Database Develop

bricked my Mi 8

Hey guys I've run into an issuei bought a Mi 8 off swappa two weeks ago I've been using it and it's been absolutely amazing I love it but a few days ago global miui 9 came out and they phone came bootloader unlocked so I figured I'd flash the firmware and then lock the bootloader I flashed the firmware through Miuitool it worked fine I set it up and then went to lock the bootloader using the same tool I did it and then it started to boot but detected no os anymore so it was bootlooping. I can only access the recovery and fastboot mode I tried wiping didn't work I tried flash the firmware using miflash tool and manually doing the commands also tried getting into edl mode but says it's locked. I tried calling support but they told me they didn't do phone repairs and to call the manufacturer of which I bought it from (swappa) I'm kinda losing hope I'm not sure what to do I've tried so much maybe I'm missing something. If anyone has any suggestions I would love that thanks and here's what my recovery says if that helps

Did you try to flash twrp with fastboot and then from twrp flash the new rom?

xristos9 said:
Did you try to flash twrp with fastboot and then from twrp flash the new rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not but I doubt I could because the bootloader is locked

Had you try flashing it with Deep Flash Cable?
http://en.miui.com/thread-1597002-1-1.html
Mi 8 Fastboot ROM can be downloaded here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mi-8/development/firmware-global-china-stock-firmware-t3818194
Disclaimer: I had not tested this method but shared from the internet. The IP of the method is from the link shared above and I hold no responsibility in any event it cause damage to your phone.

To resurrect the phone, you will need a MI account with authorized access to the EDL. Look at the topic of Redmi 5 as they resurrect bricks. On our forum, several MI 8 & MI 8 SE have already been resurrected in this way.
Instructions (RU)

dogsly said:
To resurrect the phone, you will need a MI account with authorized access to the EDL. Look at the topic of Redmi 5 as they resurrect bricks. On our forum, several MI 8 & MI 8 SE have already been resurrected in this way.
Instructions (RU)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can not register in your forum, could you give us the contact of the people taht can give us account EDL permissions?
BR

thanks for the suggestions guys I was thinking before getting super technical opening up my phone and modding a cable to let you guys know of an update. Last night I stayed up a while i found adb flash tool for recovery mode to flash back to official software (http://www.xiaomitool.com/adb) I downloaded both global and both china otas of stable and beta. First i flashed global successfully but forgot that going from china to global requires unlock boot loader to boot up so it did not boot next I tried china stable but the file is an older version and did not flash since it was "downgrading" and last I tried china beta which was newer in theory but did not flash since it was not stable. So i am going to wait for a new china stable rom to come out whenever it does because in theory it will flash correctly and completely fix the phone because its china miui thats newer than the one global version now i can only wonder if it can flash because i will be going from global to china but again I will let you guys know when i attempt it, I understand I will be waiting a while for a stable version those dont come often but in the meantime i can focus on other things and thankfully i have multiple back up phones. thanks guys

StarwarsMissionary said:
I tried china stable but the file is an older version and did not flash since it was "downgrading"
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Click to collapse
Theoretically and my previous experience with Nexus phone, older version of official ROM should be fine as it should get OTA to latest version. So, I think it is worth a try.
At the same time, I'm still patiently waiting for my 1st Mi 8 to arrive at door step.

ZhenMing said:
Theoretically and my previous experience with Nexus phone, older version of official ROM should be fine as it should get OTA to latest version. So, I think it is worth a try.
At the same time, I'm still patiently waiting for my 1st Mi 8 to arrive at door step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you and I used to own a nexus too so I understand what your saying but I tried flashing miui 9 china stable and the error said it was an older version and it was "illegal to downgrade" which is weird so I'll just wait for an updated version which might take a while

Never lock a boatloader with aftermarket global on a China Xiaomi.
I think because of the flashing the bootloader is locked again, maybe try to unlock it with miui unlock.
Maby Xiaomi enable the anti roll back also for the Mi 8 after they did it to the Xiaomi redmi note 5 whyred? Many people have ended up with bricked phones.
Edit
Same problem solution is unlock boatloader
https://xiaomi.eu/community/threads/mi-8-safetynet-android-pay-and-related-issues.45286/

I faced the same problem with my Mi 8 when I locked the bootloader after installing Global ROM. Simply put your phone in Fastboot, and again Unlock the Bootloader using Xiaomi official Unlock tool. Once bootloader was unlocked, phone booted normally with Global ROM.

