Many users began to complain that they could not install the security patch because the OTA update did not work in Xiaomi Mi A1.
In this article, we will analyze this problem and tell you how to solve it, if you also encountered it.
Recall that Mi A1 is the only Xiaomi phone participating in the program.
On November 21, the smartphone received a new firmware update that improves stability and performance, as well as expected security fixes from Google.
According to the changelog, the new add-on pack updates last changes in the system since November of this year. The update is intended to improve security and fix bugs found.
Unfortunately, the November package was without the expected . Therefore, the owners of Xiaomi Mi A1 are looking forward to the December promised by the developers.
The smartphone is also popular with users who like Xiaomi products, but for some reason do not like to use GUI MIUI ROM.
Now let's move on to the problem itself. The essence of which is that even a few weeks after the release of the November update, many users still have not received it via OTA (Over-the-Air). Even the standard check for updates in the system settings did not help.
As the only Xiaomi phone so far participating in Android program One, it gets fast updates thanks to Google and Xiaomi. The Mi A1 should receive both major updates and regular minor additions with improvements and feature updates.
How to fix automatic updates on Xiaomi Mi A1?
On the forum in a specialized thread, one of the moderators suggested the following universal solution for the Mi A1.
1. Disable full access network, including Wi-Fi and mobile data.
2. Turn off location.
3. In the "System Settings" section, the "Application" item, enable the view of system applications.
4. Search and open Google Services framework.
5. Open the storage of this application and select "Clear data".
6. Turn on Internet access. Then check for updates. If a new firmware is available, you should get the update immediately.
Before you start downloading, make sure you are connected to a stable and secure WiFi networks to avoid running out of data or mobile data.
Xiaomi smartphones, like other devices under Android control, need updating, and sometimes firmware, as the standard translation of the menu and the entire interface is not always up to par. Another reason why users often resort to flashing their smartphones is the cessation of official updates, so you have to look for alternative options so that new versions of applications and games work correctly, services start correctly.
Since Xiaomi equips all its devices with its own modified MIUI operating system, there are some problems and difficulties, especially for novice users. In this article, you will learn about all the ways to update the firmware on a Xiaomi smartphone!
We’ll clarify right away that the article is written in general for all Xiaomi devices. But at some points, operations and actions may differ slightly, since the models still have their own distinctive features even in operating systems and pre-installed software.
In general, the manufacturer releases updates for their smartphones by default, and if you have only recently purchased a device, then you can count on support and stable updates for a few more years. operating system. For this, international firmware versions are specially released, available immediately for updating within the system or on the official MIUI website.
There are also devices that are produced only for the Chinese market, so you will not wait for the release of international versions. This is where the dance with updates and firmware begins!
Standard system update
If you have a smartphone that was created for the international market, then the update process is quite simple.
- Download the firmware for your smartphone of the version that you need;
- Next, copy this file in zip format to the root of your smartphone, be sure to place it in the downloaded_rom directory;
- Now on the desktop of the smartphone, find the "Update" tab and click on it to launch the installer;
- In the window that opens, you need to click on the tab with three dots, and there click on the item "Select firmware file";
- Specify the path to the archive that you just uploaded to the system and confirm your actions;
- As soon as the process is completed, the system will automatically reboot, and you will see the already updated firmware version on the screen.
Before starting the installation, the operating system always checks your version and the correctness of its files, so you can be sure of the stable operation of the device. Just download the firmware from the official site.
Firmware update via Recovery mode
Attention! When updating the firmware, it will sometimes be necessary to perform a factory reset, so read each item carefully when changing the firmware or updating it.
- You need to download the firmware of the version that you want to install on your smartphone. Again, download from official websites or trusted sources;
- Drop this file into internal memory your phone, after giving it the name update.zip. Be sure to drop it to the root of the smartphone, and not to the directory;
- Go to the "Update" application and click on the icon with three dots. Next, select the item "Reboot in Recovery";
- We turn off the phone and simultaneously press the "Volume up" and "Power" keys, holding them for about 5 seconds until the phone enters recovery mode;
- As soon as the smartphone enters this mode, you will need to select a foreign language in the settings and click on the “Install update.zip” tab;
- Management between menu items is carried out by volume keys. Remember this;
- After the update is completed, restart the smartphone by clicking on the Reboot tab. That's it, the firmware update process is completed and you can proceed with the initial configuration of the device.
As we said earlier, on certain models, the bootloader is locked by default, so you need to unlock it in order to access updates and firmware. Earlier on our site we have already described detailed instructions different methods with all the details. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with this material and strictly follow the instructions described.
Important! Whichever way you choose to update the firmware, the battery charge on your smartphone must be at least 30%! And it is best that the battery is fully charged, as users vary greatly in terms of battery wear over time over the course of their service life.
