Develop Bugs

Installing GSI ROMs on Mi8 Pro

The below is a guide to installing GSI images on the Mi 8 Pro. I specifically have experience with the PixelExperience 9.0 (Unofficial) but have had other GSI ROMs booting and working. I hope this is useful for some.
GSI (Generic System Image) ROMS can be flashed to any Project Treble enabled device. These devices have either an A/B partition layout (these allow for seamless updating as the system can boot from A or B partition) or just an A only partition layout. The Mi 8 Pro is an arm64 a only device and support project treble ROMs. You can choose from suitable ROMs listed here and here.
The instructions given below are for Android Pie (9.0). The same basic setup can be used for Android Oreo (8.0, 8.1) ROMs, but the Mi 8 Pro should be flashed with the appropriate Xiaomi base ROM first before flashing any 8 based GSI ROM
As the ROM development for the Mi 8 Pro is basically dead, I decided to buy a OnePlus 6T and sell my Mi 8 Pro. However, due to having my new OnePlus 6T stolen, and due to a lack of funds to buy a new device, I have revived my Mi 8 Pro to try to get something other than MIUI working on it. I now have The PixelExperience (Unofficial) GSI ROM running very smoothly on my Mi 8 Pro.
As the PixelExperience team has stated they will be delivering GSI images again, if there are enough of us asking, we could get better support for things like the fingerprint sensor, for a more complete experience.
Some of the below steps may be unnecessary, but are there for a complete beginner's guide to doing this and getting the right results.
Working:
WiFi
Bluetooth (with APTX)
NFC (Including Google Pay)
RIL
Mobile data (LTE / HSPDA / 3G / EDGE)
GPS
Camera (with camera built in to ROM, as well as some GCAM implementations)
Video Camera (not working on GCAM implementations tested so far - only working on Camer built in to ROM)
Flashlight
Sound / Vibrations
Face Unlock
Hotspot
Not Working:
VoLTE (I have had it working, but unable to end phone calls and problems receiving SMS messages, so reverted)
Fingerprint (There is some support. The fingerprint area of the screen lights up when trying to enrol a new fingerprint. The screen dims when a finger is placed on the sensor, and a green light us emitted from the sensor area, but it does not register the fingerprint and this is not currently working.)
Notification LED
You Tell Me
How to install
Flash the latest Fastboot Global Stable Android PIE (9.0) ROM for the Mi 8 Pro. (eg. equuleus_global_images_V10.3.4.0.PECMIXM_20190712.0000.00_9.0_global_9a181f79c1.tgz) using the Xiaomi Tool.
Update: Use the latest MIUI system. The contents of the vendor partition are important. The most compatible vendor partition as of 2019-08-19 is from equuleus_global_V10.3.5.0.PECMIXM. You can download and flash that vendor independantly, if you have already set up your GSI image.
Reboot and finish basic MIUI setup.
Reboot to recovery.
[*]Format data (Wipe - Advanced - format data - confirm by typing yes)
DO NOT FORMAT DATA. Just perform a factory reset. Formatting data can cause issues and prevent booting.
Wipe Cache - Dalvik Cache and System
Reboot recovery
Use adb to push PixelExperience GSI image (img file extracted from download) and latest version of Magisk to root of SDCard. (Empty due to formatting data).
("adb push c:\path\system.img /sdcard/" and then "adb push c:\path\Magiskv19.3.apk /sdcard/")
Flash the image to system partition by taping INSTALL and then on the "Install Image" button (to toggle between flashing zip and img files). Do not reboot yet.
Flash magisk zip in the normal way (hit the same button as in previous step to show zip files to flash. (This is necessary to avoid bootloops)
Reboot, and enjoy.
You can now set up your "PixelExperience" device with your apps and settings, including registering a face for face unlock.
To pass cts validation for the safetynet and to allow service such as Google Pay to work
In Magisk, under settings - Find “Magisk Hide” and toggle the switch on
Magisk restarts. Go to Magisk Hide from the Magisk menu and ensure that...
Google Pay
Google Play
Google Play Services
Google Service Framework
Any Banking Apps
...are checked so that they cannot see Magisk (canont see phone as rooted).
Now go to downloads and install the SafetyPatch v3 module (created by hackintosh5).
Reboot.
Open settings - go to apps and notifications - and find the above apps to clear all data.
Enjoy your rooted safetynet compliant, as close to stock as possible Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro.

nice work thanks for this great notice, i will test PixelExperience, how work the face unlock? i use the finger print very much, all day, but not work i will use the facial unlock. Then i wanna know how work this.
thanks!!

axelgrox said:
nice work thanks for this great notice, i will test PixelExperience, how work the face unlock? i use the finger print very much, all day, but not work i will use the facial unlock. Then i wanna know how work this.
thanks!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Face unlock works fine. I have it paired with Pick to wake phone - so when I pick it up it wakes up to allow face unlock.
However, be prepared for some investment of time (not for face unlock).... I am a bit stuck now and cannot reproduce the above to get this working. Sometimes the results are different depending on base ROM etc.
Share how you get on and anything you may need to do to get this working.
Thanks

Nice work, i will try it .
The mi8 pro 's fingerprint is so bad which can be ignored, and the face unlock is the mostly used, hahahah
thank you very much for your work

Hi, I am waiting to unlock bootloader. Need 148hrs. Will install this. Thanks for sharing.

Quick update: There are some issues with GSI ROMs and the Mi 8 Pro. SOe of these relate to the SIMcard settings - and selection of preferred SIM for data, calls etc.
My experience shows that the vendor image from equuleus_global_V10.3.5.0.PECMIXM fixes many of these. The vendor image from the original MIUI ROM is used with the GSI system image to make the whole Project treble stuff work. I advise flashing this latest vendor image for maximum compatibility.

Do you know what issues remain after flashing the latest vendor image?

Does the face unlock on Pixel Experience work with IR camera or front cam?

I tried installing this and it got stuck on the loading screen with the Google logo. I tried following your instructions and a few other ways and couldn't get it to work at all i'm also not able to root my phone at all. When ever I try rooting my phone just reboots to twrp until I reflash the ram or flash the magisk uninstaller.
Do you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions I might try?
Thanks!

eremeya said:
I tried installing this and it got stuck on the loading screen with the Google logo. I tried following your instructions and a few other ways and couldn't get it to work at all i'm also not able to root my phone at all. When ever I try rooting my phone just reboots to twrp until I reflash the ram or flash the magisk uninstaller.
Do you have any tips, tricks, or suggestions I might try?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have experienced this on occasion also.
What GSI image have you tried? after my multiple efforts, I would recommend... in this order: Omni. HavocOS, Descendant(no future updates), PIxelExperience. I am hopeful about the PixelExperience team who have made an announcement that as of August they will no longer produce CAF versions of PixelExperience, and that they will maintain regular GSI builds also. PE official GSI - I am full of hope.
Anyway, back on topic: Try this.
Follow the instructions - a few precisions:
Use XiaoMiFlash to flash the equuleus_global_images_V10.3.4.0 as a base. You can update the vendor partition once you have GSI up and running, but don't let the MIUI update to 10.3.5. Ensure you define a PIN to make sure that data partition is encrypted. (everyone should use encryption nowadays, and besides, I have had bad experiences whn using a xiaomi eu or mi-globe ROM (unencrypted) as the base
Reboot and finish basic MIUI setup. - What I mean here is to let the ROM boot, don't have to sign in to Google or Mi, but get to the home screen after the initial setup.
Then reboot fastboot and flash TWRP 3.3.0. Search for TWRP-3.3.0-0504-XIAOMI8UD-CN-wzsx150.zip.
Boot to TWRP. Make sure that you are able to decrypt the data partition with the PIN you set earlier. If TWRP does not ask you for the passcode / PIN - something is wrong. Try again. ONce all is OK in TWRP, perform factory reset. (DO NOT FORMAT DATA for the aforementioned encryption reason).
adb push the img file.
adb push the Magisk 19.3 zip.
Flash both in TWRP
Reboot TWRP
Reboot system. If it appears to hang, after 5 minutes you can force restart with the power button. I have had the ROM boot OK after second boot only?
Pretty sure that if you strictly follow the above you should get a working GSI image on Mi 8 Pro. Let me know...
It's a bit flaky to set up, but once set up, apart from fingerprint sensor not working, very stable and lovely to have the stock ish android system on a MIUI phone!
Be careful with preferred network type for mobile network as some selections have messed up incoming SMS messages for me... a dealbreaker.
What happens when you flash Magisk? What does TWRP say? Have you tried flashing Magisk, rebooting TWRP, and flahing Magisk again? It may be a TWRP version issue?