Hello, I have blocked bootloader and now I am with the bootloader loop.
I've tried to unlock again from console and from the Xiaomi tool, but it has not been possible. The tool says that the device is not associated. Any solution to this?
I have also tried from Recovery (With MiFlash) to put the stable Chinese version, but having a higher version installed does not leave me.
If I re-flash the same version, it completes it but when restarting, the loop returns.
Any solution?

Hi I have the same problem but now I have a new and BIG new problem...
When I try to unlock the bootloader with my account the software said me that my account is not bounded in this device... cry cry cry!!!
Somebody knows if it is normal and if I will fixed?
BR

The mi unlock tool problems are mainly because of either it's not verified with your account or because before it bricked you forgot to go to development settings and add your phone for unlock which I forgot to so whenever I try to unlock it again it says it isn't verified because I'm a moron and forgot to add my Mi8 to my account in case something like this happened, now I gotta wait for a stable newer miui 9 China version to flash from the adb software

Any news on how to solve the brick?
The perfect solution would be to have access to an account with EDL permissions to re-unlock the bootloader.
Enviado desde mi SM-G930F mediante Tapatalk

StarwarsMissionary said:
The mi unlock tool problems are mainly because of either it's not verified with your account or because before it bricked you forgot to go to development settings and add your phone for unlock which I forgot to so whenever I try to unlock it again it says it isn't verified because I'm a moron and forgot to add my Mi8 to my account in case something like this happened, now I gotta wait for a stable newer miui 9 China version to flash from the adb software
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you have any update on this, please let me know I have the same issue and did same mistake.
Let me know if you were able to un-brick it.
Looking fwd to see an update from you.

This. Is. F****d. Up. Someone needs to say it. They do totally crazy things and we saw too many bricks coming from their unexplained tinkering with ARB and locking. Additionally, their each new flagship gets always one step closer to the prices of better competition. We are getting too screwed and we desperately need a new, reasonably priced and logical brand. Nokia? Wouldn't say so. Essential? US only and seems to close down. OnePlus? Getting costlier. Google? Got really costly. **** happened. Really, sorry for OT, but my empathy and sociological thinking just hurts me when I see this.

j1505243 said:
This. Is. F****d. Up. Someone needs to say it. They do totally crazy things and we saw too many bricks coming from their unexplained tinkering with ARB and locking. Additionally, their each new flagship gets always one step closer to the prices of better competition. We are getting too screwed and we desperately need a new, reasonably priced and logical brand. Nokia? Wouldn't say so. Essential? US only and seems to close down. OnePlus? Getting costlier. Google? Got really costly. **** happened. Really, sorry for OT, but my empathy and sociological thinking just hurts me when I see this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I thought I was the only one thinking like this.
Companies want as much money as possible. Oneplus is increasing prices not because the components cost more but because they waste money on ads and want more profit. And they pull it off because people will still buy their phones.
Honestly, the Mi 8 is a " flagship killer-killer",it provides almost the same stuff as the OP6 for less money but people either never heard of Xiaomi or are hesitant when it comes to buying their phones ( I don't understand why, though ) .
As for their phones dying, I only saw bricks from people who tried tinkering with deep level stuff without actually knowing what they were playing with.
They don't suddenly die/lose basic functions out of the blue like e.g. Moto phones and I don't know of a single device which beats them at this price along with what you get in a phone.

