuccessful in applying.
2. Unofficial Bootloader Unlock
This process is found here: endotmiuidotcom/thread-253680-1-1.html and looks to be a bit tedious. Apparently there is a high chance for a brick using this method, and some custom recoveries don't work well with it. My other concern is that if the brickrate is high, and this method was released around april, it could be possible that Xiaomi has made some further updates, further increasing the chance for a brick.
3. Bypassing The Bootloader Unlock
I found this process on a post from these forums, which then sourced a reddit post. The reddit post is pretty straight forward and can be found here: wwwdotredditdotcom/r/Xiaomi/comments/5611tg/psa_you_can_flash_twrp_and_subsequently_cm13/ .This process works by flashing a legit miui rom, but by flashing it with a modified recovery image, in particular, a custom recovery like TWRP. Having considered the three methods, this looks like the easiest way of getting it done.
My questions are: has anyone done any of these three methods successfully? What method do you recommend? Have I missed anything? Are there any other methods?
My understanding is once the bootloader is unlocked, you install TWRP. Then once that is installed you flash whatever rom you want, which leads into my next question. What is the best ROM to use?
It looks like the most viable roms are the CM roms. I've seen CM 13 and CM 14, are people running CM 13 instead of 14. Why? Is it more stable? Ideally I'm after the most functionality possible. Are there any other roms that you'd recommend flashing? When flashing roms are you supposed to do all the standard things that you would on other phones, factory wipe/cache wipe/davlik cache wipe, flash rom, flash gapps? I've also seen that CM needs firmware flashed before the rom, will this mess anything up and can it brick? Can you do all this stuff from TWRP with a locked bootlader (method 3)? I really like having notification badges too, what will I need to do for this to happen?
If you have read all of this, I really appreciate you taking the time. I hope I haven't broken any forum rules in the process.
dude,it's too much to read for people. I can't believe i read it,anyway.
about unlocking the bootloader process(I'm telling you about my experience):
---step 1 : you sign up for a mi account,choose your country and verify your phone number>login to your mi account on your device(remember to enable every feature on your mi account on your device,you can disable backup)> go to https://i.mi.com and check your device,it should be there> go to http://en.miui.com/unlock/ , write for example dear sir or madam, I'm an austrailian developer and I want to try and work on projects like cyanogen mods and other custom roms. sincerely,JaFranchise - alright,after finishing the writing go to translate.google.com and translate it to chinese,then paste on the form,then apply,you will confirm your request by entering the code that was sent to you via mi message --- for me it took about 3 to 4 hours to receive my confirmation.
---step 2 : first try this,if you stuck on 50% error,you will try step 3,so here is the instruction,
sign in to your mi account on your device(enable find device),also on i.mi.com(to check your device). enable developer options,OEM unlocking and USB debugging. > download the latest version of MIFlashUnlock tool and log into your account link : http://bigota.d.miui.com/miflashunlock/MiFlashUnlock_1.1.0317.1_en.zip> turn off your device and go to fastboot (press and hold volume - and power button at the same time), connect your device to your PC, click unlock(on MIFlashUnlock tool), after your bootloader successfully unlocked, click on reboot.
---step 3 : this is for kenzo devices(redmi note 3 pro - snapdragon650) - if you're using redmi note 3(mediatekX10), you should download the roms(stable and developer) according to your device
you need to switch from global stable to global developer rom, download the latest global developer rom on android lollipop(5.1). link : http://bigota.d.miui.com/6.8.18/miui_HMNote3ProGlobal_6.8.18_d0da79d09e_5.1.zip> after downloading the rom,rename the file name to Update.zip then copy to internal storage(in downloaded_rom folder).> open updater app, select choose update package, go to downloaded_rom folder and select Update.zip. It will verify your rom and install it. > download the latest global developer rom from en.miui.com/download-301.html , repeat the instruction or just simply download via updater > then follow step 2
I think,It's better you first unlock bootloader,then mention me in the comments to go through that(about cm and aosp roms and flashing instructions) process.
goodluck.
Thanks for your reply and for reading it all. So your advice is unlock the bootloader the official way. I know it's too much to read, that's why I put a tl;dr section, because I probably wouldn't read that much! The last thing I want to do is annoy people.
Cheers for specifically telling me what I'd need to write in the application, massive help. Maybe some people have been unsuccessful because they haven't said the right things.
JaFranchise said:
Thanks for your reply and for reading it all. So your advice is unlock the bootloader the official way. I know it's too much to read, that's why I put a tl;dr section, because I probably wouldn't read that much! The last thing I want to do is annoy people.
Cheers for specifically telling me what I'd need to write in the application, massive help. Maybe some people have been unsuccessful because they haven't said the right things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's alot easier than it sounds. The hardest part is probably getting the drivers on your computer installed properly to unlock bootloader/miflash. The good thing about this device is if you brick it, it's fairly simple to unbrick via the edl method but yea, official unlock bootloader - flash zcx twrp - make a backup - flash away
Hemphiz said:
It's alot easier than it sounds. The hardest part is probably getting the drivers on your computer installed properly to unlock bootloader/miflash. The good thing about this device is if you brick it, it's fairly simple to unbrick via the edl method but yea, official unlock bootloader - flash zcx twrp - make a backup - flash away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So it looks like official unlock is the way to go about things. Why ZCX version of TWRP?
