If you are a Xiaomi user, install TWRP on Xiaomi phones will be very helpful. Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP for short) is a custom recovery project for Android devices. Recovery is menu that pops up when your device is factory resetting. TWRP is more advanced and more useful version of it. By installing TWRP on your Android device, you can root your device, install a custom ROM, and more.
In this article, we explain in detail what needs to be done to install TWRP on Xiaomi devices, so you can easily install TWRP on your device. TWRP installation on Xiaomi phones is a careful and experimental task. And you will need a detailed guide, then this article is for you. Everything needed is available here, let’s get started then.
Steps to Install TWRP on Xiaomi Phones
Of course, before starting these operations, you need to unlock bootloader of your device. Bootloader lock is a measure that provides software protection for your device. Unless bootloader is unlocked by user, no software intervention can be made to device in anyway. Therefore, it’s necessary to unlock bootloader before installing TWRP. After that, compatible TWRP file will be downloaded to device, then TWRP installation will be done.
Bootloader Unlocking
Firsty, device bootloader should be unlocked. Although it’s a easy process on other devices. But, it’s a somewhat complex process on Xiaomi devices. You need to pair your Mi Account with your device and unlock bootloader with computer. Don’t forget, bootloader unlocking process will void your phone’s warranty and erase your data.
- Firstly, if you don’t have Mi Account on your device, create Mi Account and sign in, then go to developer options. Enable “OEM Unlocking” and select “Mi Unlock status”. Select “Add account and device”.
Now, your device and Mi Account will be paired. If your device is up-to-date and still receiving updates (not EOL), your 1-week unlock period has begun. If you click that button continuously, your duration will increase to 2 – 4 weeks. Just press once instead of adding an account. If your device is already EOL and not receiving updates, you don’t need to wait.
- We need a computer with ADB & Fastboot libraries installed. You can check ADB & Fastboot setup here. Then download and install Mi Unlock Tool on your computer from here. Reboot phone into Fastboot mode and connect to PC.
- When you open Mi Unlock Tool, your device’s serial number and status will be seen. You can complete bootloader unlocking process by pressing the unlock button. All your data will be erased on this process, so don’t forget to take backups.
TWRP Installation
Finally, your device is ready, TWRP installation process is done from bootloader screen and command shell (cmd). ADB & Fastboot library is required for this process, we have already installed it above. This process is simple, but there is one thing to note here, A/B and non-A/B devices. Installation procedures differ according to these two device types.
Seamless updates (also known A/B system updates) project introduced by Google in 2017 with Android 7 (Nougat). A/B system updates ensure a workable booting system remains on disk during an over-the-air (OTA) update. This approach reduces the likelihood of an inactive device after an update, which means fewer device replacements and device reflashes at repair and warranty centers. More information on this subject is available here.
With this in mind, there are two different types of TWRP installations available. non-A/B devices (e.g. Redmi Note 8) have a recovery partition in partition table. Therefore, TWRP is installed directly from fastboot on these devices. A/B devices (e.g. Mi A3) don’t have a recovery partition, ramdisk needs to be patched in boot images (boot_a boot_b). So, TWRP installation process on A/B devices is slightly different.
TWRP Installation on Non-A/B Devices
Many devices are like this. TWRP installation on these devices is short and easy. First, download compatible TWRP for your Xiaomi device from here. Download TWRP image and reboot device into bootloader mode and connect it your computer.7
Device is in bootloader mode and connected to computer. Open a command shell (cmd) window in TWRP image’s folder. Run “fastboot flash recovery filename.img” command , when the process is complete, run “fastboot reboot recovery” command for reboot your device in recovery mode. That’s it, TWRP successfully installed on non-A/B Xiaomi device.
TWRP Installation on A/B Devices
This installation step is a little longer than non-A/B, but it’s simple too. You just need to boot TWRP and flash the TWRP installer zip file compatible with your device. This zip file patches ramdisks in both slots. In this way, TWRP is installed on your device.
Download TWRP image and TWRP installer zip file again from here. Reboot device into fastboot mode, run “fastboot boot filename.img” command. Device will boot in TWRP mode. However, this “boot” command is one-time use, TWRP installer must be needed for permanent installation.
After that, classic TWRP commands, go “Install” section. Find “twrp-installer-3.x.x-x.zip” file you downloaded and install it, or you can install it from computer using ADB sideload. When operation is finished, TWRP will be successfully installed in both parts.
You have successfully completed TWRP installation on Xiaomi phones. You now have TWRP recovery on your Xiaomi phone. In this way, you will gain a much more advanced experience. TWRP is a very useful project, you can backup and recover all your data from here in case of a possible failure. Also, the way to root your device is through TWRP.
Also, you can take a backup of important parts on your device. Moreover, you can now install a custom ROM on your Xiaomi device. You can take a look our article listing the best custom ROMs here, so you can have the opportunity to install new ROMs on your device. Do not forget to comment your opinions and requests below. Stay tuned for more detailed guides and tech contents.