The Marionette said:
I only saw bricks from people who tried tinkering with deep level stuff without actually knowing what they were playing with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just let me tell that you can do the **** even actually knowing what you are playing with. You just need to forget to change the "clean all and lock" option which comes selected by default. And believe me, it's not that difficult at 3 a.m. after some successful flashes.
I think it's not necessary to dive into the hurt, you know.
Cheers

descarao81 said:
Just let me tell that you can do the **** even actually knowing what you are playing with. You just need to forget to change the "clean all and lock" option which comes selected by default. And believe me, it's not that difficult at 3 a.m. after some successful flashes.
I think it's not necessary to dive into the hurt, you know.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a need for that. This is an expensive toy and you shouldn't be playing with it if you are not 100% that you can undo the thing you will do if it goes wrong ( you are free to do it but then at least try to find a solution yourself ) .
After seeing posts which are pretty much like " uwu I made a f*cking boo boo, a weal f*cky wucky, pweese help me guys ;((((( " ( which could've been avoided by following some logic or by actually investigating before flashing stuff ) , it's high time people who are thinking about unlocking the bootloader actually see what they might be getting into if they "touch wrong things in the wrong way".

is there anyway to unlock bootloader without permission on miui 10?

One of my friend has redmi note 3 kenzo
It would be very helpful if someone has a trick to unlock bootloader without permission.

I think there is no need of permission for old devices for unlocking bootloader.
One of my friend has Redmi note 4X and was able to unlocked without asking for permission.
even this worked for his Redmi 3S but with 72hours of waiting time.
Just logged in into Mi unlock tool with same account as in device and your friend should be able to unlock bootloader (maybe not right away but with several hours of waiting time)

Problem isn't that
Problem is :- He is not able to add his mi account from developer option for oem unlocking.
An error occur always.

amandeep0007 said:
Problem isn't that
Problem is :- He is not able to add his mi account from developer option for oem unlocking.
An error occur always.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try unlocking without adding account. It worked for me. It should work for you too.

metelhammer said:
Try unlocking without adding account. It worked for me. It should work for you too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But when we install mi unlock software in pc it will first ask for mi account then go unlocking section
Sent from my Redmi 4X using XDA Labs

amandeep0007 said:
But when we install mi unlock software in pc it will first ask for mi account then go unlocking section
Sent from my Redmi 4X using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, right. Log in in Mi unlock tools on PC with the same account as in the phone and then connect phone in fastboot mode but first make sure oem unlock is enable and usb debugging is turned on. ignore the account log in in phone.
just give it try.

metelhammer said:
Yes, right. Log in in Mi unlock tools on PC with the same account as in the phone and then connect phone in fastboot mode but first make sure oem unlock is enable and usb debugging is turned on. ignore the account log in in phone.
just give it try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will try.
Sent from my Redmi 4X using XDA Labs

Log out of mi account in your phone, log in again, associate that account with your device then try unlocking the bootloader. Worked for me that way.

metelhammer said:
Yes, right. Log in in Mi unlock tools on PC with the same account as in the phone and then connect phone in fastboot mode but first make sure oem unlock is enable and usb debugging is turned on. ignore the account log in in phone.
just give it try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry but I don't get it... if you login to Mi account that means you are getting permission from Xiaomi isn't not?

cooledi said:
sorry but I don't get it... if you login to Mi account that means you are getting permission from Xiaomi isn't not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro problem he has is :
When he goes to developer option to add account for unlocking there he got always error
And when trying to unlock the bootloader from fastboot
Mi unlock tool says you dont have permissions .

cooledi said:
sorry but I don't get it... if you login to Mi account that means you are getting permission from Xiaomi isn't not?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be confused. Older devices are unlockable without even applying(i am saying this on my experience) i have unlocked two of my friends Redmi 3S and Redmi note 4X without even applying to xiaomi.
never devices needs to have permission to unlock and it takes time and request can get rejected if the it does not meet their conditions.
if you have old device such as more than a year or more.
Just download and install Mi flash tools and you are good to unlock but it still shows error of 50% or stuck at 99% so you'll have to unlock after remaining hours which will show on mi unlock tools.

I just used this method to unlock my Mi Max 2, Miui 10
http://betatechblogs.com/how-to-unl...-10-of-any-xiaomi-devices-without-permission/

Redmi 3s
metelhammer said:
Don't be confused. Older devices are unlockable without even applying(i am saying this on my experience) i have unlocked two of my friends Redmi 3S and Redmi note 4X without even applying to xiaomi.
never devices needs to have permission to unlock and it takes time and request can get rejected if the it does not meet their conditions.
if you have old device such as more than a year or more.
Just download and install Mi flash tools and you are good to unlock but it still shows error of 50% or stuck at 99% so you'll have to unlock after remaining hours which will show on mi unlock tools.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to unlock redmi 3s and i cant add account in mi unlock status is their any other way to unlock bootloader pls help.