ZCX is essentially the official TWRP, but with some extra stuff in it to allow it to support F2FS, if I'm not mistaken. Since you've decided to unlock your bootloader the official way, both ZCX and the official twrp are fine.
JaFranchise said:
Thanks for your reply and for reading it all. So your advice is unlock the bootloader the official way. I know it's too much to read, that's why I put a tl;dr section, because I probably wouldn't read that much! The last thing I want to do is annoy people.
Cheers for specifically telling me what I'd need to write in the application, massive help. Maybe some people have been unsuccessful because they haven't said the right things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you're welcome,yes if you officially unlock the bootloader,everytime you face an issue,for example got your bootloader locked again,you can use miflashunlock with ease.about the version of the twrp,i should say ZCX_TWRP_0917 is the way to go,it got everything you'll ever needed except for encryption you need lazyflasher-I don't want to go into details to make you confused-for more info about twrp and other roms check these links :
1- ⋆⋆ NEWBIE GUIDE ⋆⋆ [UPDATED] Available TWRPs, Add-On Zips, Root, Flash, Restore, FAQ
http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/how-to/guide-redmi-note-3-available-twrps-t3406708
2-step by step instructions for zcx twrp
http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/how-to/zcx-twrp-install-twrp-flash-supersu-t3462448
3- comprehensive guide for unlocking bootloader process
http://en.miui.com/thread-246705-1-1.html
Related
Hi,
I'm currently waiting for my Xiaomi device and I have some questions before rooting the phone and doing some other mods.
First of all I'll mention that I've got huge experience in flashing roms, modding etc (just not with Xiaomi), so you don't have to use noob-friendly language.
1)I bought the "Pro" variant, with 16MPx, sdcard expansion and snapdragon 650.
So can I flash any rom that is included in this section: http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/development or is there a difference between Redmi Note 3 Snapdragon & Note 3 Pro?
According to this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/development/snapdragon-note-ensure-threads-titled-t3351620 it's the same, but I just want to be 100% sure as I just bricked my previous device by flashing a wrong ROM (from other device)
Oh, and I hope the storage option doesn't really matter for ROM flashing, right?
2)I've seen some 2 methods of unlocking bootloader. First one is official, where we sometimes have to wait for some longer time to get the code and the second one is unofficial.
Are there any (dis)advantages using both of the methods, and do I have to use developer ROM to unlock it the official way? Which one is safer?
3)In case my phone would be stuck in a bootloop, can I use MiFlash to repair it?
Do I need to have modified boot.img to do this?
4)Let's assume I have China ROM stable edition. Will I be able to install via update menu the dev version (with locked bootloader) and obtain root by doing this?
5)Can I use FlashFire to flash any zip (of course not a ROM), like some audio mods etc, or am I only allowed to install Xposed with it?
6)Let's say I just flashed a ROM through TWRP but forgot to delete the emmc_appsboot.mbn file. I didn't reboot the phone yet. Will flashing a new ROM (with deleted file), restoring old backup or just deleting the file from system partition (If it exists there) prevent it from bricking?
7)What's with the modified boot.img? I don't quite understand what it's for and when to use it.
Ok, so I think that's all for now. I know these are a lot, but I just want to have some basic information about the phone before I start rooting it.
If you know some good threads that will answer my questions, please post them as an answer.
1.you can't use roms from Redmi Note 3 for Redmi Note 3 PRO;they have differnt CPU;first is equipped with an Mediatek CPU,second one is equipped with an Qualcomm CPU
2.safer method is official method;but why you need this;look around and you will see many people screaming after unlocking BL,installed TWRP,so on and finally BRICK.So my advice:Stay Safe.MIUI OS offers to you all what you needersonalization,good battery life,speed,security.Additionaly unfinished roms and not fully tested software can damage hardware of device
3.you can use MIFlash to repair device,it does exist many guides here or on MIUI Forum
4.yes you can;from China stable----->China developer and from Global stable------>Global developer;this is the order
5.i suppose that ,when you have BL unlocked and root acces,it might be possible
6.i guess not because files chianges occur after OS reboot
7.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2587462
1) If you're on the Pro, you're on the Pro. You can only flash for that specific model. The PRO have Snapdragon cpu/gpu, and the non pro version have Mediatek, which make it completely different device. Always be sure that you flash roms that have KENZO in their filename. If you flash ROM made for Mediatek, you'll possibly have a 180 grams brick.
2) I'm still waiting for official unlock code, but after 11 days still haven't got it. Unlocked it by the unofficial way and because I wasn't aware what bastards Xiaomi are, I'v managed to hard brick it so I had to open it and use the two pins for flashing. Please follow the guides in here. The disadvantage of the unofficial way is that EVERY time before you flash new rom, you have to open the archive of the rom, enter the firmware-update folder and delete the emmc_appsboot.mbn. Failing to do that will get you with locked bootloader and the only way to fix the device is by the method I've used (the story above).
3) Better reflash with TWRP. I haven't used any other tool since unlocking the bootloader and flashing the twrp recovery
4) No
5) Yes
6) No. You've already overwritten the mmc_appsboot.mbn the first time. Always check for that file and delete it before flashing. Always.
