Develop Bugs

How to rollback from Android 10 to 9?

Hello people,
I wish to know step by step how to rollback my devices to Android 9 official version.
1. I know that my bootloader need to be unlocked (is it possible on Android 10)?
2. How to install the official rom and where to find?
3. Would it work like the official with locked bootloader?
Please share your experience since and the way did you done it ??? since Android 10 on my Mi A2 lite have been working very bad even though I have erased all data and reset it.
Appreciate any information, have a good day (stay safe)

I am also going to downgrade it but not getting the time
Try Xiaomi Flash Tool.

koska92 said:
Hello people,
I wish to know step by step how to rollback my devices to Android 9 official version.
1. I know that my bootloader need to be unlocked (is it possible on Android 10)?
2. How to install the official rom and where to find?
3. Would it work like the official with locked bootloader?
Please share your experience since and the way did you done it since Android 10 on my Mi A2 lite have been working very bad even though I have erased all data and reset it.
Appreciate any information, have a good day (stay safe)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes, all you have to do is unlock OEM in developer settings, then boot to fastboot by turning off your phone and pressing power and vol- buttons at the same time, then open up adb in cmd and write "fastboot oem unlock" (it will wipe your data, unless you're still holding vol- button)
2. You install it by simply downloading it and unpacking, then copying it's directory to adb and choosing which option would you like, I recommend flash_all.bat, full command should look similiar
D:\daisy\daisy_global_images_V11.0.7.0.QDLMIXM_10.0\flash_all.bat
You can get every single fastboot Image from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/how-to/fastboot-xiaomi-mi-a2-fastboot-images-t3824871
3. Yes it will work like an official with locked bootloader, only diffirence is that it might not have apps like google play music, also with unlocked bootloader you will be able to use magisk and get for example
Google camera app
Here you can download ADB
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Personally I didn't had a single problem with flashing Android One through fastboot, and personally I prefer that way since xiaomi flash tools need a phone that's in edl mode which later on you have to exit manually on your own (at least in my case, maybe others don't have this problem)

Divolka said:
1. Yes, all you have to do is unlock OEM in developer settings, then boot to fastboot by turning off your phone and pressing power and vol- buttons at the same time, then open up adb in cmd and write "fastboot oem unlock" (it will wipe your data, unless you're still holding vol- button)
2. You install it by simply downloading it and unpacking, then copying it's directory to adb and choosing which option would you like, I recommend flash_all.bat, full command should look similiar
D:\daisy\daisy_global_images_V11.0.7.0.QDLMIXM_10.0\flash_all.bat
You can get every single fastboot Image from here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/how-to/fastboot-xiaomi-mi-a2-fastboot-images-t3824871
3. Yes it will work like an official with locked bootloader, only diffirence is that it might not have apps like google play music, also with unlocked bootloader you will be able to use magisk and get for example
Google camera app
Here you can download ADB
https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Personally I didn't had a single problem with flashing Android One through fastboot, and personally I prefer that way since xiaomi flash tools need a phone that's in edl mode which later on you have to exit manually on your own (at least in my case, maybe others don't have this problem)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help I will try now to fix it up

UPDATE I would give you a guidance how I managed since I had an issue with miflash application (maybe I'm the only one )
If you are following my steps I'm NOT RESPONSIBLE for any damage that may occur during the process!!!
After a quite a while of time I managed to rollback to the Anroid 8.1.0 daisy ( here is the rom https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/how-to/fastboot-xiaomi-mi-a2-fastboot-images-t3824871 ) .
As for beggining I had a problem with most newest MIFLASH tools, since it shows an error as soon you load application and all about certain "log" folder missing from the downloaded files.
The way to solve this issue after testing a program on multiple systems ( Win 7 & Win 10), I've resolved it in following steps (working on Win 10) :
1. Download and install MiFlash20160830 from https://www.xiaomiflash.com/download/ ( Don't forget to install ADB and drivers on your PC otherwise won't work
2. Extract and install to system
3. Run the program and connect the phone while in fastboot mode ( shut down phone, wait 10 seconds and then press volume down & power button, should see "FASTBOOT" and android avatar ) and press refresh on right top corner (On the MiFlash on PC).
4. Go to the installation files (C:\XiaoMi\XiaoMiFlash <- in my case) and copy the log file
5. Then install the newest MiFlash ( from the website https://www.xiaomiflash.com/downloads/ ) and extract it
6. Paste the log folder into the directory of newest MiFlash and run Miflash
7. Carefully browse and select the extracted rom folder, than select the folder and select "clean all and lock" (in right bottom corner)
8. Power off phone and go into the fastboot mode ( volume down & power )
9. Connect phone to the computer via USB and click refresh on Miflash (should recognize you phone)
10. Click flash and let it do the work (Don't disconnect don't interrupt )
11. When is done disconnect the phone and hold power button until phone reboots and you phone is ready! Enjoy
Sorry for being so descriptive it may help the noobs like me

Hi I'm currently using Android 9 and thinking of upgrading to 10. May I ask the reason why you want to go back to Android 9 ? So I'll see if I should actually go to android 10 haha

koska92 said:
UPDATE I would give you a guidance how I managed since I had an issue with miflash application (maybe I'm the only one )
If you are following my steps I'm NOT RESPONSIBLE for any damage that may occur during the process!!!
After a quite a while of time I managed to rollback to the Anroid 8.1.0 daisy ( here is the rom https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/how-to/fastboot-xiaomi-mi-a2-fastboot-images-t3824871 ) .
As for beggining I had a problem with most newest MIFLASH tools, since it shows an error as soon you load application and all about certain "log" folder missing from the downloaded files.
The way to solve this issue after testing a program on multiple systems ( Win 7 & Win 10), I've resolved it in following steps (working on Win 10) :
1. Download and install MiFlash20160830 from https://www.xiaomiflash.com/download/ ( Don't forget to install ADB and drivers on your PC otherwise won't work
2. Extract and install to system
3. Run the program and connect the phone while in fastboot mode ( shut down phone, wait 10 seconds and then press volume down & power button, should see "FASTBOOT" and android avatar ) and press refresh on right top corner (On the MiFlash on PC).
4. Go to the installation files (C:\XiaoMi\XiaoMiFlash <- in my case) and copy the log file
5. Then install the newest MiFlash ( from the website https://www.xiaomiflash.com/downloads/ ) and extract it
6. Paste the log folder into the directory of newest MiFlash and run Miflash
7. Carefully browse and select the extracted rom folder, than select the folder and select "clean all and lock" (in right bottom corner)
8. Power off phone and go into the fastboot mode ( volume down & power )
9. Connect phone to the computer via USB and click refresh on Miflash (should recognize you phone)
10. Click flash and let it do the work (Don't disconnect don't interrupt )
11. When is done disconnect the phone and hold power button until phone reboots and you phone is ready! Enjoy
Sorry for being so descriptive it may help the noobs like me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice man!! I want to try it. Do you know if back to Android 8.1 can cause some security problems on Mi A2 Lite?
After the first update(8.1 to 9.0) a lots of problems comes. The first one: Call Recorders stop work!
Now I'm with the last Android 10 update, and my cell phone is a tash. I cant use it. Lot of bugs!
I need to change the android Version(back to 8.1), install a MIUI stock, or buy a new phone(I cant do it now!!). I think this is my first and my last Xiaomi Phone.

joeyvix said:
Nice man!! I want to try it. Do you know if back to Android 8.1 can cause some security problems on Mi A2 Lite?
After the first update(8.1 to 9.0) a lots of problems comes. The first one: Call Recorders stop work!
Now I'm with the last Android 10 update, and my cell phone is a tash. I cant use it. Lot of bugs!
I need to change the android Version(back to 8.1), install a MIUI stock, or buy a new phone(I cant do it now!!). I think this is my first and my last Xiaomi Phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it comes to security, you would need to unlock bootloader ( which means that all of the warranty would be gone). On top of that you can install some custom roms that may have some potential malware so be careful.
Nevertheless when it comes to stock roms, I never had a problem when it comes to the security, it may show up some bugs from time to time, but otherwise should run as official version...
Well the phone is pretty much outdated so it's usual that some of them won't work properly.
Nevertheless in the past with Android One phones was more than smooth and buggless. Now we see that as soon as xiaomi start to release an update it seems like they don't want to invest time to pretest the phone on the new system. It seems like MIUI is their best option...

