MiFlash: how to use, firmware features, possible problems and expert advice

MiFlash is a program created by Xiaomi developers for the phone. It is comparable to Samsung's Odin. It also installs the drivers necessary to enter fast boot mode. The official Miui issues new ROMs for development every week. The software has various utilities that can be used when the terminal is not working properly or the phone has been briquetted.

Appointment XiaoMi Flash

MIUI is an operating system created by Xiaomi Tech, in which it provides hardware and also controls all the software contents: MIUI, Mi Talk, MiHome.

Before using MiFlash, they enter Fastboot mode on the device. Login Mode:

1. Xiaomi M1: power + volume key + camera key.
2. Xiaomi M2: power + volume down key.

The tool works through the fastboot connection with the device in order to erase or flash the software. This will help restore the standard MIUI firmware on Xiaomi / Redmi devices, manually update the latest software version and fix a problem such as boot cycles.

Before using MiFlash, you need to download a program for Windows 10/8/7, the developer provides free access links to download all versions of Mi Flash. The latest version is available for download v7.4.25:

1. Mi Flash Tool v2018.5.28.0. Portable, no need to install it, just unpack and use.
2. Mi FT v7.4.25.
3. Mi FT v6.12.22.
4. Mi FT v6.8.30.
5. Mi FT v6.4.1.
6. Mi FT v5.10.28.
7. Mi FT v5.7.31.
8. Mi FT v5.6.1.
9. Mi FT v4.5.9.

After the user successfully downloads the program, you need to proceed to install on the device.

Features Flash Xiaomi Mi Tool

Firmware via MiFlash is used if you need to fix problems with charging the battery, application errors, OTA errors, boot cycles, bricks. This useful tool in many cases performs a clean installation.

For security reasons, Android deletes all the data that is on the device, such as photos, applications. Therefore, before using MiFlash, it is recommended to make backup copies of images on a computer.

The tool is specifically designed for Qualcomm Xiaomi and Redmi devices to quickly load flash ROMs. Features of the program:

1. Easy to use. The installer is available in Windows format (.msi).
2. Comes with built-in USB drivers that the user will need for a successful connection between the PC and the device.
3. Firmware via MiFlash supports several Qualcomm chipset devices.
4. It has several modes. By default, the utility offers three different modes: clear all, save user data, clear all and block.
5. The tool allows you to connect and flash several devices at the same time, they make a decision about this before using MiFlash.

Sources for downloading programs

If a user wants to install MIUI Fastboot ROM on a Xiaomi / Redmi device, he will need a special tool to complete this process. You can download the Mi Flash Tool for Windows 10, 8, and 7.

Xiaomi, unlike other major smartphone manufacturers, provides links to download stock firmware for all of its devices. Before flashing through MiFlash, select the latest version of the ROM package and install it on the phone. Now there are two types of files that Xiaomi uses:

1. ROM for recovery.
2. Fastboot ROM.

When installing Fastboot ROM, all sections of the device are updated with new ones, which returns the device to its factory state. But for this you will need a special tool provided by the manufacturer. First of all, before flashing through MiFlash, download the necessary files:

1. ADB drivers.
2. ADB v.1.4.3 (recommended).
3. ADB FOLDER (to use the command).
4. ROMS FASTBOOT MI A2.
5. ROMS FASTBOOT MY A2 LITE.

Terms of Use My Flash

After all the files have been downloaded to the computer, you can proceed to the MiFlash firmware Xiaomi Mi A2 or Mi A2 Lite to activate USB debugging and OEM unlocking. To do this, go to "Settings"> "Phone Information"> "Collection Number" and press it several times. The developer menu opens, where two options are activated.

Then install the ADB V1.4.3 file on the computer, which contains the ADB and fastboot drivers. Next, unzip the selected fastboot ROM folder and the same with the ADB folder. To make this easier, you can put the ADB folder files in the ROM folder and copy the copy to the root of the hard drive (C :) with a short name without spaces.

After Xiaomi MiFlash is installed, open the application on behalf of the administrator to avoid errors or conflicts and, when the phone is connected, click "update". Find the ROM folder with the files of the ADB folder on the hard drive (C :) of the system, selecting it from My Flash in the select option. In the lower left corner there are three options, select the CLEAN AND LOCK option. It will install the OS in its purest form and unlock the bootloader. Next, click on the "flash" button and wait for the end of the process.