7) I don't get it also. Some people have problems with wifi without modified boot.img (kernel). Haven't got such problems by now.
ok.
So regarding the point 1. Yes, I know that there's mediatek version also.
But the link I've provided redirects to Note 3 Snapdragon forum.
The thing I wanted to know if there are only 2 types of devices:
a)mediatek, 13mpx, no sdcard,etc
b)snapdragon,16mpx, sdcard
c)snapdragon, 13mpx, no sdcard - it does not exist right?
So for eg. this rom: http://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-3/development/rom-resurrectionremix-v5-6-7-xiaomi-t3365872 is for option b right?
Regarding #2. If I unlock the bootloader official way, do I also have to delete emmc... from the zip before flashing?
#2. Ok, so if I don't get TWRP, how may I backup the whole ROM?
As we know flashing some zip files, or even android itself may not boot after some time. So is there any alternative to TWRP backup (that would copy whole system)?
The snapdragon one is with 16 mpx camera and sd slot (or second sim). It comes in two variants - 2gb ram and 16 gb internal storage or 3gb ram and 32 gb of internal storage. The camera and the cpu are the same in both versions. That's why I've told you to only flash roms that have Kenzo in its name
For non rooted devices,it does exist MI PC Suite for create backup/restore from back-up
Exactly see the fourth question getting different answers.
Too many threads, conflict.... Answers,... ****ty bootloader, my advice if u don't understand things ,don't go 4 unlock.
Dont buy if you not yet ordered
Why not?
I'll receive it on monday probably, so it's too late anyway.
the thing is, that I like modding the phones and unlocking bootloader in Xiaomi will be just a matter of time, that's why I want to learn some basic stuff about this phone.
Because he hadn't read what all the guides say and then end up with hard bricked devices
The phone is a beast.
Yeah, you're probably right. I hope the N3PRO will be at least as good as my z2
Could you tell me one thing. Do I need to delete emmc... file from zip, when I've unlocked the phone official way?
Edit: I think I've got my answer here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=66618701&postcount=5
After official unlock, you should be able to do whatever you like. I'm still on the unofficial way, but got unlock permission today. Will let you know what is going on tomorrow (probably, if I have time to reflash).
Hey guys,
so I thought about getting a Redmi note 3 Pro since my wileyfox swift broke.
I am a person that "needs" his phone rooted for adaway and viper audio. I also like CyanogenMod a lot.
After reading through a lot of threds here I got kind of confused and I am really sorry for the dumb questions following.
So what exactly do I have to do to get my phone unlocked rooted and maybe install CM (if it is stable enough).
And there seem to be quite many MIUI Roms out there. what is the difference between all these "global", "eu" and stable or developer versions?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: Also I read that I can change MIUI Roms with locked bootloader. Can someone explain this?
First the firmware
Global rom is intended for worldwide use (has google play store installed, and other google apps)
China rom is for the chinese and has mostly china specific apps / china app store
Developer rom is usually the latest MIUI version so it could be buggy and is intended for testing
Stable rom is been thoroughly tested and is thought to be the most stable and reliable rom.
Vendor rom is a very stable rom given to sellers to flash for international buyers, most users would never notice, however for enthusiasts it can cause problems getting the device unlocked since it's not identified by the unlock tool, causing users to have to go through a semi-difficult process getting it back to the stable or developer firmware so we can properly unlock it.
(if you do buy one I suggest you ask them to send one with the Chinese firmware since they are easier to flash and unlock)
then there is the eu/smiui roms which are built form the official source but they are 3rd party firmwares, just compiled by someone else maybe with additional features or tweaks.
For the bootloader there is several ways to unofficially unlock it but they are risky, I won't go into that since it should be only as a last resort.
to request xiaomi to unlock your device you go to this website
http://en.miui.com/unlock/
fill out the required information, sign up for an account (you need to use a phone number you can receive sms messages on), and in a few days they usually grant permission, remember your username / email and password since you will need it later when you unlock it., then download the unlock tool, boot your phone to fast boot and then press unlock on the tool, and it should unlock (unless you have the troublesome vendor firmware), if unlocked now you can install twrp / cm13 / root / xposed ..etc
--
you can flash the official miui roms with the locked bootloader
Just to add, if you get an international version of the phone (Special Edition, codename Kate) then the bootloader unlock process does not seem to work at all. I had to resort to an unofficial unlock after trying for over a week (and I'm not new to this).
I would wait. I rely on my phone and mine stopped charging after 10 days. Followed all the silly guides about flashing this, flashing that. Only time phone is recognised is in fast boot mode but no charge. Now my phone is dead and Xiaomi support is nowhere to be seen. They said they will contact me in 24h and its been 3 days.
If you really rely on your phone then please buy a phone that has real customer support. Best case scenario you have to send phone to China and worst case scenario you have to buy a new phone.
otyg said:
Vendor rom is a very stable rom given to sellers to flash for international buyers, most users would never notice, however for enthusiasts it can cause problems getting the device unlocked since it's not identified by the unlock tool, causing users to have to go through a semi-difficult process getting it back to the stable or developer firmware so we can properly unlock it.