Hoshiiiii_ said:
Hi I'm currently using Android 9 and thinking of upgrading to 10. May I ask the reason why you want to go back to Android 9 ? So I'll see if I should actually go to android 10 haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well the reason is simple. After each update my phone was much more slower and buggy. On the Android 10 the ram management was awful (as soon as you go out of the application, system close it). A lot of bugs, slow.
I've tried to connect customer service, they replied me to reset the phone and try again, but most of the problems are the same.
I won't suggest you to update.
Search out the form there was a subject about Android 10 on Mi a2 lite...

koska92 said:
UPDATE I would give you a guidance how I managed since I had an issue with miflash application (maybe I'm the only one )
If you are following my steps I'm NOT RESPONSIBLE for any damage that may occur during the process!!!
After a quite a while of time I managed to rollback to the Anroid 8.1.0 daisy ( here is the rom https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-a2-lite/how-to/fastboot-xiaomi-mi-a2-fastboot-images-t3824871 ) .
As for beggining I had a problem with most newest MIFLASH tools, since it shows an error as soon you load application and all about certain "log" folder missing from the downloaded files.
The way to solve this issue after testing a program on multiple systems ( Win 7 & Win 10), I've resolved it in following steps (working on Win 10) :
1. Download and install MiFlash20160830 from https://www.xiaomiflash.com/download/ ( Don't forget to install ADB and drivers on your PC otherwise won't work
2. Extract and install to system
3. Run the program and connect the phone while in fastboot mode ( shut down phone, wait 10 seconds and then press volume down & power button, should see "FASTBOOT" and android avatar ) and press refresh on right top corner (On the MiFlash on PC).
4. Go to the installation files (C:\XiaoMi\XiaoMiFlash <- in my case) and copy the log file
5. Then install the newest MiFlash ( from the website https://www.xiaomiflash.com/downloads/ ) and extract it
6. Paste the log folder into the directory of newest MiFlash and run Miflash
7. Carefully browse and select the extracted rom folder, than select the folder and select "clean all and lock" (in right bottom corner)
8. Power off phone and go into the fastboot mode ( volume down & power )
9. Connect phone to the computer via USB and click refresh on Miflash (should recognize you phone)
10. Click flash and let it do the work (Don't disconnect don't interrupt )
11. When is done disconnect the phone and hold power button until phone reboots and you phone is ready! Enjoy
Sorry for being so descriptive it may help the noobs like me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you got an error saying log file error or something related to log then there is a simple solution. that is creating a folder named log inside the MIflash folder. like this
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

[GUIDES & FAQ][Merlin] Bootloader, Magisk, EdXposed, SafetyNet, GSI/Treble ROMs

DISCLAIMERS (please read !)​
This thread is made for the Redmi Note 9, also known as Redmi 10X 4G.
This device's codename is Merlin.
I will not be held responsible if you brick your device.
Follow the instructions shown in this thread at your own risks.
Follow the steps and ask questions below when unsure, everything will be fine!
No files will be directly provided. Do not use pre-created/re-uploaded files.
Feel free to cite parts of this thread in your own, just make sure to give credit where it's due.
Prerequisites for most manipulations​
Your phone, well charged if possible
The USB cable used to link your phone to your computer (the one on your charger works just fine)
A computer, with recent ADB & Fastboot (Platform Tools)
Some time, patience, and the ability to read and follow instructions!
Tutorials​
Spoiler: Unlocking your bootloader (Required for all other tutorials below)
Step 1
Make sure you have a Mi Account ready.
You should've created one when first setting up your phone, with your phone number and a password.
- If you have it: Double-check you have access to it by attempting to connect on Xiaomi's official website (Login page).
- If you don't: Create one with the Create an account button below the password form (same link as above), then connect to it.
Step 2
On your PC, go to Xiaomi's unlock page and click the colored Download Mi Unlock button.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Step 3
A download should start. Wait for it to finish, move the archive to your desktop and extract its content.
Step 4
Inside the extracted folder, double click the file called miflash_unlock.exe to start Xiaomi's Unlocking program.
Step 5
Read Xiaomi's Disclaimer then agree to their terms, or stop here and leave this thread if you don't.
Step 6
Sign in to your Mi Account we talked about in Step 1.
Step 7
Let's get your phone ready for unlocking.
Go to your phone's Settings > Mi Account and make sure you're logged in.
Now Settings > About Phone and tap the "MIUI Version" box multiple times until it says You are now a developer!
And finally Settings > Additional Settings > Developer Options
Enable the following settings inside Developer Options, and click Accept when warnings pop-up:
OEM Unlocking
USB Debugging
Still in Developer Options, check your Mi Unlock status and click the Add account and device button at the bottom if present.
Make sure to backup your phone's data before continuing on with this tutorial, as unlocking will make it factory reset (wipe)!
Step 8
Alright, all backed up? Confident? Let's get going with the final steps.
Turn off your phone.
Turn it back on into fastboot mode by holding down the Power button AND Volume Down together until it vibrates, you may then let go of the Power Button, but keep Volume Down held until you see the fastboot image on your phone.
Connect your phone to your computer with the USB Cable.
Xiaomi's Software should detect it. If not, click on the cog-wheel in the top right, click the Check button to install the driver and follow instructions, then keep going.
Click Unlock, and follow the instructions!
Now there are two possible scenarios
Either you've done all this before and can have your phone unlocked right away.
Or this is the first time and at the end of the progress it'll ask you to wait ~7days, and, well, there's no way around that, so come back in 7 days and start from Step 8 again.
And there you go! Your phone will reboot and you can set it all up again, with the ability to follow the rooting tutorial below, and you can also install custom ROMs/recovery!
Spoiler: Rooting (Magisk)
Step 1
Download the latest Magisk .apk on your phone.
Go to the link above, click the latest (topmost) Magisk-vXX.X.apk you see in the list to start the download, open the file and install it.
Step 2
Go to the download page for the MIUI Official Rom for your region, make sure to get the fastboot version.
OR (if you don't want/can't download 3gb of ROM)
Follow DavitidzeSh's instructions on how to gather the boot.img and vbmeta.img files and SKIP to Step 5.
OR (if you're on a custom rom)
Look into your custom rom's .zip, find the boot.img and vbmeta.img files and SKIP to Step 5.
Step 3
Take the file you downloaded above, it should be a .tgz archive.
Extract it, you'll get a .tar achive.
Extract that one again.
Step 4
You should now have a folder similar to the one below
Go inside the images folder
Step 5
Grab the the vbmeta.img file and copy it to your ADB & Fastboot (Platform Tools) folder.
Grab the boot.img file and copy it to your phone's internal storage.
(where the Android, DCIM, Download, and more are present, just drop it in there)
Here's how it should look inside your phone's storage in the end.
Step 6
On your phone, open up Magisk Manager.
Click the Magisk Install button as shown below.
Then Select and Patch a File.
Go look for your boot.img you previously copied to your phone and pick it.
Click Let's go! and wait for Magisk to complete the process!
Step 7
Link your phone to your PC, grab the file made by Magisk Manager.
It's located in your phone's downloads folder, called magisk_patched.img.
Copy and paste it where your ADB & Fastboot (Platform Tools) are located.
You should now have a folder structure like this:
adb.exe
fastboot.exe
magisk_patched.img
vbmeta.img
Extra files from the platform tools
Step 8
Alright, we're ready to root!
Turn off your phone, then get in fastboot mode.
(Power + Volume Down, like the unlocking tutorial)
Step 9
Link your phone to your PC with the USB cable if not done already.
Step 10
Shift + Right click in an empty space inside the folder we prepared in Step 7,
And click Open PowerShell window here.
Inside the PowerShell window, input the following commands line by line, in order.
.\fastboot.exe devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure your device shows up, should be a bunch of numbers and letters, a couple spaces, and fastboot.
If nothing does, go back to Step 8 and try again.
.\fastboot.exe --disable-verity --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
.\fastboot.exe flash boot .\magisk_patched.img
.\fastboot.exe reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note: Your PowerShell window will look different, I'm using a different program, don't worry
Your phone will reboot.
Open up Magisk Manager, and double check that it's installed.
You're done!
That said, you will have issues with certain apps leaving it like this.
You should to hide the fact that your phone is rooted.
Check out the Passing SafetyNet tutorial further down below!
Spoiler: Getting EdXposed
I very much discourage to EdXposed your phone unless you have a very good reason for it.
It's a pain to pass SafetyNet.
It doesn't get updated often.
It has very niche use cases for which it's actually worth it.
That said, I explain it here for people who know what they're getting into and want instructions on how to do it.
This procedure requires to be rooted with Magisk.
Step 1
Inside Magisk Manager, go to the Modules tab.
Click the search button (bottom right) and search Riru.
Install the Riru module by Rikka.
Activate it and Reboot.
Step 2
Download and install the latest EdXposed Manager, the same way you did with Magisk Manager when rooting.
Step 3
Open it up, go to the ALPHA tab and click install/update.
It'll start a file download.
Step 4
Go back to Magisk Manager, Modules tab, except this time click Install from Storage.
Point to the .zip file you just got, located in the Downloads folder of your phone.
At the end of the installation, click reboot.
Step 5
Let's double check your installation is operational.
Go to EdXposed Manager, first tab.
It should say EdXposed Framework is active.
You're done!
You should now be able to install EdXposed modules.
That said, you will have issues with certain apps leaving it like this.
You should to hide the fact that your phone is EdXposed.
Check out the Passing SafetyNet tutorial further down below!
Spoiler: Passing SafetyNet (Magisk/EdXposed)
For Magisk Rooted Phones
Enable Magisk Hide inside Magisk Manager's settings.
You may also need to use the Props module to spoof your phone as another, if you want a tutorial on that, let me know.
For EdXposed Phones
Again, I highly recommend not EdXposing your phone and sticking to just Magisk if you can help it.
You should also know that this method will show you're passing SafetyNet inside Magisk but it's a pain to do and isn't as well hidden as Magisk alone.
Step 1 - Do the step for Rooted phones listed above if not done already.
Step 2 - In EdXposed Manager, get the HiddenCore Module and activate it.
Step 3 - Now, in the side-menu: Compat List > tick HiddenCore Module.
Step 4 - Then, go to Settings > Framework > Enable "App List mode".
Step 5 - Finally, Applications(Black List) and tick: Android Services Library, Chrome, Google Play services, Google Play Store, Google Services Framework
Reboot and enjoy! You're all set and SafetyNet should pass.
Spoiler: Installing GSI's (Non-device specific ROMs)
Step 1
Pick your poison in the Treble Forums!
My recommendations are in the Extras section of this post.
Step 2
Download the chosen ROM's A/B Arm64 version
It should be an .img.xz file
Extract it and you'll get an .img file.
You're almost ready to flash.
Make sure to backup your phone's data.
Continuing this tutorial will wipe your phone!
Step 3
Put your phone into fastboot mode.
(Power + Volume Down)
Connect it to your PC.
Step 4
Move the .img file you downloaded to your ADB & Fastboot (Platform Tools) folder.
Rename it to system.img
Step 5
Shift + Right click in an empty space inside the folder,
And click Open PowerShell window here.
Inside the PowerShell window, input the following commands line by line, in order.
.\fastboot.exe reboot fastboot
.\fastboot.exe --disable-verification flash vbmeta .\vbmeta.img
.\fastboot.exe flash system .\system.img
.\fastboot.exe -w
.\fastboot.exe reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone will now reboot on its own.
Set it all up and enjoy!
That said, depending on how old the GSI you picked is, you MAY have issues leaving it at that.
Therefore, I highly recommend checking out the next tutorial section about Fixing GSI Issues.
Spoiler: Fixing brightness/jack on older GSI's
I have worked together with a developer to bring fixes for our device to every custom GSI rom out there.
The most recent GSI's shouldn't need the fixes listed below.
Older GSI (treble) roms have two known bugs that we can fix:
The brightness slider being misscalibrated, and therefore auto-brightness broken too.
The headphone jack not working.
You need to be rooted to do so.
Step 1 - Get yourself a Terminal Emulator, I recommend Termux
Step 2 - Type the following commands inside of it, line by line, in order:
su
setprop persist.sys.qcom-brightness $(cat /sys/class/leds/lcd-backlight/max_brightness)
setprop persist.sys.overlay.devinputjack true
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're done! Brightness should be fine, headphones get detected, enjoy!
Spoiler: Resetting your phone
Backup all the data you might have on your phone to restore it after the manipulation!
Step 1
Download the fastboot ROM corresponding to your region here.
(The same one used to grab the boot.img and vbmeta.img when rooting)
And extract it.
Step 2
Download the latest MiFlashTool.
And extract it.
Step 3
Put your device in fastboot mode.
(Power + Vol Down, refer to the rooting tutorial for a more info)
And connect it to your computer via USB.
Step 4
Open MiFlashTool (XiaoMiFlash.exe), your device should appear in the list.
Step 5
Click the Select button in the top left,
And point to your fastboot ROM's folder
(The one containing the "AP", "BP", "BP_IN", "images" folders and a bunch of files)
Step 6
At the bottom right of the software, choose if you either want to just:
clean all
(wipe and re-install)
OR
clean all and lock
(wipe, reinstall and re-lock your bootloader)
Note: If you re-lock your bootloader but wish to unlock it again later, you won't have to wait the 7 days again.
Step 7
Finally, in the top right, click the flash button.
Now just wait a while, your phone will reboot on the stock rom and you're good to go!
Extras​
Spoiler: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Will unlocking my bootloader void my warranty?
A: No, it will not, it's easily reversable too, check the "Resetting your phone" tutorial.
Q: I rooted/EdXposed my phone and now Netflix won't even open, or doesn't work properly, what's up with that?
A: There's an easy fix if you have Magisk. Install the liboemcrypto disabler Magisk module, activate it and reboot.
Q: I tried unlocking my bootloader but, Mi Flash Unlock doesn't detect my phone, even though it's in fastboot mode and connected. Help?
A: Here are some things you can try:
Try another USB port.
Try another USB cable.
Install the Mi USB Drivers manually, they're included in the MiFlashUnlock folder.
Run the driver_install_64.exe, OR go to the driver folder, then the folder corresponding to your windows version, right click the android_winusb.inf and click Install.
In the Device Manager, check that the driver provider is Xiaomi.
If not, uninstall it and restart your computer.

