[rom] Stable & Fully Working Rom Alternatives To Miui

[topmiuier]

Hi everyone,

It's 2 years since I bought MI2A and I still love it. Until recently I was using MIUI 4.12.5 (with launcher reloading fixed) which is the FINAL MIUI v5 ROM and is the last one that is perfectly stable.

However, with gapps, WhatsApp, FB Messenger etc. there is almost no free RAM what results in permanently closing and relaunching all the application (Greenify does not help enough).

Therefore I started to search for alternative ROM and it turns out there is a plenty of Android ROMs that gives you around 300-400MB of free RAM but they all are sharing an annoying thing: random reboots and NFC not working properly. I almost gave up in finding perfectly stable & fast ROM but then I spent a couple of hours, did my private research and found STABLE QUEEN(S).

Most of the info below come from 4pda.ru (truly ultimate source!) and miui.es (another ultimate source). Thank you very much guys from these forums!

LIST OF STABLE ROMS (NO RANDOM REBOOTS, EVERYTHING IS WORKING INCLUDING NFC)

AOSP JB 4.1.1 Stock Android Native Xiaomi QBF31 [link]

• This is official Android 4.1.1 ROM (released by Xiaomi!)
• The only negative: supports only English and Chinese

AOSP JB 4.1.1 Stock Android Native Xiaomi QBF31 Multi Language [link]

• Based on official Android 4.1.1 ROM listed above
• Multi-language support added
• The only negative: some text is untranslated (that come from core Android files and not APK what were rebuild)
• This was released by miui.es (GREAT WORK!)
• Download Android File Host

CODEAURORA KK 4.4.4 Android Multi Language (5.2.28) [link]

• The only stable ROM based on KITKAT with no random reboots and working NFC
• The only negative: some Chinese bloatware included
• I cant even read a Chinese name of that guy who created this ROM but respect. It is amazing.
• Google Apps
• Download Mega.nz, Google Drive, Yandex Disk

When I will have a time I will make a clean version of this ROM. See below!

CODEAURORA KK 4.4.4 Android Multi Language (5.2.28) NO BLOATWARE

• There is a separate thread: [rom] Stable Android Kitkat 4.4.4 For Mi2a

COMMON ISSUES

• Notifications are delayed: 1) Settings - Wifi - turn off Wi-Fi optimization 2) Install Root- Push Notifications Fixer
• Slow Wi-Fi: Settings - Wifi - turn off Wi-Fi optimization
• "Unfortunately, sound search for Google Play has stopped": Delete /system/app/GoogleEars.apk (optionally install latest Sound Search for Google). This also resolves synchronization errors (this problem actually applies to some CM11 ROMs as well).

NOTES

• While MIUI alarm clocks works when phone is turned off it does not apply to AOSP Android (in general). Always leave your phone turned on if you do not want to miss your alarm.

RECOVERY
Important: before you start flashing any ROM, you will need CWM recovery.
Grab the latest and greatest CWM Recovery R11 UPDATE 1 for Mi2a by Furniel and install from MiRecovery to "System 1":

• Yandex Drive
• Mega.nz

URGENT: all alternative non-MIUI ROMs always install to "System 1" and don't forget to wipe user data (your SD card data will stay there)!!! If you enable TDB (True Dual Boot) in CWM Recovery - which means separate data partition for System 1 and System 2 - your SD card will be WIPED.

TIPS

• To keep an app in memory and avoid relaunching (such as 3rd party launcher), edit "build.prop" file in the /system directory (some file manager with root is required such as ES File Explorer) and add the following line (applies to Google Launcher):
  
  

  sys.keep_app_1=com.google.android.launcher

Hope this post help other desperate Mi2A users that suffer from low memory and slow speed

 

[tiagosv]

Hey there topmiuier! I also bought the Mi2A over 2 years now and I still love it!

But I have to agree to everything you said. I have found the same problems and I was hoping to find the same!

So thank you so so so much for putting the effort into compiling this beautiful list! I just wiped clean my phone about 3 weeks ago because the last betas were giving me too much trouble and then I tried switching to the official miui.com ROM and I forgot how "bad" it is, with all those chinese apps, etc. So I Wiped everything clean and put the last "stable" beta ROM for me.

