Having never flashed a ROM before, I found that a lot of the documentation is fragmentary, hard to understand and a lot of it assumes that you understand certain concepts - which I didn't. So as I went along to (finally) succesfully install this awesome ROM from stock China ROM, I documented it all in a hopefully easier to understand manner, with all the steps you need. It might look like a lot, but it's not that bad really. Hopefully this will get more people using this ROM! NB: At the end of this post there is a link to xiaomitool, which claims to do all this for you. What I think that tool would be most useful for is for going back to a stock Xiaomi Global or Chinese ROM.
Unlocking the phone
* Register your mi account on www.xiaomi.com
* at account.xiaomi.com set up your recovery phone number under security. Under personal info, set your name (to a nickname). You should receive an account verification code per text message / sms. You don't need to have the sim in your mi phone, but can have it in your old phone.
* In Mi App store search for Google. Install the result
* Set up google account and open Google Play Store
* Install VPN Turbo - Free (red icon with rabbit)
* Start up VPN Turbo, select China and put the slider on Green. Wait a bit for connection.
* Set up developer mode on the phone: settings -> My device -> all specs -> click 5 or 6 times on MIUI version
* settings -> additional settings (under system and device) -> developer options -> enable OEM unlocking and then Mi Unlock status: Add account and device (NB without a VPN connection to China, this will give you a 1008 error (which is why VPN Turbo)
* visit http://unlock.update.miui.com and fill in (this is where you need the name and number from the account you set up with xiaomi.com). You should receive a verification code per text message / sms. You don't need to have the sim in your mi phone, but can have it in your old phone. This code is valid for 5 minutes!
* Wait for text message / sms from xioami granting you permission. visit http://en.miui.com/unlock and click on the unlock now button. You can now download the unlock tool.
Step 1. Download the Mi Unlock app to PC,
rightclick on miusbdriver and run as administrator. Install the drivers.
start up the miflash_unlock utility after unzipping and sign in with your Mi Account;
Step 2. Shut down your phone manually, and hold Volume down key and Power button to enter Fastboot mode; Whilst the fastboot logo is shown. This is also known as entering the Bootloader.
Step 3. Connect your phone to PC using USB cable and click "Unlock" on the PC. Then unlock anyway all the warnings. If the unlocker fails with an error "mi unlock couldn't unlock after X hours of trying to unlock the device" WAIT for the amount of hours (you need to wait 72 hours after receiving the unlock text message / sms from Xiaomi). If you don't wait and keep trying to unlock you will have to wait much much longer due to spamming!
Installing TWRP on the recovery partition / Recovery Mode
Go to https://xiaomi.eu/community/forums/miui-weekly-rom-releases.103/ and open the highest (latest) thread [edit: in the MIUI 9.1 series / version 7.12.x - the MIUI 9.3 series is still testing for the Mix2, so use those at your own peril!] . In the download weekly links, you can search for "mix2" and download the rom. Notice in the table that the Mi Mix 2 is codenamed chiron. Scroll down to "ROMs for devices with locked bootloader:" I found the instructions given in the thread to be somewhat confusing, so here is a rewrite.
First we replace the recovery partition with one by TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project), which is open source.
* Download the chiron file from TWRP Recovery Zip links. Unzip it into the unzipped Mi Unlock app. It will contain a file twrp.img.
* Open a command prompt and cd to the directory of your unzipped Mi Unlock app (eg. cd c:\users\username\Desktop\Xiaomi\)
* type the following into the command line:
Reboot the phone into fastboot mode (volume down and power buttons) whilst connected to the USB port.
It will say something like:
* The first thing to do is select Wipe and format the data partition. This gets rid of the encryption on the data partition. If you don't do this, when you write the ROM you can't read it again.
* After doing this, reboot the phone (unsure whether to install the twrp things or not. I did anyway). You need to do this due to the partition being encrypted and wiping it gets rid of the encryption.
Note: you can enter recovery mode by starting up the phone pressing the volume up and power buttons.
Installing the xiaomi.eu ROM
* Now in the command prompt rerun the last command (fastboot boot twrp.img) and reboot the phone to fastboot mode. You get the twrp menu. Copy the downloaded ROM zip file somewhere on the phone. Select Install on the phone and then choose the ROM zip file you downloaded. It could be you get 2 red errors during installation but this isn't something to worry about. After installation, reboot the phone.