Savageichigo said:
I want to unlock redmi 3s and i cant add account in mi unlock status is their any other way to unlock bootloader pls help.
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Click to collapse
Its most likely server error from xiaomi as it happens many times and almost everyone faced it whoever tried to unlock i guess.
Please try again later and if possible try and connect to different WiFi network before adding account.
Also you can just give it a try by enabling USB debugging, oem unlock turned on from developers options and then just turn off your device and boot into fastboot mode and try unlocking it, regardless of adding mi account.
You should also try some different versions of mi unlock tools(preferably older version).
As i have mentioned it worked without even adding account and it took 3 days to unlock as it was getting stuck at 50% or 99% and was asking to wait for 72 hours and later it unlocked in first try so this should work for you too.
There is unofficial way to unlock bootloader please search on XDA/YouTube or some other websites.

I am exactly facing the same problem please help
Dear friends i done all this
Sinin sin out
New mi account
And other stuffs
But none of them worked
I have redmi 6A

redmi 3s
metelhammer said:
Its most likely server error from xiaomi as it happens many times and almost everyone faced it whoever tried to unlock i guess.
Please try again later and if possible try and connect to different WiFi network before adding account.
Also you can just give it a try by enabling USB debugging, oem unlock turned on from developers options and then just turn off your device and boot into fastboot mode and try unlocking it, regardless of adding mi account.
You should also try some different versions of mi unlock tools(preferably older version).
As i have mentioned it worked without even adding account and it took 3 days to unlock as it was getting stuck at 50% or 99% and was asking to wait for 72 hours and later it unlocked in first try so this should work for you too.
There is unofficial way to unlock bootloader please search on XDA/YouTube or some other websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the late reply.
The thing is that in my device the sim card slot dont work so i cant add the account in unlock status.
Can you like tell me the full procedure that i have to do to unlock it.
Mi unlock tool just says you have to add account in mi unlock status.
Thanks for the help if this works it will help me out a lot.

Hi, I have xiaomi 9 pro, I unlocked it successfully after getting the permision, tried to flash it following all the instructions, and at the end it showed error "Not catch checkpoint (\$fastboot -s *lock)" and the phone does not turn on anymore... so it is locked and I cannot ask for another permission... any suggestions how to fix that?

metelhammer said:
Its most likely server error from xiaomi as it happens many times and almost everyone faced it whoever tried to unlock i guess.
Please try again later and if possible try and connect to different WiFi network before adding account.
Also you can just give it a try by enabling USB debugging, oem unlock turned on from developers options and then just turn off your device and boot into fastboot mode and try unlocking it, regardless of adding mi account.
You should also try some different versions of mi unlock tools(preferably older version).
As i have mentioned it worked without even adding account and it took 3 days to unlock as it was getting stuck at 50% or 99% and was asking to wait for 72 hours and later it unlocked in first try so this should work for you too.
There is unofficial way to unlock bootloader please search on XDA/YouTube or some other websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this same problem, a rom of detects card yes !! So no post unlock my cell phone already and old mi max 2 2017 does any way to unlock without my account ??? Help to ..

Gintarevys said:
Hi, I have xiaomi 9 pro, I unlocked it successfully after getting the permision, tried to flash it following all the instructions, and at the end it showed error "Not catch checkpoint (\$fastboot -s *lock)" and the phone does not turn on anymore... so it is locked and I cannot ask for another permission... any suggestions how to fix that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See. This is why you should flash WITHOUT locking BL in MiFlash, if something goes wrong u can do it again but if you have locked BL, then you probably need to use EDL

Marcelsky said:
See. This is why you should flash WITHOUT locking BL in MiFlash, if something goes wrong u can do it again but if you have locked BL, then you probably need to use EDL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't able to solve any problem with the EDL point yet. Sorry to say that. Therefore, as Marcelsky said, don't lock your phone by flashing. Pay attention to the button in the Mi Flash. Otherwise may the phone stuck in the bootloop, or will not start and ..