But before that I tried installing another ROM, I think it was the 5.1.1 By Ivan, but it kept giving me an error when I tried to install cwm, so I gave up.

I was hoping you could give some insight on that kit kat rom. I just got a Mi Band and it needs kit kat 4.4+ to work. I'm just not fond of that chinese bloatware you mentioned.

I still get some random reboots every now and then, but rebooting is pretty fast so it doesn't bother me much. Do you really think those ROMs are worth it? Do you notice a very significant improvement in the overall response of the phone and between apps?

Thank you!

 

[topmiuier]

But before that I tried installing another ROM, I think it was the 5.1.1 By Ivan, but it kept giving me an error when I tried to install cwm, so I gave up.

I never tried this ROM because too many people complained about random reboots. If you want to try it again, go with CWM Recovery from my first post - it should work (it's from the guy who develops FCR MIUI for Mi2a with weekly updates available but FCR MIUI is only in Russian if I remember correctly - CWM Recovery is in English).

General advice for Ivan's ROM: If you are experiencing random reboots, try to set CPU Governor to "interactive" and min_sample_time to "40000" (with Kernel Toolkit or SetCPU). People from miui.es say that it should help a lot.

I was hoping you could give some insight on that kit kat rom. I just got a Mi Band and it needs kit kat 4.4+ to work. I'm just not fond of that chinese bloatware you mentioned.[/url]

I meant the following files: /system/app/360AntiVirus.apk, /system/third-app/MiMarket.apk, /system/app/LatinIME.apk and /system/app/Launcher3.apk.

I still get some random reboots every now and then, but rebooting is pretty fast so it doesn't bother me much. Do you really think those ROMs are worth it? Do you notice a very significant improvement in the overall response of the phone and between apps?

All I can tell you that my phone is responsive like a new phone worth of 600 bucks with 300MB free RAM although I have WhatsApp, Fb Messenger, Google Aps, GMail, Wifi Matic etc. Of course the AOSP Android misses some of the cool MIUI features but the KitKat, speed, free RAM and battery life totally beat it

 

[tiagosv]

Thanks for the input!

So you tried the CODEAURORA KK 4.4.4 already?

I'm very tempted to try it out. But there are just some things that I would miss from MIUI. Maybe I'll try again in a few months... I was also thinking of getting a new Xiaomi. Coincidentally Xiaomi announced their new Redmi Note 2 which was very good timing. And then the Mi4C which really impressed me! If only it had a bigger screen :/ I'm not overly sure I'd adapt to a 5.5" screen, but I think I'd like bigger than 5". What do you think?

Also, back to taking about ROMs, I'm kind of thinking that Xiaomi is having a hard time launching all these new phones and optimize/update MIUI for every phone. I have a feeling that MIUI is getting "buggier" overtime, at least compared to when I bought the phone. Reviews seem to suggest that too.

I dunno, I may depart from MIUI eventually. It's a pain to change "ecosystem" and having to manually sync back everything again lol. Some stuff is already in both mi account and google account, but a bunch of other stuff only synchronizes with the Mi account.

 

[topmiuier]

So you tried the CODEAURORA KK 4.4.4 already?

I am running it!

I'm very tempted to try it out. But there are just some things that I would miss from MIUI. Maybe I'll try again in a few months... I was also thinking of getting a new Xiaomi. Coincidentally Xiaomi announced their new Redmi Note 2 which was very good timing. And then the Mi4C which really impressed me! If only it had a bigger screen :/ I'm not overly sure I'd adapt to a 5.5" screen, but I think I'd like bigger than 5". What do you think?

Huh did you read feedback of MIUI users of recent Xiaomi phones? I originally bought Mi2a because of weekly updates and fine-tuned software but since 2013 this changed A LOT. I don't think I would buy it again from the same reason. I would decide for some phone (including Xioami) which is supported OFFICIALLY by some big project such as CyanogenMod etc.

Also, back to taking about ROMs, I'm kind of thinking that Xiaomi is having a hard time launching all these new phones and optimize/update MIUI for every phone. I have a feeling that MIUI is getting "buggier" overtime, at least compared to when I bought the phone. Reviews seem to suggest that too.