RESERVED

Akitake said:
RESERVED
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I am also a user of RN9 Merlin.
I think we should add more details like
-how to flash official firmware(both from stock recovery, fastboot)
-should we need the same MIUI firmware that is there before we started booting custom ROM(GSI), if we need to go back to stock?
-what should happen if we interrupt the process in middle
-unlocking bootloader linux, macos or a link for the guide
-why we need to flash vbmeta.img?
-how to make vbmeta.img on our own(some are giving modified one, what is it?)
I know we need more and more time to do these, but these will help a newbie/noob/beginner for Xiaomi and rooting.
Thanks

HemanthJabalpuri said:
Hi,
I am also a user of RN9 Merlin.
I think we should add more details like
-how to flash official firmware(both from stock recovery, fastboot)
-should we need the same MIUI firmware that is there before we started booting custom ROM(GSI), if we need to go back to stock?
-what should happen if we interrupt the process in middle
-unlocking bootloader linux, macos or a link for the guide
-why we need to flash vbmeta.img?
-how to make vbmeta.img on our own(some are giving modified one, what is it?)
I know we need more and more time to do these, but these will help a newbie/noob/beginner for Xiaomi and rooting.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.Flashing official firmware is universal method for all devices through fastboot, And for recovery, we can't flash it yet since TWRP doesn't support dynamic partition yet.
2.No, you don't need the same firmware.
3.If you interrupt the process in between, the device would remain in fastboot Mode, and you can still restart the process.

Yxnq_Param said:
1.Flashing official firmware is universal method for all devices through fastboot, And for recovery, we can't flash it yet since TWRP doesn't support dynamic partition yet.
2.No, you don't need the same firmware.
3.If you interrupt the process in between, the device would remain in fastboot Mode, and you can still restart the process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard a term called "Anti Roll Back" from https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-5-pro/how-to/faq-questions-answered-t3816185
Are all our merlin ROMs have same version of anti roll back. That is are we able to flash MIUI 11 on MIUI 12?
Thanks

HemanthJabalpuri said:
I heard a term called "Anti Roll Back" from https://forum.xda-developers.com/redmi-note-5-pro/how-to/faq-questions-answered-t3816185
Are all our merlin ROMs have same version of anti roll back. That is are we able to flash MIUI 11 on MIUI 12?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anti-rollback is only an issue if you're trying to downgrade through the stock recovery (Vol + Up) or through MIUI's recovery (About Phone > MIUI Version > Three dots and there is an option there)
If you want to go back to MIUI 11 for some reason, you can, by flashing it through fastboot.
HemanthJabalpuri said:
Hi,
I am also a user of RN9 Merlin.
I think we should add more details like
-how to flash official firmware(both from stock recovery, fastboot)
-should we need the same MIUI firmware that is there before we started booting custom ROM(GSI), if we need to go back to stock?
-what should happen if we interrupt the process in middle
-unlocking bootloader linux, macos or a link for the guide
-why we need to flash vbmeta.img?
-how to make vbmeta.img on our own(some are giving modified one, what is it?)
I know we need more and more time to do these, but these will help a newbie/noob/beginner for Xiaomi and rooting.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - Google, this isn't Merlin specific.
2 - No, you can go back directly to the latest MIUI for your device.
3 - Just start over, your device will remain in fastboot, it's actually really safe.
4 - That's a niche demand, 99% of people use Windows and, if you use something else it's on you. If you're a Linux user, you're used googling information and it's not a problem. And for mac, well, worst case scenario use someone else's pc for 10 minutes.
5 - To prevent boot-loops. If you don't flash vbmeta, it won't boot.
6 - Read disclaimers, the tutorial literally tells you to take the vbmeta from the official rom. There's no such thing as a modified vbmeta, what matters is how we flash it with fastboot, disabling verifications.
Also this is my first post, and I'll add more as time goes on. But even as it is, I think it's miles better than what people care to create for most devices on XDA. It's also pretty detailed with images and such to reassure the user.

can someone help me?
So I wanted to unlock the bootloader
Did the
Turnn on OEM unlocking
Turn on USB debugging
Added my device on my account (the other thing to do in developer setting)
Boot into fastboot
The Mi unlock can't detect my device although the drivers are fine (I checked it in device manager) and I run it in administrator check the driver again in the software it says it is installed.
What can I do? Did I missed some steps?

markevan12 said:
can someone help me?
So I wanted to unlock the bootloader
Did the
Turnn on OEM unlocking
Turn on USB debugging
Added my device on my account (the other thing to do in developer setting)
Boot into fastboot
The Mi unlock can't detect my device although the drivers are fine (I checked it in device manager) and I run it in administrator check the driver again in the software it says it is installed.
What can I do? Did I missed some steps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here are some things you can try:
- Try another USB port.
- Try another USB cable.
- Install the Mi USB Drivers manually (included in the MiFlashUnlock folder, run the driver_install_64.exe, or go to the driver folder, then the folder corresponding to your windows version, right click the android_winusb.inf and click Install)
- In the Device Manager, check that the driver provider is Xiaomi. If not, uninstall it and restart your computer.

hi sir , can you tell the gsi rom install tutorial if we installed it from twrp?

fachrizoyy said:
hi sir , can you tell the gsi rom install tutorial if we installed it from twrp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will not support custom recovery's. I highly dislike them, and they're unofficial for Merlin as well.

Thx for the answer

Akitake said:
Here are some things you can try:
- Try another USB port.
- Try another USB cable.
- Install the Mi USB Drivers manually (included in the MiFlashUnlock folder, run the driver_install_64.exe, or go to the driver folder, then the folder corresponding to your windows version, right click the android_winusb.inf and click Install)
- In the Device Manager, check that the driver provider is Xiaomi. If not, uninstall it and restart your computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks but I solved it by moving the unlock folder to C:

Hey man. First of all I appreciate that you spent this much time for redmi note 9 users. I just want to know that how do I know that my device is merlin?

mirzanuman6612 said:
Hey man. First of all I appreciate that you spent this much time for redmi note 9 users. I just want to know that how do I know that my device is merlin?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, no problem!
Well, Merlin is just the codename for Redmi Note 9. So if you have a Redmi Note 9, you have a merlin.
BUT, keep in mind the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Pro Max and S are different and have their own section in the forums.