[NEED HELP BAD] Couldn't verify device: Can't get info. Can't unlock my bootloader

So 3 months after I got the phone, I tried to unlock the bootloader about 2 weeks ago, and got the timer (168 hours). Now when I tried to unlock it again, it's mostly giving me (Like 9.5 out of 10 times) a "Couldn't verify device: Can't get info" Error at 50%. There are rare instances when it goes beyond 50% and stops at 99% it will give me the following error (please see attachments).
I've tried everything from:
1. Re-linking my account in "Mi Unlock Status"
2. Removing fingerprints and lockscreen
3. Running unlock tool with admin rights
Could this be because I may have disabled some background apps or some of the apps I installed? I did leave Mi Cloud and Mi Account Sync on along with Find my device. If yes, then would a factory reset solve this problem?
I don't know what to do anymore :crying: . If anybody could help that would be greatly appreciated

Xiaomi sucks i had the same problem i got my phone 1 month earlier and everytime i tried to unlock they doubled the wqiting time in total im gettingv2 months of waiting and still im not sure after thzt, they will not add more time. They ducks with their unlock process, we want it to unlock this **** why making it complicated ? Chinese bastards

jceey15 said:
So 3 months after I got the phone, I tried to unlock the bootloader about 2 weeks ago, and got the timer (168 hours). Now when I tried to unlock it again, it's mostly giving me (Like 9.5 out of 10 times) a "Couldn't verify device: Can't get info" Error at 50%. There are rare instances when it goes beyond 50% and stops at 99% it will give me the following error (please see attachments).
I've tried everything from:
1. Re-linking my account in "Mi Unlock Status"
2. Removing fingerprints and lockscreen
3. Running unlock tool with admin rights
Could this be because I may have disabled some background apps or some of the apps I installed? I did leave Mi Cloud and Mi Account Sync on along with Find my device. If yes, then would a factory reset solve this problem?
I don't know what to do anymore :crying: . If anybody could help that would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download an earlier version of the unlock tool from here and try unlocking with the earlier version https://c.mi.com/thread-2262302-1-0.html
Some people have reported that using an older version works in these cases.

Use the miflash_unlock-en-2.3.803.10 version, it'll work!
Regards,
acervenky

You probably need to use a VPN service. I had similar problem with my MIX 2 and I had used Plex VPN and then only could unlock bootloader

Thank you to everybody who gave advice. It was weird, since what I did was:
1. Logged into the Mi Cloud website with my Mi Account
2. Checked if my phone was online
3. Tried the Find Me option, and was able to locate it (scary stuff and one of the reasons why I'm unlocking my bootloader)
4. Left it for a day and when I tried to unlock the following day, I was able to unlock it immediately
Seriously, the unlocking process of Xiaomi phones is a bit tedious and varied.

jceey15 said:
Thank you to everybody who gave advice. It was weird, since what I did was:
1. Logged into the Mi Cloud website with my Mi Account
2. Checked if my phone was online
3. Tried the Find Me option, and was able to locate it (scary stuff and one of the reasons why I'm unlocking my bootloader)
4. Left it for a day and when I tried to unlock the following day, I was able to unlock it immediately
Seriously, the unlocking process of Xiaomi phones is a bit tedious and varied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, using Find Me I was eventually able to unlock
I will agree on the tedious unlocking process. The last phone I will buy from them will be the Android One ones (A1/A2/A3). I had a fuss-free experience with my A1.