They have launched a lot of phones and now they "surprisingly" realized there is not enough of senior Android developers so the first thing they did is to cut off support of old phones (the same happened to Samsung actually).

I dunno, I may depart from MIUI eventually. It's a pain to change "ecosystem" and having to manually sync back everything again lol. Some stuff is already in both mi account and google account, but a bunch of other stuff only synchronizes with the Mi account.

I don't use any of the Xiaomi account features so all I needed to move to AOSP Android was Super Backup (SMS, Call log) and Titanium backup.

 

[tiagosv]

Exactly! I thought of the same thing. It has to have a good third-party ROM support! I'm not sure, but I think Snapdragon chipsets are widely supported for multiple ROMs. Not so with Mediatek. So Mi4C would probably be a better option.

Yes, the Redmi Note 2 problems are a bit alarming. And it seems frequent now with the newer models.

I initially thought of a Moto G 3rd gen because of its phenomenal optimized software and sincerely like the stock Android look and functionality anyway. Not sure why almost no company uses just plain old stock Android. You get so much benefit from it, including getting updates much quicker and less bugs.
What I would love to have is a Moto X. But that's just over my budget and what I would want to spend on a phone right now.

Yes, support was cut, but I think it was a pretty decent amount of time. About 3 years? Not bad I think. Apple supports each model for about 5 years, which is the best in this market.

I think I will wait for next year though. The most recent trend now is "high-end" mid and low range phones. It's becoming an extremely competitive market and is already booming. I reckon that high-end smartphone sales will drop and mid-range will rise. So it's a good time to wait, relax, and see what the market brings in.

I reckon that if I install Google's messaging app, it will sync my SMS to their servers. Call logs don't bother me so much, but I would definitely make a backup first.

 

[topmiuier]

Exactly! I thought of the same thing. It has to have a good third-party ROM support! I'm not sure, but I think Snapdragon chipsets are widely supported for multiple ROMs. Not so with Mediatek. So Mi4C would probably be a better option.

Yes, the Redmi Note 2 problems are a bit alarming. And it seems frequent now with the newer models.

Whenever I read some forum thread about recent MIUI update I'am always telling to myself: it just couldn't be possible

I initially thought of a Moto G 3rd gen because of its phenomenal optimized software and sincerely like the stock Android look and functionality anyway. Not sure why almost no company uses just plain old stock Android. You get so much benefit from it, including getting updates much quicker and less bugs.
What I would love to have is a Moto X. But that's just over my budget and what I would want to spend on a phone right now.

Frankly, you have a great overview of the market! Regarding the plain old stock Android: I don't think companies want a perfect phones. I actually think that a little imperfect phone is exactly what they want to motivate people to buy new ones

Yes, support was cut, but I think it was a pretty decent amount of time. About 3 years? Not bad I think. Apple supports each model for about 5 years, which is the best in this market.

True but I was buying Xiaomi to get at least 6 years support through the community

I think I will wait for next year though. The most recent trend now is "high-end" mid and low range phones. It's becoming an extremely competitive market and is already booming. I reckon that high-end smartphone sales will drop and mid-range will rise. So it's a good time to wait, relax, and see what the market brings in.

Honesty I am also waiting for "my phone" - I need something fine-tuned what survives at least 3 days on the battery and then I can call it phone instead of a toy

I reckon that if I install Google's messaging app, it will sync my SMS to their servers. Call logs don't bother me so much, but I would definitely make a backup first.

You can make a backup of SMS and Calllog with Call Logs Backup & Restore and SMS Backup & Restore. It's not a binary backup, they save the data to XML file which means recovering the data is possible on any Android based phone OS.

 

[tiagosv]

Nice, I'm always waiting for the "perfect" something. But it obviously never happens. It's all about compromises.

The only way we will get better battery life from anything is by improving battery technology. There are several new promising developments in that area but all of them will take a few more years to come to market.

I have been using the Google Now launcher on and off with the MIUI launcher and I actually quite like it.

 

[lcudst]

I have a problem with CWM since I've updated to MIUI7 5.8.27.
I tried to install it via updater, recovery and fastboot (with a little script for flashing it), but nothing to do.
Is there some method to install it or I have to flash an older miui release?