* For some reason after doing this I only got the Mi Logo and the Android text with the buttons underneath for a while. I fixed this by going into fastboot mode and running the commandline (fastboot boot twrp.img) and then wiping the data partition again and rebooting. It then went into the miui 9 opening screen.
* The first time you reboot after installing a new ROM, it will take quite a bit longer than normal to reboot. Be patient, it will boot. After this, rebooting will be much faster!
Updating the xiaomi.eu ROM
Because it's an unstable ROM, it gets updated weekly. You will see a message saying there is a new version, allow you to download it (I recommend you download it a day later: it's around 1.5GB and everyone wants to download at the same time, making it a slow download) and then install it. It installs by entering recovery mode. For some reason, the above instructions didn't seem to permanently write TWRP to the recovery partition and so when entering recovery mode, it would go to the original Chinese recovery partition. So my solution so far, is to reinstall TWRP (command prompt, fastboot flash recovery twrp.img), start up the phone and then try the update again.
Rebooting into TWRP once it has been installed
You can find a program called. Run
adb reboot recovery
with the phone attached to the computer to reflash to a different ROM version
or
power down the phone, then power up the phone holding down the power button + volume up
Some stuff to think about doing afterwards
I found the launcher was dreadful at organising the icons - none of the shaking stuff in MIUI 8 works, there is no app drawer, you can't search. If you're looking for a useful, lightweight, no fuss launcher, I recommend evie launcher.
I haven't found a homescreen replacement yet, where you can do better than 19 characters of owner information and put widgets (eg the weather, local time and home time, etc) on.
If Whatsapp notification sounds don't play (didn't on mine), then set to another sound and they will.
No, Whatsapp has no way of turning the camera upside down when you are video calling.
Good luck and have fun!
EDIT: Xioamitool: https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/tool-xiaomitool-xiaomi-rom-changing-made-easy.40576/
A little more info on the recovery partition reverting to the original Chinese from TWRP: https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/original-xiaomi-recovery-starts-instead-of-twrp-recovery.41869/
https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/flashing-twrp.41865/
https://www.addictivetips.com/android/what-is-twrp-how-to-install-use-it-on-android-devices-guide/
https://www.howtogeek.com/240047/how-to-flash-twrp-recovery-on-your-android-phone/
Unlocking the phone
* Register your mi account on www.xiaomi.com
* at account.xiaomi.com set up your recovery phone number under security. Under personal info, set your name (to a nickname). You should receive an account verification code per text message / sms. You don't need to have the sim in your mi phone, but can have it in your old phone.
* In Mi App store search for Google. Install the result
* Set up google account and open Google Play Store
* Install VPN Turbo - Free (red icon with rabbit)
* Start up VPN Turbo, select China and put the slider on Green. Wait a bit for connection.
* Set up developer mode on the phone: settings -> My device -> all specs -> click 5 or 6 times on MIUI version
* settings -> additional settings (under system and device) -> developer options -> enable OEM unlocking and then Mi Unlock status: Add account and device (NB without a VPN connection to China, this will give you a 1008 error (which is why VPN Turbo)
* visit http://unlock.update.miui.com and fill in (this is where you need the name and number from the account you set up with xiaomi.com). You should receive a verification code per text message / sms. You don't need to have the sim in your mi phone, but can have it in your old phone. This code is valid for 5 minutes!
* Wait for text message / sms from xioami granting you permission. visit http://en.miui.com/unlock and click on the unlock now button. You can now download the unlock tool.
Step 1. Download the Mi Unlock app to PC,
rightclick on miusbdriver and run as administrator. Install the drivers.
start up the miflash_unlock utility after unzipping and sign in with your Mi Account;
Step 2. Shut down your phone manually, and hold Volume down key and Power button to enter Fastboot mode; Whilst the fastboot logo is shown. This is also known as entering the Bootloader.
Step 3. Connect your phone to PC using USB cable and click "Unlock" on the PC. Then unlock anyway all the warnings. If the unlocker fails with an error "mi unlock couldn't unlock after X hours of trying to unlock the device" WAIT for the amount of hours (you need to wait 72 hours after receiving the unlock text message / sms from Xiaomi). If you don't wait and keep trying to unlock you will have to wait much much longer due to spamming!
