Amid much fanfare, Xiaomi recently announced MIUI 12 and subsequently released the first closed beta for several devices. As it’s with MIUI, closed betas are generally released in China first and distributed to the rest of the world later. In such a scenario, Xiaomi users from across the globe are unable to experience the new MIUI 12 build. Nevertheless, we managed to install MIUI 12 on our Redmi K20 through TWRP. Not to mention, we also curated the 25 best features of MIUI 12 so that you can take a look at all the exciting new features. So, if you are also looking for a way to install MIUI 12 on your Xiaomi device then you have landed at the right place. In this article, we take you through the complete installation process of MIUI 12 with step-by-step instructions. Now, without losing any moment, let’s jump to the guide and learn how to install MIUI 12.
- First and foremost, you need an unlocked bootloader. If you have not done that yet then you can try this method to instantly unlock the bootloader. Sign-in with an old Mi account that you have used for unlocking bootloader in the past. I tried this method on my Redmi K20 and the bootloader was immediately unlocked without any waiting time. Apart from that, keep in mind, unlocking the bootloader will completely erase your device so back up all your files and folders.
Download MIUI 12 Recovery ROM
- Redmi K20 Pro (Download) — additional steps required for Indian variant (see below)
- Redmi K20 / Mi 9T (Download) — additional steps required for Indian variant (see below)
- Redmi K30 / Poco X2 (Download) — additional steps required for Indian variant (see below)
- Redmi Note 8 Pro (Download)
- Redmi Note 7 Pro (Download)
- Redmi Note 7 / 7S (Download)
- Redmi Note 5 Pro (Download)
- Redmi K30 5G (Download)
- Mi 10 Pro (Download)
- Mi 10 (Download)
- Mi Note 10 (Download)
- Mi 9 (Download)
- Mi 9 SE (Download)
- Mi 8 (Download)
- Mi 8 Lite (Download)
- Mi 6X (Download)
- Mi 6 (Download)
- Mi Mix 3 (Download)
- Mi Mix 2S (Download)
Make Chinese MIUI 12 ROM Compatible with Indian Variants [Only For K20 Pro, K20 and Poco X2]
For some devices launched in India, the internals are almost similar between Chinese and Indian variants, but there is a difference in codenames. For example, K20 Pro is codenamed as raphael in China and raphaelin in India. Similarly, K20 is codenamed as davinci in China and davinciin in India. Finally, Poco X2 which is actually a rebranded Redmi K30 is codenamed as phoenix in China and phoenixin in India.
After the extraction is complete, open the extracted folder and navigate to META-INF -> com -> google -> android. Here, right-click on “updater-script” and open with “Notepad”.
In a few minutes, a new ZIP file will be created in the same parent folder. Now, this is your updated MIUI 12 build and you can transfer it to your smartphone for further installation.
I am assuming that you have already downloaded the MIUI 12 ROM, TWRP and have unlocked the bootloader. Also, make sure to back up all your personal files and folders as this process will wipe the whole device.
adb reboot bootloader
- After installing TWRP, disconnect your device from the computer. Now, press and hold Volume Up and Power buttons at once. Once the device reboots and shows Mi/Redmi/Poco logo, release the buttons. You will now directly boot into TWRP.
My MIUI 12 Experience on Redmi K20
If you are wondering whether you should install MIUI 12 or not then my recommendation would be to simply go ahead with the installation. In my testing so far, I didn’t find any bug and the UI/UX is a major step-up from last year’s MIUI 11. In fact, the new gestures, control center, and animations are so good that you need to taste MIUI 12 right now. As for the performance, I didn’t encounter any lag or freezing behavior which is amazing, considering it’s the first beta. Further, the battery life is pretty good — not in the league of stable MIUI 11 — but totally usable. Apart from that, you can change the language to English and install Play Store and other Google services right from GetApps. Overall, my MIUI 12 experience has been pretty good so far and you can definitely try it on your Xiaomi device.