(if you do buy one I suggest you ask them to send one with the Chinese firmware since they are easier to flash and unlock)
....
For the bootloader there is several ways to unofficially unlock it but they are risky, I won't go into that since it should be only as a last resort.
to request xiaomi to unlock your device you go to this website
http://en.miui.com/unlock/
....
....boot your phone to fast boot and then press unlock on the tool, and it should unlock (unless you have the troublesome vendor firmware), if unlocked now you can install twrp / cm13 / root / xposed ..etc
--
you can flash the official miui roms with the locked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought for my parents 2 Redmi 3 for them to enjoy. I know vendors hinder with the Rom so I usually ask to keep the phone on its original chinese Rom when i buy for myself or for my wife.
However this time I made a mistake thinking that who needs OTA for my parents and i ordered it as it is.
Turned out all google services stops working in the next day whatever I do (reboots, resets, formats, etc...).
I tried flashing via updater app the global rom, it failed.
I tried flashing by rebooting to recovery, it didnt reboot to recovery.
I tried some other stuff which failed.
I downloaded xiaomi unlock tool, signed in, and tried to unlock the bootloader. It didn't work.
I read somehow on miui forums that it's probably a driver issue (something about disabling signature which i'm not familiar with).
Can you please help me?! What to do now? Steps or a guide would be awesome.
Thanks,
hi all, i have been ready through posts but dont have the answer, can some please help.
is it possible to install a custom firmware from this phone's current state. (bootleader never been unlocked)
and has ota 4.4.2 on samsung vzw note 2
many the instructions for install custom firmware say to get twrp installed, and this is where in stuck
i tried to install most recent twrp tar twrp-2.8.7.0-t0ltevzw.img.tar using odin and it seems to get about 80% but then fails.
i then tried to unlock bootloader so i could use fastboot to install an img file, like twrp-3.0.2-0-t0ltevzw.img but the "adb reboot bootloader" command just restarts the phone, skipping the fastboot screen
am i spending counless hours in something that is not possible?
I certainly have learned alot in my journey, but I'm getting doubtful its possible.
thanks all
i found this user trying to accomplish same thing, should have piggy backed off his thread, but as of 05/2015, still no way to unlock bootloader
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2792762&page=1
henryhamster said:
i found this user trying to accomplish same thing, should have piggy backed off his thread, but as of 05/2015, still no way to unlock bootloader
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2792762&page=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the device has kinda been left behind those who have a locked bootloader really only have 2 options stay on stock with root. Or install safe-strap and flash a touchwiz 4.4.2 modified rom. Which is awful because this device has potential. If a developer is reading this please make one more attempt to unlock this device . I'm sure the xda community would help you. I definitely would! I hope a developers reading thanks very much..
Considering this guide was written before the Mi 9T Pro was released, it's time to rewrite it and make it more relevant.
THE BASICS
GETTING PREPARED
-----------------------------------
If you want to tinker with your phone then you'll need some ground work.
If you don't yet have a Mi account, go to https://account.xiaomi.com/pass/register and create a new account. It is important, when unlocking the bootloader, to have your correct phone number registered on your account, so either choose to create the account using a phone number or add the phone number in the security settings of your Mi account afterwards. Make sure the number is verified by the OTP that will be sent.
Make sure you have adb and fastboot tools installed on your PC. These are part of the Android development tools. You can either install the official Android SDK Platform Tools which can be found here https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Or you can install only adb and fastboot from this xda members project, called minimal adb and fastboot. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790&p=42407269
If you want to know more about these tools then read the minimal adb and fastboot post, you'll find a couple of links that explain both tools in detail.
Install the Mi Unlock Tool. You can find this in the guide I've linked to in the bootloader unlock section below.
Install the Mi Flash Tool. This can be found in the guide I've linked to in the MIUI fastboot flashing section.
Install the drivers for the phone. This is done automatically the first time you connect the phone to PC, so go ahead and connect your phone to your PC and wait until it says the phone is ready for use. At this point the computer should identify the phone correctly as a Redmi K20 Pro.
UNLOCKING THE BOOTLOADER
-------------------------------------------------------
I'll point to 2 guides, both on the new, official Mi Community Forums.
https://c.mi.com/thread-2262302-1-0.html
This first guide is somewhat incomplete, but it does give some good extra information about the bootloader unlocking and has direct links for the Unlock Tool and previous versions. Sometimes using an older version of the tool will resolve unlocking issues.
https://c.mi.com/thread-1857937-1-0.html
This second guide is more complete, but not so well written. Again there is some useful extra info included.
CUSTOM RECOVERIES
---------------------------------------
If you want to flash a custom ROM or root the phone, then you'll need to install a custom recovery. Your only realistic option here is TWRP, however TWRP comes in many flavours. (Before anyone corrects me and says what about Orange Fox? This is, underneath it all, still a heavily modified version of TWRP) For a brief overview of what TWRP is, I'll point you to the official TWRP page which answers that very question https://twrp.me/faq/whatistwrp.html
I should point out that MIUI will check on every boot whether the recovery partition has been modified. If it thinks it has, then the boot process will automatically restore the system recovery. In order to keep TWRP you will need to either flash a custom ROM, or make MIUI stop restoring system recovery on boot up. The most common way to keep TWRP with MIUI is to install Magisk.