Akitake said:
Hey, no problem!
Well, Merlin is just the codename for Redmi Note 9. So if you have a Redmi Note 9, you have a merlin.
BUT, keep in mind the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Pro Max and S are different and have their own section in the forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thanks but one more thing, I tried unlocking the bootloader of my phone yesterday. I went into developer options and enabled the following options:
OEM unlocking
USB debugging
I also installed all the drivers needed in my pc and went into fastboot mode in my phone. But Xiaomis mi unlock can't recognise my device. I tried 2 different usb cables but the mi unlock just says, "your phone is not connected" I hope to get a reply from you and you will probably will be able to help me out.

mirzanuman6612 said:
Well, thanks but one more thing, I tried unlocking the bootloader of my phone yesterday. I went into developer options and enabled the following options:
OEM unlocking
USB debugging
I also installed all the drivers needed in my pc and went into fastboot mode in my phone. But Xiaomis mi unlock can't recognise my device. I tried 2 different usb cables but the mi unlock just says, "your phone is not connected" I hope to get a reply from you and you will probably will be able to help me out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I could, I will actually add a section to the FAQ soon for better driver installation, it's a driver issue.

Akitake said:
Yes I could, I will actually add a section to the FAQ soon for better driver installation, it's a driver issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alrighty, thanks for your replies.

mirzanuman6612 said:
Well, thanks but one more thing, I tried unlocking the bootloader of my phone yesterday. I went into developer options and enabled the following options:
OEM unlocking
USB debugging
I also installed all the drivers needed in my pc and went into fastboot mode in my phone. But Xiaomis mi unlock can't recognise my device. I tried 2 different usb cables but the mi unlock just says, "your phone is not connected" I hope to get a reply from you and you will probably will be able to help me out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had you tried moving the unlock folder to c:/ ?

markevan12 said:
Had you tried moving the unlock folder to c:/ ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate you replying to me. But, I already fixed it by installing windows 7 I had windows 10 before and it didn't seem to work on it so I installed windows 7 and it worked flawlessly. Btw, are you a user that has installed a custom rom? And if yes, then which one and is the performance any better?
Thanks.

mirzanuman6612 said:
I appreciate you replying to me. But, I already fixed it by installing windows 7 I had windows 10 before and it didn't seem to work on it so I installed windows 7 and it worked flawlessly. Btw, are you a user that has installed a custom rom? And if yes, then which one and is the performance any better?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope I didn't YET, I'm still waiting for the unlock to complete. I did tried treble roms in my other device. It just is basically have the same performance (LOSQ) but I had heating problems in my Samsung device, I expect a normal experience with this ROMs.

[Fluid OS][Android 11] Guide to install Fluid OS on Huawei Honor 6X

POST - v3
(This number will increase every time the post is updated.)​What's new in v3?
Added procedure in a new spoiler to install the base EMUI 8 for hi6250 devices as using the EMUI 8 we get with our device is causing some errors and bugs. Thanks to @Kentoto2021 and @VarianWrynn for testing and reporting this problem.
Spoiler: Version Changelog
What's new in v2?
Updated the thread with newly found bugs in "What isn't working" section.
Made small changes to thread.
What's new in v1?
Took a lot of time to collect the infinity stones.
Took even longer to make Mr. Thanos snap this thread to existence.
What's new in v0?
LoL Who knows?
This ROM is none of my work. I just tested it and provided appropriate procedure and fixes to errors(Found nothing yet).
Thanks a ton to @Hami_Do for making this possible. Original Post : link.
Thanks to Huawei for making their phones nearly unbrickable .
Thanks again to Huawei for making more than one device with hi6250 chipset.
Thanks a lot to @Djiban for helping me and testing different procedures, fixes and ROMs.
Follow this thread only if you know what you're doing. I'm not responsibe for any damage or thermonuclear wars .
Read the post completely and understand it before doing anything ATLEAST FOR THE SAKE OF MANKIND .
This thread is best viewed in PC and is Noob Friendly.​
Spoiler: Requirements
Requirements:
Huawei Honor 6X (Unlocked Bootloader. If not, follow this post (using PotatoNV) or YouTube video.
EMUI 8 (If not, you could follow this guide, direct file : link).
GSI from link.
TWRP from attachments or link or any other TWRP recovery compatible with Honor 6X EMUI 8.
Gapps(Optional, I used pico OpenGapps).
stock recovery (available in attachments).
Time.
PC.
ADB and Fastboot.
Patience.
Human Brain.
ALL IN ONE GUIDE : Check it out here. It contains every thing in detail all the way from bricked device -> EMUI 2 -> EMUI 5 -> EMUI 8 -> AOSP 10. Thanks to @lmaohelp for his effort and describing everything in detail.
Useful Information :
What is OpenGapps? Check it out at OpenGapps.org!
What is ARM64? it is a 64 bit operating system/platform.
What isn't working :
Usb Notification (Options will be greyed out. To transfer files, go to Developer Options > Default USB configuration > set it to File Transfer).
Dual sim is buggy. Single sim works perfectly. Thanks to @Loopeez for reporting it.
What's Working :
Everything.
*Tell me if something isn't working.
***If you have a bricked device/messed up somewhere during the process and unable to figure out what to do, follow this guide by @lmaohelp .***
Spoiler: Installing base EMUI 8 for hi6250 devices.
This was already described in a separate thread which describes the process to get back to EMUI 8 from custom ROMs. You can find it here.
Just follow the procedure in that thread. You need not even flash the frp unlock thing. After that, follow the process described in this thread.
It's recommended to be on original EMUI 8 before installing base EMUI 8 for hi6250. Follow the process linked in requirements to install EMUI 8 first then follow this spoiler.
Procedure :
Make sure your device is running stock EMUI 8.
Extract downloaded image using some xz extractor(7zip can also do this), copy it to pc.
Reboot your device to TWRP.
Format the data partition {Wipe > Format data > type "yes"}
Flash fstab.hi6250b.zip from attachments
Check if your device is detected by adb using
Code:
adb devices
.
Move the img file using adb to device
Code:
adb push -p *img-name*.img /sdcard/
(the img file must be in adb directory).
(Optional, only if you want gapps) Move Gapps in the same manner
Code:
adb push -p *gapps-name*.zip /sdcard/
(the zip file must be in adb directory).
Install img as system image {Install > Install Image > Select > Choose system image > Swipe➡}.
(Optional, only if you want gapps) Unmount and Remount system partition as writable. Go to wipe > advanced wipe > Choose system > resize > Swipe➡.
Flash gapps.
Flash stock recovery. Push it with adb using
Code:
adb push -p stock_recovery_ramdisk.img /sdcard/
and flash it with twrp as "Recovery" after choosing install image.
Disconnect your device from PC and reboot to recovery(stock one).
Clear cache partition and perform a factory reset(You'll get an error during factory reset but you have to do it) (your device will bootloop if wiped with twrp itself).
Reboot, Cross your fingers and wait.
>Booting is quite different in android 11 ROMs on our device. You'll see the "Your device has been unlocked" screen for more time than usual. Then, you'll see the boot animation (for very short time on subsequent boots) and the device will boot to ROM. So, be patient. (This isn't the case with ROMs upto android 10)
>Face Unlock is working perfectly
Spoiler: Additionals
Additionals:
>Its better to charge your device to atleast 70% before doing anything as you'll have ample of time to recover it if you messed up something. If not, you can still charge your device in eRecovery mode and twrp but i found some issues like heating up and slow charging.
>Don't forget to set ringtone, notification and other sounds from settings after booting.
Spoiler: Updates
Updates :
Nothing yet...
Happy Flashing !
{
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"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
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"lightbox_share": "Share",
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RESERVED​

Thx for keep looking for the best andorid 11 rom for Honor 6X. Installed it, no issue so far, testing it as a 2nd daily device. Let you know...
Below is my installation procedure using a microsdcard, quite the same as post #1 apart of that.
- on a micro SD card, download:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachments/twrp-img.5326857/
https://sourceforge.net/projects/darkjoker360-developements/files/Huawei/fstab.hi6250b.zip/download
https://forum.xda-developers.com/attachments/stock_recovery_ramdisk-img.5321325
FluidOS-1.1-Rum-R-Hi6250-emui8.img extracted with 7zip from https://mega.nz/#!jWQWEJ7Z!cd2S5oy2g8IdUuw5PfQEkSadslojBpFgB6ltUNOpc-w
OPTIONAL: pico gapps from https://sourceforge.net/projects/opengapps/files/arm64/test/20210110/
- insert the micro SD card in your usb debugging enabled Honor 6X (with EMUI 8 or custom rom installed over EMUI8), and connect it to a PC with adb & fastboot
- in adb, "adb reboot bootloader"
- in fastboot, "fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk TWRP.img"
- in fastboot, "fastboot reboot"
- after reboot completed, "adb reboot recovery"
- disconnect the honor 6x from the PC
- in TWRP recovery, Format the data partition {Wipe > Format data > type "yes"}
- in TWRP recovery, flash fstab.hi6250b.zip
- in TWRP Recovery, flash FluidOS-1.1-Rum-R-Hi6250-emui8.img {Install > Install Image > Select > Choose system image > Swipe}
- OPTIONNAL IF GAPPS WANTED: in TWRP recovery, Mount system partition (Mount > check system and unckeck read only OR reboot in recovery).And
resize system (Go to wipe > advanced wipe > Choose system > repair > resize). Then install open_gapps-arm64-11.0-pico-XXXXXXX.zip.
- in TWRP Recovery Flash STOCK_RECOVERY_RAMDISK.img {Install > Install Image > Select > Choose recovery image > Swipe}
- in TWRP recovery, reboot to recovery (even if TWRP says no OS installed)
- in Stock recovery, wipe cache and factory reset (error is normal)
- in Stock recovery, reboot and wait
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Rom is very nice so far , no issue yet!!!!