Thanks for your reply!
The version of twrp you mention is what I have used. I have not tried installing then rebooting to twrp so I try that.
When flashing magisk it usually flashes fine (I have had a couple times where it just throws an error) then when I reboot the phone will boot past the Mi logo the the Android boot logo then after 10-15 sec. it just reboots to twrp.
I was finally able to get the twrp to stick across boots by flashing twrp, signing boot image, removing twrp then reboot to Miui.
Do I need to adb push the GSI image or should it be fine to install from a USB drive?
The SMS issue isn't really a big deal for me as I use Google Fi routed through hangouts for one sim and a local sim where I'm living for mostly data and a few phone calls for the second one

Thanks so much for this post. I was completely oblivious to the fact that the Mi 8 Pro would actually be different to the Mi 8 when it comes to custom roms. When I decided on my next phone, I read the positive reviews and saw enough Mi 8 roms to be willing to make a switch to Xiaomi. Until I read your post I was close to despairing as I don't want a Xiaomi rom on my phone for various reasons (among them is the fact that I don't trust them and the way they have decided to collect user data).
I've tried to follow your guide in every step (I've also flashed the updated vendor.img), but unfortunately I have not been able to install the Pixel Experience rom on my device. I do see the boot animation but it never stops, I'm forever stuck with the Google-G and the progress bar below it. Has anyone else managed to install the Pixel Experience rom on the Mi 8 Pro? If yes, did you follow the guide here or did you do something else?
Also, in your initial post you write that we should wipe the system in TWRP but as far as I can tell GSI roms need you to wipe data, cache and dalvik cache but not the system partition (if you do it, you also don't get asked for your PIN code in TWRP any more, which - as you said - indicates that something went wrong).
Did you install a particular version of the Pixel Experience rom? Maybe that might be part of my issue?

I have try many times installing it. Didn't manage to boot it up.
Finally, tested with Miroom ROM as base then flash the system.img manage to boot up.
Don't know why it didn't boot but at lease any one who have issue booting may want to try using Miroom rom as base.

tllim73 said:
I have try many times installing it. Didn't manage to boot it up.
Finally, tested with Miroom ROM as base then flash the system.img manage to boot up.
Don't know why it didn't boot but at lease any one who have issue booting may want to try using Miroom rom as base.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you do to install miroom? I've been trying to install it and it just stays on the boot screen. The only non-official from I've been able to install and boot is the unofficial LineageOS rom by fenix-UK.

eremeya said:
What did you do to install miroom? I've been trying to install it and it just stays on the boot screen. The only non-official from I've been able to install and boot is the unofficial LineageOS rom by fenix-UK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I install it using twrp 3.3.0 version. Build 0503. But before that I have install the stock rom goble stable version 10.3.5.0. update FW & Vendor using the same twrp.

tllim73 said:
I install it using twrp 3.3.0 version. Build 0503. But before that I have install the stock rom goble stable version 10.3.5.0. update FW & Vendor using the same twrp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Is your phone a Chinese version or EU version? Were you able to root global stock rom?

eremeya said:
Thanks.
Is your phone a Chinese version or EU version? Were you able to root global stock rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I am using a Chinese version. But once you unlock it you will be able to flash any version with the twrp.
I try rooting it with magisk but unable to boot up. That's why I turn to Miroom Rom. They have done something which can boot it up.

tllim73 said:
Hi, I am using a Chinese version. But once you unlock it you will be able to flash any version with the twrp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also using the Chinese version but no matter what I try I cannot root the global version of the rom. I can root the Chinese version fine.

eremeya said:
I'm also using the Chinese version but no matter what I try I cannot root the global version of the rom. I can root the Chinese version fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be the developer version is only for the Chinese Rom. Anyway I am happy now running with GSI Rom.

eremeya said:
I'm also using the Chinese version but no matter what I try I cannot root the global version of the rom. I can root the Chinese version fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version of TWRP are you using?