If you are planning on using custom ROMs, then I would recommend the official TWRP, or the current 'dev' version from the official maintainer both are found here.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/k2...icial-twrp-xiaomi-redmi-t3944363/post79823568
If you plan on sticking with MIUI, then there are a number of TWRP options that have additional functionality specific to Xiaomi devices - e.g. MIUI debloat scripts.
Many of these tend to be from Chinese, Russian and Indian developers, where Xiaomi phones are most popular. A selection of them can be found here.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/k2...irmware-10-3-8-0-9-6-13-t3939647/post79726515
Personally I don't use MIUI so haven't used these much, however OrangeFox seems to have some unique extra functions, like being able to survive OTA updates. So I would guess OrangeFox should be the one to recommend for those that choose to stick with MIUI.
ROOT
----------
Magisk has become the main choice for rooting, so use it. If you have problems with root and you're using something other than Magisk, you're going to struggle to get any help.
Magisk also does so much more than root. Check out the very good official documentation here for all you need to know.
It includes flashing instructions, which is the same whether you stick with MIUI or have a custom ROM. https://forum.xda-developers.com/ap...v7-universal-systemless-t3473445/post68966662
INSTALLING THINGS
From here I will assume you have some basic knowledge. I will not list every single step/command. The instructions won't be high level but at mid level giving enough details for those with basic knowledge. Many links in the previous post should give most of the knowledge needed, so there's no need for me to repeat things too much.
Where fastboot commands are given, I will assume you know how to use them i.e. you will open a terminal/command prompt/power shell window and also navigate to the appropriate directory if required.
I will assume you have checked the phone is connected with the
Code:
fastboot devices
command
INSTALLING TWRP
------------------------------
- Put the phone into fastboot mode (power and vol-) and connect to a PC
- On the PC
Code:
fastboot flash recovery TWRP.img
here you will need to replace TWRP.img with the actual file name of the TWRP image file, including the full path details if necessary.
At this point you have successfully installed TWRP, but if you boot into MIUI it will be lost. From here you need to boot immediately into TWRP in order to perform further steps to persist the TWRP installation.
- Whilst still connected to the PC
Code:
fastboot reboot
- Now as soon as you send the above command press and hold volume up on the phone
- Keep holding volume up until TWRP boots.
Now you are ready to do the next step. Depending on what you are doing this is likely to be flashing a custom ROM, installing Magisk or installing Orange Fox.
Reserved 2 - coming soon ish
Reserved 3 - hopefully not too long to wait
Thanks a lot for your time! New to this, because usually i buy Global phones, first time i buy a 100% Chinese one...
Interested in what ROM's you would recommend!
Indian K20 Pro has NFC Chip?
I thought they removed the NFC hardware from the device
Kalp3sh S1NGH said:
Indian K20 Pro has NFC Chip?
I thought they removed the NFC hardware from the device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Initially that was what many people thought. But after people have flashed the Chinese ROM on an Indian phone, they have found that they've got a working NFC chip.
Sealed Chinese ROM works well after switching the language to English.
1) Update to the latest MIUI
2) Make sure Google Services is enabled
3) Install Google Play from APKMIRROR
4) Install Calendar Sync (make sure set it to autostart)
4) Install Contact Sync (make sure set it to autostart)
5) Install Google Pay, Google, Gmail, Drive, Google Keep, Photos etc
5) Install an English keyboard (I don't think you will like Sogou keyboard)
6) Delete all other bloatwares.
You can almost remove almost all bloatwares without ADB or root, except those of Xiaomi's.
Kalp3sh S1NGH said:
Indian K20 Pro has NFC Chip?
I thought they removed the NFC hardware from the device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Robbo.5000 said:
Initially that was what many people thought. But after people have flashed the Chinese ROM on an Indian phone, they have found that they've got a working NFC chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There seems to be conflicting evidence here. Indian users have reported that they got a working NFC after flashing an official China ROM, but there's a new teardown of an Indian phone which appears to show that the NFC chip is missing.
It may be that some Chinese built phones were shipped over to India to cope with the initial demand, but that's a pure guess.
Robbo.5000 said:
There seems to be conflicting evidence here. Indian users have reported that they got a working NFC after flashing an official China ROM, but there's a new teardown of an Indian phone which appears to show that the NFC chip is missing.
It may be that some Chinese built phones were shipped over to India to cope with the initial demand, but that's a pure guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just installed MIUI MS because I was facing some deep sleep issues on the stock ROM.
And there is a setting for NFC but if I enable it, it just turns back off. So maybe my particular device doesn't have the NFC chip.
Hello, in your provided link(second link in bootloading ) it is stated that you don't need TWRP to change ROM. So if I buy a Chinese version of K20 pro and I don't want a custom ROM, just MIUI 10 stable ROM ( I've seen a stable version released in Xiaomi.eu if I understand correctly) from a trusted source, do I need to follow your guide or can I just flash rom or even do it via updater app? This would make it much more easy. Thanks in advance
NoobRookie said:
Hello, in your provided link(second link in bootloading ) it is stated that you don't need TWRP to change ROM. So if I buy a Chinese version of K20 pro and I don't want a custom ROM, just MIUI 10 stable ROM ( I've seen a stable version released in Xiaomi.eu if I understand correctly) from a trusted source, do I need to follow your guide or can I just flash rom or even do it via updater app? This would make it much more easy. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xiaomi.eu is a custom rom you need twrp to flash it.