Bootloader unlock

In order to perform Xiaomi firmware via MiFlash, the first thing you need to do is unlock the bootloader. It may be a little difficult for the user, but if the procedures are followed correctly, the result will be positive.

Being in the ROM folder with the ADB files in the root of C, you need to press shift and open the PowerShell window with the mouse. In order to enter fastboot, disconnect the device and simultaneously press the volume button down with the power button.

To open the bootloader, enter fastboot oem unlock. The bootloader will ask you to confirm the action, followed by deleting the data, the user confirms “yes” using the volume and power buttons to confirm. After selecting the phone will restart with the deletion of all data.

They skip the initial configuration after a restart and turn on the developer settings again, as well as USB debugging. Reboot fastboot and enter fastboot flashing unlock_critical. After rebooting, you will have to skip the initial configuration to start USB debugging.

Global ROM without unlocking

Sometimes when flashing My Flash Tool, for example, version 6.8.30, it does not allow flashing, giving an error: "the length cannot be less than zero."

The solution to this problem was to uninstall when installing the beta version of My Flash. After the installer is downloaded MiFlashSetup-Beta.msi, launch it and confirm “Next”. During the installation process, they receive several warnings that Windows cannot check the driver, but ignore this message by selecting the “Install” option. Once the installation process is complete, direct access to the application on the desktop appears.

Unpacking algorithm of the official Global ROM:

1. Download the official multilingual Global ROM for Redmi 4 MiFlash PRO. Choose from the list with various Xiaomi mobile models until it is found: “Download the Fastboot file of the latest global version of Redmi 4 Prime”. Click and start downloading, about 1.6 GB.
2. Create a folder called Xiaomi on the desktop and unzip the file with the extension .tgz. The file is easily unpacked using WinRar, creating a folder with all the necessary MiFlash PRO files.
3. Launch XiaoMi Flash using the shortcut on the desktop and click the "Select" button on the folder created when unzipping the .tgz file.

Windows installation

Before flashing MiFlash, install the fastboot ROM that was previously selected. Delete everything that is in the internal memory of the phone. Choose the path by which the “fastboot Rom” has been unzipped, and indicate the route. In the first version of Fastboot Script, it is possible to delete the "internal SD". After installing MiPhone, a folder will be created in C: \ Program Files Xiaomi \ MiPhone, for the 64-bit version. Inside they find MiFlash.

MiFlash - instruction:

1. First of all, they install mobile drivers on a PC.
2. First make sure that the "USB" debugging parameter is enabled in the settings >> advanced settings >> development parameters.
3. Press MIUI version several times in settings >> information about the phone and USB, which is displayed in orange.
4. Connect the USB cable to M2 or to any Xiaomi, and it will appear on the screen.
5. Inside the computer, the Xiaomi (F :) block will appear. Each operating system has its own installation method, in XP you need to click on Setup.exe, in Vista and above it is installed automatically when you connect the cable to your phone, and on Mac OS you need to install the AndroidFileTransfer.dmg file.
6. After installation, the drivers should remain on portable MI2 devices with the logo and name of the portable media player.
7. To use MiFlash, you need a fast download of Rom, Rom TG and an unpacked ROM. The latest versions of Fastboot rom come in a compressed .tgz format, so to unzip them, right-click and extract them anywhere. For example, ROM: dior_global_images_6.7.29, ROM will correspond to the device.
8. Create a folder called dior_global_images_6.7.29, go inside and copy the address in the MiFlash browser. The address that goes from C: \ to the folder where Fastboot rom is located should not have empty space. Example: C: \ en_la_direccion \ no_espacio_en_blanco \ dior_global_6.7.29. You also need to copy the compressed folder, shorten the name without spaces and move to the root C.
9. They enter Xiaomi in the fast boot mode from the turned off device and using the volume down and power down buttons, plug in a USB cable, then MiFlash program update confirmation will be received. Further, you can select various formatting options, but the most recommended is FLASH_ALL for a clean installation.
10. The process takes several minutes depending on the computer, device and ROM, the phone will reboot with the version of fastboot that is selected.