A comprehensive guide to installing custom GSI ROMs on the Mi 8 Pro

As so many others have pointed out, it is pretty hard to get any custom GSI ROMs running on the Mi 8 Pro / Explorer Edition (Equuleus). I was also absolutely oblivious to the fact that the Mi 8 Pro would require different ROMs than the Mi 8 when I bought my handset as I always check if there are custom ROMs available before I buy a new phone and there are some for the Mi 8. As far as I can tell there are no custom ROMs specifically adapted to run on our phones, but luckily enough, it is GSI-compatible or "treble-enabled". So as sad as it is that there are no real custom ROMs you can install, there is a major upside to our situation - theoretically any GSI ROM might run on it, which offers far more options than are available for the phones I have been using before I got my Mi 8 Pro. The big question is: How on earth do you get them to run on the Mi 8 Pro? If this is as puzzling for you as it was for me at first, you have come to the right place - After days and days of trial and error and growing despair, I have found a way to get both Oreo and Pie ROMs to boot and function up to a level that I'm comfortable working with and as this site has helped me so much over the years, I thought I could at least share my findings, hoping that others would be able to benefit a bit as well.
Having said that, I'll start with a list of features that won't work, so if you need them, feel free to move on (or maybe even help me find a way to get them working?). I would love for other forum members to help us expand and refine this guide (especially when it comes to the list of working ROMs) as I plan to keep this thread updated for some time.
A big shout-out goes to nealed , whose post on GSI ROMs got me started and who was OK with me laying out my information in a separate post. :good:
Not working (as of now):
In-Screen fingerprint sensor
IR face unlock ("normal" face unlock works fine)
VoLTE
Many stock Xiaomi / Mi apps won't work - you will have to find modded apks if you want to use Xiaomi's stock apps (such as the Compass app, which I rather liked but haven't found a working version for yet)
Fixed in newer Pie ROMs:
Note that Pie GSI ROMs based on earlier Phh-Treble Vanilla (AOSP 9.0) versions come with a weird ambient display bug (at least on our device). If you decide to have your ambient display set to "always on" it will flicker on and off all the time (which is why I have disabled it, it's driving me crazy when the phone is just lying on my desk and constantly stealing my attention - what does work though are the options "New notifications" / "Show when charging", so that's what I ended up with.)
Another problem with Pie ROMs I ran into was that the Android phone service would simply crash whenever I tried to manually select my network provider. I could see all available cell phone companies in my area but as soon as I would try to switch to a different provider than the one automatically chosen, the Android phone service would immediately crash.]
If none of this is an issue for you, you can expect a smooth and stable Android on our extremely powerful handset. You will be working with a ROM that can be highly customized and will also probably refrain from sending all your data to Xiaomi (which is one of the major reasons I wanted to have a rooted custom ROM and decided to accept that that also means I can't have all the features the phone normally offers - such as the very flashy fingerprint sensor).
Step-by-step instructions on how to install a custom GSI ROM
As a matter of fact, you should be aware that all data that is currently stored on your phone is lost when following this guide, so make sure you have a backup and don't ask me what you can do if you didn't create one! (short answer: nothing)
This guide also assumes you have already waited long enough and successfully unlocked your bootloader using a working Mi Account. If not, have a look here.
Step 1: Flashing an official ROM
Flashing tool - MiFlash
The easiest way to flash an official ROM that doesn't come with loads of system hogs or other "features" you don't want to have, is using MiFlash 2017.4.25.
Official ROM
Next, you will need to download a flashable global MIUI ROM. A list of all available ROMS can be found here.
Depending on which Android version you are going to install later, you want to download
Android 8.1 / Oreo: V10.0.1.0.OECMIFH (fastboot link / .tgz-file)
Android 9.0 / Pie: Try this more recent version first: V11.0.5.0.PECMIXM (fastboot link / .tgz-file). Note, however, that most of the ROMs in the GSI list have been installed on top of V10.2.2.0.PECMIXM (fastboot link / .tgz-file), so give that a try if V11.0.5.0.PECMIXM isn't working out for you.
Android 10.0 / Q: So far, we haven't been able to get any Android Q GSI ROM running on the MI 8 Pro, but there is an official MIUI Android 10 ROM available if you want a stock Android Q device:V11.0.3.0.QECMIXM (fastboot link / .tgz-file). Any ideas on how to get Android 10 GSI ROMs running on the Mi 8 Pro are much appreciated.
Once you have downloaded your ROM, extract it into a directory - I found that MiFlash was having some troubles working with directories whose directory names contained spaces, so I'd recommend simply extracting everything that is contained in the .zip-file into a directory such as "C:\flash", this way I had no trouble flashing any ROMs.
When that is done, you can start MiFlash and select the directory that contains your ROM files.
The next step is important if you want to make sure your bootloader stays unlocked (which you do): you need to select "clean all" at the bottom right of MiFlash so that flash_all.bat is selected. The default option is "clean all and lock" which is not what we want.
Should you have forgotten to change the option you simply have to unlock the phone again afterwards but as that requires a connection to the Xiaomi servers and a Mi Account that lets you do so, it's anything but ideal.
To make your phone talk to MiFlash, put your powered-off phone into bootloader mode by simultaneously pressing the power button and the volume down button and connecting it to your PC via a USB-C cable (preferably the one that came with the phone, but others should work too).
You're good to go - click on "flash" in the MiTool and watch it do its magic. It will take some time - just be patient - after 5 - 10 minutes the phone should automatically boot into MIUI and you're one step closer to installing the ROM you actually want to have on your phone.
Step 2: Installing TWRP recovery
Finding a working TWRP recovery for our phone (ideally in English) is like trying to find a miniature-size needle broken into three parts in a giant haystack. Unfortunately, our phone isn't officially supported by TWRP (yet?) so you won't find anything on their website.
What can be found, is a mixed bag, but after many many attempts of locating a proper source for TWRP image files, I finally came across this forum post.
To cut a long story short, for Android Oreo (Android 8) and Android Pie (Android 9) you want to download
TWRP 3.3.1-0607 (Firedance Edition)
as it is one of the very few versions for our device that are actually able to decrypt your data once you have set a PIN in your Android system. There seems to be a bug with some current TWRP versions that keep you from accessing your data once you have set a screen-lock PIN in your system (which is a requirement to use such features as face unlock).
So if you use a version that can't decrypt your phone (even when entering the correct PIN to enter TWRP) and you encounter a bootloop, you're out of luck: You can't access your system either from recovery or from within the system (If you have come across this post because you're in exactly this situation, you should be able to solve the problem by flashing TWRP 3.3.1-0607 on your phone to regain access).
For Android Q (Android 10) / MIUI 11, this version seems to be working:
TWRP-3.3.2B-0301 (Chinese Version)
Once you have downloaded the .img-file, the best thing is to put it into a directory that already has adb.exe and fastboot.exe in it. If you don't have such a directory, you can very easily create it by downloading and installing Minimal ADB and Fastboot.
Choose any install location you like, you will have to place your TWRP image file in your install location folder afterwards.
To prepare your phone, power it off and then put your powered-off phone into bootloader mode by simultaneously pressing the power button and the volume down button and connecting it to your PC via a USB-C cable.
Next, either start Minimal ADB and Fastboot or manually open a command prompt (cmd.exe) in the directory you have just created and enter the following two commands:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery equuleus-331-607.img
Code:
fastboot boot equuleus-331-607.img
Note that sometimes after flashing TWRP, the phone will boot into recovery twice - don't worry if you only see the TWRP screen and your phone starts rebooting straight afterwards. This is only an issue on first boot.
Congrats, you have now installed a working version of TWRP for the Mi 8 Pro. You can now also manually boot into TWRP by simultaneously pressing the power button and the volume up button on your powered-off phone.
Step 3: Installing a custom GSI ROM of your choice
Once you have a working TWRP recovery, you can install any GSI ROM that might run on our device (scroll down to my second post on this page for a list of working ROMs or click here to jump to it instead) - Prerequisite: Your ROM needs to be an ARM64 / A-Only ROM as this is the only kind of ROM our device can run.
Here's how to go about it:
Boot into TWRP, connect your phone to your PC via USB and transfer the ROM img.-file you want to install
Wipe > Factory Reset
Wipe > Advanced Wipe > System (This will prompt TWRP to ask you later if you really want to reboot - "No OS Installed! Are you sure you wish to reboot?" - which you can simply ignore, TWRP doesn't recognize that a new OS is installed after a system wipe)
Install > Install Image, select your chosen image, choose "System Image" as target partition and swipe right.
If you just want to test the image and not use any Google functionality, you can reboot now (Ignore "No OS installed") - However, this will mean that on most ROMs that don't already come with Google Apps included you won't have any Google functionality (i.e. no face unlock, no Play Store, ...) and you won't get it either if you try to install it after having already booted into your new system - so you probably want to move on to Step 4 before you reboot (unless your ROM already comes with Google Apps).
Step 4: Flashing Google Apps / Enabling Google functionality (Optional)
I'm assuming that since you're reading a guide on installing custom ROMs on an Android smartphone that it will be absolutely no news to you that instantly after installing a custom ROM and BEFORE booting into it for the first time you HAVE to install the Google functionality you want to have as there is no way of adding it afterwards. You simply have to do it right after flashing your ROM.
To flash Google Apps, you have to download them first on https://opengapps.org/.
Select the ARM64 option for the Android version you have just installed (either 9.0 (Pie) or 8.1 (Oreo)) and choose the package that best suits your need. I always go for the "Nano" package as it includes everything you can't install by yourself from the Play Store later on. This means you can also uninstall any Google App that isn't included in this package if you don't need it any longer. The bigger packages come with many more apps but if you install them now before you boot into your OS for the first time, they get turned into system apps and can't be easily uninstalled later.
Once you have downloaded the Google Apps package of your choice, you can transfer it to your phone via Windows Explorer if it's still connected via USB and in TWRP (which it should be in anyway ). Now just go to Install, select the .zip-file you have just transferred to your phone and swipe right.
Problems you might run into when installing your Google Apps:
This message or similar messages might appear in TWRP when you try to install your Google Apps package, even though you are using the correct version for your ROM (Pie ROM and Pie Google Apps, for example):
This Gapps pkg is for Android 9.0.x ONLY
Please download the correct version for your ROM: 8.1.0 (SDK 27)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this happens, go to the Reboot Menu in TWRP and select Recovery to reboot into TWRP. Once you've done that, Google Apps should install without problems and recognize that you do indeed have the right Android version installed.
Many times, the System partition will also be too small to also accommodate the Google Apps package, so you will be greeted with the following message:
Insufficient storage space available in System partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this happens to you, here's the fix:
Go back to the main menu in TWRP
Wipe > Advanced Wipe
Select System
Tap on Repair or Change File System
Tap on Resize File System
Swipe to Resize
Go back to the main menu, installing Google Apps should work without problems now
Voilà. You have just successfully gapp'ed your phone .
Step 5: Rooting your ROM (Optional)
Thanks to Magisk, rooting is incredibly easy these days. All you have to do is head over to the Magisk releases page on Github and download the latest .zip-file.
Once it's downloaded, install the .zip-file via TWRP and reboot into your OS.
For Magisk to work, you also need to have the latest Magisk Manager apk installed, which you also find on the above Github page, however I found that all GSI ROMs already have this included anyway (It appears to be included in Phh-Treble AOSP) - so all you need to do is really install Magisk in TWRP.
The preinstalled Magisk Manager will probably be outdated and ask you to update, which it can do itself. So most times, you won't even have to download the Magisk Manager apk yourself.
Step 6: Installing a working Xposed Framework (Optional)
As easy as it has become to root a phone these days, it is becoming increasingly harder to get Xposed to work as active development has been rather stalled lately. Luckily enough, someone was kind enough to unofficially get Xposed to work on Android Pie, however, this time it's a Magisk module.
Getting it to work on the Mi 8 Pro is a different matter. I have found that only certain versions do actually work and offer the Xposed functionality I have gotten so used to. If you install the specific versions I'm mentioning here, Xposed should work without problems (But as always, not all Xposed modules are still under active development and therefore won't work with Android Pie or this new unofficial version of Xposed).
To get Xposed up and running, you need to have Magisk installed already (see Step 5).
I'm currently running AOSP 9.0 (v123) and these more recent Riru package versions run fine (If you have trouble with these, check the links below) - I could only install them directly via Magisk but not in TWRP:
Riru - Core (19.7)
Riru - Ed Xposed 0.4.6.2.4529 (YAHFA)
You will also need this app installed to manage your Xposed framework and to activate Xposed modules:
The latest Ed Xposed Manager which you can download here.
For older custom Android Pie ROMs, these Riru packages were the only versions that I could successfully get working:
Riru - Core (17.1)
Riru - Ed Xposed 0.4.1.2_beta (YAHFA)
The older Riru packages can be installed directly via TWRP or in Magisk, but since you have to reboot afterwards if you install it from inside your OS, you might as well just install the two .zip-Files from TWRP directly after installing Magisk in TWRP.
The latest Ed Xposed Manager is simply an apk, so you will have to install it after booting into your system. Easy as Pie. Have fun EdXposing your system to new functionality .
Step 7: Special fixes
As I've layed out before, custom ROMs are prone to come with certain functionality missing or malfunctioning. This is especially the case with GSI ROMs that weren't developed with our specific device in mind. Nevertheless most functions will work without bigger problems right away. Some problems might still arise, but luckily there are solutions.
Sending and receiving SMS messages
After I had installed my GSI ROMs, it took me a while to realize I wasn't getting any text messages (they're not that frequent any more anyway). This is because I had to change my preferred network setting (for whatever reason). If you set it like this, everything should work as expected:
Preferred network type
4G (Recommended)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth Media Streaming
I also didn't realize right away that there was a Bluetooth problem. Calls were working fine, people could hear me talking, I could hear them talking. Things got a bit weirder, when I tried to listen to music streaming from my phone to my Bluetooth speaker - it simply wouldn't work. Nada - no matter what I tried. Luckily I came across a .zip-file that worked wonders. If you install the FixGsiBTSound.zip file in TWRP that I was able to find in this XDA thread, Bluetooth media is streaming without any problems and calls continue to work.
Unfortunately, I still have to change Bluetooth Audio Codec to AAC in the Developer options every time I connect my speaker if I want to listen to music and get driving instructions via Google Maps at the same time. It automatically reverts back to SBC but after I've made the change I can have several apps stream audio at the same time, which might be a problem with my speaker that only supports SBC but I didn't have this problem with my old phone.
By the way, none of the other fixes in the thread mentioned above (specifically the VoLTE fix) were working for our phone when I tried them.

