How to install the MIUI shell on Xiaomi (Redmi) or update its version

Features of "pure" Android

Pure Android is a system developed by Google and devoid of any shell. For example, Xiaomi’s shell is the proprietary MIUI interface, which many people don’t like because it’s “cartoonish” and also takes up a lot of space in the system. Therefore, some users tend to purchase devices that do not have a shell developed by the manufacturer.

Xiaomi met customers halfway and offered devices called Xiaomi Mi A1 and Mi A2 Lite for purchase. Unlike all other models of the brand, they have a clean Android One operating system.

Android One is the same Android operating system, but with some changes. Thus, all Xiaomi smartphones have the MIUI shell installed on top of standard Android. In Mi A1 and Mi A2 Lite, which integrate Android One, it will not be possible to install this shell, and it will be impossible to make any changes to the functionality intended by the developers. However, it is worth noting that Xiaomi entered into such cooperation voluntarily, caring, first of all, about its clients and giving them the right to choose.

The Android operating system itself provides its users with capabilities that, in general, are serious advantages:

1) It has a desktop and an application menu.

If necessary, you can remove unnecessary shortcuts from the desktop in the application menu. MIUI only has a desktop, and all icons are located exclusively on it.

2) Pure Android takes up less space on the system than Android with MIUI pre-installed.

3) Android OS is optimized for more games than MIUI.

4) This system has a well-functioning security system, which offers an updated database for download almost every week. In MIUI this is much worse.

5) The OS is not full of unnecessary services, which can take up a lot of free space, but at the same time do not allow themselves to be deleted.

These are the main advantages of basic Android. Some users may note a simple, but at the same time businesslike, and clear interface, not overloaded with anything unnecessary.

GO Launcher Z, MIUI icons and clock widget

GO Launcher Z 3.30 Android 5.0 and above

MIUI 7 7.1.5 Android 4.0.3 and higher

MIUI v6 Clock Widget v1 Android 4.0.3 and higher

You ask me: why GO Launcher Z and not Nova, Next, Mi or anything else? GO Launcher Z was chosen because its features and personalization are the most similar to the new MIUI among its peers.

Once everything has been downloaded and installed, take the following steps:

1. We make the launcher similar to MIUI, that is: we remove the application shortcut, widgets, shortcuts, configure the grid, scrolling effects, insert a new clock widget, transfer all applications to the desktop.
2. In the launcher settings we set the icons to MIUI.

If this happens after activating the icons, then you need to go to the launcher settings → icons → “disable” show the basis.

Disadvantages of "pure" Android

Standard Android, devoid of any shells, also has disadvantages. The main one is the excessive number of pre-installed Google services. They can consume a large amount of traffic for updates. But this is no longer a disadvantage, but an inconvenience. After all, in application settings you can set a ban on access to traffic specifically to Google services. You can also stop them from running so that they don’t waste your smartphone’s resources. However, with this approach, it remains unclear why they cannot be deleted, since users still have the right to completely stop their work.

The standard Android OS does not contain anything other than the services installed by Google. This can also be considered a disadvantage. After all, users will need to install a huge number of programs to ensure full functionality of the smartphone, which requires a lot of time. By the way, even applications such as “Gallery” and “Task Manager” will not be available by default. Unfortunately, there may also be problems with playing video files. Therefore, downloading a third-party video player is mandatory.

Types of global firmware

There are three types of Global firmware:

• Stable ROM : stable global firmware found on almost all modern phones. It is factory-installed; smartphones with this version can be purchased at any store. An ideal solution for users who did not like to carry out lengthy operations on a smartphone. Updates are released approximately once every 1-2 months.
• Developer ROM : A version made primarily for developers. It is updated weekly, has only the latest features and innovations, but is not without bugs.
• Ported ROM : Unofficial firmware developed by third party developers. Sometimes small companies do it, but it can also be done by one person, in which case such a version is called the author’s version. Of course, this subcategory has its advantages, it can work great and delight the owner, but you should switch to Potred ROM with caution.

How to install

To install Android on Xiaomi, you will first need to unlock the bootloader. It will allow you to download and install other firmware on your phone. Unlocking the bootloader is done through the official Xiaomi website. You need to go to this page https://ru.miui.com/unlock/ and leave a request to unlock the bootloader.

On the screen that opens, you will need to click “Unlock Now” and then fill out the fields as follows: enter your name in the first line, phone number in the second, serial number of the mobile device in the third, and indicate the reason why you want to unlock the bootloader in the fourth.

It is worth noting that, if necessary, the corresponding service from Yandex or Google corporation will help to translate from Russian. Afterwards, all you have to do is confirm the captcha and enter the code that will be sent to the specified phone number. After a few days (usually from 3 to 10), the bootloader will be unlocked. The status of the application is viewed on the company's website.