Firmware update (version) over the air
If you only need to update the version of your operating system, then you can also do this through OTA updates, which are regularly released by the developer for several years after the release of a particular smartphone model.
The main feature of OTA is that all your data will be safe and sound, and the system will only load those modules that have been updated. And at the same time, you don’t need to do any resets, you don’t have to download third-party firmware and connect your phone to a computer either.
You usually do not need special smartphone skills to update the firmware version of your Xiaomi.
And so, here's what you need to do:
- Go to the "Settings" of the device and click on the "About phone" tab;
- Next, find the item "System Updates" and go to the item "Check now";
- You must have a smartphone connected to wireless network- 3G, Wi-Fi, so that the system module can query for updates;
- As soon as the verification process is completed, an update notification will appear on the screen. Click "Update" and wait until the procedure is completed;
- At the end of the update, the smartphone will reboot and you can enjoy working in the new operating system.
Firmware update via computer
To update your smartphone through a computer, you will need to download the MiFlash program to your PC, as well as disable signature verification in Windows.
The MiFlash program is downloaded from the official website of the latest version. Follow this link and download the program, install it on your computer.
- Download the required firmware file from the official MIUI website in file system computer;
- Pre-unlock the bootloader mode on your smartphone if it is suddenly blocked. Again, we have a separate article on unlocking with all the details;
- Switch your smartphone to Bootloader mode;
- to the computer, having previously charged it to the full level;
- Open the MiFlash program, wait until the system detects a new device and in the program window, specify the path to the firmware;
- Click on the Refresh tab and confirm by clicking on Flash;
- As soon as the process is completed, the smartphone will reboot with the new firmware.
Conclusion
All the methods described in this article will help you update the firmware of your Xiaomi smartphone as painlessly as possible. Just keep in mind that you first need to save user data if you are going to flash your smartphone not via OTA.
Be sure to copy important information to a computer or upload data to the cloud, make a backup copy.
Try to update your smartphone for the first few years only by air, so as not to once again jeopardize important information, as inexperienced users often do something completely different from what is described in the recommendations.
If your smartphone has already stopped officially releasing updates, then you can think about firmware through alternative methods.
Each a new version Android brings both internal and external changes. This could be a simple redesign of the menu interface, or completely new power-saving algorithms. Minor updates can close holes in the protection of user data or simply fix small bugs.
Each OS update is an improvement, a step forward, new features and better optimization.
There are no useless updates. Even if you did not notice the difference before and after the firmware, changes in the code may well save you from a recent malware threat. Regardless of the scale of the update, it is definitely not worth ignoring it.
Why is Android update not coming?
Even after the official launch of a fresh version of the system for your device, the desired update may be delayed. This is due to the fact that the distribution of updates over the air (Over The Air - OTA) is carried out systematically, gradually capturing more and more regions of the world. In order not to wait until the new firmware becomes available on your smartphone, you can resort to updating in manual mode.
How to check for an OTA update
If your smartphone or tablet can receive updates over the air, then you can check for the latest firmware through the systems. Usually, the option you need to do this is hidden in the “System”, “About device” or “About phone” section. Its name is also quite logical - “System Update” or “Software Update”.
By clicking on the check button, you will find out if it is possible to download the update right now.
How else to update Android on a smartphone
Not all smartphones officially sold in Russia support over-the-air updates. In such cases, downloading and installing new firmware can be carried out in other ways, which are also suitable for those who simply cannot wait for the OTA update to arrive.
Meizu
gearopen.com Meizu allows you to independently download the latest OS for the selected smartphone directly from the official website of the company. You can download the necessary files directly to your smartphone via mobile or using a PC and then copying the firmware file. In any case, the update archive will need to be moved to the root folder of the device's memory.
The downloaded archive can be opened through the built-in explorer. The system itself will offer to use these files to update the device. Meizu usually recommends installing updates from full memory.
Asus
At manual update Asus smartphones, you will also have to download the firmware file and upload it to the root directory of the smartphone's memory. The firmware itself is downloaded from a special section of the company's website, where you need to specify the exact model in the search bar.
After clicking on the link of your model, it remains to open the support point and select "BIOS and software" in the list of drivers and utilities. This section displays all the firmware available for your gadget. Now you need to download the archive and transfer it to the device. After the reboot, a notification will appear in the system curtain about the possibility of updating using this archive.
Samsung
9to5google.com Samsung smartphones are easily updated over the air, but if necessary, you can also do this through the proprietary Smart Switch program for PC. When you connect your smartphone to your computer, it will allow you to check for the latest firmware for your model and download it. To update, simply follow the instructions on the screen.
Xiaomi
System update
Connect your smartphone to PC via USB and log into MiFlash. Next, using the Browse button, you need to specify the folder containing the unzipped file of the downloaded firmware for fastboot mode. If the smartphone is recognized by MiFlash, all that remains is to press the Flash button to update.