PC driver updates

Drivers update if the user cannot install Fastboot rom. To do this, go to the "Device Manager" on the PC. When the mobile phone is connected to the PC in Fastboot mode, in the Android USB interface and using the additional button “Update driver”, the function will automatically search for updated driver software and execute it by changing the driver name.

If the user has problems in Windows 8, which the phone cannot recognize and the user cannot use My Flash, do the following:

1. In Windows 8, it is required to verify the digital signature of the drivers, without completing this step, the OS does not make it possible to install drivers, so you need to disable this function.
2. Press the Win + R key to run the redundancy run, which will be used to enter the following command: shutdown.exe / r / o / f / t 00.
3. This command will restart the computer and show a number of parameters in which they select the following: “Solve problems”, “Advanced parameters”, “Start settings”, “Restart”.
4. When the OS asks you to select a number, press 7, this will restart the computer again.
5. Install MiFlash and do everything that is required in the manual.

Mandatory Terms of Use

In order to use the program correctly, the prerequisites are:

1. First of all, before starting work, you need to backup all the data, since MiFlash will erase apk data and configuration. MiFlash is used to flash download Roms, it does not need to be used daily.
2. You must enter Rom, change the name for the update, and put it in the root of the internal storage. Fastboot Roms is not included in .exe, but in the .tgz extension, which must be extracted as a ZIP file with the right mouse button.
3. Before starting the installation, do not forget to remove any previous version. Flash only supports Windows 7 or higher with a 32-bit and 64-bit architecture. Windows XP or lower supports Qualcomm devices. MiFlash Tool also does not support MTK (MediaTek).
4. To use, first make sure the phone bootloader is unlocked.
5. Before flashing MiFlash Xiaomi, they carry out a full backup of the phone, having previously saved all its data on a PC.
6. Install the ADB and Fastboot drivers on a Windows computer (MIUI Source Link).
7. Turn on USB debugging mode. Go to settings> About phone> find the version of Miui and press it seven times. The message “You have enabled the developer option” appears.
8. Go to the main settings.
9. Open "Advanced Settings" and "Developer Options" to enable.
10. Scroll down the list to find the USB Debugging option and confirm it.

Troubleshooting

My Flash is a great tool, but it does not exempt from errors, and for this reason they need to learn how to fix them. If there is an error when the device is not detected, make sure that USB debugging and OEM unlocking are enabled correctly. With another error option, try changing the ADB drivers.

Sometimes you may encounter the MiFlash error “Image mismatch and device errors”. This error in most cases occurs when trying to flash the wrong drive. That is, the ROM that is going to be reprogrammed was not created for this particular device.

Error correction algorithm:

1. Reboot the phone in Fastboot mode and connect it to the computer.
2. Copy the contents of the image folder to the fastboot ROM, then go to the Android folder on the Xiaomi MiFlash firmware tool, for example, C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Xiaomi \ MiPhone \ Google \ Android.
3. Being in the Android folder, hold the left Shift key on the keyboard, click with the mouse inside this folder and select "Open the command window", which will launch the screen.
4. Continue to execute the following commands through an assistant prompt.

Return to previous update

It may happen that after updating the device, problems or incompatibilities occur. In this case, you can wait or return to an earlier version. Options for resolving problems with notifications in MIUI:

1. Downgrade to MIUI. This process of reverting to a previous update is called a downgrade. It is similar to switching from the current version to the old one, which is better and although it has fewer functions, it is more stable.
2. Hard Reset. If the user performs a deep cleaning of his device with a hardware reset, you can get your Xiaomi phone, as from the factory. This is one of the fastest ways to go back in time and get the version that came with the device. Pre-execute a backup, therefore, all information from the phone will be deleted. This process can be easily started from recovery.

To return to the previous version, before flashing Xiaomi via MiFlash, you will need to choose one of the following routes:

1. A clean installation with My Flash, with an open / unlocked bootloader, perform a clean installation with My flash. Thus, you can return to the previous version of MIUI at any time and without any difficulties.
2. TWRP makes it easy to upgrade to previous versions of Xiaomi.
3. Android versions later than lollipop come with OEM Unlock in the developer options. Thus, it is quite simple to unlock the bootloader on any latest smartphone.