NoobRookie said:
Hello, in your provided link(second link in bootloading ) it is stated that you don't need TWRP to change ROM. So if I buy a Chinese version of K20 pro and I don't want a custom ROM, just MIUI 10 stable ROM ( I've seen a stable version released in Xiaomi.eu if I understand correctly) from a trusted source, do I need to follow your guide or can I just flash rom or even do it via updater app? This would make it much more easy. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are on an official MIUI stable ROM and checking for an update says you have the latest version, but you know there is a newer version, then you can manually update by following that guide, using the section for updating via the updater app.
If you want to install anything that's not official MIUI, then you need to install that with TWRP.
One last dumb question:if I buy the factory sealed version of the phone with Chinese Rom, will I be able to change it to Global official Rom when it comes out? Or will I just get OTA updates and that's it, no possibility of changing official roms?
NoobRookie said:
One last dumb question:if I buy the factory sealed version of the phone with Chinese Rom, will I be able to change it to Global official Rom when it comes out? Or will I just get OTA updates and that's it, no possibility of changing official roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can change ROMs. You can flash an official Indian ROM using the Mi Flash Tool. See this post about flashing the Indian ROM https://forum.xda-developers.com/k2...king-flashing-india-rom-t3955129/post80025306
Nobody will know for sure that you can flash an official global ROM until its released, but best guess is that you would be able to.
Well I'm reading this from a galaxy note 4... a sh*t ton has changed, or at least it is very different with non-global phones.
If I understand correctly, the best, most safest way is to buy chinese factory sealed version so you can unlock the bootloader in case you lock it.
Which colour do you guys prefer, I like blue but I watched Frankie Tech video(s) and the red colour looks sick. Oh if you buy blue version will camera light also be blue lol. Gonna check out the other colour in another video.
Btw great guide, will try to stick with this note 4 for one more year as it just works fine!
Can anyone in UK confirm their experience with the signal/bands/carrier.
Windroid-user said:
Well I'm reading this from a galaxy note 4... a sh*t ton has changed, or at least it is very different with non-global phones.
If I understand correctly, the best, most safest way is to buy chinese factory sealed version so you can unlock the bootloader in case you lock it.
Which colour do you guys prefer, I like blue but I watched Frankie Tech video(s) and the red colour looks sick. Oh if you buy blue version will camera light also be blue lol. Gonna check out the other colour in another video.
Btw great guide, will try to stick with this note 4 for one more year as it just works fine!
Can anyone in UK confirm their experience with the signal/bands/carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's more a case of Xiaomi doing things different. They have an awkward bootloader unlock process. It needs to be done through their unlock tool, where you need to log in to a Mi account to use it, and that Mi account must already be bound to the phone you want to unlock, and you must have already registered, on the phone, to unlock the phone, using the same Mi account.
I've got the blue phone and yes the lights around the pop-up are blue.
I've not used it in the UK, but it should be fine on EE, Three and Vodafone.
O2 may be hit and miss depending where you are. Originally O2 only used band 20, which is missing from the phone, but a while back they added extra bands, this was in major cities and large towns. I'm not sure if O2 have rolled out these extra bands across more of the country since then.
Robbo.5000 said:
It's more a case of Xiaomi doing things different. They have an awkward bootloader unlock process. It needs to be done through their unlock tool, where you need to log in to a Mi account to use it, and that Mi account must already be bound to the phone you want to unlock, and you must have already registered, on the phone, to unlock the phone, using the same Mi account.
I've got the blue phone and yes the lights around the pop-up are blue.
I've not used it in the UK, but it should be fine on EE, Three and Vodafone.
O2 may be hit and miss depending where you are. Originally O2 only used band 20, which is missing from the phone, but a while back they added extra bands, this was in major cities and large towns. I'm not sure if O2 have rolled out these extra bands across more of the country since then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I have done a bootloader unlock before with the Sony xperia z3 using the official website, but there was no need to have an account linked to it kind of like apple icloud nightmare. Thanks for the info luckily I don't use O2 only Vodafone and three so far (8gb for £9 with three! Secret/hidden deal, no cashback bull). I would probably also go with blue.
That being said... the only benefit of stock China rom is OTA updates compared to "global" rom? I know there are custom roms but want to try out stock first, least bugs and only fair to give it a chance. Just want to build up my knowledge on this before I decide to say goodbye to my note 4. Also the actual global rom is on its way as far as we know?
Windroid-user said:
Thanks for the reply. I have done a bootloader unlock before with the Sony xperia z3 using the official website, but there was no need to have an account linked to it kind of like apple icloud nightmare. Thanks for the info luckily I don't use O2 only Vodafone and three so far (8gb for £9 with three! Secret/hidden deal, no cashback bull). I would probably also go with blue.