Huawei
theverge.com Majority Huawei smartphones update over the air without any problems, but if you are “lucky enough” to become the owner of a model with dubious firmware, you will have to resort to using the HiSuite utility. It is designed to create backups, manage data on a mobile device and update firmware. The program itself will find the latest version of the OS for the Huawei smartphone connected to the PC.
Sony
Sony gadgets can also be updated through the Xperia Companion proprietary utility. It also serves for data transfer and software recovery. You just need to connect your smartphone to a PC and follow the instructions of the program. It is recommended that you first check for the latest firmware and upcoming updates by IMEI number on a special page on the Sony website.
What is important to know
In most cases, to install an update, your smartphone battery must be more than half charged, and in some cases at least 80%. Update files can be up to several gigabytes in size, so downloading is recommended when you have a fast Wi-Fi connection. On many smartphones, there is an option in the system update settings that prohibits downloading the latest firmware over the mobile network.
Also, before each update, do not forget to make and synchronize important files with .
Xiaomi developers made us happy and released the first public beta versions for almost all devices. But as before, many people have questions about the method of firmware, as well as whether it is worth doing it at all. In this article, we will look at the most simple ways flashing, as well as share some observations about the work of MIUI 10 8.7.12 in general, using Redmi 5 as an example. While writing this article, the first update to 8.7.19 also arrived ...
Xiaomi smartphone firmware up to MIUI 10
And before we begin to paint the methods, we immediately list the warnings:
- Perform all manipulations only with an unlocked bootloader. Only in this case, your hands are untied and you will be able to restore the device's performance when possible mistakes by installing a previously working version. These include: the firmware version is not correctly selected, the sudden disconnection of the wire during the firmware, and the like. If the bootloader is blocked, then in 99% of cases you will get a brick. How to scratch the device, as well as how to unlock xiaomi bootloader, you can read in .
- On this moment Only public versions of MIUI 10 have been released, which are intended for testing purposes. They may contain various bugs, jamming, shortcomings, excessive energy consumption and heating, rapid battery discharge, and so on. If you are not ready to sacrifice the comfort of stable operation of the device in use, then I recommend not updating now, but waiting for the release stable version firmware.
- . All devices that will receive updates in the future android version 8.1 cannot be rolled back, otherwise you will get a brick and how to restore the device after that there is no information yet.
- Be sure to create a backup of your data in Mi Cloud so that after installing the new firmware you will be able to quickly restore contacts, settings, installed applications, gallery and more.
And most importantly, if you are not confident in your actions. We have never dealt with smartphone firmware before and have not yet decided whether you need to install MIUI 10 right now. So my recommendation is to postpone this venture and wait for a stable version and update over the air.
Well, in general, this is not all, but the most important thing is worth knowing. About now about directly flashing a smartphone to MIUI 10. There are many ways to flash: TWRP, Mi Flash, Mi Flash PRO, XiaomiTool, through three points and others. By type of firmware, they differ in TWRP, Recovery and Fastboot.
The forums recommend flashing with TWRP and Fastboot. But the success of flashing with TWRP is very dependent on the version of the program, which means that you may need to iterate through the versions until you flash your device. After the first attempt, it will turn into a brick. The firmware will be installed on any of the versions, but it will only start after installation on the one that supports your device. Fastboot firmware distributed at the moment, not all are installed and I have repeatedly encountered that when I try to flash it gives an error.
Therefore, the last and absolutely working way remains - this is a choice Firmware Recovery! Which has never let me down and is very easy to install. And most importantly, an unsuitable version will not be put into a brazen one, so if you make a mistake, at least don’t spoil anything ...
Ways to install MIUI 10
First way. Installation using Mi Flash Pro. In this case, you need to go to the ROM tab, select the model of your Xiaomi devices and choose the latest firmware. Since 8.7.12, for other models, the last numbers may differ, this is the firmware for developers, so we choose it, and not the stable one, which is only MIUI 9 so far.
We put the phone into Recovery mode. To do this, simultaneously press and hold "Volume +" and "Lock". After the reboot, a menu will appear, use the volume buttons to go down to the “Connect whith MiAssistant” item and press the “Lock / Shutdown” button to confirm. After that we connect USB cable computer, which will be displayed graphically on the screen of the device.
After connecting, go to the Recovery tab and in the field with three dots select the path to the downloaded firmware archive. If you have difficulty finding the path, then go to Downloaded and copy the path from the downloaded firmware, and then paste it into the field. By default, the firmware is downloaded to the “Redmi_X_Global” folder, where X is the model of your device, but you can also set your own by going to the Settings of the program before starting the download.