Error when trying to login to mi unlock tool

Hello, i wanted to unlock my xiaomi redmi 8's bootloader because i wanna install root on it. I completely understand the risks and im willing to unlock it. I don't care if it takes months for xiaomi to approve my mi account. So, when i tried logging in into mi unlock tool with my mi account, first thing i noticed is that its quite slow. Anyway i entered my details when i was at the account login page, and then a few seconds later the page turned white. At first i thought it was just simply loading however after i checked the logs, i see this message: WARNING: account loading error: -188. Ive done some research why it isnt working. They suggested that i should disable my antivirus and run the tool with administrator priviliges. However that didnt help either. Ive also noticed that after i clicked add account and device in mi unlock state, (i enabled mobile data and turned off wifi) it said my mi account had been added. However when i exit out of mi unlock state and go back it says to add my account again. I dont know if thats intentional or not. If somebody can help me i'd gladly appreciate it.

if youve failed unlocking it, your phone is still safely under guarantee, have no fear (IMHO)
i remembered ~2Y ago when i tried unlocking it i was also sent in a loop. i followed the usual guides and all and was also reverified on my phone and PC again. sometimes the mi server can be buggy, and we had to wait for a bit.
make sure your phones SIM 1 (in the middle) has both SMS and data kuota available, as thats how they verify your device and account. IIRC 1 SMS to their servers, and 1 verification data from network to your phone.

I haven't gotten to unlock my device yet. So far i'm at the logging in into mi unlock tool stage. And also yes, i have all of those things that you mentioned.

yep it looks like youre stumped after waiting a day. for references, which guide are you following? does windows and ADB|fastboot detect your phone and driver?
usually an account is verified after a few days when creating a new xiaomi account, and 1 week after using the phone.
from what i remembered that most guides dont state is that my friend told me to locate my device first via i.mi.com first. after locating the device in normal system mode, follow the usual steps. as i said i too remembered how buggy mi unlock can be. hopefully others can also chime in.
my mi unlock tools an ancient 4.5.514.47, newer versions should be preferred for security|bugfixes, but im just saying i unlocked it with that version in case it might help.

Yes mi unlock tool detects my device in fastboot mode. I'm following a tutorial on youtube.

Good news, i managed to unlock and root my phone! I guess i was just lucky because i tried logging from day to day and i finally got it to work.

Question Google Contacts won't sync (and other issues)

Hello all,
To begin with - yes, I'm an idiot. I'm in the UK and my week-old Mi 11 Ultra is on the CN ROM. Had multiple Chinese phones with Google Play loaded and never had a problem, but the Mi 11 Ultra just won't sync my contacts. I've found advice on here (https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...o-sync-google-contacts-in-miui-12-cn.4276659/) but it seems to be a couple of months out-of-date as I don't have those apps and can't download them. The Contacts app (the Google one) says there are no contacts in my account (I do) and in the Accounts & Sync area in Settings my 'People details' apparently synced two days ago - but they absolutely haven't.
I'm also having plenty of problems with notifications which is really getting on my nerves.
From reading this forum I suspect the answer you're all going to give me is to flash to the Global ROM, but I've never flashed a phone so I'm pretty nervous about doing that.... Is there possible another workaround?
Thanks all (for both help and tolerance of an idiot).

(another idiot) I was also on the CN ROM with Google services installed and couldn't get any Google related back-up to work in general. Photos app was not uploading anything, phone wouldn't back-up. I was expecting a few quirks and was ready to work around these issues, but the notifications were the real killer. Seems like most apps get killed in the background and will not sync, even with all battery saver settings removed, all permissions activated, and apps locked permanently in the task manager. In particular from my experience Gmail and WhatsApp were problematic. Even WhatsApp calls would not come through if I did not have the app open.
As you suspected your best options are probably either to go with an official global ROM or go with the (unofficial) Xiaomi.eu ROM. Personally I went with the latter because it promises a fully functional phone without major drawbacks, but opinions are quite mixed on it - there are several discussions in other threads sharing different experiences and pros/cons. I've had one or two minor visual bugs but nothing major. I didn't try the official global ROM yet, but it will most likely be the most stable and best performing option - just expect some extra hoops to enable banking/security/ID apps.
If you find any workaround to get these things working on the CN ROM I would love to hear them, everything was super smooth and I was happy to stick to it if only notifications were reliable.

Just simply flash global rom, fixed all problem in CN
Don't know how people (outside CN) can live with CN rom

The problem is when you've never done it before! I'm worried about ending up with a £700 brick. I've seen a guide but I am completely new to doing this so it's pretty scary.
Thanks Braptrus - it's nice to hear from someone else who isn't exactly an expert on all this. Don't suppose you could point me towards the guide you followed to flash the ROM, could you? From the few things I've read I think I'll go for Global over EU for now as it seems an easier/safer starting point.