Installing TWRP on the recovery partition / Recovery Mode
Go to https://xiaomi.eu/community/forums/miui-weekly-rom-releases.103/ and open the highest (latest) thread [edit: in the MIUI 9.1 series / version 7.12.x - the MIUI 9.3 series is still testing for the Mix2, so use those at your own peril!] . In the download weekly links, you can search for "mix2" and download the rom. Notice in the table that the Mi Mix 2 is codenamed chiron. Scroll down to "ROMs for devices with locked bootloader:" I found the instructions given in the thread to be somewhat confusing, so here is a rewrite.
First we replace the recovery partition with one by TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project), which is open source.
* Download the chiron file from TWRP Recovery Zip links. Unzip it into the unzipped Mi Unlock app. It will contain a file twrp.img.
* Open a command prompt and cd to the directory of your unzipped Mi Unlock app (eg. cd c:\users\username\Desktop\Xiaomi\)
* type the following into the command line:
This is supposed to write TWRP to the recovery partition, but for some reason so far after a reboot or two I go back to the original China recovery partition. See Updating the ROM below.
Reboot the phone into fastboot mode (volume down and power buttons) whilst connected to the USB port.
It will say something like:
Now type the following into the command prompt:
This puts the phone into Recovery Mode and starts the TWRP programme up (you see a menu) It will say something like the following:
On the phone you will receive a menu [Note, if you do not see a menu, see https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads...china-rom-to-xiaomi-eu-rom.42099/#post-404322.]
* The first thing to do is select Wipe and format the data partition. This gets rid of the encryption on the data partition. If you don't do this, when you write the ROM you can't read it again.
* After doing this, reboot the phone (unsure whether to install the twrp things or not. I did anyway). You need to do this due to the partition being encrypted and wiping it gets rid of the encryption.
Note: you can enter recovery mode by starting up the phone pressing the volume up and power buttons.
Installing the xiaomi.eu ROM
* Now in the command prompt rerun the last command (fastboot boot twrp.img) and reboot the phone to fastboot mode. You get the twrp menu. Copy the downloaded ROM zip file somewhere on the phone. Select Install on the phone and then choose the ROM zip file you downloaded. It could be you get 2 red errors during installation but this isn't something to worry about. After installation, reboot the phone.
* For some reason after doing this I only got the Mi Logo and the Android text with the buttons underneath for a while. I fixed this by going into fastboot mode and running the commandline (fastboot boot twrp.img) and then wiping the data partition again and rebooting. It then went into the miui 9 opening screen.
* The first time you reboot after installing a new ROM, it will take quite a bit longer than normal to reboot. Be patient, it will boot. After this, rebooting will be much faster!
Updating the xiaomi.eu ROM
Because it's an unstable ROM, it gets updated weekly. You will see a message saying there is a new version, allow you to download it (I recommend you download it a day later: it's around 1.5GB and everyone wants to download at the same time, making it a slow download) and then install it. It installs by entering recovery mode. For some reason, the above instructions didn't seem to permanently write TWRP to the recovery partition and so when entering recovery mode, it would go to the original Chinese recovery partition. So my solution so far, is to reinstall TWRP (command prompt, fastboot flash recovery twrp.img), start up the phone and then try the update again.
Rebooting into TWRP once it has been installed
You can find a program called. Run
adb reboot recovery
with the phone attached to the computer to reflash to a different ROM version
or
power down the phone, then power up the phone holding down the power button + volume up
Some stuff to think about doing afterwards
I found the launcher was dreadful at organising the icons - none of the shaking stuff in MIUI 8 works, there is no app drawer, you can't search. If you're looking for a useful, lightweight, no fuss launcher, I recommend evie launcher.
I haven't found a homescreen replacement yet, where you can do better than 19 characters of owner information and put widgets (eg the weather, local time and home time, etc) on.
If Whatsapp notification sounds don't play (didn't on mine), then set to another sound and they will.
No, Whatsapp has no way of turning the camera upside down when you are video calling.
Good luck and have fun!
EDIT: Xioamitool: https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/tool-xiaomitool-xiaomi-rom-changing-made-easy.40576/
A little more info on the recovery partition reverting to the original Chinese from TWRP: https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/original-xiaomi-recovery-starts-instead-of-twrp-recovery.41869/
https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/flashing-twrp.41865/
https://www.addictivetips.com/android/what-is-twrp-how-to-install-use-it-on-android-devices-guide/
https://www.howtogeek.com/240047/how-to-flash-twrp-recovery-on-your-android-phone/
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