Firmware via Updater

After the download is complete, move the ROM file to the Internal Storage / download.rom folder. MIUI users can store it in any folder in the internal memory. Open "Settings" → scroll down until the information "About the phone" appears, click "System Update". Then they press a button of 3 points in the upper right corner → “Select update package” → enter into the folder containing the ROM firmware files → OK. After a few seconds, the Redmi device will reboot and the firmware process will complete.

Similar actions can also be performed through the “system update” using → Phone settings → System update → check for update. Typically, ROM is in .zip format. The boot process will take a lot of time, it is recommended not to rush to press the power button. Before flashing, the device must be cleaned in Wipe data via Mi Recovery to prevent errors from the previous ROM.

XBL Workarounds

Some workarounds to fix the problem with the XBL error detected when flashing the MIUI Fastboot ROM using the Mi Flash tool. Xiaomi phones such as Redmi Note 5 Pro / AI / Global (Whyred), Redmi 5 / 5Plus, Mi 8, Mi 6X, Mi5s, Redmi Note 4X and Redmi 5A face this problem. There is no exact information about what caused this problem. Therefore, based on what was reported on the Internet, experts summarized some possible ways of correction:

1. Double check the downloaded ROM file.
2. Be convinced that this is the correct MIUI assembly, released specifically for the phone model. Each version of Fastboot ROM has a device code name in its file name.
3. Check the code name of the device, for example, Redmi Note 5 Global / Pro has the code name Whyred. The file must also have a Whyred component as a name component.
4. Download the file again if it is found that the old one did not meet the requirements.
5. Unpack the correct ROM file again.
6. A new attempt to unzip the tgz file sometimes helps fix the failure.
7. Try using a different USB data cable. Make sure that it is a data cable, not just a charge.
8. Use a different USB port on the computer. Although USB 3.0 may work, USB 2.0 is still more functional for these purposes.
9. They will try to install the latest version of Android Platform Tools. The computer will update the ADB and Fastboot driver versions.
10. Reinstall the Mi Flash tool using the following sequence: uninstall the tool> disable forced application of driver signatures> reinstall.

Expert Advice

Unlike other flashing tools, Xiaomi Mi Flash comes with three flashing options, namely Flash All Except Storage and Storage, Flash All Except Storage and Flash All All. You can flash the firmware on the device using all of these three methods, but it is recommended to use the Flash All Except Storage option.

Sometimes Miflash generates an error indicating that the bootloader is locked. In order to enable it, you need to unlock it, and then go to flash download. In addition, move the folder to C: \ Xiaomi \ MiPhoneManager \ Download and select the location for the package in the Mi Flash Tool. Extract the Mi Unlock tool folder into the C: Drive folder, otherwise the tool will display a “No phone connection” error.

Before starting work, the user needs to know about the type of ROM. There are 2 types of ROM:

1. ROM recovery.
2. Fastboot ROM.

If the device is not locked, you can use Recovery ROM. The “brick” device means that when you turn on the phone, it is stuck on the Mi or Android logo. If the device has a "brick" state, you should use Fastboot ROM. When choosing a Fastboot ROM for a device, you need to be careful when choosing, because the errors “Link to the object is not installed on the instance of the object”, “Specified error”, and “Unable to get the welcome packet” occur when it is loaded incorrectly.

On the Fastboot ROM page, there are 3 types of ROMs for each device:

1. Two ROMs for phones with versions in Chinese (stable and developers).
2. Two ROMs for phones with MTK version processors (stable and developers).
3. Two ROMs for phones with Snapdragon processors (Qualcomm) (stable and developers).

There are 2 types of Flash tools:

1. The Mi Flash Tool only works with Snapdragon processors (Qualcomm).
2. SP Flash Tool works with processor phones version MTK.

Sometimes after flashing the phone can enter Bootloop, which means that the phone cannot boot completely and starts again in a cycle. This problem occurs when there is an error in the downloaded ROM file. The only way to solve this problem is to download the old version of the ROM file for the device, and then flash it again in Fastboot and EDL modes.

These are the main mistakes that users make when installing or flashing the ROM, following these instructions, they will never be disappointed.