Djiban said:
Rom is very nice so far , no issue yet!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same with me.

Hello, do you know how can I factory reset in the Huawei ERecovery step at the end ?
I try to do it so but it keep reboot my phone to TWRP recovery, it's like I can't wipe data/factory reset my phone from the stock recovery.
Maybe TWRP is bloking it ? Should I disable something in the TWRP settings ?
Between thanks for yours work !

Kentoto2021 said:
Hello, do you know how can I factory reset in the Huawei ERecovery step at the end ?
I try to do it so but it keep reboot my phone to TWRP recovery, it's like I can't wipe data/factory reset my phone from the stock recovery.
Maybe TWRP is bloking it ? Should I disable something in the TWRP settings ?
Between thanks for yours work !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your mistake is that your using stock erecovery.
You have to use stock recovery. Meaning flashing the stock recovery provided in post 1 over the twrp recovery :
- in TWRP Recovery Flash STOCK_RECOVERY_RAMDISK.img {Install > Install Image > Select > Choose recovery image > Swipe}
- in TWRP recovery, reboot to recovery (even if TWRP says no OS installed)
- in Stock recovery, wipe cache and factory reset (error is normal)
- in Stock recovery, reboot and wait

Yep thanks, I forget to choose Recovery when I flash the stock recovery ramdisk, so my twrp install it on the last choice that it's system image
To resolve my problem I reinstall my previous system (EMUI 8 for honor 6x) and this time I wipe the david cache, system, cache ... after format the data partition
And I didn't install any OpenGAPPS and it works fine !
A little empty, but I will try without Google services to see if it sweet to me, it saved a lot of battery so that's nice !
Again, I thank you all of you for your amazing work thank you very much my honor 6x can still live haha
Edit : no it's too painfull without google services haha

Kentoto2021 said:
Yep thanks, I forget to choose Recovery when I flash the stock recovery ramdisk, so my twrp install it on the last choice that it's system image
To resolve my problem I reinstall my previous system (EMUI 8 for honor 6x) and this time I wipe the david cache, system, cache ... after format the data partition
And I didn't install any OpenGAPPS and it works fine !
A little empty, but I will try without Google services to see if it sweet to me, it saved a lot of battery so that's nice !
Again, I thank you all of you for your amazing work thank you very much my honor 6x can still live haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perform a factory reset after flashing gapps too.
Flashing gapps without factory reset crashed chromium based browsers on AOSP 10. This might not be the case with this rom but better do it.

Kentoto2021 said:
Yep thanks, I forget to choose Recovery when I flash the stock recovery ramdisk, so my twrp install it on the last choice that it's system image
To resolve my problem I reinstall my previous system (EMUI 8 for honor 6x) and this time I wipe the david cache, system, cache ... after format the data partition
And I didn't install any OpenGAPPS and it works fine !
A little empty, but I will try without Google services to see if it sweet to me, it saved a lot of battery so that's nice !
Again, I thank you all of you for your amazing work thank you very much my honor 6x can still live haha
Edit : no it's too painfull without google services haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android without Google services is more and more easy.
Aurora market is a good choice.
I have also some workaround for'GPS localisation and so....

Nevertheless, gapps working fine for me, no device lag cause of it ! All services active and working

Djiban said:
Nvertheless, gapps working fine for me, no device lag cause of it ! All services active and working
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same with me. And the power menu controls are just AWESOME.

Dang, I cannot go past installing Huawei USB COM driver to unlock my device (

jottect said:
Dang, I cannot go past installing Huawei USB COM driver to unlock my device (
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
? Didn't get you... Did you mean bootloader unlock? If yes, follow @lmaohelp 's guide mentioned in post 1. He described it very clearly.

Venkata Lochan Nune said:
? Didn't get you... Did you mean bootloader unlock? If yes, follow @lmaohelp 's guide mentioned in post 1. He described it very clearly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's clear, read the posts, watched YT video, but one of the steps is installing Huawei USB COM driver to replace the SER driver, and I already tried on 2 computers, Windows 10 (updated) fails to install that driver, and without it, PotatoNV won't 'see' the device.

Venkata Lochan Nune said:
Same with me. And the power menu controls are just AWESOME.
View attachment 5337621
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oooh how did you get that ?
I only have this :
Is it Gapps ? I use the nano one

Kentoto2021 said:
Is it Gapps ? I use the nano one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, there's an app on play store called "power menu controls" download that. And the other, you could use Tasker(also an app from play store) to create your custom controls like the ones I did for screen rotation.

jottect said:
Yes, it's clear, read the posts, watched YT video, but one of the steps is installing Huawei USB COM driver to replace the SER driver, and I already tried on 2 computers, Windows 10 (updated) fails to install that driver, and without it, PotatoNV won't 'see' the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what's the procedure you followed to install drivers?
Unzip the attached file, and choose "DriverSetup.exe" and that's it. uninstall these drivers after installing the rom using "DriverUninstall.exe" for mtp to work. The process will ask for reboot in some language(i think Chinese) after uninstalling but it isn't needed.
*These are also the fastboot drivers(but the name in attachments is testpoint drivers).

Kentoto2021 said:
Edit : no it's too painfull without google services haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed! I once tried using AOSP 10 with floss services and without Google ones but yeah it didn't last even a day... lol I flashed gapps within 5 hrs.

Venkata Lochan Nune said:
what's the procedure you followed to install drivers?
Unzip the attached file, and choose "DriverSetup.exe" and that's it. uninstall these drivers after installing the rom using "DriverUninstall.exe" for mtp to work. The process will ask for reboot in some language(i think Chinese) after uninstalling but it isn't needed.
*These are also the fastboot drivers(but the name in attachments is testpoint drivers).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a million! It worked., I just unlocked the bootloader, I did not have these drivers.
Now onto next steps... may take a while, I'm old and slow
Well, did not go too far... when trying to flash twrp (as per this guide:
), I'm getting an error:
fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk twrp.img
target reported max download size of 471859200 bytes
sending 'recovery_ramdisk' (24466 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.642s]
writing 'recovery_ramdisk'...
FAILED (remote: partition length get error)
finished.
Ideas?
P.S. I also tried
fastboot flash recovery twrp.img
target reported max download size of 471859200 bytes
sending 'recovery' (24466 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.642s]
writing 'recovery'...
FAILED (remote: image verification error)

Question Beginners step-by-step guide to installing Xiaomi.EU on POCO F3?

I have finally unlocked the bootloader (no guides mention it will wipe my phone at the same time!).
Now I am looking again at Roms, HentaiOS and ArrowOS were contenders but Xiaomi.EU sounds like the best of all factors, a Poco F3 centric, manufacturer update with added functionality and removed bloat.
I have watched several "guides" to install, including this one (
) and this one (
) both seem to assume that I am not retarded!
I would like a really easy, step-by-step guide to how to install this Rom.
Do I need to install ADB? Some people say to load the Xiaomi.EU rom in internal storage but to wipe the phone first, so how would I do that? Some say I should BOOT TWRP, others say I need to install it? huh?
There has to be a "explain it to me like im three years old", guide to this!? ACK!

ArghMonkey said:
I have finally unlocked the bootloader (no guides mention it will wipe my phone at the same time!).
Now I am looking again at Roms, HentaiOS and ArrowOS were contenders but Xiaomi.EU sounds like the best of all factors, a Poco F3 centric, manufacturer update with added functionality and removed bloat.
I have watched several "guides" to install, including this one (
) and this one (
) both seem to assume that I am not retarded!
I would like a really easy, step-by-step guide to how to install this Rom.
Do I need to install ADB? Some people say to load the Xiaomi.EU rom in internal storage but to wipe the phone first, so how would I do that? Some say I should BOOT TWRP, others say I need to install it? huh?
There has to be a "explain it to me like im three years old", guide to this!? ACK!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't "install" ADB and Fastboot. Those are protocols through which a PC can talk to an Android device for debugging purpose and other purposes like this.
The Fastboot Mode on an Android phone lets you deep system stuff, like modifying partitions (flashing, erasing, etc.)
ADB lets you do more high-level stuff, like removing system apps, granting/removing permissions to apps, pulling/pushing files from/onto storage.
To speak to those protocols, you need the portable Command Line Tools for ADB & Fastboot built by Google:
SDK Platform Tools release notes | Android Studio | Android Developers
Android SDK Platform-Tools is a component for the Android SDK.
developer.android.com
First, you unlock the bootloader (which factory-resets your phone, lol),
then you put the ROM zip-file (e.g. Xiaomi.eu Custom ROM) onto the phone storage,
then you reboot your phone into Fastboot Mode (POWER + Volume Down),
then, in Fastboot, you boot TWRP (a Custom Recovery):
Open Command Prompt inside the Platform-Tools folder,
do "fastboot boot TWRP.img" (assuming the TWRP file name is "TWRP.img")
then you flash the ROM inside TWRP,
then you format data & clear Dalvik Cache,
that's it. I hope I haven't forgotten anything.