List of working GSI ROMs
This post is meant to give an overview of ROMs that can be installed and booted into on the Mi 8 Pro as long as you follow my installation guide.
To give a more complete picture, I have also included the ROMs I couldn't get to boot into a working OS.
The Mi 8 Pro is an ARM64 - A Only device, so make sure you only try to install ARM64 - A Only GSI images.
I first ended up using AOSiP (August 19, 2019 version) after having given MSM Xtended a try. However, after half a year my screen started flickering, so I reflashed a stock MIUI to send my phone back for repairs, which is when I discovered that the screen still seemed to be working. This might have been just a coincidence and the screen may still have some issues that are just not showing, but it is, of course, also possible that a custom GSI ROM could mess with your hardware.
I'm now using AOSP 9.0 (v123) with Magisk, Substratum and EdXposed and I'm really happy with it. If you're interested in why, you can read more about it here.
Please help me expand this list - feel free to test other or newer ROMs you can find via these lists on Github and on XDA .
Android 9.0 (Pie)
AOSP 9.0 / Phh-Treble
v123 - reported working with MIUI 11.0.5.0.PECMIXM by Laurisss :good:
Image file 1: system-arm64-aonly-vanilla-nosu.img.xz (11.12.2019 / without Google Apps preinstalled)
Image file 2: system-arm64-aonly-gapps-su.img.xz (11.12.2019 / Including Google Apps)
v119
Image file 1: system-arm64-aonly-vanilla-nosu.img.xz (23.08.2019 / without Google Apps preinstalled)
Image file 2: system-arm64-aonly-gapps-su.img.xz (23.08.2019 / Including Google Apps)
XDA page
All releases: See this page
AOSiP
Image file: AOSiP-9.0-GSI-arm64_aonly-20190819.img (19.08.2019)
All releases: See this page
ArrowOS
Discovered by PCrazee :good:
Image file: system_arm64_a.zip (27.01.2020)
XDA page
All releases: See this page
Bliss OS
Image file 1: Bliss-2019-04-11-arm64-a-stock.img.xz (11.04.2019 - without Google Apps)
Image file 2: Bliss-2019-04-05-arm64-a-gapps.img (05.04.2019 - Google Apps preinstalled)
This OS only started on second boot (boot animation loop on first boot); the camera app was not functional and it seemed a bit unstable on the Mi 8 Pro
XDA page
Release page: Check it out here
Descendant
Image file: Descendant_4.0.1_arm64_aonly (06.08.2019)
This image file can be "dirty-flashed", i.e. if you follow my installation guide, don't wipe the system partition as you normally would when installing a GSI ROM
XDA page
All releases: See this page
FlokoROM
Image file: system-arm64-aonly-vanilla-nosu.img.zip (09.06.2019)
All releases: See this page
Lineage OS 16.0 (AndyYan)
Image file: lineage-16.0-20190811-UNOFFICIAL-treble_arm64_avN.img.xz (11.08.2019)
Newer images available - if they work for you, let me know and I will update this section
XDA page
All releases: See this page
MSM Xtended
Image file: MSM_Xtended-20190820-arm64_a.img.xz (20.08.2019)
There are newer versions, if they work on the Mi 8 Pro, please let me know
XDA page
All releases: See this page
Pixel Experience (Unofficial)
Image file: PixelExperienceP-arm64-aonly.zip (24.03.2019)
This is an older version, but unfortunately the only version I could get to boot - if you find a newer one that works on the Mi 8 Pro, please let me know
XDA page
All releases: See this page
Zirconium AOSP
Image file: ZirconiumAosp-9.0-IGNITE-arm64-a-20190319.rar (19.03.2019)
Release page: Check out this page
/e/
Reported working by PCrazee :good:
Image file: e-pie-20190827-UNOFFICIAL-treble_arm64_aeN.img.zip (27.08.2019)
XDA page
More releases: See this page
Android 8.1 (Oreo)
Please note that I only tested three ROMs to see if I could get Oreo ROMs working as well. As there is no support to hide the Mi 8 Pro notch in Oreo ROMs and as I managed to get Xposed working on Pie, I quickly abandoned Oreo again .
Nevertheless, please let me know if there are any other Oreo GSI ROMs out there that you got working on the Mi 8 Pro so I can expand this section.
AOSP 8.1 / Phh-Treble
Image file 1: system-arm64-aonly-vanilla-nosu.img.xz (06.07.2019 / without Google Apps preinstalled)
Image file 2: system-arm64-aonly-gapps-su.img.xz (06.07.2019 / Including Google Apps)
XDA page
Release Page: Check it out
Resurrection Remix (phhuson)
Image file: system-arm64-aonly.img (20.05.2018)
XDA page
Android 9.0 (Pie) (Non-working)
I couldn't find a working version Pie version for:
AOSP Extended
HavocOS
nitrOS
Resurrection Remix
Android 8.1 (Oreo) (Non-working)
I couldn't find a working Oreo version for:
Treskmod

Special apps and functionality
Google Camera with Night Sight
Installing a modded Google Camera app helps you get the most out of your camera, especially when using Night Sight or the Playground that aren't available to most non-Pixel devices out of the box.
In order to enable the special Google Camera features, the Camera2Api needs to be enabled. This can be done by going into Magisk and downloading and installing Pix3lify which enables some other Pixel features (I found that running my phone with AOSiP and Pix3lify also gave me a much nicer Pixel-like experience to the one that Pixel Experience offered (this applies at least to the version of Pixel Experience I could get to work on the Mi 8 Pro).
To get a working modded Google camera
Open Magisk Manager and download and activate the module Pix3lify, then restart
Download a modded Google Camera apk such as BSG's MI9SE V4_P2 which can be found on this page.
There are many Google Camera mods out there and you can find a pretty extensive list here.
However, BSG's MI9SE V4_P2 was the only mod that had both the camera (including Night Sight) and the video camera working correctly, even though it doesn't seem to offer all the functionality that other Google Camera mods seem to provide.
Should you find any other modded version that might be working even better on the Mi 8 Pro, I'd be happy to hear from you.
Augmented Reality / Playground support
Even if you have Google's ARCore (Google Play Services for AR) installed on your device, it doesn't mean it's up and running. There's a built-in check that makes sure your device is officially supported and - you guessed it - the Mi 8 Pro isn't (whereas the Mi 8 is).
I'm assuming here that you've already have ARCore installed, but if you haven't, you can download and install this version: ARCore_1.12.19082605.apk.
The important steps to getting it to work, are:
Go into your Magisk Manager and install the module MagiskHide Props Config
Make sure you have a terminal app installed, I've had some good experience with Termux
Open your terminal app and enter the following commands
Code:
su
props
1 [COLOR="Silver"](Edit device fingerprint)[/COLOR]
f [COLOR="Silver"](Pick a certified fingerprint)[/COLOR]
22 [COLOR="silver"](Xiaomi)[/COLOR]
7 [COLOR="silver"](Xiaomi Mi 8)[/COLOR]
1 [COLOR="silver"](Android version 8.1.0)[/COLOR]
y [COLOR="silver"](change fingerprint)[/COLOR]
y [COLOR="silver"](reboot)[/COLOR]
From now on, your Mi 8 Pro will identify itself as a Mi 8, enabling ARCore and thus any Augmented Reality app.
You probably also want to enable your Google Camera AR feature:
If you're on Android Pie, download and install Playground_2.5build-2.6.190725076.apk
If you're on Android Oreo, download and install ARStickers_All_Pack_V1.5build-1.3.180720036.apk
Afterwards you are able to download "Playmojis" from within your Google Camera (More > Playground). However, sometimes you're out of luck and Google Play will stubbornly tell you that your device is not compatible with a selected package (e.g. Avengers: Endgame or Childish Gambino).
In this case, simply download the corresponding apk package directly from apkmirror.com and you should be all set.
More information on the Google Cam AR support can be found here.