That being said... the only benefit of stock China rom is OTA updates compared to "global" rom? I know there are custom roms but want to try out stock first, least bugs and only fair to give it a chance. Just want to build up my knowledge on this before I decide to say goodbye to my note 4. Also the actual global rom is on its way as far as we know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the moment there is an official Indian ROM, which is more or less the same as a global ROM, the jury is still out as to whether OTA works OK when flashed on a Chinese phone. It 'should' be OK, but there hasn't been an update to the Indian ROM yet, so nobody has been able to find out for definite.
MIUI isn't without it's bugs. The week I used it there were a couple of issues, and there's a thread just for collating bugs on the Indian ROM.
The global version of the phone, the Mi 9T Pro, should be released in the next couple of months. It's been seen on a Dutch online shopping site in the last week. It was only showing the 2 6GB models, but I've been expecting that, as the Mi 9 never came with 8GB RAM globally. It's €480 for 6/128 GB, so a huge mark up on the Chinese price. Once that's released then official global ROMs will become available
Hello! I can't seem to make TWRP Official app (from Google Playstore) and Magisk root to work.... so hacking game is still a distant possibility here. I downloaded both app, but couldn't get them to work, so now uninstalled both.
My phone is: Moto G7-Power with Android 9 (Pie), my questions are:
1. Which of these two should I install first on android without PC? Magisk or TWRP? Seem to get conflicting instruction from those tutorials on Youtube.
2. After downloaded "TWRP Official app" from Google Playstore, chose my phone from the list and downloaded the version for my phone. It said downloaded successful, but I can't flash TWRP, can't open it in recovery mode (hardreset), it wouldn't do anything!
3. As for Magisk apk... one of the two files won't install, the zip files.... it said "failed"... so what do I do then?
Can anyone please help me fix all these problems? Very frustrating right now.
Morky001 said:
Hello! I can't seem to make TWRP Official app (from Google Playstore) and Magisk root to work.... so hacking game is still a distant possibility here. I downloaded both app, but couldn't get them to work, so now uninstalled both.
My phone is: Moto G7-Power with Android 9 (Pie), my questions are:
1. Which of these two should I install first on android without PC? Magisk or TWRP? Seem to get conflicting instruction from those tutorials on Youtube.
2. After downloaded "TWRP Official app" from Google Playstore, chose my phone from the list and downloaded the version for my phone. It said downloaded successful, but I can't flash TWRP, can't open it in recovery mode (hardreset), it wouldn't do anything!
3. As for Magisk apk... one of the two files won't install, the zip files.... it said "failed"... so what do I do then?
Can anyone please help me fix all these problems? Very frustrating right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, Morky.
I am afraid I don't understand what you really mean by your question above. You have not used a PC yet but tried to flash TWRP. Please give me more insight on what you are trying to do.
x.ak**** said:
Hello, Morky.
I am afraid I don't understand what you really mean by your question above. You have not used a PC yet but tried to flash TWRP. Please give me more insight on what you are trying to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, Kumar for your response. First of, I'm NOT a techie like you. I just followed these tutorials on YouTube....
With TWRP app this is what happened (or not happened):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtvI2C9VrOY
Started having problem at the 3:00 min mark here as well... even with hardreset
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEHChHcpZEI
I couldn't do what this guy did at the 3:00 min mark....
With Magisk Manager app.... what happened was just like at the 3:00 min mark on this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvlLy42UtGg
I thought explaining what'd happened by referencing what I was doing per these tutorials would better answer your questions, since I don't know how else to say it, again not a techie person.
<Morky>
You have to unlock your bootloader first. It requires that you read out a encrypted code from the phone, via the USB port using ADB/Fastboot. The code is entered into a web page at Motorola, and if your phone can be unlocked, they will send you a unlock code. Then you fastboot the unlock code. then fastboot twrp. then flash magisk.
you may consider going to the forum page for your phone, it will have all the details.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g7-power
look under the guides section
hope that helps
Nivead said:
You have to unlock your bootloader first. It requires that you read out a encrypted code from the phone, via the USB port using ADB/Fastboot. The code is entered into a web page at Motorola, and if your phone can be unlocked, they will send you a unlock code. Then you fastboot the unlock code. then fastboot twrp. then flash magisk.
you may consider going to the forum page for your phone, it will have all the details.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g7-power
look under the guides section
hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nivead, I did unlocked the OEM before downloading that though, but still didn't work. The phone is an unlocked phone.
And, thank you for your help.
Morky001 said:
Kumar, I did unlocked the OEM before downloading that though, but still didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And.. thank you.
Morky001 said:
Thank you, Kumar for your response. First of, I'm NOT a techie like you. I just followed these tutorials on YouTube....
With TWRP app this is what happened (or not happened):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtvI2C9VrOY
Started having problem at the 3:00 min mark here as well... even with hardreset
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEHChHcpZEI
I couldn't do what this guy did at the 3:00 min mark....
With Magisk Manager app.... what happened was just like at the 3:00 min mark on this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvlLy42UtGg
I thought explaining what'd happened by referencing what I was doing per these tutorials would better answer your questions, since I don't know how else to say it, again not a techie person.
<Morky>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, Morky.
I do not understand how one can flash any image directly from the device without rooting it. Now, in order to root your device you will need either TWRP or flash SUPERSU or Magisk using fastboot. If you wish to root your device and install TWRP on it, you will require access to a computer.
