How to Convert Stable MIUI 9 to MIUI 10 Beta on Xiaomi Devices?

Xiaomi’s custom Android skin ‘MIUI’ enjoys a huge fan base across the world with over 200 million users. Every year, the company introduces a new interaction of the MIUI right after Google announces an upgrade to the Android platform. This year too it introduced the MIUI 10 which is still in beta stage for a section of Xiaomi phones, while stable is hitting few others. Like iOS, Xiaomi too is rolling out the MIUI 10 update to most of the Redmi/Mi phones going back to 3.5-year old Redmi 1s.

The MIUI 10 update brings some interesting features such as AI portraits, Driving Mode which relies on the company’s assistant to safely use the phone for navigation, reply messages and more without touching the phone, improved full-screen gestures, an improved recent menu section to take advantage of the bezel-less displays that are launching these days. The AI portraits is a big step up for smartphones with single cameras as it brings portrait mode without dual-rear cameras. The company boasts about the AI which can decrease app load speed significantly speed up the phone by observing user behaviour. It also brings smart home devices integration and much more. Since MIUI 10 is currently in the beta stage, not every Xiaomi device owner can enjoy it right away. But the good thing is that the company tests the OS with beta testers before it rolls out the stable.

In this article, we will be seeing how you can convert the MIUI 9 stable to MIUI 10 beta on supported devices. For the record, MIUI 10 is rolled out to around 28 Xiaomi devices which is very impressive. Let’s get started.

Note: In August Xiaomi announced that user can now switch to MIUI Beta ROM without unlocking Bootloader on supported devices. So it is a good thing. Redmi Y1 Lite, Redmi Y1, Redmi 5A, Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro users can switch to MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM from MIUI 9 stable without unlocking the bootloader. However, rest of the phones still can be updated either via updater method or through the fastboot method by unlocking the bootloader. Let’s get started.

List of Xiaomi devices getting MIUI 10 include: Xiaomi Mi 3, Xiaomi Mi 4, Xiaomi Mi 5, Mi 5S, Mi 5S Plus, Xiaomi Mi 5X and Mi 5C, Xiaomi Mi4S, MiC, Xiaomi Mi Note 2, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, Xiaomi Max 2, Mi Max, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 4X, Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Note 5A Prime, Xiaomi Redmi 3S, Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, Redmi 5, Redmi 5A, Redmi Y1, Redmi Y1 Lite, Redmi Y2, Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 SE and Mi 6X.

Here’s how to convert stable MIUI 9 to MIUI 10 beta on Xiaomi phones – Using the updater method

1. Since this method wipes out your data, it is for the best if you can take a backup for the data before proceeding.
2. In this step, you will have to download the compatible MIUI 10 beta recovery flashable ROM. You can download compatible ROM for your smartphones from here. ‘Download’
3. Once downloaded, keep the ROM in Downloads folder in Internal Storage
4. Now head over to the phone settings> about phone> update, or go to the updater app from the home screen. click on three dots at the top right of your screen
5. From the list of options, select ‘Choose update package’ and Navigate to the folder where the ROM you have downloaded is placed.
6. Once you have selected, the phone will read the Zip file and apply the package update.
7. It will now reboot and greet you with MIUI 10 start-up screen.
8. As mentioned above, this method doesn’t need bootloader unlocking but for other models you still have to unlock bootloader and flash using the fastboot mode.

Here’s how to convert stable MIUI 9 to MIUI 10 beta on Xiaomi phones – Using the fastboot method

1. Fastboot method helps you in switching from MIUI stable to MIUI Beta ROM or vice versa.
2. For this method, you need to have an unlocked bootloader, so if you are using a device with a locked bootloader, you can apply for permission from here. Unlock Bootloader.
3. Even this method wipes away your data, so it is best if you can backup all your data before proceeding.
4. You need to download the MIUI 10 beta ROM that is compatible with your device and you will also need to download latest Mi Flash tool and install it on your PC. Download MIUI 10 Beta ROM| Mi Flash tool.
5. Once you have downloaded everything you need, switch off your phone, and then long press Power and Volume down button together until you see the fastboot logo.
6. Keep the phone aside, and open the installed Mi Flash tool on your PC and connect your Xiaomi device via USB cable. If the device is not detected, just hit ‘refresh’ and you will see the device.
7. Now, tap on Select’ and you will need to navigate to the folder where you have downloaded and extracted the ROM.
8. In the next step, tap on clean all and hit ‘Flash.’ It will take 2-3 minutes for the tool to flash the ROM.
9. Post flashing, the phone will reboot with MIUI 10 welcome screen.  

Conclusion: Xiaomi is one of the brands in India that do provide a warranty even if the device is rooted or unlocked. In fact, it encourages community development which makes it sit right on top. The MIUI 10 is a major increment over the MIUI 9 as it brings a host of new features and we did try the ROM and it is smooth and lag free, but there are bugs here and there which can get annoying at times. So, if you can survive the bugs, go ahead and try the above-said method and let us know about your experience.