Reserved

This looks great! I'll have to try it and see if I can get it to work.

yo-less said:
List of working GSI ROMs
Android 9.0 (Pie) (Non-working)
I couldn't find a working version Pie version for:
AOSP Extended
HavocOS
nitrOS
Resurrection Remix
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had HavocOS (My favourite GSI ROM that I have tried) working n the Mi 8 Pro, as well as nitrOS. Never got RR to boot (bootanimation? didn't try to delete it) and never tried AOSP Extended.

nealed said:
I have had HavocOS (My favourite GSI ROM that I have tried) working n the Mi 8 Pro, as well as nitrOS. Never got RR to boot (bootanimation? didn't try to delete it) and never tried AOSP Extended.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply!
Are you saying you have had it boot using the steps I have outlined here? If yes, please let me know the exact version you got to boot, preferably with a link, and I will add it to the list of working ROMs. After I had finally figured out how to install GSI ROMs successfully in a way that can be reproduced, I went through the same motions every time I tried a GSI ROM and all the ROMs in my list were booting into the system, however, no version of HavocOS that I could find was booting up after going through the above steps and I tried several times and different versions, too, because some people seem to think it's a great ROM.

yo-less said:
Thanks for your reply!
Are you saying you have had it boot using the steps I have outlined here? If yes, please let me know the exact version you got to boot, preferably with a link, and I will add it to the list of working ROMs. After I had finally figured out how to install GSI ROMs successfully in a way that can be reproduced, I went through the same motions every time I tried a GSI ROM and all the ROMs in my list were booting into the system, however, no version of HavocOS that I could find was booting up after going through the above steps and I tried several times and different versions, too, because some people seem to think it's a great ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Havoc-OS-v2.8-20190811-phhgsi_arm64_a-Official.img was the one I had working. I have yet to find a consistent way of installing GSI ROMs. Havoc was the same. I had boot loops and also managed to boot the ROM, could not be sure that there were any differences in approach. I have tried with the latest september release of Havoc and could not get it working..
Back to LineageOS for me... Too many issues with GSI ROMs.. until I can get VoLTE OR Fingerprint working, I shall stay with LineageOS - it's really OK with MAgisk XPosed and Faceunlock... with VoLTE working well.

nealed said:
Havoc-OS-v2.8-20190811-phhgsi_arm64_a-Official.img was the one I had working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for letting me know the version you got to boot. I'll give it a try to see if I can get it to work using the method I've described here - if yes, I'll add HavocOS to the list of working ROMs.
I really liked the privacy features LineageOS offers but as far as OS customization is concerned I always felt it was lacking. And as I can live without VoLTE (Didn't even know what it was until I read that my new phone supports it ) and face unlock is working fine, I'm very happy with AOSiP for now, everything I use on a daily basis is working without any hitches and the system is super responsive.

yo-less said:
Thanks for letting me know the version you got to boot. I'll give it a try to see if I can get it to work using the method I've described here - if yes, I'll add HavocOS to the list of working ROMs.
I really liked the privacy features LineageOS offers but as far as OS customization is concerned I always felt it was lacking. And as I can live without VoLTE (Didn't even know what it was until I read that my new phone supports it ) and face unlock is working fine, I'm very happy with AOSiP for now, everything I use on a daily basis is working without any hitches and the system is super responsive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You list VoLTE as not working in your OP, but say you can'r live without it. Could you please detail how you got VoLTE working on your Mi 8 Pro with AOSiP please? OR any other GSI ROMs for that matter. Thanks.
Haven't had time to try it yet, but there is another dev version of HavocOS GSI: https://sourceforge.net/projects/ha...90914-phhgsi_arm64_a-Official.img.xz/download Unfortunately, it takes me a lot of time to get my phone back to the state I want it (encrypted, decryptable by TWRP, all SD Card content present, working) when testing as I often lose the encryption and have to copy all SDcard content back to TWRP restore.... if it was just as simple as that I woudl have no prroblem, but it's not. Anyway, for those willing to try, another HavocOS GSI that may or may not work on the Mi 8 Pro.
Also, I think it important to list the vendor image and firmware images used with GSI ROMs as these can have an impact on how things work .

nealed said:
You list VoLTE as not working in your OP, but say you can'r live without it. Could you please detail how you got VoLTE working on your Mi 8 Pro with AOSiP please? OR any other GSI ROMs for that matter. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's what I wrote:
And as I can live without VoLTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So as I've outlined, I know of no way to get it to work at this stage but if anyone does, please let us know
Haven't had time to try it yet, but there is another dev version of HavocOS GSI: https://sourceforge.net/projects/ha...90914-phhgsi_arm64_a-Official.img.xz/download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will test the ROMs you have mentioned to see if they work using the method I've described here.
Also, I think it important to list the vendor image and firmware images used with GSI ROMs as these can have an impact on how things work .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried to streamline the ROM installation process as much as possible, if you follow Step 1 of my guide, you should be all set and don't have to worry about flashing additional vendor or firmware images. It is, of course, possible to start experimenting with vendor images as well, but the process I've outlined here seems to work fine for all the ROMs I've listed.

Thanks for your clarifications Jens. I appreciate it.
yo-less said:
Here's what I wrote:
So as I've outlined, I know of no way to get it to work at this stage but if anyone does, please let us know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad, I need to learn to read English :laugh:
yo-less said:
I've tried to streamline the ROM installation process as much as possible, if you follow Step 1 of my guide, you should be all set and don't have to worry about flashing additional vendor or firmware images. It is, of course, possible to start experimenting with vendor images as well, but the process I've outlined here seems to work fine for all the ROMs I've listed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So all of these test results are with the 10.2.2 vendor. As the vendor partition plays a big role with GSI images, other vendor images may break / improve some functionality. It is important that this is understood and eventually documented with regards results of working / non working GSI images.

I have a question, why can't we just port Mi 8 (dipper) Roms? Is there anything hardware differences besides the fingerprint reader and front camera?

nealed said:
So all of these test results are with the 10.2.2 vendor. As the vendor partition plays a big role with GSI images, other vendor images may break / improve some functionality. It is important that this is understood and eventually documented with regards results of working / non working GSI images.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would love for more users to report back their findings - the more community data we can gather, the better this guide will become over time. As it stands, I'm pretty happy that I've found a way of reliably getting all the ROMs I have listed to fully boot. When I started out, it was all trial-and-error, trying different firmware versions and GSI ROMs, also flashing different vendor images on top, and nothing seemed to work. Feel free to experiment with me and see if you can find different methods (including firmware / vendor images) of getting GSI ROMs to boot reliably.

eremeya said:
I have a question, why can't we just port Mi 8 (dipper) Roms? Is there anything hardware differences besides the fingerprint reader and front camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a ROM developer but I look at it that way: As much as it's not possible to install a Mi 9 ROM on the Mi 8 Pro, it's also not possible to install a Mi 8 ROM on a Mi 8 Lite or Mi 8 Pro. You can't even install a dipper TWRP image on an equuleus device, give it a try - you will see it won't work.
Ideally a ROM would detect what kind of device you have and adjust its code accordingly. But as of now, every device needs its own specifically tailored ROM. But GSI ROMs seem to try and give us a way out of this situation.
The question I'm asking myself is why there is virtually no custom ROM development happening for the Mi 8 Pro - this is the first time I own an Android device that can't be easily customized (or unlocked - but that's a different matter).

yo-less said:
I'm not a ROM developer but I look at it that way: As much as it's not possible to install a Mi 9 ROM on the Mi 8 Pro, it's also not possible to install a Mi 8 ROM on a Mi 8 Lite or Mi 8 Pro. You can't even install a dipper TWRP image on an equuleus device, give it a try - you will see it won't work.
Ideally a ROM would detect what kind of device you have and adjust its code accordingly. But as of now, every device needs its own specifically tailored ROM. But GSI ROMs seem to try and give us a way out of this situation.
The question I'm asking myself is why there is virtually no custom ROM development happening for the Mi 8 Pro - this is the first time I own an Android device that can't be easily customized (or unlocked - but that's a different matter).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might normally agree with your idea but the hardware is almost exactly the same except for the finger print reader and the front camera so in theory it should be fine except for those. A different example might be installing Poco phone roms on a Mi 8 or Mi 8 roms on a Mi 8 Ursa.