I'd also like to include some Notes that I have made for myself in a text file:
ROM: xiaomifirmwareupdater.com/archive/miui/alioth/
Mi Flash: xiaomiflashtool.com
ADB & Fastboot: developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Xiaomi ADB & Fastboot Tools: github.com/Szaki/XiaomiADBFastbootTools
TWRP: https://forum.xda-developers.com/f/xiaomi-poco-f3-xiaomi-mi-11x-redmi-k40.12161/?prefix_id=33
Magisk: github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk
Poco F3 - Clean Install of Xiaomi.eu ROM:
Download Stock ROM (EEA Fastboot) & Xiaomi.eu Weekly
Delete Anti-Rollback Code from Flash_all.bat
Patch Xiaomi.eu boot.img with Magisk
Flash Stock ROM with Mi Flash
Boot System
Boot TWRP @Nebrassy
Flash Xiaomi.eu ROM
Format Data & Dalvik Cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

dreamytom said:
You don't "install" ADB and Fastboot. Those are protocols through which a PC can talk to an Android device for debugging purpose and other purposes like this.
The Fastboot Mode on an Android phone lets you deep system stuff, like modifying partitions (flashing, erasing, etc.)
ADB lets you do more high-level stuff, like removing system apps, granting/removing permissions to apps, pulling/pushing files from/onto storage.
To speak to those protocols, you need the portable Command Line Tools for ADB & Fastboot built by Google:
SDK Platform Tools release notes | Android Studio | Android Developers
Android SDK Platform-Tools is a component for the Android SDK.
developer.android.com
First, you unlock the bootloader (which factory-resets your phone, lol),
then you put the ROM zip-file (e.g. Xiaomi.eu Custom ROM) onto the phone storage,
then you reboot your phone into Fastboot Mode (POWER + Volume Down),
then, in Fastboot, you boot TWRP (a Custom Recovery):
Open Command Prompt inside the Platform-Tools folder,
do "fastboot boot TWRP.img" (assuming the TWRP file name is "TWRP.img")
then you flash the ROM inside TWRP,
then you format data & clear Dalvik Cache,
that's it. I hope I haven't forgotten anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job!
You could almost give us a guide on the dedicated "how to" section
However I read that to start twrp from fastboot using cmd you need to put the twrp(filename).img on the platform tool folder. Right?

RollDload said:
Good job!
You could almost give us a guide on the dedicated "how to" section
However I read that to start twrp from fastboot using cmd you need to put the twrp(filename).img on the platform tool folder. Right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yes, that command also assumes TWRP.img is inside the same folder.
What I do is drag 'n drop the TWRP file into the CMD-window. The full path to the TWRP-file will automatically be written in the CMD-window.

dreamytom said:
Oh yes, that command also assumes TWRP.img is inside the same folder.
What I do is drag 'n drop the TWRP file into the CMD-window. The full path to the TWRP-file will automatically be written in the CMD-window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remembered well then...
Thanks!
Since I rooted the galaxy s5 I try to carefully read as much information as possible before performing any modding operation.
Both from the positive and negative experiences of the users it is possible to avoid errors and bricks.
In a few hours I can unlock the bootloader and move to the stable of xiaomi.eu, I can't wait

I went from "miui stock 12.5.3" EEA to "xiaomi.eu stable 12.5.6." and everything went well!
The steps I took are as follows:
1) I have unlocked the bootloader;
2) I copied the image of the latest TWRPnebrassy recovery in C: \ platform-tools;
3) I copied the .zip file of xiaomi.eu-12.5.6 in the phone memory;
4) After enabling usb debug I restarted the phone in fastboot and connected it to the pc;
5) in the "C: \ platform-tools" folder, I started a cmd window;
6) in cmd I typed the following command
Code:
fastboot boot TWRP.img
Then the phone rebooted into TWRP;
7) "in TWRP" I went to "INSTALL" and selected the .zip file of the rom and started the flash;
8) Completed the flash (it takes a few minutes) I went to "WIPE" and I formatted "data";
9) Subsequently I rebooted in the system (the first start takes a few more minutes, wait);
Done;

Can vasishasht's TWRP be used instead of Nebrassy's?

Dhruv.m said:
Can vasishasht's TWRP be used instead of Nebrassy's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. They're both TWRP 3.5.2, but they are still different from each other.
With Vasishoth's you may get "Failed to mount" errors right at the start.
If you face any errors, you can always switch TWRP.

also, can this be flashed directly from an AOSP ROM?

@Dhruv.m Xiaomi.eu can't be dirty-flashed on an AOSP ROM, if that's your question.
There's a low chance that it may boot, but it'll be broken & unusable.

dreamytom said:
@Dhruv.m Xiaomi.eu can't be dirty-flashed on an AOSP ROM, if that's your question.
There's a low chance that it may boot, but it'll be broken & unusable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah I'm not asking that, I'm asking that do I need to go back to MIUI before flashing xiaomi.eu or can it be installed cleanly from an AOSP ROM?

Dhruv.m said:
Nah I'm not asking that, I'm asking that do I need to go back to MIUI before flashing xiaomi.eu or can it be installed cleanly from an AOSP ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right what @dreamytom says, I personally haven't tried vasishasht's, so I can't tell you.
I know that the xiaomi.eu flash works well if you start from the stock, starting from an aosp I don't know, errors could arise, so I would avoid.
I used the nebrassy one because the xiaomi.eu installation package flashes the nebrassy twrp, so it seemed like the right choice.
So I advise you to install the .eu starting from a stock miui.

(Guide) How to install a custom ROM PixelPlusUI on Redmi Note 9 (Merlin/MerlinNFC)

