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Xiaomi smartphones: Downgrading to MIUI 6 after installing MIUI 7

By Alvin Soon - 29 Sep 2015

How to downgrade back to MIUI 6 after installing MIUI 7

 

How to downgrade back to MIUI 6 after installing MIUI 7

So you’ve installed the MIUI 7 beta, but want to go back to MIUI 6? The way to go back is essentially the same way you got onto the MIUI 7 beta. You’ll need to:

  1. Download the MIUI 6 ROM on your PC
  2. Rename the ROM
  3. Transfer the ROM to your phone’s root directory
  4. Reboot into recovery mode
  5. Install the ROM

As before, we strongly recommend that you back up your device before installing the MIUI 6 ROM, to both local and online. Check our first part of this article series on how to backup your Xiaomi device.

Xiaomi also recommends that you do a full wipe during installation to avoid any potential issues. Again, things to consider if you do:

  • This will delete everything off your phone
  • It’s an optional step, but you take your chances
  • You can restore from your backups, but depending on what you chose to backup, you may not get everything back exactly the way it was
  • Doing so will take you more time to restore your apps and data afterwards

 

1. Download the current stable MIUI ROM on your PC

Download the current MIUI Global Stable ROM for your device from Xiaomi’s website: http://en.miui.com/download.html

2. Rename the ROM to ‘update.zip’

Once the ROM has been downloaded, rename it to ‘update.zip’ (without the ‘’ quote marks).

3. Transfer the ROM over to your Xiaomi device

Connect your Xiaomi device to your PC via micro-USB, and copy the renamed ‘update.zip’ ROM file into the root directory of your device (do not put it into any folder).

Your Xiaomi device should show up automatically on your PC. It didn’t show up on my Mac’s Finder, so I had to download and install the Android File Transfer app.

Once the Transfer app is installed, launch it, and you should be able to see the Xiaomi’s directory in the app. Copy the ‘update.zip’ ROM file in the Finder, and paste it into your phone’s root directory (do not put it into any folder).

 

What the Android File Transfer looks like on a Mac. I’m transferring the update.zip file into the root directory, and not into any folder.

4. Reboot into Recovery Mode

Once the ‘update.zip’ ROM file has been transferred, leave the USB cable plugged in or plug your smartphone into a wall charger if it has low battery.

Enter Recovery Mode by launching the Updater app, and clicking the ‘…’ icon on the top-right corner. Select ‘Reboot to Recovery Mode’.

Your smartphone will reboot.

5. Install the MIUI 6 ROM in Recovery Mode

Once in Recovery Mode, the touchscreen won’t work, but you can use the Volume buttons to select up or down, and the Power button to confirm your selection.

In Recovery Mode, select the ‘Install update.zip to System’ option, and your smartphone will begin updating. Once it’s installed the ROM, choose ‘Reboot to System’, and your device should boot into MIUI 6.

To double-check that you’re running MIUI 6, launch the Updater app, and check your version number. You should see a sequence of numbers that start with ‘6’, like this: V6.X.X.0 XXXXXXX. If so, success!

What you should see in the Updater app if you‘ve installed MIUI 6 successfully - a version number which starts with ‘6’.

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