eremeya said:
I might normally agree with your idea but the hardware is almost exactly the same except for the finger print reader and the front camera so in theory it should be fine except for those. A different example might be installing Poco phone roms on a Mi 8 or Mi 8 roms on a Mi 8 Ursa.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not saying it's beyond possible to make it happen, all I'm saying is that it doesn't seem to work as the hardware is not the same - or have you been able to install a Mi 8 ROM on a Mi 8 Pro? I couldn't even get a Mi 8 TWRP running on a Mi 8 Pro, so I'm guessing the difference does matter.

yo-less said:
I'm not saying it's beyond possible to make it happen, all I'm saying is that it doesn't seem to work as the hardware is not the same - or have you been able to install a Mi 8 ROM on a Mi 8 Pro? I couldn't even get a Mi 8 TWRP running on a Mi 8 Pro, so I'm guessing the difference does matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried with one rom and it failed to install. It gave an error about the zip not being signed or signed wrong. I modified a file in to ROM zip to remove references to dipper. (This is the process that is done to install Poco phone Roms on a Mi 8). I'm not sure how to modify the rom zip and re-sign it so it installs. Unfortunately I don't have much time right now to experiment as I'm busy with school.

eremeya said:
I tried with one rom and it failed to install. It gave an error about the zip not being signed or signed wrong. I modified a file in to ROM zip to remove references to dipper. (This is the process that is done to install Poco phone Roms on a Mi 8). I'm not sure how to modify the rom zip and re-sign it so it installs. Unfortunately I don't have much time right now to experiment as I'm busy with school.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like an interesting route, so if you follow it through and get it to work, please let us know how you made it happen.

Testing day yesterday, I am currently running HavocOS, with the just released chinese Xiaomi V11.0.2.0.PECCNXM vendor.
I believe that to get it working, SELinux needs to be set to permissive.
Steps taken to boot:
1. Flash 10.3.4 ROM using Xiaomi Flash tool - wiping and cleaning everything, including data and SDCard.
2. Boot and set passcode.
3. Reboot to Bootloader
4. Flash recovery-TWRP-3.3.0-0504-XIAOMI8UD-CN-wzsx150 TWRP.img to recovery partition
5. Boot recovery-TWRP-3.3.0-0504-XIAOMI8UD-CN-wzsx150
6. Factory Reset
5. Flash Havoc-OS-v2.9-20190914 (thread, download
6. Flash permissiver-v4 by erfanoabdi for GSI images
7. Boot
8. Upon reboot to recovery - wipe cahche / dalvik, reboot recovery, then reboot system
9. If you are sent back to recovery. Just reboot - it will boot eventually.
10 Subsequently, from TWRP, resize system partition and flash gapps (yes, you can do this and everything works fine. I have done this on plenty of occasions. It is also possible to invoke the android one time setup wizard if you need that to restore from a backup etc.).
11. Flash Magisk 20.0
12. Flash PolarKernel (see this section for download and details)
HavocOS allows:
Using gesture navigation (I use OnePlus gestures) - native feature
Using Face unlock with the option of dismissing the lock screen automatically - native feature
Hide the clock (great for our notched devices (for me anyway as I have a clock widget on the home screen anyway)) to gain valuable screen real estate - native feature
Battery circle icon - native feature
Great theme options built in
Many more features.
I am reaching out to some devs to see if I cannot cook this for our Mi 8 Pro. I would dearly love to get the under screen fingerprint working. On one hand others have tried and failed. On the other, I'm not sure how much effort has gone in to the trials - as this is not exactly the most popular device on the planet. Not many devs have it.
However, with fanix-uk working on LineageOS - and possibly the FP sensor - as well as the possibility of having VoLTE and infrared face unlock (as is present in LineageOS for Mi 8 Pro) working - this would be my perfect setup.
Despite not having VoLTE (I may do some tests today) I am considering staying with this setup as it really is great. Time will tell...

I need a definitive answer: Does TWRP work on Android 11? If not, what is a good alternative?

As the title says. I've seen some older posts from 2019 about it not working, and need to know its status as of right now. I checked their website, and it provides a guide for this specific model, but it doesn't work. What else can I use?

Twrp has not worked on our phones since Android 9. So no it does not work on 10 or on 11

Tom Dude said:
As the title says. I've seen some older posts from 2019 about it not working, and need to know its status as of right now. I checked their website, and it provides a guide for this specific model, but it doesn't work. What else can I use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the TWRP website their latest release 3.5 does work on Android 10 and they are working to get it usable on Android 11

Unfortunately our device tree is outdated; there is no android 10 branch let alone 11. The latest release for our device is for those still on android 9, as denoted by TeamWin's new naming convention. If a new branch for 10 and/or 11 can be added to Github, maybe we'll see a build that works for those that have moved on from pie.
GitHub - TeamWin/android_device_google_bonito
Contribute to TeamWin/android_device_google_bonito development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com

41rw4lk said:
Unfortunately our device tree is outdated; there is no android 10 branch let alone 11. The latest release for our device is for those still on android 9, as denoted by TeamWin's new naming convention. If a new branch for 10 and/or 11 can be added to Github, maybe we'll see a build that works for those that have moved on from pie.
GitHub - TeamWin/android_device_google_bonito
Contribute to TeamWin/android_device_google_bonito development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so what does this mean?
i just got a brand new 3a XL
i updated it to 11 and now the phone has so many issues that it is not even useable for me anymore, i need to go back to 9 or flash a custom ROM
so can i downgrade it to pie or dirty flash a stock pie rom and then install TWRP on it and flash a custom rom?
or am i now stuck on a 11 with no way to flash to an older stock rom or custom rom or install TWRP?
also if you install TWRP on 9 then i assume you can still flash a stock 10 or 11 rom and revert back to 9 right

gdroid666 said:
so what does this mean?
i just got a brand new 3a XL
i updated it to 11 and now the phone has so many issues that it is not even useable for me anymore, i need to go back to 9 or flash a custom ROM
so can i downgrade it to pie or dirty flash a stock pie rom and then install TWRP on it and flash a custom rom?
or am i now stuck on a 11 with no way to flash to an older stock rom or custom rom or install TWRP?
also if you install TWRP on 9 then i assume you can still flash a stock 10 or 11 rom and revert back to 9 right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

i see you quoted my post but it is blank
also i am having major problems navigating this new site now , it logs me out whenever i do anything or move between pages and then i can no longer log in it gives an error " Security error occurred. Please press back, refresh the page, and try again. "
on chrome

First you might want to post what issues you are having in 11 as really there have not been many postings about issues on 11 at all.
That said to answer your question:
Android 9 is very old and of course no longer being updated. I cannot even think of a custom rom that is still based on android 9, but if your dead set on going back to 9 and being a huge security risk you need to download the last android 9 full from from google factory images and run the flash-all file either vat or sh depending on what os your on, This will completely wipe your phone.
If you want to try a custom rom there are very few that are actively updated. The only one I can think of that I KNOW is updadated and current is LOS. Unfortunately while it works really well there is absoluetly no support at all for it on our phone. Not even a dedicated xda thread for it. I wqas on it for a while but ran into an issue with dialing 911. Not sure if it was an LOS issue or not but immediately went bqck to stock with custom kernel after that and have been that way ever since.
To summarize:
Android 9 is basically dead and outdated.
Android 10 lives on only in the very few custom roms available
Android 11 at least for me is at least as stable and usable as 9 or 10 was
TWRP is likely never going to return to our phone and honestly really isnt needed anymore. Really the only thing we cannot do anymore is flash something directly from our phone. Without TWRP you must now flash all images and kernels and such from a pc.
Yeah this site is not quite ready for prime time yet. I also have constant issues with it. Hopefully the reply goes through this time

gdroid666 said:
so what does this mean?
i just got a brand new 3a XL
i updated it to 11 and now the phone has so many issues that it is not even useable for me anymore, i need to go back to 9 or flash a custom ROM
so can i downgrade it to pie or dirty flash a stock pie rom and then install TWRP on it and flash a custom rom?
or am i now stuck on a 11 with no way to flash to an older stock rom or custom rom or install TWRP?
also if you install TWRP on 9 then i assume you can still flash a stock 10 or 11 rom and revert back to 9 right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't seen a reply
gdroid666 said:
i see you quoted my post but it is blank
also i am having major problems navigating this new site now , it logs me out whenever i do anything or move between pages and then i can no longer log in it gives an error " Security error occurred. Please press back, refresh the page, and try again. "
on chrome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you see the reply this time?