What is remarkable about this method. If, after selecting the firmware, you press Flash, then no cleaning of the device occurs in more cases. The installation is in update mode. Yes, with this method, the firmware becomes 20 minutes, but after a reboot, you get your device with completely saved data, you just need to enter a password, if any, and continue using the device, but already on MIUI 10. All your files and settings will be saved. But in some cases, it may go differently, so take care of creating a data backup in Mi Cloud in advance.
Be careful, when rolling back on devices that are not yet banned, data is also saved. But there is a problem, if you managed to install component updates on MIUI 10, then some of the built-in applications may not start. I did not check everything, but the gallery does not start 100%. In general, it is worth doing a return either after 3 points or by clicking “Wipe user data”, because there may be other bugs that are not so noticeable. And it will turn out to be impudent to put only 9.5, in my case 9.6.3 with data cleaning. If you immediately try to put it on top of 8.7.19, it gives an error related to the android version and the bootloader did not give me the update to the developer one. But after restoring to 9.6.3 applications and data from backup, component updates, a miracle happened again and the installation of the recovery went on as usual, I’ll never know what it is connected with))) It’s worth applauding the Xiaomi developers for this, they know how to bring cheerful notes to the boring life of their firmware testers)))
The second way. Installing the firmware through three points. This method much simpler and much faster, but if data is saved in the first one, then in this one the data will have to be cleared at startup. Otherwise, you won't be able to install it.
Download the firmware archive for Recovery from the official forum or Community Xiaomi. (Personally, I download it to a computer and then transfer it to my phone using a cable, so the download is many times faster.) We transfer it to the phone’s memory via a cable.
Go to Settings -> About phone -> System update. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select "Specify update package". After that, we agree to clean the device and wait for the installation to complete.
As you can see, the methods are quite simple and everyone can do it. By the way, when your bootloader is unlocked, you can easily roll back to the previous version in the same way through three dots.
Well, now I will share a little my observations about the changes in MIUI 10, it is worth switching to it on a permanent basis.
- The battery began to discharge faster. After arriving updates from Play market, as well as component updates, battery consumption has decreased, but it is still higher than it was on stable 9.6.3
- The first launch of applications takes longer than before. On the same 9.5 and 9.6.3, the launch was noticeably faster.
- Fell off a few times WiFi connections. Everything works fine, I walked with the mobile Internet turned on, and WiFi connections is no longer happening. It was treated with a reboot.
- Not yet finalized fonts in the notification shade, and in the notifications themselves.
- Occasionally the system freezes and stops responding to gestures, it goes away on average in a minute.
- Sometimes thoughtfulness is possible when controlling gestures.
With the update to 8.7.19, the battery drain has decreased significantly, there is some thoughtfulness when you first launch applications, but otherwise the OS works without bugs. Macro blur has been added to the camera and it's pretty decent.
For the rest of the work of MIUI 10 on Redmi 5, I did not notice any shortcomings. The animations are smooth, I didn’t notice any brakes in messengers and built-in applications, everything works fine.
Of the improvements that arrived with the update, the quality of the photo has been improved. Pictures in low light have become better and with greater sharpness, less noise.
The built-in browser has become much faster and, according to my feelings, is almost on par with Chrome in terms of page loading speed.
Added a new gesture to quickly return to the previous open application.
Significantly changed the design of security and weather, alarm clock. Some new sounds have been added to the system.
These are the most significant and noticeable improvements so far.
But before updating, be sure to think about the fact that this is still a BETA version. And with each new update, not only improvements and fixes can arrive, but also new errors and bugs.
To ensure the smooth operation of its smartphones, Xiaomi regularly releases updates to its proprietary MIUI shells, the latest version is MIUI 9. It is intended for mobile devices with Android 4.4 and up.
In the article, we will consider how to update the Xiaomi phone yourself.
System update
If your device has an international stable firmware to update it, just use the built-in functions. You need to go to the settings, where open the "About phone" item, then find "MIUI version". In the window that opens, click on the "Search for updates" button and, if available, latest version shell, it will be automatically downloaded and installed.
If the method did not work, then you must perform the following steps:
How to update Xiaomi phone through Recovery
The option may not work on devices where the MTK processor is used and the bootloader is locked. In some cases, the program may require a factory reset, so it is recommended to save your data before the procedure.
Next, you also need to download the firmware file and, upon completion of the download, rename it to update.zip. After that, you should reboot the product and go into it in recovery mode. To do this, the volume up and power keys are pressed at the same time.
To start the update, click Install update.zip to System One. If the operation was completed successfully, then at the end you just need to restart the device.
How to update Xiaomi smartphone in Fastboot mode
To switch to this mode, on the switched off smartphone, the power and volume buttons are pressed down, after which a rabbit should appear on the screen. It is preliminary recommended to install the MiFlash application, which will allow you to quickly carry out all the activities.
The firmware for fastboot is downloaded to a computer and must be saved to a folder whose name does not contain Cyrillic characters.
After that you need:
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