After completing the above procedure you will need:

• download firmware with the bare Android operating system;
• install the Mi Flash or TWRP program on your PC, which are designed to carry out the firmware procedure;
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• connect the smartphone to the computer and, through the program used, load the firmware file into the smartphone’s memory;

• reboot the phone;
• perform the firmware procedure through the program;

• delete all data by clicking on the “Wipe Data” button;

• reboot the phone.

At this point the process can be completed. After clearing the data, the phone will turn on and work on the stock OS, devoid of the MIUI shell.

Download MIUI 12 beta

Below is a complete list of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones that can update to MIUI 12 right now. True, there is one “BUT”: these firmwares are still in beta version and are Chinese. But using the link below, you can find your phone model and download MIUI 12.

MIUI division by regions of the world

Xiaomi produces smartphones and the MIUI shell for them, taking into account the regions of the world.

Today there are 2 official versions of MIUI:

1. Original MIUI for China, which is designated by the CN index in the firmware.
2. Global MIUI (Global) for sale outside of China is all other regions of the world, including global MI.

In turn, global MIUI (Global) is divided into regions. This division often leads to confusion, since users do not know the abbreviations in the names of the packages and have no idea how the Chinese version differs from the global one.

• CN - this letter combination indicates the firmware for the domestic Chinese market. It is not recommended to install it on global smartphones, since Google services are replaced with Chinese analogues. In addition, such systems only support “Chinese” 3G and 4G frequencies. The reason for this is China's internal laws. Communication in the rest of the world for a phone with CN firmware may be unstable.
• EU (EEA) - version for distribution in the European Union countries. All the necessary Google services are present here, all 4G frequencies work and the appropriate software is preinstalled. Also, internal services are configured to provide the best performance when working with European cellular operators.
• IN is an abbreviation for Indian firmware. They, like the Chinese versions, only support certain 4G frequencies. There is also a set of pre-installed applications for this region.
• ID is an Indonesian version, not much different from the European one. Almost the same 4G frequencies are used. The differences are only in small settings.
• RU is an operating system designed for Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is no different from the European one, so it is suitable for installation on almost all smartphones of the global version.
• TR - for phones sold in Turkey. Supports only certain 4G frequencies.
• TW is the version for Taiwan.
• JP - firmware for Japan. The first one was released on July 16, 2021 for Mi 11 Lite 5G.
• MI is an option for other countries that do not yet have separate regions. Basically, this is the main firmware for most Xiaomi phones in the world.

All firmware options, except Chinese ones, belong to the Global category. Therefore, in theory, they should work fine on any smartphone that has global status (that is, not for sale in China). If you do not live in China, then you can safely install firmware marked Global or MI on your smartphone.

There are also so-called flip flops - these are handmade firmware from the original MIUI source code, which are installed on gray Xiaomi smartphones. Such crafts have huge problems with stability. If you are unlucky enough to purchase such a smartphone, you can forget about updates. It’s better to try to change MIUI in your phone to a global one.

Is it possible to install a Miui device on Android?

Miui firmware is a modified shell of the old version of Android. Xiaomi took the source codes as a basis and adjusted them to suit its goals and objectives. At the same time, new features were introduced into the OS. The developers adhere to the main goal of their company, trying to complement and combine interesting ideas from iOS and Android. Therefore, you can get firmware for a device with an Android system.

To understand how to install Miui on any phone, just download the special Patchrom utility. When using it on a smartphone, the user will receive the Miui 8 update. The developers do not limit the functionality of the shell for other brands.

How to quickly delete all contacts from Xiaomi address book

All telephone contacts are stored in the application of the same name on Xiaomi, it is convenient, you can carry out many operations with them, make corrections, create your own ringtone for each subscriber or make additional notes. All these operations are carried out in an obvious way in the contact card, but what if you have several hundred similar records and need to delete them?

The easiest way is to go into the card of each of the contacts and delete them one by one, but this will take a lot of time, cause inconvenience, and will deprive some of their peace of mind.

Don't worry, there is a way to quickly clear all contacts on Xiaomi, below I will show you how to do it.

Enter the Contacts , where you will see a list of all subscribers. On any of them, press and hold until a pop-up menu appears. In this menu, click on “Select” .

You will find yourself in the list editing menu, now next to each entry you will see an empty circle, if you touch it, it will be marked.
This way you can quickly go through the list and mark those contacts that need to be deleted. But there is a way to select all the entries at once: in the upper right corner, click on the “Three check marks” , all contacts will be selected, all you have to do is click on the “Delete” and they will instantly disappear from Xiaomi’s memory. Return to content