I followed the instructions on the Xiaomi.eu forum and a couple of YouTube videos from "topfone4u" (he has demos for .eu and global ROMs). I think if you follow one of the videos and go step by step and really follow carefully it's quite straightforward, but on the other hand it's very possible to brick your phone if you make a mistake so need be careful and make sure you understand what you are doing. Otherwise if you are not confident I'm not sure if you can find a local phone shop who can do it for you?

supergraeme said:
The problem is when you've never done it before! I'm worried about ending up with a £700 brick. I've seen a guide but I am completely new to doing this so it's pretty scary.
Thanks Braptrus - it's nice to hear from someone else who isn't exactly an expert on all this. Don't suppose you could point me towards the guide you followed to flash the ROM, could you? From the few things I've read I think I'll go for Global over EU for now as it seems an easier/safer starting point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a lot of guides on youtube... About how to flash a rom, it's freaking easy

hungragezone said:
There is a lot of guides on youtube... About how to flash a rom, it's freaking easy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You say that, but I can't even get my laptop/Mi PC Suite to detect the phone being connected yet!

supergraeme said:
You say that, but I can't even get my laptop/Mi PC Suite to detect the phone being connected yet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Connect phone to pc, if just need to copy file, change the MTP mode on phone, default is just charging (no storage detected)

I've done that. The laptop can see it but Mi PC Suite just tells me to connect by USB. I can explore the phone in Explorer but Mi PC Suite doesn't see it at all. It knows something is going on - when I change to File Transfer the 'Connect your device via USB' message pops up in Mi PC Suite.

supergraeme said:
I've done that. The laptop can see it but Mi PC Suite just tells me to connect by USB. I can explore the phone in Explorer but Mi PC Suite doesn't see it at all. It knows something is going on - when I change to File Transfer the 'Connect your device via USB' message pops up in Mi PC Suite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But wth r u doing with that shiety mi pc Suite?

hungragezone said:
But wth r u doing with that shiety mi pc Suite?
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Trying to work backwards. I couldn't get Mi Unlock to see my phone and read that ADB drivers might need updating and that Mi PC Suite was the way to get that done. The newest version wouldn't work, but an old one did and eventually I got them updated. With some more fiddling, I've now managed to request to unlock!
So now I will be able to flash the ROM a few hours before I go on holiday next week, which I suspect will be a terrible idea.

supergraeme said:
Trying to work backwards. I couldn't get Mi Unlock to see my phone and read that ADB drivers might need updating and that Mi PC Suite was the way to get that done. The newest version wouldn't work, but an old one did and eventually I got them updated. With some more fiddling, I've now managed to request to unlock!
So now I will be able to flash the ROM a few hours before I go on holiday next week, which I suspect will be a terrible idea.
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Which version mi PC suit you had it work with mi 11 ultra? Can U share link please?

hassanaliyeh said:
Which version mi PC suit you had it work with mi 11 ultra? Can U share link please?
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https://mipcsuite.com/ - the newest version still won't recognise it, but v3.0 did. I couldn't get the account screen to go away, but it did updates in the background - it was all in Chinese but I saw 'ADB' in that a couple of times. I did that a few times and eventually Mi Unlock recognised the phone.

supergraeme said:
Trying to work backwards. I couldn't get Mi Unlock to see my phone and read that ADB drivers might need updating and that Mi PC Suite was the way to get that done. The newest version wouldn't work, but an old one did and eventually I got them updated. With some more fiddling, I've now managed to request to unlock!
So now I will be able to flash the ROM a few hours before I go on holiday next week, which I suspect will be a terrible idea.
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Click to collapse
U didnt need that shiet program at all.
follow the official guide to flash fastboot rom https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/mi-11-ultra-cn-notifications.4334413/post-85652965

Thanks for the advice all - I managed to get it done a couple of weeks ago. The 168 hours bootloader unlocking failed several times and things went slightly differently to the instructions but I got there eventually. The topfone4u videos as suggested by @Braptrus were brilliant.
And yes, it was pretty easy in the end!