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How to install PixelPlusUI ROM on Redmi Note 9​This guide will teach you how to install PixelPlusUI into Redmi Note 9 merlin or merlin Nfc version.
This is a more detailed and straightforward guide based on the official guide of PixelPlusUI found on their Github page here.
This guide can be applied to other customs ROMs* e.g Pixel Experience etc. ​Yes, the process is exactly the same for pretty much any custom ROM you want to install to Redmi Note 9.
Installing Guide​In this guide, I will explain to you how and why we follow certain steps, so you can clearly understand every step, process, and risk of installing a custom ROM into a Redmi note 9. And avoid breaking your phone, bricking/hard bricking your phone: no operating system or a possible way to recover it, lost IMEI: can't make calls or receive.
In this guide, I will not explain to you how to unlock your bootloader! you can find plenty of guides online on how to do it and it's overall an easy job.
Before you start you will need to have an unlocked bootloader to be able to modify your system files. Once you have an unlocked phone you can start with the process of Flashing* a custom ROM.
The steps we have to follow are​--------------------------- Mandatory steps to be able to install a ROM, 1 - 7
1. Download Platform Tools*, A Custom Recovery*, and a modified VBMeta image, Mi-Flash to be able to downgrade MIUI, and the latest PixelPlusUI ROM which as of today is PixelPlusUI 3.9 for android 11 and PixelPlusUI 4.1 for Android 12.
2. Flash* recovery and VBMeta
3. Reboot into recovery
4. Backup IMEI
5. Downgrade your fastboot* into 12.0.3 version
6. Flash recovery and VBMeta
7. Reboot into recovery
--------------------------- Steps to install pretty much any ROM to Redmi Note 9, 8 - 11
8. Flash the latest firmware
9. Reboot into recovery
10. Wipe Dalvik/Art, Cache, Format Data
11. Flash PixelPlusUI ROM
---------------------------- Updating the ROM, 12 - 13
12. Update from 3.9 to 3.10.
13. Update to Android 12 with PixelPlusUI 4.1 (Optional) (Avoid for now cause it's unstable)
1. Once you have downloaded everything extract Platform Tools enter the folder where it contains all the necessary exes and run CMD inside this folder.
Turn off your phone, press the power and volume down button hold till your phone turns on, this will boot your phone into fastboot. Connect your phone via USB cable to your pc.
In CMD type "fastboot devices" without the annotations. it would output your phone right below with an ID and a fastboot label next to it.
if you are seeing "< waiting for device >" go to windows device manager, you'll find your phone in the other devices section with a yellow triangle. right-click it and click the first option to update the drivers, choose to select locally then Google => Android bootloader interface.
2. Now that we know fastboot is working and detecting our phone we have to flash the custom recovery.
copy the recovery file you downloaded, it should be an .img file, into the Platform Tools folder, in CMD now write "fastboot flash recovery recoveryname.img" without the annotations obviously, once its done, copy the vbmeta.img (might be named differently) also into the Platform Tools folder and write "fastboot --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img" as vbmeta.img the file you just copied. if this throws an error do "fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img" instead.
3-4. Now its time to backup our IMEI, if we don't back it up now, there's a change in the next step we lose access to make or receive phone calls, in case this happens we can flash back the IMEI and get it back to work. How do we back it up. While in fastboot, remove the usb cable, and turn off your phone, hold volume up and power till your phone turns on, wait till it boots into Recovery, if you accidentally boot normally into MIUI you will lose the recovery we installed before and it would roll back to stock xiaomi recovery, then you'll have to refollow step 2. Once in recovery, enter your pin and go to Tweaks, And tap the Imei backup, wait till its done, and then go back to the main menu, connect your phone via usb to your computer. your phone would pop up as a storage device, if nothing happens its because of the drives. go to windows device manager, you'll find your phone in the other devices section with a yellow triangle. right-click it and click the first option to update the drivers, choose to select locally then Google => Android ADB interface, Once it pop up enter into it and you'll find a folder called "imeibackup" copy that folder into your computer and keep it safe. this folder includes some partitions as img files and a zip file. the zip file is basically all the files archived into a single file, to be able to flash it later from recovery,
5. Time to downgrade your MIUI fastboot version, we have to do this, because if we don't downgrade we won't be able to install a custom ROM why? well, I actually down know, but pretty much flashing does nothing in the latest MIUI version 12.5 and so on, thankfully you can downgrade the MIUI version in the Redmi Note 9. The best version so far is the MIUI 12.0.3 and you only have to flash the fastboot image, The MIUI you gonna download has to be the same region as your phone e.g my phone is EU/Global i have to download the global fastboot image. if you miss-match them you won't be able to make or receive phone calls. Visit this page Visit this page find your regions "V12.0.3.0" MIUI version click on the very right "download" button, scroll down where it says "type:fastboot" bellow there a button "Download: Full ROM" the file ends with a tgz extension, extract the archive inside you'll find a folder named something like this "merlin_id_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QJOIDXM_20200807.0000.00_10.0_global" copy that folder into the root of your hard drive, rename it into merlin_id_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QJOIDXM
Install Mi-Flash, run Mi-Flash, click select and select the folder you copied into the root of your hard drive, on the bottom right corner flash_all_lock.bat change it into flash_all.bat this will prevent the bootloader from locking again, but it might destroy your IMEI partition, but thankfully we back it up in step 3-4. On your phone, while we left in recovery go to reboot => advanced => fastboot, once you are again in fastboot, connect your phone via a usb cable in to the computer in Mi-Flash press refresh, your phone will show up in the list, if not just follow again the drivers guide at the end of step 1. in Mi-Flash click flash next to refresh and wait till its done, the result should say success. Your phone will reboot and boot back to the old v12.0.3 MIUI version.
6-7-8-9. Now that we downgraded our phone is back to stock recovery and rom. we have to re-do some steps like installing the vbmeta and custom recovery.
Follow again the step 1 and 2. flash recovery and instead this time when flashing vbmeta.img just do "fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img", reboot into recovery mode, by turning off your phone,
and then holding volume up and power till it turns on, now we are back into custom recovery we just installed again, in recovery now we have to flash the latest firmware of redmi note 9, this is necessary for PixelPlusUI to work properly. Download the latest firmware for your region from here, you'll get a zip file, copy the file zip into the platform-tools folder, open cmd in this folder and this time we have to sideload the zip via ADB. in your phone go to advance and then tap on sideload, tap the checkmark to start adb, on your pc in cmd you opened before type "adb devices" if it shows your device similarly as the fastboot devices step we did before you can continue if not, do the driver guide in step 3-4, once you ready type "adb sideload firmwarefilename.zip" replace firmwarefilename.zip with the firmware you downloaded name. once the sideload is done, click the X go to reboot=>advanced=>recovery, we have to avoid booting into miui now so we don't lose our custom recovery, this will reboot your back to recovery.
10-11. Now back in recovery go to wipe and tap the bottom right button Wipe with an arrow. when it's done, go to advanced and then sideload, click the checkmark,
copy the PixelPlusUI_3.9.zip into the platform-tools folder, in cmd you have open from before do "adb sideload pixelplusUI_3.9.zip" wait till its done sideloading.
once it's done, turn off your phone, and boot it normally, you will be greeted with the P logo of pixelplusui, set up your phone normally, if you see "no sim card please insert sim" its possible you flashed the wrong MIUI region or you lost your IMEI, you can flash the IMEI zip you backed up using the recovery's option of sideload or by using the flash option. if this does not fix it, redo all the steps but this time using mi-flash flash the right MIUI fastboot region and firmware region.
12. Updating PixelPlusUI from 3.9 to 3.10 which seems to be the last version before it got discontinued, in your phone, go to settings, system, update, download the update, once its done downloading, do not install it, close settings, hold the power button tap advanced => recovery, in recovery go to flash, go back in a directory and find the folder data/System Update, inside there you'll find a zip file called PixePlusUI_v3.10_something something.zip, flash that file without wiping anything, when it's done, go back and then go to wipe, tap advanced wipe, select only Dalvik/ART Cache and Cache so you don't lose any data. reboot, Done! Never update using OTA auto-update.
13. (For now avoid cause it's unstable) Time to Upgrade to Android 12 with the official build of PixelPlusUI version 4.1
Download the build, Using ADB sideload the latest official firmware, then reboot into recovery, format data and then install the ROM, you can copy it into the device or sideload it.
Every time you want to update or re-install a ROM (Any ROM) to your Redmi Note 9 you have to refollow the following steps:​1. Flash the latest firmware, Reboot to recovery after flashing.
2. Wipe Dalvik/Art, Cache, Format Data ( Don't do it if you just upgrade )
3. Install desired ROM.
Platform tools is a suite made by google for developers, it contains adb and fastboot apps which help you with installing/wiping content and doing more development related stuff to your phone.
VBMeta.img is required to be flashed to allow installing custom recoveries if you don't flash it, it would reverse the installed recovery back to the default Xiaomi recovery.
Custom Recovery a custom recovery is basically a separate OS that you can use to factory reset your phone when you can't access the main OS, or in this case, install random tweaks and mess around with system files and partitions.
Flash or Flashing Basically installing system files, partitions etc. can be done using adb, fastboot or from recovery.
Fastboot Similarly to Recovery is an option where you can restore your phone when you cannot do using the recovery, which is why we use it to install the custom recovery in the first place.
Tips for people who want to mess around with custom ROMs.
Every time you want to re-install a ROM, you'll have to re-install the firmware, the best bet is the latest Xiaomi firmware. Also, formating data is necessary to avoid bugs.
Known Bugs:​When the fingerprint sensor is touched it won't let you gesture swipe to close an app.
When the NFC is enabled there's a tapping sound on the microphone.

It would be easier to build a custom rom than installing it.

VD171 said:
It would be easier to build a custom rom than installing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LMAO well, there's too much text to read. but it is totally worth it installing a custom ROM on redmi note 9

I see many people worried about that.
But I really prefer the stock MIUI, because it's so easier to me.
So, I can spend more time on xposed/lsposed and root/magisk.
Anyway, thank you very much for useful guide.
If somebody asks me again, I will send this guide

VD171 said:
I see many people worried about that.
But I really prefer the stock MIUI, because it's so easier to me.
So, I can spend more time on xposed/lsposed and root/magisk.
Anyway, thank you very much for useful guide.
If somebody asks me again, I will send this guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been developing games for android, and the redmi note 9 is my primary phone for it, because it is the middle ground of performance based on the average user. so as long the game runs well most people would be fine.
The thing is, MIUI with its ram management really makes me struggle, minimizing, and multitasking re-launches the game and System UI a lot of time freezes, nothing of those things ever happens with pixelplusUI, that's why I prefer it making me focus mostly on the GPU performance without getting bottlenecked by the heavy and nonoptimized os.

Well, well.
I understand you.
I confess that I've never played nothing at any android I've ever had, since my first android in 2014.
Really interesting to know about that.
I like the ram management because I don't have to close everything by myself.
My brother and my mother keeps everything on memory and management keeps to the system.
My brother has an iphone (sadly) and my mother has a Redmi Note 10.
I agree that the management by MIUI is excessive and should be more customizable.

Hello again, I'm considering to follow this guide.
Does this need no special setup? No SP Flash Tool? No bypass? Just flash in fastboot directly?
Considering the amount of EDL bypass tutorials out there it looks overly simple.
Can you confirm this works for Mediatek Redmi Note 9 without previous setup?
Thanks for the guide.

By the way, are we safe from ARP (Anti Rollback Protection)? I've seen both my current ROM and the target miui have an ARB version of 2 so it should be safe, but still I want to be sure.

Hello, i flashed miui 12.0.3 but it doesnt want to boot, stuck in bootloop, fortunately it boots into recovery, i wiped data and factory reset but it still doesnt want to boot, how do i fix it?

SOLVED: step 5 is faulty, you need to go to stock fastboot using vol - and power and not using the SHRP menu! i was trying to get it to work for 3 hours and i fund the solution, happy flashing!

NewtonPL said:
SOLVED: step 5 is faulty, you need to go to stock fastboot using vol - and power and not using the SHRP menu! i was trying to get it to work for 3 hours and i fund the solution, happy flashing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing faulty there you did not read the whole step. It says "downgrade using MI-Flash software", not using a custom recovery. Read the step properly and completely.

0xSteeW said:
By the way, are we safe from ARP (Anti Rollback Protection)? I've seen both my current ROM and the target miui have an ARB version of 2 so it should be safe, but still I want to be sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea it's safe I've downgraded from miui 12.5.5 to miui 12.0.1 and its totally safe. You can use miflash to downgrade

0xSteeW said:
Hello again, I'm considering to follow this guide.
Does this need no special setup? No SP Flash Tool? No bypass? Just flash in fastboot directly?
Considering the amount of EDL bypass tutorials out there it looks overly simple.
Can you confirm this works for Mediatek Redmi Note 9 without previous setup?
Thanks for the guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edl bypass is only needed of you brick your device or it doesn't boot into fastboot or for taking backup kinda stuff.
Otherwise miflash does the job

thanks.

All works, thanks for the very detailed guide!
Quick question: do I have to flash with sideload or can I flash with SHRP?

I installed miui 12.0.1. will there be any difference if I use miui12.0.1 instead of 12.0.3?