 

[topmiuier]

Did you try the CWM version I have linked in the first post? Do you have any exact error message?

As far as I know MIUI v6 uses different partitioning (that's why it was necessary to flash the full ROM package when moving to MIUI v6 and the same when downgrading) so maybe that could be an issue with some CWM versions.

 

[topmiuier]

Tips section has been added to the first post.

 

[topmiuier]

Added CODEAURORA KK 4.4.4 Android Multi Language (5.2.28) NO BLOATWARE to the first post.

 

[OlBlack]

Thanks for this topic. I'm actually on Ivan's 5.1.1 but I'm very disappointed because of the random reboots.
I'm currently trying the interactive governor settings (the 40000 sample thing doesn't stay after a reboot). I'll let you know if it really helps.
And if it does not, I'll be please to try your kitkat rom that seems to be quite nice

 

[topmiuier]

You may try "interactive" governor with the following settings (use Device Control which restores setting on boot):

min_sample_time = 40000
boost = 0
io_is_busy = 1
input_boost = 0
hispeed_freq = 918000
sustain_load = 80
timer_rate = 20000
above_hispeed_delay = 20000
go_hispeed_delay = 20000
max_boost = 350000

People from miui.es say that it should help a lot.

 

[topmiuier]

Let us know how it help!

 

[OlBlack]

I tried Device Control but after a manual reboot, the governor kept going back to "ondemand".
SetCPU works fine, there's only the 40000 setting that goes back to 80000 after a reboot. But I don't manually reboot my phone very often, so it's not a problem.

ANYWAY.... I didn't have a single of those random reboots since I applied those settings yesterday !!!
I've only set the governor to interactive and min_sample_time to 40000 and it's working good.
And I've tried really hard to do things that were usually crashing my Mi2A.. and nop, no reboots !

It's a bit early to say it's working perfectly fine without random reboots, but I'll let you know after a few days of use

 

[topmiuier]

I tried Device Control but after a manual reboot, the governor kept going back to "ondemand".
SetCPU works fine, there's only the 40000 setting that goes back to 80000 after a reboot. But I don't manually reboot my phone very often, so it's not a problem.

It is necessary to enable restoring in Deice Control settings. No settings are restored by default.

ANYWAY.... I didn't have a single of those random reboots since I applied those settings yesterday !!!
I've only set the governor to interactive and min_sample_time to 40000 and it's working good.
And I've tried really hard to do things that were usually crashing my Mi2A.. and nop, no reboots !

That's cool. From what I've read, changed governor settings help a lot but unfortunately did not resolve random reboots (e.g. 1 reboot per 2 days etc.).

It's a bit early to say it's working perfectly fine without random reboots, but I'll let you know after a few days of use

Keep us updated how it works on your phone for a few more days!

 

[OlBlack]

Hi ! It worked great for 3 days without any reboots, and then some random reboots started to appear again..
I'm quite bored of it so I think I'll try your codeaurora rom

edit:
I'm on your CodeAurora KK now.
Couldn't upgrade Google News & Weather and get it to work with the Gapps you linked.
I tried again with another gapps (only including the Google Play Store) and everything seems to be fine work well !
Just the Google Play Services that shows a FC sometimes, but everything continues to work fine..

 

[AnnieChow]

Whenever I read some forum thread about recent MIUI update I'am always telling to myself: it just couldn't be possible



Frankly, you have a great overview of the market! Regarding the plain old stock Android: I don't think companies want a perfect phones. I actually think that a little imperfect phone is exactly what they want to motivate people to buy new ones



True but I was buying Xiaomi to get at least 6 years support through the community



Honesty I am also waiting for "my phone" - I need something fine-tuned what survives at least 3 days on the battery and then I can call it phone instead of a toy



You can make a backup of SMS and Calllog with Call Logs Backup & Restore and SMS Backup & Restore. It's not a binary backup, they save the data to XML file which means recovering the data is possible on any Android based phone OS.

There are vast number of backup apps for SMS, but if you can copy text from phone to PC, you can not only backup them but also manage and print them out.