adm1jtg said:
Haven't seen a reply
Did you see the reply this time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i can see it
the problems i have are
1)using assistant via "hey Google" does not respond to what i say, instead it brings up a menu of suggestions , and i have to repeat myself
or sometimes it won't work at all just says can't reach google try again later
2) smart lock trusted device does not work it constantly relocks my phone after minutes no matter what trusted bluetooth devices are paired , not only annoying but dangerously distracting while driving"
3) problems with android auto and android auto with assistant ,
4) bug where pressing the volume rocker to adjust media or ringer volume (in either direction) causes all sound, media or ringer to just stop
5)problems with the accessing the phone screen while in a call
when i pull the phone from my ear and go to use the screen when in a call the screen goes off and is not responsive to touch then it goes on for a split second , then off, then on, then off , then on
seems like the software service that controls the (light?) sensor that detects if the phone is being held to your ear is not working right, i had issues with this on my nexus 6p too though but it had a different sort of behavior , it would just be black and unresponsive and i had to press the power button to wake the screen again, and i had to stop using power button ends call cause it would end the call whenever i needed to use my screen while in a call and the glitch happened and kept the screen from waking when i pulled away from my ear
6) sometimes get glitches with the app switcher/recents
sometimes the "pill" gesture does not respond and i can not bring it up at all,
and the animations are all glitched out too nearly all the time
animations are a mess jumpy, glitchy ,shaky
it's going to give someone a seizure
7) no visual VM tab in the stock phone dialer app
this was working on 9 on another 3aXL ut stopped after update to 10 ,same carrier but this had been a problem on the nexus 6p too
off /on issue , mostly off
8) texting photos to IOS devices does not go through now
i thought it said you could install TWRP on the 3a XL if you were on Android 9
so what i was asking is, what happens if you dirty flash a stock Android 9 ROM? then would i be able to install TWRP from there
or i can not do it now since i updated it to 11?
I am just curious if it can be done, I will probably just take your advice and stay on 11 for now though and hope there is aoe improvements in android 12 developer preview
i am not at all hopeful though
and after testing my old phone some of the same assistant and auto bugs are on those devices too so i guess it is just issues with assistant that cropped up the same ties i updated

gdroid666 said:
yes i can see it
the problems i have are
1)using assistant via "hey Google" does not respond to what i say, instead it brings up a menu of suggestions , and i have to repeat myself
or sometimes it won't work at all just says can't reach google try again later
Cant comment on this as I dont use assistant
2) smart lock trusted device does not work it constantly relocks my phone after minutes no matter what trusted bluetooth devices are paired , not only annoying but dangerously distracting while driving"
Dont use smartlock either
3) problems with android auto and android auto with assistant ,
Dont use android auto either
4) bug where pressing the volume rocker to adjust media or ringer volume (in either direction) causes all sound, media or ringer to just stop
Never had this happen and had this phone on both stock 10 and 11 and also on LOS 17.1
5)problems with the accessing the phone screen while in a call
when i pull the phone from my ear and go to use the screen when in a call the screen goes off and is not responsive to touch then it goes on for a split second , then off, then on, then off , then on
seems like the software service that controls the (light?) sensor that detects if the phone is being held to your ear is not working right, i had issues with this on my nexus 6p too though but it had a different sort of behavior , it would just be black and unresponsive and i had to press the power button to wake the screen again, and i had to stop using power button ends call cause it would end the call whenever i needed to use my screen while in a call and the glitch happened and kept the screen from waking when i pulled away from my ear
Never had this happen with any of the above roms either
Could your tempered glass somehow be blocking the sensor as I have heard of symptoms like that being caused by one.
6) sometimes get glitches with the app switcher/recents
sometimes the "pill" gesture does not respond and i can not bring it up at all,
and the animations are all glitched out too nearly all the time
animations are a mess jumpy, glitchy ,shaky
it's going to give someone a seizure
Not helpful I know but also never seen this occur in all my time using many android phones
7) no visual VM tab in the stock phone dialer app
this was working on 9 on another 3aXL ut stopped after update to 10 ,same carrier but this had been a problem on the nexus 6p too
off /on issue , mostly off
Only seen this when your not using the correct/default stock phone apk
8) texting photos to IOS devices does not go through now
I text stuff to iphones all the time, could be a carrier or apn issue
i thought it said you could install TWRP on the 3a XL if you were on Android 9
I was never on android 9 on this phone but I believe thats correct. However you would lose all security updates for well over a year and a half or so. I BELIEVE the last android 9 rom update was aug 2019
so what i was asking is, what happens if you dirty flash a stock Android 9 ROM? then would i be able to install TWRP from there
or i can not do it now since i updated it to 11?
You could go back but it would not be advised and since twrp shares the boot partition as soon as you flashed any rom greater the android 9 you would lose twrp.
I am just curious if it can be done, I will probably just take your advice and stay on 11 for now though and hope there is aoe improvements in android 12 developer preview
i am not at all hopeful though
and after testing my old phone some of the same assistant and auto bugs are on those devices too so i guess it is just issues with assistant that cropped up the same ties i updated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ugh I really am not liking this new forum format. I answered each of your line items under each number but it really isnt showing up very well.
Sorry it has taken so long to respond but i wanted to give a complete answer. Given all the issues you are having and that in my personal opinion going back to 9 really isnt a good idea I would recommend giving los 17.1 a try. It will NOT get you twrp but it is based on android 10, and updated weekly. The only downside to LOS 17.1 is that there is literally no support at all. Even the responsibvle dm's I dont believe even own our phone. That said it ran perfactly for me except a wierd 911 issue that may or may not have been due to LOS. I am seriously thinking of going back to LOS myself, am just really lazy as I would have to redo my entire phone and start with a clean android 10 stock flash.

When you have backup religion: 'tWRp IsNt NEedEd ANyMoRE'
Yet nobody can answer OP's question.

ssurell said:
When you have backup religion: 'tWRp IsNt NEedEd ANyMoRE'
Yet nobody can answer OP's question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no alternative for our device running 10 or 11. If we had a device tree newer than 9 we could probably get an auto build from teamwin, but as of now there is none.
As for backing up, most things are backed up using cloud services, not to mention twrp isn't so elegant on a/b devices. You have to reinstall after updates, it can interfere with built in updaters, and restoring backups on a/b devices seem to cause more problems that anything.

41rw4lk said:
There is no alternative for our device running 10 or 11. If we had a device tree newer than 9 we could probably get an auto build from teamwin, but as of now there is none.
As for backing up, most things are backed up using cloud services, not to mention twrp isn't so elegant on a/b devices. You have to reinstall after updates, it can interfere with built in updaters, and restoring backups on a/b devices seem to cause more problems that anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An often repeated mantra it seems that has little to do with creating and restoring partition images. Where I might agree is the lack of need for an elaborate gui to perform update and flash procedures. Seems LOS recovery could fit a dd function into the recovery partition. But lack of user control over boot slot after a crap system update is all the code politics I need to know. No wonder DU folded up.

I have a working TWRP for Android 11.

Captain_Throwback said:
I have a working TWRP for Android 11.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well throw us a link and give any disclaimers you may have about us using it lol

adm1jtg said:
Well throw us a link and give any disclaimers you may have about us using it lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I posted it in the Telegram group here: https://t.me/pixel3a/161825

Phone keeps booting into fastboot

Hi all,
I am using the weekly xiaomi.eu ROM til almost year now. The latest update from 21.4.28 to 21.5.12 somehow went wrong. I used twrp-3.4.0-2grus.img which was working perfectly for all previous updates. Now my Mi 9 SE is always booting into fastboot mode instead of MIUI. When I try to boot into one of the official TWRP versions v3.5.x the phone strangely boots into MIUI but unfortunately many things don't work (phone calls, fingerprint, WLAN, speaker). I tried to use a newer TWRP (twrp-3.5.A9-grus-geoanto555.img) to flash any of the mentioned images and the latest 21.5.20 but same result.
Is there anything I can do except of resetting to factory default? I would like to avoid loosing all my data and settings.
Thanks for any help!
Buzzy