The phone has to be BOOTLOADER unlocked in order to install TWRP and Magisk. Turning on OEM unlock, is a step in unlocking the phone - but it does not unlock the bootloader.
When you are saying the phone is unlocked, I believe you mean the phone is unlocked so it will run on any cell phone carrier - a way the phone is sold. But its not bootloader unlocked.
Bootloader unlocked is different - Most phones are sold with the bootloader locked and because of that, you cannot modify the operating system. Unlocking the bootloader allows you to modify the the android operating system.
You will have to install Motorola USB drivers on your computer. Go to the Motorola page at: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone/bootloader/unlock-your-device-a and read about unlocking the bootloader. You will have to create a Motorola account to get an unlock code, if the bootloader can be unlocked. The pages will also have a link to obtain the Motorola USB drivers (MotorolaDeviceManager_2.5.4.exe).
You will need to install Minimal ADB Fastboot, a terminal program that allows you to push data/commands back and forth between the computer and your phone via the USB port. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790 You will use the FASTBOOT command to obtain the encrypted unlock code from the phone. You will also use FASTBOOT to install the unlock code that Motorola will send you,
After the bootloader is unlocked, you will use FASTBOOT to install TWRP into your phones recovery partition. TWRP info at https://www.xda-developers.com/how-to-install-twrp/ TWRP is a backup and recovery program that is used to install programs, etc,
After you install TWRP, you can install MAGISK, which will ROOT the phone. Magisk info at https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk.
Please go to the forum I told you about and under the guides section you will find documentation that explains how to root the phone and install custom ROMs.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g7-power A guide will give you the finer details for your phone model.
Before you do any of the above, I advise you strongly to have a backup. Using FASTBOOT there is a command called "getvar all", it will return a long printout of info and it will include a readout of the original firmware installed on the phone. You will want to know this in case you brick the phone. Having this info will allow you to obtain the original firmware and be able to restore it via FASTBOOT. Firmwares at https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/ .l After installing TWRP, you should backup the phone to your SD card and then move the backup to your computer for future needs.
Good luck.
Nivead said:
The phone has to be BOOTLOADER unlocked in order to install TWRP and Magisk. Turning on OEM unlock, is a step in unlocking the phone - but it does not unlock the bootloader.
When you are saying the phone is unlocked, I believe you mean the phone is unlocked so it will run on any cell phone carrier - a way the phone is sold. But its not bootloader unlocked.
Bootloader unlocked is different - Most phones are sold with the bootloader locked and because of that, you cannot modify the operating system. Unlocking the bootloader allows you to modify the the android operating system.
You will have to install Motorola USB drivers on your computer. Go to the Motorola page at: https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone/bootloader/unlock-your-device-a and read about unlocking the bootloader. You will have to create a Motorola account to get an unlock code, if the bootloader can be unlocked. The pages will also have a link to obtain the Motorola USB drivers (MotorolaDeviceManager_2.5.4.exe).
You will need to install Minimal ADB Fastboot, a terminal program that allows you to push data/commands back and forth between the computer and your phone via the USB port. https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790 You will use the FASTBOOT command to obtain the encrypted unlock code from the phone. You will also use FASTBOOT to install the unlock code that Motorola will send you,
After the bootloader is unlocked, you will use FASTBOOT to install TWRP into your phones recovery partition. TWRP info at https://www.xda-developers.com/how-to-install-twrp/ TWRP is a backup and recovery program that is used to install programs, etc,
After you install TWRP, you can install MAGISK, which will ROOT the phone. Magisk info at https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk.
Please go to the forum I told you about and under the guides section you will find documentation that explains how to root the phone and install custom ROMs.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/g7-power A guide will give you the finer details for your phone model.
Before you do any of the above, I advise you strongly to have a backup. Using FASTBOOT there is a command called "getvar all", it will return a long printout of info and it will include a readout of the original firmware installed on the phone. You will want to know this in case you brick the phone. Having this info will allow you to obtain the original firmware and be able to restore it via FASTBOOT. Firmwares at https://mirrors.lolinet.com/firmware/moto/ .l After installing TWRP, you should backup the phone to your SD card and then move the backup to your computer for future needs.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Deae Nivead,
..Oy! That sounds painful!! Guess, I have no business be doing this lock/unlock/rooting thing, huh?! Not a techie at all, this is very foreign to me! And those guys on YouTube... they lied then, said I could do all these without PC... Yeah, right! Turned out, it wasn't as easy as they were showing on videos. (((sigh))) Would be easier if I just send my phone to you?!?!!!
Thank yoooouuu soooo much for taking the time to write/tell me all this, truly appreciate your help and replies.
<Morky>
x.ak**** said:
Hello, Morky.
I do not understand how one can flash any image directly from the device without rooting it. Now, in order to root your device you will need either TWRP or flash SUPERSU or Magisk using fastboot. If you wish to root your device and install TWRP on it, you will require access to a computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kumar,
I guess those YouTube tutorials omitted left out a lot of steps and not as easy nor simple as they made it to be.... "without PC" as they claimed. How would someone with no background in computer programing, nor a "techie" like you here at xda... like me would know that?! If you "don't understand how....." I wouldn't understand either!! More so than you. One thing I've learnt now, all those tutorials about rooting and TWRP. on YouTube... are crap.