Here we are.
This is meant to be a list with which you can flag things you've already done and proceed step by step, with links to download all the stuff you need.
I wrote this for the Redmi 4 Pro in mind, but there's nothing that shouldn't work on other Xiaomi devices, since the process is practically the same (besides download links, of course
).
That said, of course I take no responsibility over things that could happen if you're not careful or don't follow the guide as it is, or flash a rom not compatible with your phone or your house catches fire or your cat becomes the devil.
I'm going to assume that you have some knowledge of adb commands, or how to install a pc program, how to download uncompress etc etc.
If you don't know anything of the above, go read some guides, or go buy another phone, this is NOT for you.
If you want to unlock your device, you of course need a Mi Account with unlocking permissions.
Feel free to link this guide, translate it to Italian Chinese Finnish Spanish German French Japanese or whatever, just be sure to mention this post and that it was created by me.
Thanks go to Cofface, who created the custom TWRP for our Redmi 4 Pro, to everyone that provided the original links I posted here, to Xiaomi.eu developers who provide us with great roms always updated, and to whoever I forgot to mention. If you need me to mention you, go ahead and write here or via PM, I will do it with pleasure.
Let's start.
First of all, to unlock the phone, we need to be on a Chinese Developer ROM. The point here is sometimes Online Vendors put fake roms on our phones, so this procedure can be used to get rid of it even if you don't need to unlock or flash other roms, even if you want to stay on official MIUI.
THINGS NEEDED:
This is meant to be a list with which you can flag things you've already done and proceed step by step, with links to download all the stuff you need.
I wrote this for the Redmi 4 Pro in mind, but there's nothing that shouldn't work on other Xiaomi devices, since the process is practically the same (besides download links, of course
).That said, of course I take no responsibility over things that could happen if you're not careful or don't follow the guide as it is, or flash a rom not compatible with your phone or your house catches fire or your cat becomes the devil.
I'm going to assume that you have some knowledge of adb commands, or how to install a pc program, how to download uncompress etc etc.
If you don't know anything of the above, go read some guides, or go buy another phone, this is NOT for you.
If you want to unlock your device, you of course need a Mi Account with unlocking permissions.
Feel free to link this guide, translate it to Italian Chinese Finnish Spanish German French Japanese or whatever, just be sure to mention this post and that it was created by me.
Thanks go to Cofface, who created the custom TWRP for our Redmi 4 Pro, to everyone that provided the original links I posted here, to Xiaomi.eu developers who provide us with great roms always updated, and to whoever I forgot to mention. If you need me to mention you, go ahead and write here or via PM, I will do it with pleasure.
Let's start.
First of all, to unlock the phone, we need to be on a Chinese Developer ROM. The point here is sometimes Online Vendors put fake roms on our phones, so this procedure can be used to get rid of it even if you don't need to unlock or flash other roms, even if you want to stay on official MIUI.
THINGS NEEDED:
- Download your necessary fastboot rom (suffix must be .tgz NOT zip), uncompress it on a folder on the desktop named HMPro or whatever, NO SPACES (http://en.miui.com/a-234.html, in our case we must choose Redmi 4 Prime Latest China Developer Version Fastboot File Download). As said before, if you need to simply get rid of the vendor fake rom, you could flash a stable version of the official rom or even (if available) an international rom.
- Install PDAnet drivers on your PC, and follow the installation process. Even if your PC says you have ADB drivers installed, go ahead and install these. DO NOT SKIP USB INSTALL, otherwise drivers will be installed just for bluetooth, which is not what we want. Select "other" when asked about the make of the phone. (http://pdanet.co/bin/PdaNetA4197.exe)
- Install Mi flash beta on your PC. (http://en.miui.com/forum.php?mod=attachment&aid=NjU5MzY0fDg2ZDE3MDBjfDE0ODIyNjQ2MTl8MHwyODE5Nzk=&mobile=2 guide to install and use here http://en.miui.com/thread-281979-1-1.html)
- Download latest Chinese Mi Unlock Tool (http://bigota.d.miui.com/miflashunlock/MiFlashUnlock_latest.zip) (Not needed if you don't wish to unlock)
- Download adb&fastboot minimal installer ( https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=457095661767103465) and unzip it in a folder of your choice.
