After an incorrect reflash, your smartphone is almost “bricked”? Or do you want to upgrade to a newer version, but the updates stopped coming over the air long ago? A special mode that exists on Xiaomi mobile devices will help here. But not everyone knows how to flash Xiaomi phone through Fastboot, what you need, and what problems may arise.
What is needed
Before you start flashing your phone through Fastboot, you need to prepare a little bit:
- Check that the phone successfully works with the PC via USB cable, and install all the necessary drivers if it’s not.
- Install the special program MiFlash, also called MIUI ROM Flashing (there will be a link along the way).
- And, of course, you can’t do without the firmware file itself. You must choose either the global version or the version for flashing in Fastboot mode. The download should only take place from the MIUI website and only for your specific model! The required file extension is “.tgz”. If you find a “.gz ” file, rename it.
- Don’t forget that we need an unlocked bootloader for successful loading. Is the Bootloader not working? Check our separate article on this topic.
Step-by-step guide on how to flash Xiaomi with Fastboot
Now proceed directly to the flashing of the Xiaomi smartphone, which will take place through the computer. The phone should remain at least 60-70% of the charge.
Step 1: Install MiFlash and drivers
Before installing the MIUI ROM Flashing Tool on your PC or laptop, you should have turned off the driver signature check digitally, but this requirement is no longer relevant. MiFlashSetup_eng.msi.
- Download the MiFlashSetup_eng.msi file.
- Run the file and start installing the program. Choose the installation path to your system drive C (if you asked for the installation location), and wait until it is finished.
- Now activate the utility XiaoMiFlash.exe using the icon on your desktop.
- Check if all drivers are installed again.
- Reboot the computers so that all the performed actions will have an effect.
A small note: this article uses MiFlash version 2017.04.25. The developer’s website xiaomiflash.com has a version from 2018.11.15, but there are some problems with it. The new version also does not require installation and restarting the PC, it is portable and works immediately after unpacking.
Step 2: Unlock the bootloader
Unlocking the bootloader has been greatly simplified recently. There is no need to apply to the official Xiaomi service and wait a few days for a positive decision, which might not have been. Now users can immediately proceed to the activation of the bootloader. Let’s describe a brief instruction:
- The first and most important thing is to link the phone to the Mi-account. Below are the screenshots. Everything is shown in detail.
- Now we have to wait until the 360 hours pass, and then we can continue.
- After that, we need another utility, namely Mi Flash Unlock. You can find it on XDA Developersor the official Xiaomi website.
- After opening the program as an administrator, put the device into Fastboot mode(turn the phone off, wait for about a minute and press the volume minus button with the shutdown button) and connect it to your PC. It will start reading information.
At the end of the process, you should see three green dots, which is a sign that Bootloader is successfully unlocked. Done. Don’t forget that you can find detailed instructions on our website.
Step 3: Choose the right firmware
I want to focus on choosing the right firmware archive for your Xiaomi. Fastboot flashing requires a special archive. It will be suitable for both Mi Flash and ADB Platform tools methods of installing new firmware.
Download the archive with the firmware from the MIUI forum. If this page won’t have your model, you will need to go to XDA Developers, and there in the topic heading of the forum, you will find a link to download the archive with firmware for Fastboot mode from the official source.
Step 4: Put phone into Fastboot mode and connect to PC
When the preparations are completed, we take the mobile device, turn it off, and wait a minute to stop all processes on the phone. Now we start Fastboot mode on the phone.
This is done as follows: press the power key and the volume rocker. Hold it until there is a hare in earflaps, which is repairing Android. Now you can connect the device to the PC.
Connect the phone to the PC only after activating Fastboot mode, otherwise there will be an error!
Step 5: Launch Mi Flash program and flash Xiaomi
Now a few important steps.
- Unzip the archive with the firmware with any available archiver. The archive will need to unpack 1-2 times! Afterward, move a folder with all the firmware files to the “flash” folder to keep the path shorter.
- Transfer files to the root of your system drive to the flash folder (you will need to create it). There must be only LATIN letters in the path to the firmware files (example: C:flash).
Next, launch the MiFlash shortcut from the desktop. Click on the “Select” button in the upper left corner and specify the path to the firmware. Confirm with “OK “. Refresh the list of connected devices using the “Refresh” button. We go down below, where we see the items:
- Clean all – deletes all files from the device without the possibility of recovery;
- Save user data – does not touch the user data;
- Clean all and lock – completely cleans the smartphone and locks the bootloader.
Be very careful here! It is best to choose the first option so that nothing interferes with the process. Also, be sure to perform a backup before starting the operation. Reset the backup files to your computer since the SD card also has the risk of being suddenly emptied during an incorrect reflash process.
Carry out the final action – press “Flash“. The reflashing process begins. You can’t disconnect the smartphone from the PC until the “Success” message appears in the “Result” field.
The procedure may take some time, and performing any actions with the phone is strictly prohibited during this period. After the operation, the mobile device will reboot and start on the new version.
Possible problems
If the firmware is not installed or the phone doesn’t start after the update, pay attention to the following possible reasons and ways to solve them:
- Damaged firmware file. The archive may have been downloaded from an unreliable source or unpacked incorrectly. See our sequential video tutorial. Download another version and disable the antivirus. Otherwise, it will delete the necessary elements.
- The phone is completely discharged during reflashing process. This happens if less than 30% of the charge remains at the operation’s beginning. Don’t connect your smartphone to the charger right away if you’ve reflashed it recently. Disassemble the phone and remove the battery (in this case, disassembly is impossible), and insert it again after 10-15 minutes. Try to turn it on. Does it not work? Then put it on charging and in half an hour try again.
- A damaged cable or dirty USB plug. The most trivial but fairly common cause. The wires burned out. A foreign object got into the port, the cable cord – and now any successful connection to the computer is out of the question.
FAQ
What is MiFlash Pro, is it an improved version of the program?
It is a new tool that has advanced and useful functions for users. For example, the set of firmware for a specific mobile device model directly in the program, the ability to reflash with inactive bootloader, and restore the graphic key and password if you forget it. But please note that this software is unavailable to all owners and does not work with all phones.
How to install Xiaomi phone firmware via recovery?
This topic will be covered in a separate article soon. In the meantime, you can learn a little more about TWRP Recovery.
As you can see, flashing a Xiaomi phone through Fastboot is quite realistic. Yes, it requires a little time, responsibility, and attention, but the result will not disappoint you.