Manjotbenipal said:
I installed miui 12.0.1. will there be any difference if I use miui12.0.1 instead of 12.0.3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any ROM before 12.5 is ok

vagelis199 said:
View attachment 5566615​How to install PixelPlusUI ROM on Redmi Note 9​This guide will teach you how to install PixelPlusUI into Redmi Note 9 merlin or merlin Nfc version.
This is a more detailed and straightforward guide based on the official guide of PixelPlusUI found on their Github page here.
This guide can be applied to other customs ROMs* e.g Pixel Experience etc. ​Yes, the process is exactly the same for pretty much any custom ROM you want to install to Redmi Note 9.
Installing Guide​In this guide, I will explain to you how and why we follow certain steps, so you can clearly understand every step, process, and risk of installing a custom ROM into a Redmi note 9. And avoid breaking your phone, bricking/hard bricking your phone: no operating system or a possible way to recover it, lost IMEI: can't make calls or receive.
In this guide, I will not explain to you how to unlock your bootloader! you can find plenty of guides online on how to do it and it's overall an easy job.
Before you start you will need to have an unlocked bootloader to be able to modify your system files. Once you have an unlocked phone you can start with the process of Flashing* a custom ROM.
The steps we have to follow are​--------------------------- Mandatory steps to be able to install a ROM, 1 - 7
1. Download Platform Tools*, A Custom Recovery*, and a modified VBMeta image, Mi-Flash to be able to downgrade MIUI, and the latest PixelPlusUI ROM which as of today is PixelPlusUI 3.9 for android 11 and PixelPlusUI 4.1 for Android 12.
2. Flash* recovery and VBMeta
3. Reboot into recovery
4. Backup IMEI
5. Downgrade your fastboot* into 12.0.3 version
6. Flash recovery and VBMeta
7. Reboot into recovery
--------------------------- Steps to install pretty much any ROM to Redmi Note 9, 8 - 11
8. Flash the latest firmware
9. Reboot into recovery
10. Wipe Dalvik/Art, Cache, Format Data
11. Flash PixelPlusUI ROM
---------------------------- Updating the ROM, 12 - 13
12. Update from 3.9 to 3.10.
13. Update to Android 12 with PixelPlusUI 4.1 (Optional) (Avoid for now cause it's unstable)
1. Once you have downloaded everything extract Platform Tools enter the folder where it contains all the necessary exes and run CMD inside this folder.
Turn off your phone, press the power and volume down button hold till your phone turns on, this will boot your phone into fastboot. Connect your phone via USB cable to your pc.
In CMD type "fastboot devices" without the annotations. it would output your phone right below with an ID and a fastboot label next to it.
if you are seeing "< waiting for device >" go to windows device manager, you'll find your phone in the other devices section with a yellow triangle. right-click it and click the first option to update the drivers, choose to select locally then Google => Android bootloader interface.
2. Now that we know fastboot is working and detecting our phone we have to flash the custom recovery.
copy the recovery file you downloaded, it should be an .img file, into the Platform Tools folder, in CMD now write "fastboot flash recovery recoveryname.img" without the annotations obviously, once its done, copy the vbmeta.img (might be named differently) also into the Platform Tools folder and write "fastboot --disable-verification flash vbmeta vbmeta.img" as vbmeta.img the file you just copied. if this throws an error do "fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img" instead.
3-4. Now its time to backup our IMEI, if we don't back it up now, there's a change in the next step we lose access to make or receive phone calls, in case this happens we can flash back the IMEI and get it back to work. How do we back it up. While in fastboot, remove the usb cable, and turn off your phone, hold volume up and power till your phone turns on, wait till it boots into Recovery, if you accidentally boot normally into MIUI you will lose the recovery we installed before and it would roll back to stock xiaomi recovery, then you'll have to refollow step 2. Once in recovery, enter your pin and go to Tweaks, And tap the Imei backup, wait till its done, and then go back to the main menu, connect your phone via usb to your computer. your phone would pop up as a storage device, if nothing happens its because of the drives. go to windows device manager, you'll find your phone in the other devices section with a yellow triangle. right-click it and click the first option to update the drivers, choose to select locally then Google => Android ADB interface, Once it pop up enter into it and you'll find a folder called "imeibackup" copy that folder into your computer and keep it safe. this folder includes some partitions as img files and a zip file. the zip file is basically all the files archived into a single file, to be able to flash it later from recovery,
5. Time to downgrade your MIUI fastboot version, we have to do this, because if we don't downgrade we won't be able to install a custom ROM why? well, I actually down know, but pretty much flashing does nothing in the latest MIUI version 12.5 and so on, thankfully you can downgrade the MIUI version in the Redmi Note 9. The best version so far is the MIUI 12.0.3 and you only have to flash the fastboot image, The MIUI you gonna download has to be the same region as your phone e.g my phone is EU/Global i have to download the global fastboot image. if you miss-match them you won't be able to make or receive phone calls. Visit this page Visit this page find your regions "V12.0.3.0" MIUI version click on the very right "download" button, scroll down where it says "type:fastboot" bellow there a button "Download: Full ROM" the file ends with a tgz extension, extract the archive inside you'll find a folder named something like this "merlin_id_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QJOIDXM_20200807.0000.00_10.0_global" copy that folder into the root of your hard drive, rename it into merlin_id_global_images_V12.0.3.0.QJOIDXM
Install Mi-Flash, run Mi-Flash, click select and select the folder you copied into the root of your hard drive, on the bottom right corner flash_all_lock.bat change it into flash_all.bat this will prevent the bootloader from locking again, but it might destroy your IMEI partition, but thankfully we back it up in step 3-4. On your phone, while we left in recovery go to reboot => advanced => fastboot, once you are again in fastboot, connect your phone via a usb cable in to the computer in Mi-Flash press refresh, your phone will show up in the list, if not just follow again the drivers guide at the end of step 1. in Mi-Flash click flash next to refresh and wait till its done, the result should say success. Your phone will reboot and boot back to the old v12.0.3 MIUI version.
6-7-8-9. Now that we downgraded our phone is back to stock recovery and rom. we have to re-do some steps like installing the vbmeta and custom recovery.
Follow again the step 1 and 2. flash recovery and instead this time when flashing vbmeta.img just do "fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img", reboot into recovery mode, by turning off your phone,
and then holding volume up and power till it turns on, now we are back into custom recovery we just installed again, in recovery now we have to flash the latest firmware of redmi note 9, this is necessary for PixelPlusUI to work properly. Download the latest firmware for your region from here, you'll get a zip file, copy the file zip into the platform-tools folder, open cmd in this folder and this time we have to sideload the zip via ADB. in your phone go to advance and then tap on sideload, tap the checkmark to start adb, on your pc in cmd you opened before type "adb devices" if it shows your device similarly as the fastboot devices step we did before you can continue if not, do the driver guide in step 3-4, once you ready type "adb sideload firmwarefilename.zip" replace firmwarefilename.zip with the firmware you downloaded name. once the sideload is done, click the X go to reboot=>advanced=>recovery, we have to avoid booting into miui now so we don't lose our custom recovery, this will reboot your back to recovery.
10-11. Now back in recovery go to wipe and tap the bottom right button Wipe with an arrow. when it's done, go to advanced and then sideload, click the checkmark,
copy the PixelPlusUI_3.9.zip into the platform-tools folder, in cmd you have open from before do "adb sideload pixelplusUI_3.9.zip" wait till its done sideloading.
once it's done, turn off your phone, and boot it normally, you will be greeted with the P logo of pixelplusui, set up your phone normally, if you see "no sim card please insert sim" its possible you flashed the wrong MIUI region or you lost your IMEI, you can flash the IMEI zip you backed up using the recovery's option of sideload or by using the flash option. if this does not fix it, redo all the steps but this time using mi-flash flash the right MIUI fastboot region and firmware region.
12. Updating PixelPlusUI from 3.9 to 3.10 which seems to be the last version before it got discontinued, in your phone, go to settings, system, update, download the update, once its done downloading, do not install it, close settings, hold the power button tap advanced => recovery, in recovery go to flash, go back in a directory and find the folder data/System Update, inside there you'll find a zip file called PixePlusUI_v3.10_something something.zip, flash that file without wiping anything, when it's done, go back and then go to wipe, tap advanced wipe, select only Dalvik/ART Cache and Cache so you don't lose any data. reboot, Done! Never update using OTA auto-update.
13. (For now avoid cause it's unstable) Time to Upgrade to Android 12 with the official build of PixelPlusUI version 4.1
Download the build, Using ADB sideload the latest official firmware, then reboot into recovery, format data and then install the ROM, you can copy it into the device or sideload it.
Every time you want to update or re-install a ROM (Any ROM) to your Redmi Note 9 you have to refollow the following steps:​1. Flash the latest firmware, Reboot to recovery after flashing.
2. Wipe Dalvik/Art, Cache, Format Data ( Don't do it if you just upgrade )
3. Install desired ROM.
Platform tools is a suite made by google for developers, it contains adb and fastboot apps which help you with installing/wiping content and doing more development related stuff to your phone.
VBMeta.img is required to be flashed to allow installing custom recoveries if you don't flash it, it would reverse the installed recovery back to the default Xiaomi recovery.
Custom Recovery a custom recovery is basically a separate OS that you can use to factory reset your phone when you can't access the main OS, or in this case, install random tweaks and mess around with system files and partitions.
Flash or Flashing Basically installing system files, partitions etc. can be done using adb, fastboot or from recovery.
Fastboot Similarly to Recovery is an option where you can restore your phone when you cannot do using the recovery, which is why we use it to install the custom recovery in the first place.
Tips for people who want to mess around with custom ROMs.
Every time you want to re-install a ROM, you'll have to re-install the firmware, the best bet is the latest Xiaomi firmware. Also, formating data is necessary to avoid bugs.
Known Bugs:​When the fingerprint sensor is touched it won't let you gesture swipe to close an app.
When the NFC is enabled there's a tapping sound on the microphone.
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I'm on miui12.0.1 and want to install pixel experience android 10 with shrp.
Do I need to flash the vendor if I don't want to install pixel experience via sideload and is it necessary to disable avb 2.0 after flashing vendor and custom rom?

I cant boot into the recovery mentioned in this step, what do I do?
“6-7-8-9. Now that we downgraded our phone is back to stock recovery and rom. we have to re-do some steps like installing the vbmeta and custom recovery.
Follow again the step 1 and 2. flash recovery and instead this time when flashing vbmeta.img just do “fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img”, reboot into recovery mode, by turning off your phone,“

how long it take to flash redmi note 9? already 1000 seconds passed and its still flashing