- Download Cofface Markw TWRP, rename it "recovery.img" and put it inside adb&fastboot folder (https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=457095661767117508) (not needed if you wish to stay on official MIUI with official recovery)
- Download the latest weekly for your model on Xiaomi.eu (https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=673368273298916972 for the Redmi 4 Pro) or any other roms you wish to install, and place it on a microsd card. Insert that in the phone to have it ready when the moment comes.
- On the phone, click multiple times on MIUI Version in settings/info about phone until it says you're a developer
- On the phone, go to Additional Settings, Developer Options, enable USB debugging, and OEM unlocking
- Connect phone to pc
- If the PDANET drivers were installed correctly, the phone should have a pop up saying "do you permit adb debugging from this computer?". Flag "always permit". (this pop up could not appear if you flagged it during PDANET installation). (Reboot the PC after the installation).
- Open a cmd window (ctrl+alt+del, new activity, cmd) (or as pilililo2 -thanks!- noted, simply
"press shift + left click" in the window where adb/fastboot is installed and then click open command window here)
write in that window "cd " (cd+space, no quotes obviously) and drag in the cmd window the minimal adb folder, which you extracted from the zip file before, press enter. This way the cmd window knows you are entering and executing files from that specific folder. Press enter.
- Type "adb devices" (no quotes, I'm going to assume you realised it as of now) your phone should be on the list (in numbers, no names)
- Type "adb reboot edl"
- Open Mi Flash, select the folder of the tgz fastboot rom you previously uncompressed, give it ok
- Click "refresh", your phone should pop up in the window under COM something (depending on which port you connected it to)
- Click flash, and wait for it to complete. If after clicking "flash" the app gives you an error, try another port, another cable, or reboot the phone, reboot in Edl mode and try to be a little quicker from an app to to the other.
- Once complete, disconnect the phone, keep the power button pressed and boot. Connect to a WiFi network, but skip everything else on the setup wizard, including the Mi Account.
- Go to phone info on settings, enable developer options, enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking as well. Under OEM unlocking, there's an option with which you can bind you phone with the Mi Account. Do that, with account ID and password. There will be an error, but don't worry about it.
- Go to Mi Account, and enable the Mi Find service, then go to i.mi.com on the PC and locate the phone via GPS. Once found, proceed.
- On the PC, open Mi Unlock Tool, the Chinese one. Click on the button below the Chinese stuff (it says you understand that unlocking your device could lead to bla bla bla), log in to your account (the same as the phone, with unlocking privileges obviously).
- Once you see the screen showing the phone with the cable detached, turn off the phone, put it in fastboot (Vol down+power) mode, connect it to the PC.
- Click on the only button available, wait until the process is done.
- Now you're unlocked and ready to flash whichever rom you want!
- Now go to the pc, open a cmd window, do the "cd" thing as before.
- Connect the phone to the pc, type "adb devices", give consent to the pop up on the phone. Type "adb reboot fastboot". (or put in fastboot mode as I explained before)
- You should see the phone rebooting, and presenting you a Mi rabbit on the screen.
- On the cmd window, type "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img". It should take like 3 seconds. Type "fastboot boot recovery.img", your phone will restart in TWRP, in Chinese.
- Flag the element, slide the slider. Go to settings (the second to last button on the right), change the language under the globe icon to whatever you're comfortable with.
- Go back to the main menu, click on "Wipe", and slide.
- Now go back to the menu once more, click "install", select the Xiaomi.eu rom you previously put on a microsd card (remember, we wiped all content on internal memory!), flash.
- Wipe cache/dalvik when you're done, and be prepared to wait about 10 minutes.
- All DONE.
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