BuzzyB said:
Hi all,
I am using the weekly xiaomi.eu ROM til almost year now. The latest update from 21.4.28 to 21.5.12 somehow went wrong. I used twrp-3.4.0-2grus.img which was working perfectly for all previous updates. Now my Mi 9 SE is always booting into fastboot mode instead of MIUI. When I try to boot into one of the official TWRP versions v3.5.x the phone strangely boots into MIUI but unfortunately many things don't work (phone calls, fingerprint, WLAN, speaker). I tried to use a newer TWRP (twrp-3.5.A9-grus-geoanto555.img) to flash any of the mentioned images and the latest 21.5.20 but same result.
Is there anything I can do except of resetting to factory default? I would like to avoid loosing all my data and settings.
Thanks for any help!
Buzzy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you checked on their forum/in the thread:
MIUI 12.6 - 21.5.20/21
Status: RELEASED RULES WHEN POSTING 1. If a ROM is not published DONT ASK ABOUT ITS ETA 2. If a ROM is not published DONT ASK why! 3. If a ROM is available, download it and use it 4. If a ROM has bugs, post the bug to the bug section if the BUG is not already listed 5. If you use any form of...
xiaomi.eu
what is the proper TWRP to use with your device?
I don't have 9 SE but 9 T (and I'm using the latest official 3.5.2_9-0 for my device) but there was a lot of discussion about TWRP versions required for 21.5.20 (and future Xiaomi.eu weeklies) - generally TWRP 3.5+ versions must be used (for some devices n/a and then only specific 3.4 versions can substitute)

Hi zgfg,
thank you for your answer. I just read the whole thread but the update seems to work for the MI9SE in general. Initially I was using the twrp-3.4.0 which worked fine for all previous updates. I also tried the official TWRP version 3.5.x from twrp.me but they did not work for me. Every time I am fastbooting them my phone does not boot to recovery. Strangely after the failed update trying to boot the official TWRP leads to a boot into MIUI instead of fastboot. I dont't know what went wrong.
I also found this thread https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/official-twrp-for-mi-9-se.58589/page-4. The mentioned twrp version from geoanto boots and lets me install the ROM but with the same outcome.

Question Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE - OFFICIAL MIUI 14 GLOBAL V14.0.2.0MIXM - ANYONE UPDATED YET ? Thread starter k500zm Start date 1 minute ago Tags

Has anyone been offered the Global version by their phone and updated ?
If Yes - what is your experience with MIUI 14 and does Dark mode work for individual apps listed separately in dark mode options?

Just received a notification for the update. Should one do a factory reset once upgraded?
EDIT: Ok, just updated and decided I'd just do a factory reset afterwards to start clean. Is it just me or do the graphics, icons and such look a little more blurry now?

Today monring i make an update, it is super. System is faster, but Leica cam app is not possible instal, have anybody newer version of leiaca cam app fo A13? THX

thecumbackkid said:
Just received a notification for the update. Should one do a factory reset once upgraded?
EDIT: Ok, just updated and decided I'd just do a factory reset afterwards to start clean. Is it just me or do the graphics, icons and such look a little more blurry now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@thecumbackkid - Please tell me in settings - display - more dark mode options - does it list all the individual apps to choose dark mode for each app ? (it may take a second or 2 to list them)​

This is what it shows for me.

Thanks for the info thecumbackkid
Looks like its time to upgrade I was stuck on Miui 12.5 as when I updated to 13 all individual dark mode apps options disappered.
Someone stole my phone on holiday so I bought a new one and stuck on 12.5 as Dark mode for individual apps is essential for my over sensitive eyes!

I did the OTA update yesterday.
Before installation I uninstalled magisk, and reinstall it the inactive partition after update, before the reboot prompt.
Everything worked fine but be patient. The phone restart at least 5 times during boot logo. I was suspecting a boot loop but it finally started.
Everything is smooth, magisk root still work, safety net fix was kept.
For the moment the only thing which failed was a Google Keep Widget I had to remove and reinstall to home screen.
Except some little icon changes in notifications I didn't notice lot of changes but it is only after some minutes of utilisation.
Edit : password manager like Bitwarden seems to detect better than before that new password was entered.

snyfear said:
I did the OTA update yesterday.
Before installation I uninstalled magisk, and reinstall it the inactive partition after update, before the reboot prompt.
Everything worked fine but be patient. The phone restart at least 5 times during boot logo. I was suspecting a boot loop but it finally started.
Everything is smooth, magisk root still work, safety net fix was kept.
For the moment the only thing which failed was a Google Keep Widget I had to remove and reinstall to home screen.
Except some little icon changes in notifications I didn't notice lot of changes but it is only after some minutes of utilisation.
Edit : password manager like Bitwarden seems to detect better than before that new password was entered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@snyfear
Thanks for the info - if you notice anything else let us know

Awful battery drain here. Charged to 100% barely did some basic browsing and half is already gone in a short amount of time. Noticed whenever I have it charged to 100% at night and by the middle of the next day where I barely use it for nothing but just to check for notifications on stuff it's already down to 80%...
AFAIK, this appears to be some pilot program build? I never asked to participate in it so how did I get this update?

Does any one know how to Facemoji keyboard in MIUI 14 for Lisa ?
I am not rooted. its plain stock MIUI.
Tried ADB shell uninstall, it gave me failure.
Also tried Xioami debloater tool. That also didnt work.

I still haven't received the update for some reason and i tried to update it manually but it didn't work what should I do

Updated to 14.0.4 EUXM and can't get root to work anymore.
Patched the boot image via Magisk 25.2 and then tested via fastboot, as always.
I run directly into a bootloop, which after a while sometimes returns to the bootloader or automatically deletes the temporary boot and boots with the normal image.
It's also strange that during the bootloop the device vibrates once every 3-5 seconds briefly. I've never had that before either.
Update:
I found a solution without wiping my device.
I remembered that I had a problem during the last update with shamiko and I didn't uninstalled magisk or removed any modules before the update. So in order to remove the modules without access to /data/adb and wihtout root rights you need to do the following, maybe it's interesting for you folks.
1. Open shell with command: "adb wait-for-device shell magisk --remove-modules"
2. Open second shell and boot with patched boot.img: "fastboot boot boot_patched.img"
The short time at boot, where root is present, was enough to remove the modules via the CLI during the boot loop.
Lessons learned:
Before the next major update definitely remove all Magisk modules before, if not root entirely.
Saves the work afterwards.
Btw:
Update is running smoothly so far. No battery drain noticed.

can anyone link me to a tutorial on how to rollback from custom rom (currently AOSPA) to stock MIUI ROM? want to move to MIUI 14 eventually. greatly appreciate it!

You can also install miui eu rom 14.0.6.0. If you first install via fastboot, it installs twrp with it. This way you can install future ota updates without using a computer/fastboot. In my opinion the eu rom is the same if not better as stock EEU global from xiaomi

telefoongids said:
You can also install miui eu rom 14.0.6.0. If you first install via fastboot, it installs twrp with it. This way you can install future ota updates without using a computer/fastboot. In my opinion the eu rom is the same if not better as stock EEU global from xiaomi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, thanks for the reply! just a few questions, there's no possibility of triggering anti rollback right? I was reading that some ppl faced it - I moved to custom roms from MIUI 13 iirc.
also where can I find the link to the .eu ROM? thanks again!

theanik said:
hey, thanks for the reply! just a few questions, there's no possibility of triggering anti rollback right? I was reading that some ppl faced it - I moved to custom roms from MIUI 13 iirc.
also where can I find the link to the .eu ROM? thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont believe the Xiaomi.eu roms have a anti rollback trigger. The previous roms are all a complete package (firmware, recovery, rom etc.) you flash them via fastboot.
The latest 14.0.6.0 comes with twrp. But you have to flash the rom with fastboot first, to get twrp installed.
Here's the link:
MIUI 14 - MIUI 14 STABLE RELEASE
Status: RELEASED RULES WHEN POSTING 1. If a ROM is not published DONT ASK ABOUT ITS ETA 2. If a ROM is not published DONT ASK why! 3. If a ROM is available, download it and use it 4. If a ROM has bugs, post the bug to the bug section if the BUG is not already listed 5. If you use any form of...
xiaomi.eu
Just search for mi11le in the downloads.

telefoongids said:
I dont believe the Xiaomi.eu roms have a anti rollback trigger. The previous roms are all a complete package (firmware, recovery, rom etc.) you flash them via fastboot.
The latest 14.0.6.0 comes with twrp. But you have to flash it first with fastboot to get twrp installed.
Here's the link:
MIUI 14 - MIUI 14 STABLE RELEASE
Status: RELEASED RULES WHEN POSTING 1. If a ROM is not published DONT ASK ABOUT ITS ETA 2. If a ROM is not published DONT ASK why! 3. If a ROM is available, download it and use it 4. If a ROM has bugs, post the bug to the bug section if the BUG is not already listed 5. If you use any form of...
xiaomi.eu
Just search for mi11le in the downloads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you!

any one from Philippines received the update?