Trying To Install Stable Rom, Stuck At The Twrp Level


lixpas

Members
Jul 8, 2016
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Hi, I'm new to flashing and all things Android. I have a new Xiaomi Mi4S from China and I would like to install a stable multi ROM. Since I'm new I would like to stay a casual user user (at least for a while) and stick to stable ROMs and OTA updates, if possible.

I'm trying to follow the general recommended install procedure - unlock, flash TWPR, install ROM via TWRP. So far I have:
- downloaded the latest ROM and TWRP for Mi4S (xiaomi.eu_multi_MI4s_V7.5.2.0.LAJCNDE_v7-5.1.zip and twrp_aqua.img)
- placed the ROM zip to the root of phones internal storage
- unlocked the phone via the official Mi Unlock tool (after being granted the unlock from China)
- installed ADB tools
- confirmed the unlock was successfull (fastboot oem device-info)
- semi-successfully installed TWRP (fastboot flash recovery twrp_aqua.img)

Now I'm stuck and I have a few questions:

1) Even though the TWRP was supposedly flashed successfully (command above returned "writing 'recovery'... OKAY finished"), when I try to boot to recovery (either by holding Volume Up + Power or via Updater - Reboot to recovery) I always end up with the screen showing a pictogram of the phone and a cable instead of TWRP. Does this mean TWRP wasn't indeed flashed or the reboot does not work?

2) I was able to temporarily boot to TWRP via "fastboot boot twrp_aqua.img" but the whole thing was in Chinese and I didn't know what to do there. Is there an English version of TWRP for Mi4S? Or is there at least a tutorial with screenshots somewhere for the Chinese version?

3) Is it possible to bypass the TWRP step completely and install the ROM conveniently via Mi Flash tool or Mi PC Suite or is the TWRP step necessary? In some guides online (outside xiaomi.eu) people install the ROM first and only later install the TWRP, but I'm not sure if this is possible with xiaomi.eu ROMs and if Mi Flash or Mi PC Suite can handle unofficial ROMs.

4) After I have the installed the stable ROM will I be able to update for subsequent stable versions using Updater app (OTA)? Does that mean I will keep my data, contacts, apps etc. with OTA update? Will the Updater know to look for the xiaomi.eu ROM by itself or will I need to specify it somehow? I don't want to risk going back to the official China ROM.

Any and every input is appreciated!
 
Last edited:
So I've managed to do install it relatively easily in the end. I just figured I could post answers to some of my questions in case somebody has the same issues:

1) TWRP was indeed properly flashed and it will work fine after the ROM is installed. But for the first boot to recovery the ADB tools command "fastboot boot twrp_aqua.img" is needed. As soon as you are in TWRP, it will ask you in Chinese how to access the partition. However the only thing you need to do is tap < in the upper left corner 2-3 times till you get to main menu. There you have to select the first item with the icon of a box with down-pointing arrow, then you browse your phone's storage and select the ROM zip and then just swipe the blue button from left to right (do not add any ticks). It installs the ROM properly within few minutes.

2) To change TWRP to English there are two ways and you can use them both before you install the ROM to make your life easier. The first one requires Google Play Store, just google "Impressivedroid How to change TWRP to English" and click on the first link for instructions. The second method does not require Google Play Store and app installation, you just connect the phone to your computer and copy one of the theme files found on XDA forums (google "[THEME][TWRP] TWRP Materialised - Dark / Light / Play [01/05/16]" and hit the first link) into phone's storage TWRP/theme/ui.zip (Mi4S has resolution 1080x1920, that's important).

3) Don't know, didn't use it, since the fastboot method worked well in the end.

4) As far as I understand, the Updater app really finds the correct ROM from xiaomi.eu once there is an update available. I haven't tried that yet, as I currently have the latest stable ROM, but it should work.
 
Hello, lixpas,

Thanks for your input! I had the same issues (posted another thread earlier) but managed to flash the EU weekly ROM with TWRP in Chinese following my instincts (unfortunately did not make screenshots).

Do you think I can safely update with Updater app now?
 
Yes, from what I read, I think it should work just fine, although I haven't tried it out myself, because I'm still on the most recent stable version. Updater now knows what versions to look for. However, I think only the stable ROMs are available via Updater, so be aware you'll lose root access. If you want weekly ROMs, you'll have to use TWRP. If you apply the English theme to it, that should be easy too.
 
Hi again, lixpas, I managed to convert TWRP to english via your second method (without requiring Google Play Store).
The Updater app could not recognize the latest weekly EU Rom, so I rebooted into TWRP from terminal (fastboot boot recovery.img) and flashed it manually.
 
Anyone have a clear instruction? I also trying to install stable rom. I'm currently on miui 8 weekly but want to install miui 7 stable.

Sent from my MI 4S using Tapatalk
 
Zlenci, I'm glad it worked!

Tofuegg, just follow the instructions from my previous posts. If you have MIUI8 weekly ROM, your phone is obviously already unlocked and you most probably also have TWRP. If so, just copy the downloaded ROM to phone's internal storage, reboot it to TWRP (switch phone off, then hold volume down + power), there you just choose Install in the menu, browse to the ROM file and swipe the blue button to confirm installation.